Chapter 211: My Father Dislikes Alphas

My siblings’ eyes widened all at once as they looked from Marina over to Reid as if they could already tell by heart that the Alpha their lonely brother had been so close to for the last season was responsible for this.

​Marina turned her head, a faint, razor-sharp smirk touching the corner of her lips as she looked at Reid.

​"I believe you’ve already met Kain’s line-mate," Marina said smoothly. "Reid McCoy."

The room plunged into a suffocating, violent silence.

​My dad’s face turned an inflamed, dark crimson, his chest heaving as the words settled in.

He had never trusted Alphas. He’d barely tolerated Marina’s fierce, unyielding nature over the years since she was his daughter. But he always harbored a deep-seated resentment toward how Alphas walked through the world like they owned it, taking everyone else’s hard work for granted just because it came easy as talent to them.

The idea that a twenty-one-year-old Alpha rookie had dragged his hard-working, Beta son into his rut, rewired his biology, and ultimately led to his leg being shattered on national television snapped something inside him.

​"You..." my dad rasped, his voice vibrating with a terrifying, raw fury.

​Before anyone could react, my father lunged across the side of the bed. He grabbed Reid by the collar of his jacket, his calloused hands twisting the fabric tight as he yanked the young Alpha forward.

​"Dad! No!" Kelvin and Kalvin yelled in unison, stepping forward to intervene, while my mother let out a sharp gasp, her hands flying to her mouth.

​"Dad, stop!" I panicked, my voice cracking into a desperate plea as I tried to push myself up against the pillows. A spike of agony shot up my shattered leg, making my vision blur, but I forced myself to keep speaking. "Dad, don’t! Please, leave him alone! It’s not his fault!"

​My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. Deep down, the absolute truth was clawing at my throat—Reid hadn’t forced anything. He hadn’t broken me. He was standing here, taking the terrifying brunt of my family’s fury, taking the blame for my secret, all to shield my legacy and keep me safe.

​"Not his fault?!" my dad snarled, his knuckles white as he shook Reid by the lapels, glaring up into the rookie’s face with unadulterated hatred. "He turned you into an Omega! He ruined your body, he ruined your career, and he put you in this damn hospital bed! Look at what you’ve done to my son, you arrogant bastard!"

​"Dad, let go of him!" Marina’s sharp voice cut through the air, her own Alpha presence flaring heavy and warning, but she didn’t physically pull him off. She knew Reid had to handle this moment.

​Reid didn’t fight back. He didn’t raise his hands, he didn’t snarl, and he didn’t use an ounce of his towering size or Alpha strength to break my father’s grip.

​Instead, Reid stood like a rock. He kept his hands open, palms facing down in a gesture of absolute surrender and respect. His dark grey eyes remained steady, unflinching, and filled with a quiet, profound remorse that went far deeper than the lie we were spinning.

​"I’m sorry, Mr. Evans," Reid said softly, his deep voice thick with an unshakeable, solemn weight. "You have every right to be angry with me. I took responsibility for Kain the moment I stepped onto his line, and I failed to protect him on the ice tonight."

​"Don’t give me your hollow apologies!" my dad spat, his voice trembling as tears of frustration welled in his eyes.

​"It’s not hollow," Reid rasped, stepping a fraction closer despite my dad’s iron grip on his collar, his gaze never leaving my father’s furious face. "I love your son, Mr. Evans. I love Kain. I would give up my career, my dynamic, and every drop of blood I have if it meant undoing the pain he’s in right now. You can hit me, you can hate me, but I am not leaving his side."

My father froze. His grip on Reid’s jacket tightened for one long, agonizing second before his eyes blazed again.

​"Then give up your career as a hockey player," he hissed, the words dripping with bitter, unyielding spite. "That’s how I’ll know you’re damn serious."

​"Dad!" I yelled, a sharp spike of panic tearing through my throat. I tried to pull myself up again, my heart slamming wildly against my ribs as I reached toward Reid.

​Before I could throw my weight forward, Marina stepped up smoothly to the side of my mattress. Her broad, firm hands came down gently on my shoulders, pressing me back against the pillows.

​"Don’t exert yourself, Kain," Marina whispered softly, bending her head down until her voice was a quiet murmur intended only for my ears. "Think about your baby."

​I went completely still, my breath catching in my chest. I looked up at Marina, my eyes wide, blinking in pure, unadulterated shock.

​You mean... I searched her sharp eyes, my lips trembling silently.

​Marina gave a single, firm nod.

​It was still there. The baby was safe. She had instructed Dr. Aris to run a full, quiet ultrasound scan while I was unconscious under the sedatives.

Miraculously, the violent hit from Pedro and the landing hadn’t caused any structural damage to the fetus that was already suspected to have been forming in my womb. But the immense physical shock, the soaring fever, and the overwhelming emotional stress of this confrontation could easily trigger a disaster if I didn’t calm down.

​My hand instinctively moved down, resting flat over my lower stomach beneath the heavy hospital blanket, my mind reeling in profound, breathless relief.

​Meanwhile, my father was still staring down Reid, expecting the twenty-one-year-old star rookie to falter, to hesitate, or to back down when his multi-million-dollar future was put on the line.

​Reid didn’t even blink. He looked my father dead in the eye, his jaw set like reinforced steel.

​"I will," Reid declared boldly.

​A collective, sharp gasp echoed through the room. My mother’s hands flew to her mouth, and my twin brothers stared at Reid in absolute, utter disbelief. He was a generational talent, a star rookie with an entire, glowing career stretched out before him, and he hadn’t even hesitated for a single second.

​My father’s rigid posture faltered slightly, caught off guard by the sheer, terrifying weight of Reid’s answer.

​"I will give it all up," Reid added softly, his deep voice thick with an unshakeable, solemn promise as he slowly turned his dark grey eyes down to look at me. "That is... after I have made Kain’s dream come true. For both of us."