Claimed by the Wrong Alphas
Chapter 20: A heart that could break...

Chapter 20: A heart that could break...

Rhett

I was born with everything anyone could ever desire.

A last name that opened gates. A face that made cameras weep. A bloodline so potent that even the Alpha King bent a knee—because my father could afford to buy his entire council out of existence.

My family owned the biggest, most influential packs in the world, commanded intense wealth that could buy governments and held influence that stretched across continents.

But I was born broken, and I could die at any moment.

My heart was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode if I ran too fast, walked too fast, got too excited, or basically did anything too intensely. I came from a long line of warriors, conquerors, and leaders. But me? I couldn’t even join a game of tag without risking death.

Everyone wanted to be like me, but no one wanted to know me.

Everyone envied my wealth and status, but no one bothered to look beyond the golden façade to understand how lonely it truly was, what it meant to go months without seeing my father, to live in a mansion filled with servants but empty of love.

The galas thrown in my name were where I stood alone, sipping sparkling cider while pretending not to notice everyone had their parents with them. They didn’t know my mother eloped with another Alpha three months after birthing me, abandoning her sick, infant, for the promise of passion and freedom.

Or my father had dealt with the heartbreak by drowning himself in alcohol and work. Then, ignoring me for the rest of my life, leaving me to be raised by nannies and kept alive by the best doctors money could buy.

So I learned early: wear the brightest smile, crack the joke, play the fool.

It was easier than being pitied.

When I opened my eyes to the familiar sound of beeping machines, I knew exactly where I was. The sterile white ceiling, the antiseptic smell, the constant electronic monitoring of my failing heart—I was in a hospital. Again.

"Fuck," I groaned, attempting to lift myself despite the wires and tubes attached to my body.

"Rhett—! Are you okay?" A voice I’d recognised anywhere burst through the fog in my head.

Eamon.

He was by my side in seconds. "Do you want me to get the doctor?"

"Eamon," I said with a grin, even as the pain lanced through my ribs. "I’ll be fine if you kiss me like you kissed Kael."

"I told you we should have left him out there to die," came Kael’s dry voice from the corner of the room where he was leaning against the wall with his usual air of detached observation.

"Hi, Kael," I waved cheerfully. "Still brooding in corners like a gothic romance villain?"

Then I turned to the quieter figure by the window. "Hi, Slater. And I wasn’t joking about the kiss—Kael and your brother had a very steamy session in that tub. Kael even had an erection."

"Seriously?" Kael glared at me.

Slater ignored the comment and approached the bed with the serious expression I had come to recognise as genuine concern. "The doctor said you haven’t been consistent with taking your meds. You know you can’t do that, right?"

I smiled, brushing off his worry with a shrug. "I’ve been busy. You know how hellish orientation week is, then mystery-solving, ogling hot girls—"

"The orientation, you don’t even take seriously? The countless cans of beer you take every day?" Kael bristled, moving closer to the bed. "Are you insane? Do you actually want to die? Dude! You didn’t even go to camp with your medication. You could’ve died."

Instead of feeling hurt by their anger, I felt a warm glow in my chest. I loved it when people cared enough to yell at me, when someone looked out for me like this. It was so rare in my life of paid caretakers. This was what I craved—someone who gave enough of a damn to get mad.

Eamon inserted himself between both boys and me, pushing them back gently. "Guys, go easy on him. He’s sick."

That made me grin wider. "You heard, Eamon... go easy on me, I’m sick."

"Seriously, Rhett, you have to do better. You stopped breathing for a minute, and Eamon had to give you CPR before an ambulance arrived. Because of you, the camping orientation was cut short. Must you always make things about you?" Kael growled.

"C’mon, Kael," Eamon sighed. "No one was enjoying the camping anyway, and I still think it’s dumb to go camping for orientation. Leave him alone."

I chuckled proudly, giving an angry Kael a theatrical wink. As soon as Eamon turned back to me, I composed my face into an expression of pain and sadness.

"I’m sorry for causing trouble, and thank you for saving me," I murmured.

"I did nothing," Eamon smiled at me. "Slater and Kael, especially Kael, handled everything efficiently."

