Page 69 of Volatile King (The Kings of Wayward Academy #6)

R en

My skin had begun to crawl the second we stepped through the doors. I hated the sterile lighting, antiseptic air, and that low, soul-sucking hum of machines that always seemed to whisper bad news.

I’d never liked hospitals, but now…they felt like a graveyard of memories. I’d spent years of my life sitting in a similar building with my mum, and if I never saw the inside of one again after today, it would still be too soon.

At least I’d gotten a front-row seat to watch Eddie get scolded by his physiotherapist. He said something about pushing too hard and Eddie not wearing his brace. Eddie had rolled his eyes like a teenager, and I couldn’t help but smirk.

Now, I knew where I got it from.

Mum had always gone along with whatever the doctors said—chemo, scans, surgeries, everything without complaint…she’d been the perfect patient, unshakable. She was my hero.

Eddie, on the other hand, was stubborn as hell, just like me. I’d caught him walking laps around the house despite the pain, so he could say he didn’t need the brace. Marcus had just shaken his head at him. I was really starting to like Marcus.

“Tell me, Ren,” Dr. Boyd said, tapping his pen against my file. “Do you really feel ready to go back to school?”

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation.

“To attend classes…or to live there full time?”

I glanced at Eddie, and the weight of reality pressed against my ribs. I wasn’t ready to leave the house. Not yet.

“Just classes,” I said.

Dr. Boyd scribbled something in his notes, and I sat on metaphorical pins and needles while he flipped through my file.

“The notes from your speech therapist are very encouraging,” he murmured. “Significant improvement. You’ve been working hard.”

“Yes.” My fingers curled into the fabric of my jeans as I tried to stay still.

“I don’t see any reason not to clear you,” Dr. Boyd finally said. “But I strongly recommend easing back in. Avoid all unnecessary stress.”

That was easier said than done, but I wasn’t going to voice that. Dr. Boyd began typing away on his computer, and a quiet thrill fluttered to life inside my chest. Not joy exactly, but…hope.

I’d kept up with my studies from home, but I wanted to sit my final exams at Wayward. I wanted to feel normal again…whatever that meant now. Mid-terms started next week, and when they finished, it was Christmas break. It was the perfect toe-dip back into reality.

Dr. Boyd turned and took a paper off his printer.

“This is for the school,” he said, holding it out to me. “My direct line in case of emergency, and some extra information about your condition, as well as some things for your teachers to look for in case you’re unable to express what’s wrong.”

I reached out to grab it, but he didn’t let go right away.

“No gym. No contact sports. Nothing involving running, skating, being tackled, or balls to the face.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing. I knew what he meant—no more volleyball incidents—but all I could picture was the other night with the guys. I was definitely keeping that extracurricular activity to myself.

“I understand,” I said with a faint cough as I schooled my expression.

He released the paper. “Very well. We’ll schedule a follow-up next month.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

Eddie shook the doctor’s hand, and Marcus—ever watchful—opened the door so we could leave.

The walk through the hospital halls was slow with Eddie and his cane. The heels of the guards’ dress shoes clicked against the polished floors, drawing every pair of eyes our way.

“Do you ever…get used to the…stares?”

Eddie’s voice was low and distant. “Eventually. I don’t notice the guards anymore…

not really. But there was a time when I hated it.

Having someone trail me during the most mundane parts of my life.

Grocery store. Picking up dry cleaning. And before you ask, yes, I like to do all my own errands when I can.

It keeps me humble,” he said with a little grin.

“But now…it’s stranger when they’re not there. ”

I nodded.

The sharp bite of winter air kissed my skin the second we stepped outside. I inhaled deeply, letting it fill my lungs and clear the static in my head. I’d always loved the cold.

Snow hadn’t fallen yet, but the threat of it was in the wind. With it came birthdays for Blake and Theo, and the dreaded Christmas shopping I hadn’t even started. Ugh, I refused to do another mall trip again anytime soon. I needed to think of gifts for the guys that didn’t involve buying anything.

“You need anything for school,” Eddie asked, rubbing his hand over his face. “That sounded like I was talking to a five-year-old. I didn’t mean it like that.”

I smiled. “Don’t be sorry. And no…I’m good.”

He looked down at me, expression thoughtful.

“It’s nice…having you here. Last year…was rough,” I said. I hesitated to collect my thoughts. “After Mum…got sick…everything was tough.”

“I’m so sorry, Lilya. I’ve been meaning to ask you about it, but I didn’t want to push.”

“It’s fine.” The lie came automatically. Mum’s illness was a topic that I avoided, but we shared a mutual pain in her loss. Confiding in Eddie…my father…felt right.

“You said Ana got sick when you were twelve,” Eddie asked, as we climbed into the waiting SUV.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“So not long after I saw her in Vancouver.” His voice cracked a little. “I wish she’d told me. I wish she hadn’t been so stubborn.”

