Unrequited love is no match for secret admiration

chapter 3

I never expected what I'd find when I arrived at the hospital's VIP wing.

Karen, the most popular girl in school, was standing outside the door, frantically trying to push her way in.

"Let me in! It's the full moon, isn't it? How do you know Justin doesn't need me? Justin! Please, just let me in and help you!"

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Noah had called her "not the easy type," yet here she was, throwing herself at his brother.

The bodyguard who had been blocking her saw me and immediately opened the door, his eyes welling with tears of relief.

"Miss Jasper, you're finally here. Please, come in. The master really needs you tonight."

Karen's face twisted with a vicious mix of envy and hatred. "Why does she get to go in?" she shrieked. "He's only in this condition because he was saving her! She's a jinx! How can you let her near him again?"

I froze. Saved me again? What does she mean?

The scene inside the room was chaos.

I saw Justin, bare-chested and lying face down on the bed. His face was flushed with fever, his short hair soaked with sweat. His fingers were curled tightly into his palms, fighting the waves of heat rolling through him. His back was wrapped in thick white bandages, now stained a horrifying, spreading crimson.

A doctor stood beside him, shouting in desperation.

"For God's sake, man, stop fighting it! I'm begging you, just find a woman to help you! We just changed these dressings and they're already soaked through! How much blood do you have to lose? On a full moon, a werewolf's blood is already agitated, and your clotting ability is shot. I've given you the strongest coagulants we have, and they're doing nothing!"

"You have to relieve this fever, or you're going to bleed to death before morning! Where is this girl you said could save him?"

The bodyguards by the bed had already seen me. In unison, they turned and bowed a full ninety degrees, their expressions a mixture of reverence and gratitude.

"Doctor," one of them said. "She's here."

At their words, the man who had been suffering his own private hell on the bed suddenly opened his eyes. They were a deep, mesmerizing crimson, burning with a fierce, restrained desire. His gaze, powerful and sharp, landed on my face, and his expression shifted to shock, then fury.

"Who brought her here? Get her out!"

One of the bodyguards bowed his head. "It was me, sir. If Miss Jasper can help you tonight, I will accept any punishment. Besides, you were injured this time saving her life. Again."

"You've risked your life for her twice now, and you won't even take the credit. You might not feel wronged by it, sir, but we do. On your behalf."

I stole a glance at the formidable man on the bed. Though I'd grown up with Noah, I had always been terrified of Justin. He was known as the Ice King for a reason. Even the most arrogant heirs and troublemakers in our circle turned into meek little boys in his presence. His power and aura were absolute. I usually went out of my way to avoid him.

But now, that same terrifying man was gripping the bedsheets, his toes curling in agony, his whole body radiating a palpable heat. His ragged, shallow breaths filled the room. The contrast was jarring, almost alluring. A fallen king on his sickbed was a dangerously captivating sight.

"Wait," I said, my voice small. "You said he was hurt because of me again?"

A bodyguard started to speak, but Justin cut him off with a roar. "Shut up! Say one more word and see what happens!"

Then, he turned his voice on me, forcing a tone of gentle dismissal. "Pearl, you should leave. I don't need you here."

Another bodyguard spoke up, seemingly fearless. "Sir, stop pretending. Stubbornness won't win you a wife. You act all tough, but your heart is soft when it comes to her. Did you think we were blind? When Miss Jasper is in danger, you'd walk through fire for her. You literally did."

It wasn't just one; all the bodyguards in the room started chiming in, a chorus of fearless truth-tellers.

"Exactly! Last full moon, who was it that spent the whole night staring at a picture of Miss Jasper on his phone? You were so out of your mind with fever you kept whispering her name. I bet you were dreaming of her, too."

"And the month before that! You parked your car outside her dorm building and sat there all night. How many times did you almost get out and go in, only to force yourself to stay put? Job himself would have tapped out."

"If we don't say anything, she'll never know! Are you really planning to suffer like this for the rest of your life?"

"Shut up," Justin said, his gaze dropping. "I can handle it."

The doctor practically exploded. "Handle it? Handle my ass! You keep handling it' and you won't live to see the sunrise!" He turned to me. "Young lady, what are you just standing there for? Do something! Help him!"

The bodyguards all bowed to me again, their faces pleading.

But I was at a loss. "What am I supposed to do? I I don't know how."

The doctor, snipping away the blood-soaked bandages, didn't even look up. "Kiss him!"

My face flushed a deep crimson. Standing there, at the head of the bed, with everyone watching how could I kiss a man who pushed everyone away?

Suddenly, a bodyguard shouted, "Miss Jasper, do you know how the master got hurt? Two days ago, there was a fire in your university's auditorium! You were trapped inside, weren't you? You passed out from the smoke inhalation and almost died."

"It was the master who saved you. Because of the mark, he can sense when his mate is in danger. He ignored everyone's warnings and ran into the burning building to find you. As he was carrying you out, a flaming beam fell and hit him across the back. His whole back was on fire."

"But he gritted his teeth, held on through the pain, and used the last of his strength to get you out. And what happened then? Your precious Noah swooped in and took all the credit. He saw his brother carry you from the flames and snatched you out of his arms. If he was so worried about you, why didn't he run in there himself?"

What?

I couldn't believe it. That was how Justin had been injured?

I remembered waking up from the smoke inhalation two days ago. Noah was sitting by my bedside. I had assumed I thought he was the one who saved me.

My head was spinning with too much new information to feel shy or awkward anymore.

Saving him was all that mattered.

Acting on pure instinct, I leaned over Justin, fixed my eyes on his lips, and pressed a firm kiss against them.

"Don't," he growled, his voice harsh, pushing me away with his words. But his hands only gripped the sheets tighter, his throat working as he swallowed hard, his eyes a terrifying shade of red. The sight of him, so powerful yet so vulnerable, was an invitation to sin.

His voice turned colder. "Pearl, do you have any idea what you're doing? You usually act like you can't get far enough away from me. Don't do something you'll regret just to repay a debt. And don't listen to them. It's useless. You can kiss me all you want. I feel nothing."

But the doctor suddenly cried out in excitement. "It's working! The bleeding is slowing down! Miss Jasper, keep going! Kiss him again! His body is a hell of a lot more honest than his mouth. Kiss him like you mean it!"

The doctor's words were a direct slap to Justin's stubborn pride. His face looked deeply uncomfortable, and in a move that stunned me, he buried his head in the pillows.

Was he blushing? His ears were so red they looked like they were about to catch fire.