"The egg wasn't just a donation-it was a promise I didn't know I had to keep."
...
Malachi POV;
"There is no blood type matching your son in our bank," the doctor told my father, fear and disappointment etched clearly across his face.
Beside my bed, my mother sat rigid, her grip tightening painfully around my hand, as if letting go might mean losing me. I could feel the tremor in her fingers even as she tried to remain composed.
The doctor continued, his voice careful, professional. "I'm afraid if a blood transfusion is not done within the next hour..."
Before he could finish, my mother cut him off.
"Then find it," she said sharply. "Do whatever it takes. Use every resource you have. No matter the cost-I will pay it."
I don't remember when I fell asleep.
When I woke, my vision was blurred and heavy. A blood bag hung above me, the dark red liquid slowly draining through a tube into my arm. Beside the bed sat a boy- older than me, thin, silent. Another needle was buried in his arm. One blood bag was already full. A second was nearly there.
The doctor stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Madam Hale, I believe this is enough..."
"No," my mother snapped.
Her grip on my hand never loosened as she looked at the boy, not with gratitude, but calculation.
"We need more. Keep going."
The doctor hesitated. "He's already given..."
"This is why we adopted him, " she said coldly. "He is my son's blood bank. You know that."
Sleep took me again.
When I woke this time, the blood bags were gone. No tubes, no needles-only my mother's head resting lightly against my hand, her breathing slow, as if she had been there for a long time.
When she felt me stir, she woke immediately. Her face lit up as she straightened, fingers closing around mine.
"How do you feel?" she asked, smiling.
I smiled back. "Better. I feel better."
Then the image returned to me; the boy, pale and quiet, sitting beside my bed. For a moment, I wondered if he had been nothing more than a dream.
"Mum," I said carefully, "the boy I saw earlier...where is he?"
"Oh," she replied easily. "That one? Marcus took him home."
I hesitated. "You said earlier...that you adopted him. Does that mean he's going to be my big brother?"
Her expression changed immediately.
"No," she said flatly. "Of course not."
I opened my mouth to ask more, but she spoke first, her tone firm.
"He's only here to keep you alive. Don't feel guilty about it. We made a deal- to take care of his needs in exchange for what he gives you. That's all you need to understand."
Her grip tightened slightly around my hand, ending the conversation.
I nodded, even though something in my chest felt strangely heavy.
When I was finally discharged and brought home, I found myself looking for him without meaning to. I thought I might see him again, sitting somewhere nearby, silent as before.
Instead, I learned he had been moved to the servants' quarters.
That was when I understood my mother had meant exactly what she said. There was nothing personal about it. Only business.
I felt uncomfortable about it, but it was a bitter truth I couldn't escape. Help had been exchanged for help. No relationship was required-only necessity.
Years passed. I never spoke to him. I never came close. I only watched from a distance as he worked alongside the other staff, quiet and obedient. I didn't know his name. I didn't know anything about him at all.
All I knew was that I never lacked blood.
Whenever I needed it, the transfusion were already prepared. I suppose he was being drained for my sake-stored, measured, kept ready.
One day, I went to my usual spot to watch the grounds. He wasn't there.
The second day, still nothing.
By the third day, the absence unsettled me enough that I asked Marcus, who was standing beside me.
"Where is he?" I said. "I haven't seen him lately."
Marcus glanced at me, as if he already understood who I meant. "Oh," he said. "He's been sent to University. He'll be staying in a hostel near the University."
Something sank quietly in my chest.
Then Marcus added, perhaps misreading my silence, "Don't worry, young master. He'll still provide blood. It will be sent in bags for you."
I let out a slow breath and nodded.
"I see."
.
.
.
I was sitting by the beach with my friend Luca, watching our high school classmates swim.
"Are you sure you don't want to go in?" Luca asked.
I stayed quiet. My mother had warned me, the beach was unpredictable, unlike the swimming pool at home. With my health, I couldn't take chances.
Luca stood and stretched out a hand toward me. "Come on, Malachi. How can a vacation be fun if you're not swimming?"
I hesitated. His arm stayed out, waiting. I finally gave in.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the water. Step by step, we waded in together.
A few female classmates-omegas-passed us, chatting loudly. One's eyes were fixed on a distant group while the other whispered, "If you don't concentrate, you'll triple..."
The first rolled her eyes. "Damn, he's so hot. I can't get enough of him."
Luca, leaning close to them with a teasing grin, called out jokingly, "Are you talking about me?"
The girl sighed and shook her head, while the other added, "You've got no chance."
Luca laughed. "Who says? Try me."
They ignored him, and he sprinted after them, calling, "Hey! We haven't finished talking!"
I stayed behind, watching them go, and muttered under my breath, "Pervert."
The water was soothing, and I let myself drift deeper. But then a wave of dizziness hit me-my limbs felt numb, my control slipping. I tried to swim, but my body refused to respond.
I closed my eyes, letting the water hold me...
Then I felt a warmth on my lips; soft, sweet. My mind froze for a moment.
I pulled back slightly, confused, lips tingling.
It...it tastes like honey, I thought.
I opened my eyes slowly. At first, the figure was blurry. Then, as my vision cleared, I saw him-close, impossibly close.
His ocean blue eyes were calm and steady. A small mole rested at the side of his lip, and a golden pin glinted at the center of his lower lip.
I stammered, disbelief slipping through my thoughts. You...?
He looked at me and smiled gently. "Not you. It's Rafael."
I blinked, still touching my lips, the faint sweetness lingering. Did...did I just...get my first kiss from Rafael? I thought.