Oops… I Went Into Heat and My Alpha Daddies Claimed Me

KEISHA’S POV

By the following afternoon, the air inside the clinic had changed completely, everywhere feeling warmer and more bustling than ever as people went about their activities.

I stood beside the small wardrobe in Dane’s room, folding the last of the clothes we’d brought from the mansion into a travel bag. There wasn’t much left to pack. The doctors had finally approved his discharge, insisting that while he still needed several days of rest, his wolf had accelerated the healing process beyond anything they’d anticipated.

It still amazed me because I’d watched that knife disappear into his stomach. I’d watched him lose enough blood to turn the floor beneath him crimson.

Yet there he was, sitting comfortably against the raised hospital bed as though the entire ordeal had merely been an inconvenience.

A nurse entered carrying a lunch tray and carefully placed it in front of him before wishing him a speedy recovery and quietly excusing herself.

Dane studied the meal for several seconds before picking up the spoon and took one mouthful.

His expression immediately changed. "...That’s disappointing."

I looked over my shoulder. "What is?"

"This soup." He frowned at the bowl as though it had personally offended him. "It’s somehow both under-seasoned and overcooked."

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. "You’ve barely eaten three spoonfuls."

"I didn’t need four to know it tastes like crap. Goddess, I miss Becca already." He reached for another bite anyway, chewing with exaggerated disappointment. "I’m almost impressed."

"By what?"

"It takes genuine talent to remove flavour from ingredients that already had flavour."

I shook my head, trying— and failing—not to smile. "You got a lot of bite for someone who got stabbed less than two days ago."

"I don’t think it ever left." He smiled slightly.

I turned to face him. "And your biggest concern is the soup."

"My biggest concern is whoever thought this qualified as soup." He glanced around the room before lowering his voice slightly. "Do you think Becca would notice if we sneaked back to the mansion just for dinner?"

I stared at him for a moment. Then I laughed again.

Guess he was recovering fast enough to get his humor running again.

"You know," I said, fastening the travel bag shut, "I think you’re completely fine."

"Oh?" He raised a brow.

"The sharp mouth is back."

Before either of us could continue, another knock sounded at the door and Callum stepped inside.

His gaze moved first to Dane before settling briefly on the packed bags beside the wardrobe. "So," he said, "I take it someone’s being discharged."

"The doctors finally surrendered," Dane replied.

"They decided arguing with him required more energy than treating him," I added.

A faint smile appeared on Callum’s face. "I don’t doubt it." He crossed the room, briefly checking the bandages still visible beneath Dane’s shirt. "Any pain?"

Dane faked a groan that sounded so exaggerated I almost laughed. "Enough to remind me not to laugh too hard."

The conversation gradually shifted toward the events of the previous night.

Although I’d already heard parts of it from the guards returning with him, listening to Callum describe the raid in detail made the severity of the operation easier to understand. The hideout had truly been a fortress, filled with trained assassins and enough weapons to arm a small army. They had destroyed it almost entirely, seized documents, equipment and communication devices, yet I had heard Callum confirm that the most important thing was sabotaged.

"No survivors," Callum said quietly.

I already knew what he meant. "The prisoners you took."

He nodded, turning to Dane. "They killed themselves before we could question them."

Right. Incredibly loyal. Or stupid. I didn’t know which.

"And Orin?" I asked.

Callum’s expression darkened almost immediately. "He wasn’t there."

I wasn’t surprised.

Orin had always been unpredictable. He rarely stayed anywhere long enough to become an easy target, and after everything that had happened at the warehouse, he had every reason to disappear.

My thoughts drifted unwillingly back to his words.

’You aren’t brave enough to walk into a trap without a backup plan.’

He had underestimated me once, and I knew he wouldn’t make that mistake again. If anything, escaping would only make him more dangerous.

It was concerning. He knew where I lived. He knew the people I cared about.

I looked down at my hands. I had to be ready for him next time.

The discharge papers arrived shortly afterward. Within another half hour, the three of us were leaving the clinic together.

