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Ben saw Nelly putting her fingers on her temples as a pained expression appeared on her face. “Nelly , what’s going on?” Ben asked anxiously.
Nelly closed her eyes as she shook her head. “Nothing.” Even though she felt like needles were running through her head for a moment, the pain was gone within a few seconds.
Ben was still worried, though. “Let me get Alpha Dave!” He turned and walked away.
“There’s no need for that, Ben .”
Nelly ‘s words didn’t convince Ben . He had already disappeared from her sight.
Meanwhile, Nelly sat beside the bed as her headache slowly stopped. After a while, she was feeling fine. It was as if the excruciating pain earlier was her illusion.
Soon, Ben walked into the room with Dave and a doctor. “Nelly .” Ben sat beside her. “Are you okay?”
Nelly was positioned beside Alpha Kilian ‘s bed. She shook her head when they walked in. “I told you I was fine.”
Dave strolled over and took a look at her. “Let the doctor check on you. At least that can help ease our worries.”
Since the doctor had already made his way to the room, Nelly didn’t refuse. “Sure. Thanks.”
Dave gazed at the doctor and nodded his head. The doctor immediately went over to Nelly to start checking on her.
Just then, Tony ran into the room after hearing the news. He shouted, “Nelly !” Ben quickly stopped Tony when he spotted the latter.
“What happened to Nelly ?” Tony asked.
Ben was about to speak when Nelly spoke first. “I’m fine. I just had a slight headache. Ben was the one who made a big fuss.”
“Headache?” Tony frowned. “Why would you get a headache out of nowhere?”
He was about to speak further when Dave walked behind him. The man reached out and covered Tony ‘s mouth. “Let the doctor finish his checkup before we make any conclusion.”
Tony looked at Dave grudgingly while the latter remained expressionless. Nelly grinned as she watched the exchange between Tony and Dave.
The doctor finished his checkup after a few minutes. He asked Nelly , “Do you have these headaches frequently?”
“No. I only had a fleeting headache just now. My kid overreacted.” Nelly shook her head.
The doctor nodded his head. Then, he turned and looked at Dave. “Nothing’s wrong with her after checking on her. Maybe she is exhausted after overusing her energy. She should be fine after a few days of rest.”
“Don’t you need to go through another round of tests?” Dave questioned.
“If you are still worried, maybe she can undergo a brain CT scan at the hospital?”
Dave was going to say something when Nelly interrupted him, “That won’t be necessary. I know my body best. Thank you very much.”
The doctor turned around. “I’m going to give you some painkillers. You can eat them if the pain attacks you again. However, these are medicines, and you shouldn’t take too much of them. It’s best if you can rest more.”
Nelly nodded. “All right. Thank you.”
“It’s what I should do.” The doctor nodded in return.
That was when Dave looked at the doctor. “Let’s go. I’ll send you out.”
The doctor nodded before following Dave to leave. Ben and Tony immediately went up to Nelly the moment they left.
“Nelly , are you feeling better?” Ben asked. “I’m fine. The pain was only temporary.”
Tony spoke. “But you’ve never had a headache before. Plus, you just came back from Midnight fang pack . You should pay more attention to your body condition.”
Nelly smiled. “I was young. Now that my age is catching up with me, isn’t it normal for me to have headaches?”
“Do you know this, Nelly ? Your words are going to cause an uproar among other people.” Nelly raised her brow.
“Besides that, I have a word of advice for you. It’s okay for you to say these things at home. Please don’t mention those words again if you are out and about.”
“Why so?” she asked.
“People will look down on you for praising yourself like that,” Tony explained.
His words rendered Nelly speechless, while Ben agreed with Tony ‘s words. Nelly curled her lips into a smile. “Bootlicker!”
Upon hearing that, Tony gave Ben a pointed look. “You heard that? Nelly is talking about you!” “Are you sure she is not talking about you instead?”
“I’m telling the truth, though. Since when did I butter her up?” Tony retorted.
His words caused Nelly ‘s mind to wander. I’m sure Tony ‘s words epitomize the highest form of buttering up to someone.
At that moment, Ben walked over and stood behind Nelly . “Nelly , I’ll massage your head for you.”
With that, he put his hands on Nelly ‘s head. The strength he used was so comfortable that Nelly closed her eyes.
She nodded, praising him, “Hmm. Not bad.”
Nelly looked at him and nodded.
Just then, Alpha Kilian walked toward her and asked, “Are you hungry? Let me get you something to eat.” She swept her gaze across the food and nodded at him once again.
Without saying another word, Alpha Kilian held her hand and turned around. Nelly said nothing and allowed him to lead the way.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Tony , Ben , and Dave were eating. When they saw what was happening, they grew curious.
