Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 296: My Sister

I fought hard to keep my face calm, even though everything inside me was shaking.

"Yeah," I said, forcing my voice steady. "It’s me. Are you okay?"

Whitney slipped her hand into mine. Her fingers were cold. I pulled her up gently, careful not to jolt her. She stood, but her body swayed like she hadn’t eaten properly in days.

"I’m fine," she whispered.

I looked around the garden quickly. No Taylor. No comforting hand on her back. Just the faint presence of people watching from the shadows men in black suits, standing too still, eyes scanning like guards.

My stomach tightened.

"Isn’t he supposed to protect you?" I asked softly. "Why are you alone out here, getting pushed around?"

"I I’m fine," she repeated, but her eyes darted away. Her voice sounded like someone reading lines she’d been forced to memorize.

Those men in black were close enough to step in.

But they didn’t.

They watched.

Like Whitney wasn’t a person to them. Just property.

For a split second, an ugly thought flashed through me.

If I moved fast enough... if I got her to Lewis... could we take her away right now?

Nina noticed we were ignoring her, and her face twisted.

"Hey!" she snapped. "I’m talking to you!"

I turned slowly and gave her a cold look. "Oh, were you talking? Sorry. I thought I heard a dog barking."

Nina’s mouth fell open, then her anger flared. "Riley, stop acting like you’re somebody. You weren’t even allowed into Gardner parties before. Now you think you’re special because you got bonded through an arrangement?"

She leaned closer, eyes sharp with jealousy. "And by the way, Tiffany Dolton is here tonight. Better watch your mate. Everyone knows she wants Mr. Hale."

Tiffany Dolton?

I searched my memory and found nothing useful. Riley’s life in Jaford’s elite circles had always been limited. Even now, most of these people were strangers to me.

But Lewis wasn’t.

I knew his control. I knew his loyalty. I knew how the bond between us pulled tight whenever danger got close.

If I doubted him, I’d be insulting the very thing he had given me his trust, his protection, his heart.

So I smiled, calm and unbothered.

"Is that so?" I asked lightly. "Then why did my mate choose me and not her? Doesn’t that mean he doesn’t want her?"

Nina’s eyes burned with spite. "Enjoy it while it lasts. Mr. Hale will dump you sooner or later."

I took one slow step closer, keeping my voice soft, sweet, and sharp enough to cut. "Don’t worry about me. I’m still doing far better than certain childhood sweethearts who’ve been circling the Pearsons for years and still couldn’t become family."

Nina’s face went stiff.

I didn’t wait for her reply. I turned away and guided Whitney to the side, away from the crowd and the noise.

Whitney walked awkwardly, trying to hide it, but I noticed the way she protected one leg.

"Did you hurt your knee?" I asked.

She nodded quickly. "It’s nothing. I’ll be okay after I rest."

"Let me see," I said, already kneeling slightly.

"Mrs. Hale " she started, panic flashing in her eyes.

"There’s no one here," I murmured. "Just let me check."

Before she could stop me, I lifted the hem of her dress carefully.

The small red mark on her ankle was faint now, almost gone. But higher up her leg...

My chest tightened.

Deep purple bruises. Finger-shaped. Like someone had grabbed her hard enough to leave their hands behind.

My vision blurred for a second.

"You... you have a heart condition," I whispered, voice shaking with rage I couldn’t fully hide. "How could he do this to you?"

Whitney’s eyes shimmered. She blinked fast, as if she wasn’t allowed to cry.

She was my sister.

My blood.

And she looked like someone had been breaking her slowly, piece by piece, while the world watched and called it normal.

Her skin was pale, almost translucent under the garden lights. Nina’s slap had already left her cheek swollen and red.

I reached up and touched her face gently, my thumb barely grazing the heat there.

"That must hurt," I said quietly.

"It doesn’t," she whispered, too quickly.

A lie.

A trained lie.

"Whitney," I said, lowering my voice, "come with me."

I meant it. I would take her inside. I would put her behind Lewis. I would call Grant. I would cause a storm so loud no one could ignore it.

But before I could finish, a voice cut in behind me.

"Thank you for handling the situation, Mrs. Hale."

Taylor.

I swallowed hard and stood up slowly, keeping Whitney close. My instincts rose, not as a snarl, but as a cold warning under my skin.

I turned to face him. "Mr. Taylor," I said, "you know about her heart condition. Why would you allow anyone to lay hands on her?"

Taylor’s gaze slid to Whitney’s swollen cheek. He didn’t look shocked.

He looked... annoyed.

"It was a misunderstanding," he said smoothly. "There’s no need to worry. Whitney, come here."

I tightened my grip on Whitney’s hand. "I can help you," I said quickly, leaning toward her. "If he’s doing something to you, you can tell me. You don’t have to "

Taylor’s eyes narrowed.

His voice dropped. "Whitney."

Just her name.

But it landed like a command.

Whitney flinched so hard it hurt to watch. She immediately tried to pull away from me, panic in her fingers.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hale," she whispered. "I’m really fine."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Whitney, trust me. I can help you."

It felt like the river all over again.

Her falling.

Me reaching.

My hands closing around hers.

Hold on to me. I’ll pull you up.

I don’t have the strength.

Don’t let go.

And still, inch by inch, she slipped away.

Whitney pulled free and moved back to Taylor’s side. I couldn’t understand what hold he had on her why she feared him more than she trusted me.

Her face went cold, like she was forcing on an armor.

"Mrs. Hale," she said flatly, "we’re strangers. Please stop making assumptions about my life. I’m doing just fine."

Each word hit me like a slap.

Then she linked her arm through Taylor’s and walked away.

Just like that night.

Her back grew distant again, and all I could do was stand there and watch her disappear into the garden, swallowed by shadow and silence.

I didn’t chase her.

Not because I didn’t want to.

Because I could feel the eyes on us. The watchers. The rules. The danger of making one wrong move in another pack’s territory.

A breeze blew through the garden and finally knocked me out of my frozen state. My throat burned, and I forced myself to breathe.

Lewis was nearby.

I turned, needing him, needing the steady pull of our bond to anchor me.

But what I saw stopped me cold.

A strange woman had thrown herself into his arms.

"Lewis!"