“She hated…asking or needing help,” I whispered.

“Oh, I know it. It was part of the reason I loved her so much. Ana had an unwavering strength. Even when she was terrified about what tomorrow would bring, she faced it with determination and a resilience that I could only mimic. You said Lev…sorry, Neal…just dumped you at Wayward and disappeared?”

“Lev,” I repeated, blinking.

Eddie nodded. “That was his real name. I don’t get it, honestly.

Unless Lawrence had been threatening him for a long time…

it just doesn’t add up. He was dedicated to your mom, to keeping her safe, and to raising you.

Sure, they weren’t a couple, and Ana wanted him to date, but still.

Abandoning you like that?” He shook his head again. “Doesn’t feel like him.”

So much of what I thought I knew was twisted in confusion. The truth was complicated and not at all what I expected. So, that was why Mum had never been upset when he came home late, why she hadn’t cared when he smelled like perfume.

It all made sense now.

How many years had I spent furious with him, thinking that he was cheating on Mum? I’d been so cruel, so short, and not understanding. This was what happened when secrets were kept. This was why I hated them.

Neal…the man I’d called Dad had a different name. A different life. And I hadn’t seen it. Hadn’t even considered that something else was happening. I’d thought the worst of him, and I regretted that now.

“I’m not sure if he spoke to you about this, but Nash went to Lawrence’s house looking for his father and Neal,” Eddie said. “He found it abandoned. No sign of anyone, and all the paperwork had been cleared out. I doubt Lawrence will go back there.”

That was news to me.

I didn’t know if I was angry that everyone kept things from me…or relieved that someone was out there trying to find Neal. I wanted to say I was sorry. I wanted to thank him for trying so hard and caring so much that he chose to live a life shrouded by smoke and mirrors.

“I’ll see what I can uncover,” Eddie continued. “But since Lawrence and Christov don’t know you’re my daughter yet, Neal is their only leverage. If they’re smart, they’ll keep him alive. We need to keep the information about you quiet for as long as possible.”

“Vicky,” I asked.

“I already spoke to her and she is sworn to secrecy. I know that Victoria is a handful, but despite what you may have seen from her, she is not a cruel or spiteful person.”

Although, I’d seen another side to Vicky recently, she could still be malicious when she wanted to be but didn’t say that out loud. Hope stirred in my chest, thin but burning. “You really think Neal is…alive?”

Eddie nodded once. “He’s too valuable to kill.

He’s the only one left that they think they can use.

Your mother had extremely good forgeries done when you were born, and again when Neal adopted you.

They believe he has the signing authority for a marriage contract. Ultimately, that’s what they want.”

My stomach churned, and bile rose in my throat at the thought of Lawrence touching me.

“They will never touch a single hair on your head, Lilya. I’ll not only make sure of it, but I’ll skin them alive if they try.”

“You really…hate them.” My voice came out soft.

“I do,” he said simply. “One day, I’ll tell you the whole story. But right now, it still feels like an open wound.”

He shifted in his seat, turning toward me.

“Tell me something…how does a relationship with five guys work?”

This would have been a great time for the ground to swallow me whole.

“Um…” I shrugged, heat crawling up my neck. “It wasn’t planned.”

My fingers could explain faster, so I started signing, hoping to end this awkward conversation.

We just fit…like a puzzle. Each one of them fills a void in me, and I do the same for them. It’s complicated, but it works.

Eddie’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“And Nash? The marriage?”

I don’t know yet. But I think it will look a lot like what we have now. The hardest part was accepting all of them. Now, it’s about making sure each one feels important when we’re alone. It’s kind of like juggling.

He nodded slowly. “Ana and I were completely exclusive. I married Patricia for business and haven’t spent a day under the same roof with her, so who am I to judge? But still…that many emotions? That many moving parts? It worries me, Lilya. What happens if one piece falls out of place?”

He reached over and squeezed my hand.

“But if you’re happy, truly happy, then that’s all that matters to me. Just understand all the risks and potential fallouts.”

I smiled, grateful and overwhelmed. Still, his question lingered.

What happened if one of the guys walked away?

What if Theo and Liam decided they wanted to be on their own?

They had accepted the chaos of five hearts bound to mine…

but what if that changed? Could I accept any of them falling in love with someone else? Was I a hypocrite?

The SUV drove down the road, passing storefronts and homes trimmed in early Christmas lights. I normally loved decorations, but I couldn’t focus on any of it. There were too many worries.

Mya was now at the top of my list. Followed closely by Lawrence, and Christov…the man I remembered calling Daddy . He wasn’t my father. It was a false title given to placate his ego. But whatever past or memories I had of Christov didn’t matter.

Anyone who had hurt my mother…was dead to me.