“Why is it so calm?” asked Tony . “This isn’t normal!”
Ben glanced at his brother and said, “This is the calm before the storm.”
When Tony heard that, his eyes darted from side to side before asking, “Shall we check out the storm?”
“That’s not appropriate…” replied Ben as he flashed a look at his brother. To that, Tony responded, “We won’t get another chance like this.”
Therefore, the two brothers got up from their seats and were about to walk away. However, a force appeared behind them and pushed them back into their seats.
Tony turned around to find that it was Dave. “Just eat your food, kids.” “I want to check if Nelly is all right,” uttered Tony .
“With your daddy around, you don’t have to worry.”
“Daddy has just woken up. I want to go and see him.” Tony tried his luck again.
In response to that, Dave looked at him and said, “Don’t you know absence makes the heart grow fonder?”
Tony paused momentarily, staring at him, and asked tentatively, “Given Daddy’s condition… I doubt anything will happen, right?”
Dave flicked his gaze upward. “As long as he’s still alive, nothing is impossible.”
Both Tony and Ben were speechless.
Should he be saying such things in front of us? We are children, after all.
The two boys exchanged glances before Tony spoke up. “Alpha Dave, why did you say that? Does it stem from your understanding of Daddy, or does Daddy have some kind of interesting past?”
Dave lowered his eyes and peered at the nosy boy. He pondered for a while before saying, “Take a guess.”
How is it possible for us to guess?
“Alpha Dave, you are so close to Daddy. I’m sure you know a lot about him. Tell us!” begged Tony . “Are you sure you want to hear about them?” teased Dave as he raised his eyebrows.
Tony immediately nodded his head.
“What you are about to hear may change the relationship between your daddy and Nelly . Are you sure?” asked Dave.
“So, it’s true!”
“Even if I have three days and nights, I won’t be able to finish telling you all of your daddy’s stories!” proclaimed Dave.
“Then, why don’t you tell us a little anecdote? Something that we can accept!” Dave chuckled at the boy.
“Why are you laughing?” queried Tony .
“If you want to know, then you should go and ask him yourself.” “If we could, we would have. We wouldn’t be asking you.”
Dave shot Tony a mocking look. “If I tell, that means I betray my buddy. I will do no such thing!”
Tony frowned and spoke after much contemplation. “Alpha Dave, you’re teasing me. I heard that when Daddy was leading a wandering life, he stayed away from women!”
“Oh? Who told you that?” inquired Dave.
“Uh…” Tony was about to blurt out the name when he caught himself and stopped. He then looked
at Dave and said, “That’s not important. The most important thing is the truth.” “And you will believe whatever I tell you?” asked Dave.
“Not really.” Tony shook his head. “Then why do you bother to ask?”
“I just want to hear the kind of stories you will come up with,” said Tony with a smile.
Dave narrowed his eyes and studied the boy before reaching out to embrace him. “You little brat! How dare you tease me?”
“Alpha Dave, that’s why you should never lie to children.” “I’m glad you realize you are a child!”
Laughter ensued among the two of them amidst their banter.
Ben , who was eating, looked at them and shook his head haplessly. Meanwhile, upstairs in the room, Alpha Kilian sat Nelly down by the side of the bed. He held up some food. “These are your favorites. Have some.”
Nelly just gazed at him.
“What? Do you want me to feed you?” asked Alpha Kilian as he quirked his brows.
Nelly looked him straight in the eyes and asked in a hushed voice, “When did you wake up?” “Last night after you went to bed,” replied Alpha Kilian .
Nelly nodded.
Alpha Kilian scooped a spoonful of oatmeal and tried to feed her. Returning to her senses, she reached out to take the food and said, “I’ll help myself.”
All of a sudden, Alpha Kilian moved aside as she reached out. Nelly looked confused.
“Let me feed you,” he said.
After that, Nelly did not move anymore. Alpha Kilian began to feed her spoonful by spoonful. He was so gentle in his movement that it felt as if she was the one who was injured.
After a few mouthfuls, Nelly asked when she saw him raising his arm, “Does your wound still hurt?” Alpha Kilian nodded. “Yes.”
The moment he answered her question, she spoke up. “Then why are you still feeding me?” As she said so, she reached out to take the food. “I can eat on my own.”
There was no response from Alpha Kilian . He let her do as she wished and kept his gaze on her.
Nelly was deep in her thoughts as she ate. Somehow, she sensed Alpha Kilian staring at her. She frowned and questioned him, “Is there something on my face?”
He shook his head.
“Then what are you staring at?”
Nelly gazed at Alpha Kilian , momentarily at a loss for words.
