The antiseptic smell clung heavily in the air as Ryina paced back and forth along the hospital corridor, her stiletto heels tapping sharply against the floor. Her mind was a maelstrom of worry, her eyes straying occasionally to the door of Ethan's room. The boy had been admitted three days prior with a high fever that hadn't yielded to initial treatment, and the doctors were conducting a series of tests to establish the cause. Ryina had been with him nearly all the time, her heart going out to the child who had become like a son to her.
When Dean had first brought Ethan to her clinic six months prior, Ryina had been appalled by the boy's thinness. He was pale, normally lethargic, and had a cough that refused to abate no matter how many drugs they tried. Dean had been adamant about providing him with the best care possible, his concern disguising something darker that Ryina couldn't quite put her finger on. She had developed a bond with Ethan over the years, referring to him in her mind as the family that she had lost.
But now, standing before the most recent batch of test results, a suspicion had arisen in the back of her mind. There was something peculiar about Ethan's medical history—tiny inconsistencies that had flown under everyone else's radar but were bothering her. She'd asked the lab to run additional genetic markers to rule out any other unusual conditions that might be causing his sickness.
The footsteps interrupted her daydreaming. A nurse approached, looking grave. "Dr. Ryina," she said, "the test results have arrived."
Ryina's stomach tightened. "Thank you," she breathed, taking the folder offered to her by the nurse. Her eyes scanned the pages, her breath snagging as she read the final report. The genetic markers were clear: Ethan's DNA did not belong to Dean. The boy was not Dean's biological son.
She trembled as she closed the folder. What was happening? Dean had always spoken of Ethan as his own son, and Lydia had never given anything away. Did they know? Had they been lying to her?
Without knowing what she was doing, Ryina was already heading down the hall towards Lydia's room. It was open, and she could hear Lydia talking from within, on the phone. Ryina burst in, anger under control only with an effort.
"Lydia," she said in a voice capable of slicing glass,
"We have something to talk about."
Lydia looked up from her seat by the window, her nail-tips drumming against the phone she held in her hand. For a moment, she lost her cool facade, and Ryina saw a glimpse of guilt dancing in her eyes. "Ryina," Lydia placed the phone on the table. "Is all right with Ethan?"
"Don't act dumb with me," Ryina sneered, moving towards her. "I just got the test results. Ethan is not Dean's son."
The room fell silent. Lydia's face drained of color, and for the first time, Ryina saw something other than arrogance in her sister's expression—fear. "I don't know what you're talking about," Lydia said, but her voice betrayed her.
"You knew," Ryina exclaimed, her fury trembling in her voice. "You knew the entire time that Ethan wasn't Dean's son, and you let him raise him as his own. You let him love a child who isn't even his own by birth."
Lydia sprang up from her chair, the wood scratching on the floor. "How dare you come into my home and accuse me like that?" she sneered. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
"I've got the DNA tests, Lydia," Ryina went on, wagging the folder in the air. "They don't lie. Ethan's father isn't Dean. Who is it, then? Some one-night stand you had prior to marrying Dean? Or some guy you paid to get you pregnant so you could be a respected member of the pack?"
Lydia's expression twisted in anger. "This is none of your concern, Ryina. You have no right to get involved in my family."
"This isn't just about your family—it's about Dean and Ethan," Ryina retorted, her voice rising. "Dean has a right to know the truth, and so does Ethan. You've built your entire life on lies, and now it all comes crashing down.".
Lydia's eyes narrowed. "You think you're so much better than me, don't you? The poor, pitiful Omega who got kicked out of the pack? The one who had to sell herself to Dean just to survive? Don't act like you're the moral high ground here."
Ryina's hand flew to her cheek where Lydia's words had slapped her. "This has nothing to do with me," she stated firmly in her voice. "It has to do with you lying to Dean for all those years. Ethan was Dean's son, and you let him keep him like his own son even though you knew the truth. How could you do that to Dean? How could you do that to Ethan?
Lydia's expression softened for a moment, and Ryina saw what she believed was a flash of regret. But it vanished instantly, replaced by the same cold determination that had always defined her sister. "It was necessary," Lydia said quietly. "Dean needed an heir. The pack needed to be secure. If I had not given him a son, the elders would have forced him to take another mate. This was the best way to secure the pack.".
"And what about Dean's feelings?" Ryina demanded. "What about Ethan's right to know who his real father is? You've robbed them both of the truth for your own gain."
Lydia's tone went up, her calm lost. "You think Dean would have remained with me if he knew the truth? You think he would have kept me as his Luna? I had no choice! I did what was necessary to keep breathing."
You did not need to lie!" Ryina burst out. "You could have lied to him and face the consequences together. You chose instead to build your life on deceit, and now everything is crashing down.".
