Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: 57-The Ugly Nurse

Helanie:

I was given tranquilizers for hours, but as I slept, the horrifying events from the night of the Alphas—and the faces of Lamar and Sydney—kept replaying in my nightmares. By the time I woke up, I realized it was already too late.

“Please don’t get up. You need to rest,” said the nurse beside my bed, but the way she pressed her fingers firmly into my shoulder to push me back down made it clear she wasn’t thrilled about caring for me.

“I just want to know… did the exam start today?” I asked in a hoarse, strained voice.

“Huh? I’m not here to find things out for you. Why can’t you just stay quiet and rest?” she replied, sounding exasperated.

I didn’t understand. Why was she so irritated with me?

“Is she awake again? We can’t keep pausing the movie,” another nurse grumbled as she walked in, and that’s when it dawned on me why they seemed so bothered.

“Go to sleep, okay?” the nurse by my bed ordered, throwing me a sharp look before turning around to speak with her colleague.

“She keeps waking up,” I overheard her complain as they both exited, slamming the door shut behind them.

“Can I get some wa—” I started to ask, but the loud slam cut me off. I glanced around for water but found nothing within reach.

I rested my head back, staring up at the ceiling. No. I wouldn’t let them treat me like this. They were here to take care of me, and I refused to be seen as a burden just because they couldn’t enjoy the luxuries of the farmhouse.

I noticed an empty glass on the small table beside me. Moving my arm was difficult, as I’d been bedridden for a while and hadn’t moved my muscles after that incident. A cast covered my little finger—a reminder of the extent of the injuries Lamar and Sydney had inflicted on me.

With effort, I carefully stretched my arm and nudged the glass until it tipped over and crashed to the floor, shattering with a loud noise that was sure to attract the attention of the nurses and doctors outside.

The door swung open, and they rushed in, panic clear in their eyes. The nurse, whose name tag read “Prim,” rolled her eyes once she realized what had happened.

“Did you freaking smash it?” she hissed, hunched over and snarled like an angry dog.

“I did,” I replied calmly, unafraid as she advanced toward me.

“Who the heck does she think she is?” the other nurse demanded, glancing at the doctor, who merely shrugged. What kind of people were assigned to care for wounded werewolves?

These people lacked even a hint of compassion.

“And may I ask why? Are you going to clean it up?” Prim yelled as she stomped closer. Did she really think I wouldn’t tell Kaye how she was treating me? Or did she assume she could lie to him?

I wondered what was going through her head—how she could be so brazenly disrespectful.

“No! You will clean it up. You’re here to take care of me—” I stated firmly, noticing her face twist with annoyance.

“Ohhhhhhh!” She rolled her eyes dramatically, forming her mouth into a large, exaggerated “O.” “We’re here to take care of her. Look at that attitude!” She sneered, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “We don’t even know who you are. It’s a privilege granted to you by the Rogue King’s sons that you’re resting here. Otherwise, people without a wolf usually die in the woods alone.”

The smirk on her lips hinted that she knew I was wolfless.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” A strong, deep voice suddenly echoed through the house, causing everyone’s eyes to widen in shock.

“That’s Emmet McQuoid,” one of the doctors whispered, quickly stepping away from the nurses. They began to jostle each other in their desperation to leave, but they couldn’t; the brothers had blocked the doorway.

As Kaye entered with Emmet right behind him, it was clear Emmet had been questioning Kaye about me. The two brothers exchanged an odd look at the nurses before their eyes fell on the shattered glass.

“What’s going on here?” Kaye demanded, his gaze shifting to the broken glass on the floor.

“Oh, we gave her some medication, and she’s… creating a bit of a scene,” Prim had the nerve to lie.

“She seems perfectly calm to me,” Emmet observed, slipping his hands into his pockets as he eyed Prim. She subtly adjusted her curly red hair and pushed her chest out, though her attempt to appear confident was hardly discreet.

“She was accusing us of not doing a great job,” she said, suddenly switching to a softer tone. “I don’t mean to be rude, but we work really hard, so it hurts when someone tries to use their power against us—” She looked down, clasping her hands in an attempt to appear vulnerable.

“She was giving you all a hard time?” Kaye questioned, his voice filled with suspicion.

“They’re lying. I only asked for water when she ignored me and left the room,” I quickly explained, hoping to clarify before she painted herself as innocent and me as some kind of crazy brat.

“That’s not true. We didn’t hear her. We’ve been checking on her nonstop. But ask her—why did she break that glass?” Prim quickly looked up, and as everyone’s attention shifted to me, she wrinkled her nose at me with a smug little smirk.

“Did you break the glass?” Kaye asked, and I felt a lump form in my throat. They already thought I was difficult. Appearing spoiled on top of that was hardly ideal.

“I did,” I admitted, refusing to lie.

“See? And then she started saying, ‘Oh, you’re going to clean this up’ and so on,” Prim muttered meekly, making me clench my jaw.

“She’s telling the truth,” the other nurses chimed in, siding with her, while the doctors remained silent.

“Helanie!” Kaye turned to me, his expression serious. “I’m going to handle this because we don’t treat anyone unfairly here,” he assured, and I caught a smirk twitching at the corners of Prim’s lips.

“Apologize to her right now,” Kaye commanded, his voice firm.