Rejected and Pregnant: Claimed By The Dark Alpha Prince-Chapter 682: Don’t you fucking lie!

"Yes. You can’t possibly sleep with all the stains on your body," Aisha stated. "Stay here. I’ll be back soon."

Karmen watched her retreat into the washroom. When she returned, she set a small tub of lukewarm water on the bedside table and met his gaze.

"Open your shirt," she said softly. Karmen reached for the top button, but even the slight rotation of his shoulder sent a jagged spike of pain through his chest. He winced, his fingers fumbling.

Aisha noticed his hesitation immediately. "Let me." She reached out, her fingers steady as she undid the third button, then worked her way down the rest. She peeled the ruined fabric away from his skin gently, then gestured for him to lean back. He settled against the headboard, his breath hitching slightly, while Aisha took her place on the edge of the bed in front of him.

She wrung out the towel before pressing it to his left shoulder. She began to dab away the dark with slow strokes.

"You didn’t ask me to go home," Karmen noted, his voice a low rumble in the small space. "Were you planning on taking care of me all along?"

"Your parents would have been devastated seeing you in this state," Aisha replied, her focus never wavering from the task. "I imagine you’ve never been injured like this before."

She moved the cloth down to the bandage on his muscular, tanned arm, cleaning the skin around the dressing with feather-light touches. Karmen didn’t look at his wounds; his eyes remained fixed on her face, watching the way her brow furrowed in concentration and the way the lamplight caught the tracks of her dried tears.

"This is the first time anyone has ever truly looked after me," Karmen murmured. "I was wounded once before, critically. Back then, there was no one. I was entirely alone."

Aisha paused, the damp cloth hovering over his skin as she searched his gaze. "You didn’t go to the hospital? How did you survive?"

"I was stationed at the border, leagues away from any medical facility," Karmen explained, a distant shadow flickering in his eyes. "Gabriel used to tell me that having a mate, or even just a partner, grants a person a different kind of shield, a secondary instinct for protection. I never understood the weight of those words until tonight." He paused, a small, weary smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I mean, we aren’t mates yet, but we are a couple. I think I finally see what he meant."

Aisha said nothing for a moment, her focus shifting entirely to his torso. "You have so many bruises here," she whispered with admiration. "I must say, you are a remarkable Beta. Taking down that many wolves alone is no easy feat."

She continued her work in a companionable silence. Once the last of the blood was cleared, she set the basin aside.

"I don’t think any of my oversized t-shirts will truly fit you," she noted, glancing at his broad shoulders, "but it’s better than nothing. Wait here."

She disappeared to empty the basin and drop the stained towel into the laundry. A moment later, she returned to the guest room holding a chocolate-brown oversized t-shirt. She held it up against his frame, measuring the width of his chest with a discerning eye, before stepping closer to help him.

The fabric was soft and smelled faintly of her vanilla perfume. She carefully guided the shirt over his head and eased his bandaged arms through the sleeves. Karmen’s breath hitched, not from pain this time, but from the sight of her so focused on his well-being. Once the shirt was settled, Aisha smoothed the hem over his lap.

"Now, you can have a good rest," Aisha stated. "You don’t feel any sharp or lingering pain, do you? If you do, we can head to the hospital right now," she suggested, her eyes scanning his face for any sign of a hidden grimace.

"No. The painkiller has already started its work," Karmen reassured her. "Thank you." Though a part of him ached to pull her close for a kiss, he held back; it didn’t feel like the right moment to push boundaries while he was covered in bandages and she was still coming down from the incident in the forest.

He watched as Aisha moved quietly around the room, switching off the overhead lights until only a single lamp remained, casting a warm, honey-colored dimness over the space. "Goodnight. If you need anything at all, don’t forget to wake me up," she said. She offered him a small, tired smile before stepping out and clicking the door shut.

Karmen pulled the heavy, warm duvet up to his chest and settled back against the pillows. Despite his exhaustion, sleep didn’t come immediately. He stared up at the shadows dancing on the ceiling, the silence of the room amplifying his thoughts.

"She was definitely more scared than she was showing," he murmured to the empty room. He could still feel the way her hands had trembled when she first touched his wounds. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to sleep.

But even after an hour of tossing and turning, sleep remained elusive. Finally, he gave up and sat up.

Grabbing his phone, he stepped out onto the room’s small balcony. The winter air was sharp, biting at his exposed skin. He stood there for a few minutes, scrolling aimlessly through social media, but the cold eventually forced a sharp sneeze from him.

Shuddering, he retreated back into the warmth of the room and slid the glass door shut.

"I wonder what Eryx is planning next," Karmen murmured to himself. "He’s taking this far beyond a petty grudge. I need to have a serious talk with him before he actually gets killed."

~~~~~

Eryx heard the matter regarding the failed mission on the phone and slammed it against the wall. The phone broke into pieces while he huffed in anger. "I underestimated Karmen. Before he comes to catch me, I need to put an end to this."

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. Frowning, he wondered who could have stayed awake at this hour of the night. He opened the door and saw his father, Lazarus, standing before him with anger flashing in his eyes.

"Dad?" Eryx exclaimed.

Lazarus walked into the room as Eryx got away from his father’s way.

"Did you create any kind of trouble for that girl and Prince Gabriel’s beta?" Lazarus asked.

"What do you mean, Dad?" asked Eryx, acting innocent.

"Don’t you fucking lie!" Lazarus barked at his son, turning to him. "I received a call from Prince Gabriel. Do you know what he said to me on the phone? That you touched his beta, and he will make sure you won’t be able to walk on your two feet."

Eryx’s eyes widened, hearing the threat.

"But, Dad—" Before he could finish, Lazarus delivered a stinging slap across his son’s face, the force nearly sending him stumbling to the floor.

"You are a disgraceful son," Lazarus hissed. "Tomorrow, you are going to beg Prince Gabriel for his forgiveness. I will disown you if you fail to convince him to spare you."