Lydia came in, her voice husky and bitter. "If you say something to Dean, you'll spoil everything. Not only for me, but for Ethan too. Do you really want to be the one to deprive him of the only father he has ever known?"
Ryina's heart ached at the thought of Ethan getting hurt. The boy had already suffered enough, and she didn't want to add to his suffering. But she could not simply stand idly by and allow Dean to continue being manipulated. "I have to tell him," she said firmly. "He has a right to know the truth, no matter how hard it is.".
Lydia's expression twisted into one of fury, and before Ryina could react, her sister had seized her wrist, nailing into her arm with her claws. "If you so much as breathe a word to him, I'll make you regret it," Lydia snarled. "I'll ruin you, Ryina. I'll make sure that every single person in the pack knows what a horrible liar you are.".
Ryina freed her arm, her fury taking precedence over her fear. "Go on," she said, her tone firm. "But understand this: whatever happens between us, Dean needs the truth. So does Ethan."
With that, Ryina turned and departed the room, her thoughts whirling. She needed to get to Dean before he went back to the hospital. She needed to tell him everything, even if it would shatter his heart.
---
Ryina found Dean in the hospital cafeteria, head bowed over a cup of coffee that he hadn't drunk. His face was pinched, his usual confident air replaced by one of worry and exhaustion. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him, even as dread filled her for the upcoming conversation.
"Dean," she said softly, sitting down across from him.
He stared at her, his dark eyes serious. "Ryina," he said, the voice growing rougher in his throat. "Ethan?"
"The tests arrived," she told him, twisting her hands in her lap. "There's something you need to be told, but I don't know how to tell you this easily."
Dean set his cup on the lip of the counter, his straightening. "What is it? Is Ethan sicker than the doctors anticipated?
"It's not about his condition," Ryina whispered. "It's about… his parentage."
Dean's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"The DNA results," Ryina nudged the folder along the table to him. "Ethan isn't your biological son."
Time froze. Dean stared at the folder as if it was a snake that would bite. When he finally lifted his head, his eyes were hollow. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that Ethan isn't yours," Ryina said, her voice breaking. "The DNA doesn't match. He's not your son."
Dean's face drained of color. He pushed the folder away as if it burned him. "This has to be a mistake," he said, his voice trembling. "There's some kind of error."
"There's no mistake," Ryina said gently. "I double-checked the results. Ethan's father isn't you."
Dean's fists clenched, his knuckles white. "Who?" he demanded. "Who is his father?"
Ryina shook her head. "I don't know. Lydia has never said. She's been lying to you all this time."
Dean's chair screeched on the floor as he rose to his feet. "I have to speak with her," he growled, his voice low and threatening.
"Dean, wait," Ryina urged, catching him by the arm. "She's not going anywhere. Let's talk this over."
But Dean was already striding away from her, his strides long and purposeful. Ryina followed him, her heart pounding as he approached Lydia's room. When he reached the door, he did not knock. He simply pushed the door open, his face red with rage.
Lydia's eyes lifted in surprise. "Dean? What's going on?"
Dean's eyes were cold as he raised the folder Ryina had given him. "Explain this," he said, his voice trembling with barely contained rage.
Lydia's face turned pale as she read what was in the folder. She was quiet for a moment. Then, slowly, she stood up, her posture stiff. "I can explain," she said, but her voice was not as firm as normal.
"Explain what?" Dean demanded. "How you deceived me all these years? How you allowed me to raise a child who doesn't even belong to me? How you stood by and allowed me to love a son who was never mine?"
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she pushed them back. "I did it for the pack," she said, her voice breaking. "You needed an heir. The elders were pushing you to get another mate. I had no other option."
"You had a choice," Dean said, his voice rising. "You could have told me the truth. You didn't do that. Instead, you lied to me, used me, manipulated me into raising a child who isn't mine. Do you have any idea how that feels?"
Lydia glanced to Ryina, standing speechlessly in the doorway, breaking apart in horror over what she read in Dean's eyes. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm so sorry."
Dean's laugh cut short, sharp and mirthless. "Sorry? Sorry going to fix everything? You going to rub out all of this pain, this deceit and betrayal over, just sorry?"
Ryina drew closer, her arm clutching at Dean. "Dean," she whispered softly, "we should talk. Lydia acted improperly, but Ethan still needs us. Ethan is not well, and we have to pay attention to fixing him up.".
Dean's gaze shifted to Ryina, and for a moment, she saw the same confusion and pain she felt mirrored in his eyes. Then he moved away from her touch. "I need to be alone," he said, his voice tense.
As Dean left the room, Ryina was filled with a feeling of powerlessness. Lydia slumped into her chair, her shoulders sagging in defeat. "What have I done?" she whispered.