The drive back to the mansion was quiet and the guards at the mansion looked relieved to see Dane again when we got back.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when a silver vehicle turned sharply through the front gates.

The driver slowed before stopping directly in front of the mansion and I recognised the car immediately.

"So soon?" I muttered under my breath.

The passenger door opened and Vera climbed out first, stretching slightly before smiling warmly at the sight of us. "I knew I’d find everyone here."

I blinked. "I thought you only just got home."

"I did." She laughed as one of the guards retrieved several suitcases from the back of the vehicle. "But after thinking about it all night, I realised planning Nadia’s birthday from another pack was going to be far more troublesome than simply coming back."

She looked toward Callum. "So I decided to save myself the headache."

"You came all the way back just for that?" I asked incredulously.

"And for all of you." She smiled as though it were the most obvious answer in the world. "I’ll stay until the celebration is over."

The front door of the mansion suddenly burst open.

"What celebration?" Nadia hurried outside before anyone had the chance to answer, looking between all of us suspiciously.

Vera covered her mouth in mock surprise. "Were we not supposed to say anything?"

Nadia’s eyes widened. "There actually is a celebration?"

Nobody answered quickly enough and she gasped dramatically before pointing accusingly at Callum. "You’ve all been planning something without telling me!"

"I haven’t planned anything," Callum replied.

"Liar." She jabbed a finger at her dad.

"I’m serious."

"Then why does she keep saying birthday party?" She looked around.

Vera laughed. "Because there is one."

Nadia let out an excited squeal that echoed across the courtyard. "I knew it!"

Vera waved her hand. "I didn’t say it would be extravagant."

"I don’t care." She hurried over and wrapped Vera in a hug. "As long as there are desserts."

Vera pretended to think about it. "We’ll see."

Nadia groaned dramatically and Callum quietly took advantage of the distraction. "I have reports waiting." Without another word, he disappeared through the front entrance.

Dane watched him leave before shaking his head. "He has remarkable timing." He adjusted the small overnight bag resting against his shoulder. "If everyone is going to spend the afternoon discussing cake flavours, I’d rather recover somewhere quieter."

"You mean your room." I turned to him.

"I absolutely mean my room." He offered a small wave before following Callum inside.

Within moments, only Vera, Nadia and I remained outside and I glanced toward the staircase. "I should probably unpack."

"Oh no." Vera immediately slipped an arm through mine. "You most certainly should not."

I looked at her curiously.

"We’re cooking tonight." She smiled. "Just wanna spend time with you too."

"I thought Becca already—"

"Becca cooks every night." Vera smiled. "Tonight, we’ll cook for everyone instead."

Nadia clapped enthusiastically. "I like that idea."

I wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic. "I don’t think I’ll be much help."

"Nonsense." Vera waved a hand to shut me up.

"I’ll probably slow you down." I muttered.

"You’ll survive." Without waiting for another excuse, Vera gently guided both of us toward the kitchen.

Poor Becca looked almost offended when Vera informed her she was temporarily banned from cooking.

"You’ve worked hard enough," Vera insisted. "Please help the guards with my luggage instead."

Becca reluctantly agreed, though not before giving us several suspicious glances as though expecting the kitchen to be reduced to ashes before dinner.

Nadia happily volunteered herself to chop whatever Vera placed in front of her, while Vera moved between cupboards searching for stuff.

I stood nearby arranging herbs into smaller bowls, quietly watching the two of them talk about the right recipe.

Then when Vera stepped closer to reach for a pot resting on the lower shelf, my eyes dropped instinctively and I caught something dark that stained the edge of her boot.

At first I assumed it was dried mud from travelling. But with the light from the window, I realized it wasn’t.

My hands froze around the bowl I was holding.

The stain wasn’t mud. I’d seen enough blood over the past few weeks to recognise the colour once it had dried. A thin streak of it clung stubbornly to the leather near the heel, tucked away so faintly that most people would never notice.

Why did she have blood on her boots?