Yuki stared down at their joined hands. A strange warmth spread through her chest. For the first time since waking up... someone wasn’t asking what would benefit the pack. Or the Ravencourt name. They were asking what would make her happy. Her throat tightened. She slowly nodded.
"...I’ll think about it," she whispered.
Deep down... she already knew. Whether she liked it or not... the engagement would have to happen.
*******
By late afternoon, the golden sunlight pouring through the hospital windows had softened into warm shades of amber and orange. Yuki sat propped comfortably against several pillows, a laptop balanced across her legs while medical textbooks lay scattered over the bed. Three weeks. She had missed almost three weeks of medical school. Every few minutes, she scribbled notes into a notebook before frowning at another recorded lecture.
"So that’s why Professor Lewis skipped that Chapter..." she muttered to herself under her breath.
Beside the bed, Olivine smiled, her tone lightly teasing. "You’ve only just escaped a coma. Most people would be sleeping."
Yuki didn’t even look up. "Most people aren’t about to fail pharmacology," she replied flatly.
Olivine laughed softly. "You nearly died," she chuckled.
"And my lecturer nearly failed half the class before I almost died," Yuki shot back without missing a beat.
Olivine pinched the bridge of her nose dramatically. "You are hopeless."
Yuki flashed her an innocent smile. "I’m dedicated," she argued.
"You’re impossible," Olivine replied with a fond shake of her head.
The two young women laughed together. Eventually, Olivine checked the time on her phone before sighing.
"I should head back," she said, reluctance clear in her voice.
Yuki’s smile faded slightly.
"...Already?" she asked quietly.
"I’ve spent the entire day here." Olivine stood and stretched lazily. "If I disappear any longer, they will assume I’ve resigned."
Yuki reluctantly nodded. "...Thank you," she said sincerely.
Olivine blinked, startled.
"For everything." Yuki smiled. "You didn’t have to stay with me all day."
Olivine walked over and lightly flicked her forehead. "Don’t get sentimental," she said with mock sternness.
Yuki rubbed the spot dramatically. "Ouch. I am still recovering."
Olivine’s lips twitched. "Recover first. Then complain later."
Yuki couldn’t help laughing. "Fine, then."
"I’ll see you tomorrow," Olivine said over her shoulder.
"You’d better," Yuki called after her.
Olivine waved before quietly leaving the room. The hospital corridor was noticeably calmer now. Visitors had begun heading home while nurses prepared for the evening shift. She had barely reached the elevators when a familiar voice suddenly echoed inside her mind.
’Where are you?’
Olivine froze mid-step. Lord Kieran. Since she worked as one of his laboratory assistants, they shared a direct mind-link for emergencies. She answered almost instinctively.
’I’m at Central Hospital,’ she replied honestly. ’I came to visit a friend.’
There was only a brief pause before his calm voice returned.
’Good.’ His tone carried its usual quiet authority. ’Come to my room.’
The connection disappeared before she could ask another question. Olivine remained standing in the middle of the corridor, staring blankly at the elevator doors. A nervous knot slowly formed in her stomach.
"...Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?" she muttered under her breath before reluctantly turning towards the private ward reserved for the Ravencourt family.
---
The sky had long surrendered to the night by the time Olivine reached the private wing reserved for the Ravencourt family.
She hadn’t even known Kieran had been hospitalised until she’d overheard the nurses discussing the accident outside Yuki’s ward. The news had shaken her more than she cared to admit.
To everyone else, Kieran Ravencourt was the second Alpha heir.
To her...
He was the brilliant physician who had noticed the insecure first-year medical student always lingering outside the research laboratories. The man who had patiently answered every ridiculous question she’d asked. The mentor who had looked at her trembling entrance examination results and smiled before saying, "You have talent, Olivine. Stop doubting yourself before the world has the chance to."
Without his encouragement, she wasn’t sure she would’ve had the courage to pursue medicine.
She tightened her grip around the strap of her handbag as she rounded the corner. Two armed Alpha guards stood outside Kieran’s room.
Olivine slowed to a halt, blinking in surprise.
Guards?
Her brows knitted together.
Who on earth would dare attack Lord Kieran inside Central Hospital?
She had no idea the guards weren’t stationed there to keep assassins out.
They were there to make sure one stubborn workaholic didn’t sneak out.
One of the guards stepped forward, his expression respectful but firm.
"State your business."
Olivine immediately straightened. "Lord Kieran requested to see me."
The guard gave a single nod before his eyes briefly lost focus.
He was using the mind-link. A few silent seconds passed before he inclined his head again.
"Lord Kieran has confirmed it." The heavy door clicked open. "You may enter."
"Thank you," Olivine replied politely before stepping inside.
The room was surprisingly peaceful.
Warm bedside lamps replaced the harsh fluorescent hospital lighting, casting a soft golden glow across the spacious suite. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor blended with the gentle hum of the air conditioner, creating an oddly calming atmosphere.
Olivine’s gaze instinctively drifted towards the bed.
Then she stopped walking.
Kieran sat propped comfortably against several pillows, one knee bent beneath the blanket while a thick hardcover novel rested lazily in his hands as he read.
For a fleeting second...
He didn’t look like the genius physician who buried himself inside laboratories until sunrise.
He didn’t even look like the future Alpha.
He simply looked his age.
The bandage wrapped around his forehead softened the sharpness of his features instead of diminishing them. The bruises along his jaw had already faded to pale violet beneath his remarkable healing ability. His midnight-black hair had become slightly tousled from resting against the pillows, with a few loose strands falling carelessly across his forehead.
From the side, illuminated by the warm bedside lamp, his profile looked almost unfair. His long eyelashes cast delicate shadows against his skin, his straight nose and the relaxed line of his jaw.
Even the absent-minded way he turned a page with elegant fingers looked... attractive.
Olivine stared.
...This should honestly be illegal.
No wonder half the female researchers lost their ability to speak whenever he entered the laboratory.
She realised a heartbeat too late that she’d been openly gawking. Heat rushed into her cheeks.
Pull yourself together!
She quickly cleared her throat.
"My Lord..."
Kieran calmly flipped another page. He didn’t even lift his eyes from the novel. Olivine clasped her hands behind her back.
"You wished to see me?" she asked.
"I did," Kieran answered simply.
Another page turned.
Silence settled between them. Then, without any warning, he asked in the same calm tone,
"...Who did you come to visit today?"
Olivine blinked. Why did he want to know?
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