The Exiled Alpha's Human Male Mate.[BL]

After the doctors finished attending to Dave, they finally allowed Bryce into the room.

Dave looked considerably better now. The pallor that had drained the life from his face earlier was gone, leaving him looking almost peaceful, as though he were merely asleep.

A blood drip was still connected to his arm, steadily replenishing what he had lost, while the wound on his leg had been cleaned, treated, and secured beneath a bandage.

Bryce sat beside the bed and stared at him, uncertain what he was supposed to feel anymore.

The anger that had consumed him earlier had somehow vanished, leaving behind an emptiness he could not quite understand.

Perhaps staying away from Dave was the only way he would ever manage to move on from him, to reach a point where he could stop caring that much after everything that had happened between them.

He had come to accept that they simply were not compatible, not when Dave believed he had the right to dictate his life, not when he had been willing to lock him inside the estate and prevent him from leaving, and certainly not when he had gone as far as having another person impersonate him.

It was disturbingly similar to what Dave had done when he made Bryce impersonate Eli.

Perhaps once Bryce finally walked away for good, Dave would continue using the young man he had found at the club as a substitute for him until he eventually became attached to him too.

Maybe that would be enough to make Dave forget about Bryce altogether.

Bryce didn’t know how he was supposed to help him anymore.

He didn’t want Dave waking up and find him there. At the same time, leaving him alone felt wrong.

Who was he supposed to leave him with, then? His own men had already tried to kill him, and his family was even more complicated. Bryce had no idea who Dave could safely trust.

What about Angela?

But what if she was involved with her brothers and had been part of whatever they were plotting against Dave?

Perhaps his father was the only person he could rely on.

Even that was uncertain.

Bryce knew almost nothing about Dave’s relationship with his father, and he knew even less about his relationship with his mother.

After thinking for a while, Bryce took a pen from his pocket and found a piece of paper. He lowered his head and wrote:

> Your brothers were the ones who tried to kill you. They have been plotting against you because they believe your dad favours you and intends to make you the one to inherit the empire. Look into it if you want, just to be sure. Be careful, and take care of yourself.

His vision blurred as he finished the final words.

He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his eyes before the tears could fall. He folded the paper and reached for Dave’s wallet, intending to slip the note inside where he would find it after waking up, but a knock interrupted him.

The door opened gently, and Vincent stepped inside with his two men following behind him.

Bryce immediately rose from his chair, a strange sense of relief settled over him at the sight of Vincent.

"Crying?" Vincent asked, his gaze immediately falling on Bryce’s face. "What, is he dead?"

His voice carried a cold edge, and Bryce could not tell whether his irritation was directed at him, Dave, or the entire situation.

"I’m not crying," Bryce defended himself immediately.

"Right." Vincent’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Then what is that? Water in your eyes?"

Bryce said nothing.

Vincent did not press the matter any further. Instead, he glanced toward the two men behind him.

"They’ll stay here and watch over him until he wakes up. Once he does, they’ll show him where his men are being held. After that, they’ll leave him to deal with his own affairs."

Bryce stared at him, relief washing through him so intensely.

He had been dreading the thought of leaving Dave alone in the hospital, but Vincent had somehow anticipated the problem and resolved it before he even had to voice his concern.

For all his arrogance, impatience, and obvious resentment over everything that had happened that night, Vincent was still helping him.

Maybe he was not as cold and self-absorbed as he pretended to be.

"Should we leave now?" Vincent asked after explaining everything.

Bryce simply nodded.

Before following him, he handed Dave’s phone, wallet, and the piece of paper he had written to one of the men.

"Give him this when he wakes up."

The man accepted them with a nod.

Bryce looked at Dave one last time before turning away and following Vincent toward the exit.

They made their way through the busy hospital lobby, which remained surprisingly active despite the late hour, and soon stepped outside.

Vincent led him to his car, and once they were both inside, he started the engine and drove away.

The city as well, was still very much alive despite the hour. Lights remained scattered across buildings and streets, vehicles continued moving through the roads, and people were still out as though the night had only just begun.

Bryce found himself wondering whether these were the same people who filled the city during the day or whether they were people who slept through daylight and only came alive once darkness settled over the city.

Silence gradually enveloped the car.

Bryce wanted to thank Vincent for everything he had done that night, but for some reason, the words refused to come easily. He kept putting it off until he couldn’t anymore.

"Thanks... for everything," he finally murmured.

His own voice sounded rougher than he expected.

"I did it specifically for you," Vincent replied evenly, his eyes remaining fixed on the road. "Not because you’re going to pay me anything."

Bryce didn’t say anything to that, unsure of what he could even say.

He wasn’t sure what Vincent meant by that, and more importantly, he wasn’t certain he wanted to find out.

There was something behind those words that made him uncomfortable, something he suspected would only complicate matters further if he acknowledged it.

He pulled out his phone and checked the time.

It was already past three in the morning.

They were supposed to be leaving for Alverton around this time, but he could not simply leave in the state he was in.

He needed somewhere to shower, change, and regain enough composure to face whatever awaited him there.

He would have to find a cheap hotel room, freshen up, and get some decent clothes before they left.

"I need to freshen up, but it won’t take long. Drop me at Phase 12."

"I already got a room and some professional clothes," Vincent replied without hesitation. "You can freshen up there."

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