I can’t believe he has finally remembered everything after all these years. But how can this be? She still found it hard to believe.
Seeming to sense her doubt, he said, “What’s the matter? Don’t you want me to recall the past?”
Nelly continued to stare at him. Although he claimed to have regained his memories, she still felt a sense of unfamiliarity. “No, it’s not that. I’m just a little surprised. Have you-”
Here, Alpha Kilian leaned in suddenly and whispered in her ear, “You’re so beautiful, Nelly . When you grow up, I’ll marry you. Okay? Then, we’ll travel around the globe together and eat all the delicious food.
What do you say?”
When she heard his voice say those familiar words close to her ear, she thought for a split second that she had been transported back to her childhood.
Under a blue sky dotted with white clouds, a young Alpha Kilian had gazed at her just like he was doing so now and uttered the same promises.
At that moment, she felt a tingling sensation as though an electric current was coursing through her body, and she looked at him with an indescribable mix of emotions.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy that I remember everything?” he pressed. She shook her head. “It’s not that…”
Before she could say anything, he fixed his gaze on her and asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, “Or perhaps you’re afraid of what I’ve recalled?”
She gave him a puzzled look. “What would I be afraid of?”
“You’re afraid I’ll find out you married me because you have feelings for me…” Alpha Kilian replied, enunciating every word. His voice was deep and husky, and it exuded an inexplicable charm.
Nelly ‘s long eyelashes fluttered slightly as she gaped at him, utterly stunned again.
“Isn’t that right, Nelly ?” His lips curved into a sudden smile, and there was even an unexplainable warm and gentle expression on his face.
“No!” She shook her head, denying it.
“No? However, someone told me you like me, and you have for a long time at that. That’s why you got married to me. Are you still planning on denying it?” He narrowed his eyes as he continued to study her carefully. His voice was magnetic, causing her heart to waver.
Then, he smirked as though he had gained an advantage over her. “Who told you that?” Nelly enquired.
“Does it matter?”
“Of course! If you don’t have a witness, then you’re just spouting nonsense.” She maintained a steady tone as she spoke, sounding neither meek nor condescending.
“And what if I do?”
“Then get whoever it is here so I can confront them in person.”
“Confront, you say? What need is there for a confrontation? Why would you have married me back then if you didn’t have feelings for me?” he countered. That’s clearly the best proof, and there’s no need to prove anything else.
She did not know what to say as she stared at him. Indeed, it wouldn’t really make sense to say that I had no feelings for him.
After pondering for a moment, she decided to be frank. There’s no shame in admitting I had feelings for the young Alpha Kilian . Until now, I still think of him and that boy as two different people.
“Even if that’s the case, so what? My feelings changed after that,” she said.
A jumble of emotions flashed in Alpha Kilian ‘s eyes when he heard that. Dropping his roguish air, he gazed at Nelly . “I did feel that I did the wrong things and behaved like a jerk back when I first fell for you, but only now do I realize the extent of how ridiculous my actions were. The regret I feel now is as deep as my love for you previously. How could I have done those things to you? How could I have had the heart to hurt you even in the slightest at the time? However, I’m back, Nelly . I’m really back. Give me one more chance, okay? Let me make it up to you. I’ll atone for the broken promises. I promise I’ll never let you suffer any more harm or injustice. Okay?”
When Nelly saw how sincere he was, memories from her childhood replayed in her mind. “Can I be friends with you, Nelly ?”
“Nelly , this is for you. My parents gave it to me, but I want you to have it!”
“Does it taste good, Nelly ? I brought all these for you. See which ones you like, and I’ll buy them again for you next time.”
“What’s wrong, Nelly ? Do you miss your parents? That’s all right. You have me to keep you company in the future. I’ll never leave you and stay by your side always!”
“You’re so beautiful, Nelly . When you grow up, I’ll marry you. Okay? Then, we’ll travel around the globe together and eat all the delicious food. What do you say?”
“It’s dangerous, Nelly ! Hurry up and leave! Quick, run!”
Then, a fire had taken away the boy who only had eyes for her.
Even now, I can still recall the look in his eyes when he last gazed at me. It was so dangerous, yet he protected me without regard for his safety.
That thought jolted Nelly back to her senses. As she stared at the man in front of her, his gaze gradually overlapped with the one from her memories.
At that moment, she felt as though the boy who only had eyes for her had returned. A tear slid down her cheek without her knowing why.
Then, the corners of her lips curved upward.
Alpha Kilian frowned, his heart aching to see her cry. He reached out to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes and asked hesitantly, “What is it? Did I say something wrong?”
He had never seen her cry, so he could not help feeling panicked. “All right. I won’t force you, okay? It doesn’t matter if you don’t forgive me-“