CHAPTER TWO

Elijah realized his mistake and quickly loosened his grip, taking a step back.

His movement caused Freya's wolf ears to tremble slightly. His wolf instinctively caught the sound of her rapid breathing.

“I'm sorry, I just—”

Before he could finish, Robert approached with a forbidding expression, causing Elijah's face to turn pale as though pinned in place by an invisible force.

“She needs rest,” Robert's voice was as cold as ice, his gaze sweeping over Elijah with a warning glint in his wolfish eyes. “Please leave.”

Elijah opened his mouth but ultimately left under the pressure of Robert's piercing stare.

Once the door to the hospital room closed, Clara gently tugged on Robert's sleeve and softly said, “Robert, Freya is still young; it's understandable that she might have acted impulsively. I've already forgiven her, so please, don't stay mad.” Robert's tense expression eased slightly, his wolf tail gave a gentle sway, though his wolf's face remained visibly displeased toward me.

Freya watched him obey Clara's every word, her heart gripped tightly as if by an unseen hand. Her wolf claws unconsciously scratched at the bed sheets, her sharp nails nearly piercing the fabric.

Clara ladled out a bowl of fish soup from a thermos, tenderly handing it over, “Freya, I simmered this soup for a long time. Would you like to try it?”

Freya stared at the milky white fish soup, her fingers trembling slightly. Her wolf nose sharply caught the fishy scent, and her wolf throat tightened instinctively; her allergy to fish was life-threatening.

“I...”

Just as she wanted to refuse, Clara's eyes brimmed with tears.

“Are you still... holding a grudge against me?” Clara's voice was choked with emotion, as if she had suffered a great injustice. Seeing this, Robert frowned, a trace of impatience flared in his wolf eyes. “Freya, Clara cares about you despite everything. Is this your way of responding?”

Freya's throat tightened.

Robert had always known about her fish allergy, which was why the Carver family hadn't seen fish in over a decade. But now, just to prevent Clara from being upset, he disregarded her safety...

Fine, if this is what he wants, then she would grant him his wish.

She lowered her eyes and took the bowl, drinking the soup in one gulp after another. The soup was flavorful, yet bitter enough to bring tears to her eyes. Her wolf allowed her to feel each note of fishiness, as if poison was invading her body.

Once she had finished drinking, Robert's expression softened slightly, and he rose to the hallway to take a work call.

No sooner had he left than the tenderness on Clara's face vanished.

“Freya, stop playing the victim,” she sneered, hervoice so low only wolf ears could catch.

“Robert is merely caring for you out of past sentiments; don't be oblivious.”

Freya's throat was already beginning to itch, her skin breaking out in tiny, red welts, making breathing difficult.

She wanted to press the call button for a Pack doctor, but Clara clamped down on her wrist with such force that even her wolf bones ached.

“I suggest you leave soon,” Clara hissed, “and stop disrupting our happiness.”

Freya struggled to push her away, but the allergic reaction rendered her powerless. Her wolf wanted to tear her apart, but she lacked the strength.

At that moment, Robert returned, opening the door just as Freya reached out to push Clara away.

Clara staggered back, her eyes instantly filled with tears.

“Freya!” Robert strode forward, quickly supporting Clara, his gaze icy as he looked atFreya, anger flaring in his wolf eyes. “Are you trying to harm her again while I'm not here?”

“No...” Freya gasped, her wolf ears drooping weakly from oxygen deprivation. “I'm having an allergic reaction... I was trying to call a Pack doctor... accidentally...”

Robert wouldn't believe her. “It seems deliberate to me! Freya, you're beyond help!”

Freya attempted to explain further, but her throat swelled to where she couldn't utter a sound. Her wolf tail hung limply, as if even her final attempt at resistance had been extinguished.

Not only did Robert ignore her suffering, but he coldly commanded, “Lock her in the cold storage for reflection. Once she apologizes, then she’ll be let out!”

Freya's pupils contracted.

Cold storage...

She had been locked in cold storage as a child, nearly freezing to death, afterward developing an extreme fear of the cold. But Robert afforded her no opportunity for explanation, summoning guards to drag her away.

The cold storage's icy temperatures pierced like knives.

Freya curled into a corner, shivering violently. Her wolf fur should have kept her warm, but the allergic reaction caused her body temperature to plummet. The welts had spread to her neck, and her throat was so swollen she could barely breathe.

She desperately clawed at her throat, trying to expel the fish soup, but aside from retching, there was nothing she could do. Her wolf paced anxiously.

So cold... so painful...

In her fading consciousness, she seemed to return to her childhood.

That year, she had a fever that wouldn’t break, and Robert stayed by her bedside all night, repeatedly changing the ice-cold towels. His wolf tail gently encircled her ankle, silently imparting warmth.

“Uncle Carver…” she murmured deliriously,clutching his hand, “Don’t leave me…”

He rarely showed such gentleness, soothing her with a low voice, “I won’t leave; sleep well.”

Later, when she learned to play piano, her fingers blistered with blood, and he frowned as he held her hand, personally tending to her wounds. His gaze was full of concern for her back then.

“If you don’t want to practice, then don’t,” he said.

But she shook her head, “I want to play for you.”

He paused for a moment, then lightly ruffled her hair, a flicker of emotion she couldn’t comprehend passing through his wolfish eyes.

And there was her fifteenth birthday when he rented out an amusement park just for her, standing by as she laughingly rode the carousel, emotions behind his gaze she couldn’t understand.

“Uncle Carver!” she waved at him, “Come join the fun!”

He shook his head but caught her steadily when she leapt down from the ride.“Be careful,” he murmured.

Back then, her every thought and emotion was filled with him.

But now...

In the cold storage, Freya huddled, her tears freezing as they fell.

Finally, she understood that those tender moments were never love.

Only responsibility.

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