To Be My Alpha's Stand-In Mate

"Alright, stop crying now. I’ll take care of it for you."

He gently patted my head, wiped away my tears, and kissed my cheek to comfort me as he stood up to grab some cooling herbs, muttering to himself.

"Look at you—such a strong girl, but still afraid of pain and always crying. What would you do without me?"

I stared blankly at the red burn mark on my wrist.

Yes, I had been spoiled for a full seven years. What would I do without him? But, Damien, I didn’t want you anymore. I didn’t want this fake bond anymore.

That night, I couldn’t sleep well, probably due to the pain in my hand, or maybe because of the sudden realization. I tossed and turned in bed, my body covered in sweat, hoping that sleep would take me away. It took a long time before I finally managed to drift off.

Just as dawn was breaking, Damien pulled me out of bed.

I grumbled, trying to push him away, but he just chuckled and leaned in to kiss me.

Instantly, all my sleepiness vanished. I almost slapped him, but barely managed to hold myself back.

Luckily, it was just a quick kiss.

"Awake yet, my sleepy mooncakes?"

I turned away, wiping my mouth in disgust.

"It’s the weekend. Why can’t you let me sleep in?" I grumbled, feeling the exhaustion weighing on me.

Damien looked at me helplessly. "Did you know you had a fever last night? Get up. I’m taking you to the healer."

I stared at him, wondering if this was just him acting the part of someone caring for another, or if it was me he was really thinking of. His face was full of concern, but it seemed like those eyes weren’t seeing me at all.

Although I felt mostly fine, I couldn’t argue with him, so I reluctantly got up.

In the healer’s corridor, we unexpectedly ran into Kaia. She seemed to have hurt her foot and was struggling to hop along the hallway on her own. Damien, who had been such gentle moments before, instantly frowned.

Forgetting I was beside him, he rushed over to Kaia, holding her with concern.

"What happened?"

Kaia smiled at him, glancing past him toward me.

"It’s just a sprained ankle. What a coincidence... You two are here for a checkup too?"

Damien’s expression froze. He glanced back at me, his eyes shifting. I could see a hint of guilt, something I had noticed before but ignored. Now, it was more obvious, especially in front of Kaia.

"Yeah, my ‘little sister’ here had a fever, so I brought her in for a check-up."

I wasn’t disappointed. Why had I expected him to change how he introduced me?

I have grown used to being called "sister" now.

From the moment Damien decided not to go public with our bond, he introduced me as his friend’s younger sister, someone he was simply helping. Everyone believed it, since he was close to my brother.

Only his closest friends knew the truth.

Kaia nodded. "She’s staying at your place, so of course, you have to take care of her. You two go on, I need to head over there."

She gestured toward the other side of the pack's grounds. Seeing her start hopping again, Damien didn’t think twice before scooping her up into his arms.

"Let me take you over. Thalia, wait here for me."

For some reason, the moment I saw Kaia, I felt weak, drained of all energy. Maybe it was because my fever was worsening, or perhaps it was the bitter feeling in my gut as I watched him worry over Kaia more than me.

My knees started to shake, and I couldn’t walk straight, but did it even matter? I leaned against the wall, saying nothing.

Damien hadn’t asked for my permission. After those words, he was already carrying Kaia toward the other healer’s chambers. I guess he didn’t think my fever was bad, or perhaps he just didn’t care as much about me. He never noticed my weakening state.

The truth was, no matter how well Damien acted, when Kaia was around, his genuine feelings slipped through, betraying the façade.

And Damien didn’t even realize it.

I forced a bitter smile, turned, and walked toward the designated healer's quarters to treat fever.

Apparently, it wasn’t just in my head. After checking my temperature, I learned my fever had risen to 41.3°C.

The burn had become infected, worsened by my emotional stress, leading to a viral infection that required some herbs to boil and drink. The healer said I needed an infusion as well.

Out of habit, I reached for my phone to call Damien, but stopped myself before dialing.

Habit was a terrifying thing.

I gave a self-mocking smile, put my phone away, grabbed my medication, and headed to the patient's rest area alone.