I stared at him, slightly amused by the innocence in his eyes. There was something about Eamon that was comforting. I couldn’t name it, but it was there.

"Careful, Eamon Riggs, if you keep playing the White Knight, I’ll fall harder than my failing heart and really die."

Eamon shot me a look, and I laughed it off. "Lighten up, dude. I’ll be fine. You’ll see, I might get to go home with you guys today."

"I hope so," Eamon sighed. "The doctor wasn’t pleased; he yelled at us for nearly thirty minutes before Kael told him we weren’t your caretakers."

"My neck is stiff," I said pitifully, pointing to my shoulder and tilting my head in a bid to change the topic. "Think you can massage it a little?"

Eamon nodded without hesitation, moving to my side and began rubbing slow circles into my neck. I closed my eyes and relished the sweet sensation of his gentle touch.

"Goddess! Your hands are so soft. They’re like velvet," I murmured contentedly.

As soon as I made the compliment, the massage stopped. Eamon stepped back, looking flustered. "Okay, you’re fine," he said and tried to walk away.

But I snatched his wrist with my free hand and pulled him into a gentle embrace, pressing him against my chest.

I closed my eyes and inhaled, holding him close. "I could stay like this forever," I whispered. "And gods, your scent... it drives me crazy."

Eamon struggled in my grip, so I reluctantly had to let go, but I still held his hand. "My wolf likes you; Eamon and I like you too."

Slater crossed the room in quick strides and removed Eamon’s hands from mine, pulling him back protectively. "I will not have you treating my brother like one of your sexual conquests, Rhett. He’s off-limits. Aren’t you attracted to girls, by the way?"

"Eamon is pushing me to widen my horizon. Besides, I only got to hold hands, but Kael was ready to have sex with him. He was so aroused in that hot tub—"

"Rhett, seriously?" Kael called out, looking at me in disbelief.

I wanted to retort something when the door to the VIP ward opened. My stepmother, Luna Clara, swept in and right behind her was Headmistress Vale.

My smile vanished instantly as I looked past her shoulders expectantly. "Where’s Dad?"

Clara’s expression tightened immediately. "Your father cannot come."

I scoffed. "Or he was not told? Does he know I nearly died? I’m his heir. Doesn’t it concern him what happened to me?"

"Refusing to take your medication because you want attention from your father is not the right way to handle things, Rhett," Clara replied coolly.

I barked a cold laugh. "You think I did it for attention? You think I want sympathy? That I stopped taking my meds because I want Dad to visit me? Well, even if I did, isn’t it a valid reason? We haven’t seen each other for nearly a year. I want him to care. I want my dad!"

"Stop throwing tantrums, Rhett," Clara said quietly. "Your father works hard enough providing for this family. You shouldn’t make everything about yourself."

"I am not making this about myself," I shook my head. "You need to keep him in the loop of whatever goes on with me and..." I trailed off, throwing my hands in the air; it was useless.

Clara has made it her life’s duty to sever whatever little bond I had with my father. She claims she wants to be in charge of me so that my dad would concentrate more on running the pack alongside his multiple businesses, but in reality, it was to keep me away from him.

When she saw that I was no longer in the mood to talk, she turned to Slater and Kael, whom she had known from the previous year.

"Slater, Kael, it’s good to see you again. I hope studies are going well?" she asked warmly.

But only got a stiff nod from Slater. Kael didn’t bother to hide his disdain.

When her gaze landed on Eamon, who was beside Slater, she flashed him a smile. "I don’t recognise this one," she said, looking at Headmistress Vale for help.

"Oh, that’s Eamon Riggs, a new student. He’s Slater’s stepbrother."

"Eamon," Clara said slowly, narrowing her gaze between Slater and Eamon. "What a nice name. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

"Luna," was all Eamon said with a polite nod.

Clara’s gaze lingered on him a moment longer before Headmistress Vale cut into her thoughts.

"We’ll leave you alone to talk with Rhett," she said quickly, shepherding the boys towards the door.

As soon as the door clicked shut, my stepmom turned to me.

"We’ve found a solution to your problem."

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