Chapter 210: Family Shows Up

The door clicked shut, leaving the room wrapped in a quiet, peaceful silence. The harsh hospital smell was completely overridden by the rich, soothing aroma of frozen pine and the soft, underlying sweetness of orchids lingering warm in the air.

Reid leaned in closer, resting his forehead against mine, his breath warm against my lips.

"How’s the pain in your leg?" he asked softly, his large hand sliding down to rest gently over mine where it lay on the mattress.

"Numb," I whispered, closing my eyes and letting out a long, shuddering sigh as the last traces of my breakdown settled into quiet relief. "The sedative is still keeping it at bay. But... my heart feels lighter."

Reid let out a low, breathless chuckle, his lips pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the side of my head right over my pulse point. "It must be because the secret is out. And though it didn’t come out as planned, the damage control plan worked." He said. "No more secret means a lighter heart,"

Reid’s hand stayed warm and steady over mine, his thumb stroking gentle circles against my skin as we sat together in the peaceful room.

The quiet felt heavy with years of unspoken relief, every exhale carrying away a piece of the weight I’d carried since I was a teenager.

​"Yeah," I responded faintly. "How’s the meeting going?"

​"I haven’t heard back from Marina or the lawyer yet, but things seem to be heated," Reid said softly. "But don’t worry, Marina won’t leave there unless the verdict is in your favor. She will fight for you until the end."

​Before either of us could say another word, rapid, chaotic footsteps echoed down the tiled corridor outside, heading straight for my room.

​The door was thrown open, slamming back against the wall with a loud rattle.

​My heart shot straight into my throat.

​My parents stood in the doorway, breathing heavily, their faces pale with pure shock and exhaustion. Pushing in right behind them was the rest of the Evans chaos—my older twin brothers, Kelvin and Kalvin; my older twin sisters, Chleo and Chloe; and my youngest sister, still wearing her high school uniform jacket, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

Out of nine people in our family, the only one who knew my secret was Marina—our fierce, terrifying eldest Alpha sister.

Except now, the entire world knew.

"Kain!" my mother cried out with a cracking voice, rushing past Reid and dropping to her knees right beside the mattress. Her hands trembled as she hovered over my bandages, my IV lines, and the heavy immobilizing boot encasing my shattered leg. "Oh my god... Kain, my baby..."

​"Mom..." I rasped, my throat dry as bone.

​My father stepped up right behind her, his hand coming down heavily on her shoulder, his jaw tightly set as he stared down at me with an overwhelming mix of panic and utter bewilderment.

​"We saw the broadcast, Kain," my dad said, his voice deep and shaking. "The news... the reporters... they’re saying you collapsed, broke your legs and that you released... that you’re an..." He couldn’t even bring himself to say the word Omega.

​"Is it true, Kain?" Kelvin asked, running a hand through his hair as he and Kalvin pushed forward. "The media is going wild! They’re saying the League is launching a full fraud investigation!"

​"They’re talking about stripping your titles!" Chloe cried out from the back, clutching Chleo’s arm. "What is happening?!"

​The small room was instantly flooded with chaotic, overlapping voices, a wall of pure panic and noise crashing over me.

They didn’t know about the secret tests years ago, or how Marina had swapped my DNA with one of the Beta twins’ records to save my dream. To them, their middle brother—the indestructible Captain of the Serpents—had just been blown wide open on national television.

​Reid could already sense the tension in me, and how my pulse spiked beneath his thumb. He didn’t snap or snarl at them, but his massive frame shifted, stepping forward to gently shield my upper body from the crowd.

​"Please, calm down," Reid said softly, his deep voice carrying a quiet, steady authority that instantly cut through the room.

Ge looked at my family with genuine respect, his grey eyes pleading. "He just came out of surgery for a compound fracture, and his system is still recovering from severe shock. Please, we need to keep the room quiet for him."

​The room fell instantly silent. My siblings, who already knew Reid from our dinner, looked at him with wide, stunned eyes, suddenly realizing why he was acting so fiercely protective.

​My parents, however, had never met Reid in person. And my father looked at him like an intruder right now.

He narrowed his eyes, looking between Reid’s broad frame, his hand resting over mine, and his commanding presence. "And who are you?" my dad demanded, his voice tight.

My mother looked up from my bed, recognizing Reid’s face from the arena Jumbotron and the team broadcasts. "You’re... you’re McCoy," she whispered, blinking back tears. "Kain’s line-mate..."

​Before Reid could answer, the door opened once again.

​Marina walked in.

​She looked immaculate despite the nightmare morning she’d just been through—her trench coat neat, her posture commanding, and her sharp Alpha presence instantly taking all the air out of the room. Behind her walked our attorney, Audrey Stevens, calmly sliding a stack of legal documents back into his leather briefcase.

​The moment my family saw Marina, the questions started up again in frantic whispers.

​"Marina!" my mom gasped, standing up. "What is going on?!"

​"The news is running sensationalized garbage because they don’t have the facts. Don’t listen to them." Marina said, her sharp, icy voice cutting through the room with absolute authority. She stepped smoothly past my brothers, coming to stand at the foot of my bed, giving me a quick, reassuring nod.

​She looked around at our family, her eyes hard and protective.

​"Listen to me carefully, all of you," Marina commanded, crossing her arms over her chest. "Kain did not lie to the League, and he did not lie to us either. He was a Beta when he entered the NHL ten years ago." I looked at her, stunned.

In order to bury the real truth, even family must be lied to. It hurt my heart but I knew it had to be done.

"How did something like this happen?" My mother asked, her voice breaking.

"It happened a few weeks ago." Marina continued. "Apparently, Kain got a second, late-onset presentation—a rare medical anomaly caused by extreme biological exposure to an Alpha’s rut heat."

​My older twin brothers stared at her, their mouths slightly agape.

​"A... a late presentation?" Kalvin repeated, blinking rapidly. "Is that even possible?"

​"It is documented, and we have the certified medical records to prove it," Marina stated smoothly, her lie coming out so flawless, so hardened by years of protecting me, that not a single person in the room could doubt it. "The League’s emergency board just reviewed the evidence with our legal counsel. The fraud investigation is officially halted."

​A collective, massive gasp of relief washed over my family. My mother covered her face with her hands, letting out a heavy, tearful breath, while my sisters hugged each other.

​My dad, however, stepped forward, his eyes locking sharply onto Marina, then drifting slowly over to Reid, whose broad hand was still firmly holding mine on the bed.

​"An Alpha’s rut?" my dad asked slowly, his brow furrowing as the realization began to click in his head. "Wait... exposure to whose rut?"