How much worse could the worst be?
I hoped it wasn’t something I couldn’t handle.
Her lips moved reluctantly as she let out a tense sigh. “Fine. Your dad got injured. He was shot with a silver bullet mixed with wolfsbane when he led a troop of warriors to ambush the enemies. Unfortunately, he didn’t know they had already set an ambush, so they attacked immediately, and-“
The rest of her words hung in the air as I rushed out of my room at full speed, dodging the warriors before my legs carried me to his room.
“Come back, Aurora! Where the hell are you going? I thought you promised!” she lamented, shocked and scared by my sudden action.
I mentally cursed myself, thinking of the consequences of what I had done. She could get fired for exposing the truth to me.
“I’m sorry, Eve.”
I couldn’t contain myself. All that clouded my mind was my injured father.
Tears blurred my vision as I rushed to his room, bumping into workers along the way.
Without knocking, I flung the door open, rushing in to find my father sleeping peacefully on the bed. Relief flooded me when the steady rhythm of his heartbeat filled my ears.
Thank God he was still alive.
Sadness crept back into my heart as my eyes landed on the beeping machines and the IV drips hanging above him. Quietly, I sat at the edge of his bed, staring at his exposed chest and studying the injury he had sustained.
It was a miracle the bullet had missed his heart by just a few inches.
I could tell he was healing at a good pace, especially with the presence of his mate.
Though I didn’t see her, my mother’s scent lingered in the room. She must’ve left not long ago.
A wave of pity washed over me as I gazed at my father’s weakened form. With time, he would regain his strength.
A sense of pride filled me as a sad smile tugged at my lips. He was a brave warrior. He led by example, and he had earned my respect.
Despite having been with him for several months, I had grown fond of him and cared deeply about him. I wished I could’ve been there to save him. I didn’t understand why the bullet had struck him, out of all the warriors…
Stop it, Aurora!
My subconscious scolded me, and I frowned, feeling guilty.
It was selfish of me to wish the bullet had hit someone else instead of my father.
The sudden movement of my father pulled me from my thoughts as he began murmuring inaudible words.
“Dad!” I called, gently squeezing his shoulder to keep him steady.
“Run, Aurora, they’re coming for you!”
I felt my heart leap out of my chest as I processed my dad’s words.
I swallowed the burning taste of fear, confusion crashing over me like a ton of bricks. The cold breeze found its way to my bare skin, making me tremble from the shock of the news.
Frozen, I stood motionless, eyes wide, struggling to think of what to do. I hated that my reaction to danger was to freeze in place. Despite my desperate urge to flee, my body refused to obey.
Finally gaining some composure, my shaking hands reached for my father’s body, caressing him tenderly. I focused on breathing slowly, and soon, I felt him mirroring my steady breaths.
Calmness began to wash over him, and he let out a deep sigh. His large gray eyes fluttered open to meet mine, and I forced a smile.
“It’s okay, daddy. You’re fine,” I reassured, holding his gaze with my own, trying to offer comfort.
His brows furrowed as he studied me.
“I thought you were supposed to be in your room. What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice weak as he coughed.
I struggled to find the words, fighting to keep the truth from slipping out.
I had to be careful to protect Eve. “I sensed… that you might be… in trouble,” I stammered, attempting to fabricate a plausible excuse.
His gaze turned sharp, suspicion flickering in his eyes.
He caught me.
“I’m no Alpha if I can’t spot a lie,” he said weakly, his eyes narrowing. “But I’ll let that pass.”
I exhaled a breath of relief, silently muttering a prayer of gratitude.
“How did you know where I was?” he asked.
“I figured you hated the pack hospital,” I replied, offering him a small smile.
A proud grin tugged at my lips as I realized-just like me, my father despised hospitals.
Even if he was dying, he preferred to be treated at home. “Smart,” he whispered, looking away as sadness enveloped his face.
“You have to leave, Rory,” he began.
“Why?” I asked, feigning ignorance. I wasn’t going to let it slip. I’d coax the words out of him.
“Just listen to me on this one. You don’t need to know why I’m telling you to leave. It’s for your good,” he swallowed hard, clenching his jaws.
Why wouldn’t he just tell me?
“But this whole thing of locking me up doesn’t make sense. I’m not okay with the warriors guarding my door day and night when they’ve never done this before. I’m sick of being stuck in my room. I’m tired of being a prisoner. I want out!”
“You will live your life soon, Rory. Just give me some time, and you won’t have to go through this stress anymore.”
“Why are you confining me? And why is there a deep wound in your chest?” I asked softly, frustration building in me from his secretive nature. Why wouldn’t he just tell me?
“Just some minor issues…don’t worry about it, baby.” His voice trailed off as he searched for an excuse.
That was it!
“The pack is under attack by some unknown enemies, and you call that a minor issue?” The words left my mouth before I could stop them. I just hoped I didn’t get Eve in trouble.
His mouth fell open in surprise. “Who told you that?”
“Let’s not get into that,” I tactfully brushed off his question. “Why did you keep that from me? Why are you acting fine when a silver bullet was buried in your chest?”
Silence hung in the air as we exchanged uncomfortable glances.
“I’m sorry. Your mother and I couldn’t bring ourselves to tell you,” he began. His voice was weaker than before. “Because we didn’t want to disturb you. It’s our fight, not yours.”
Despite how convincing he sounded, his words weren’t reaching me.
“It’s not my fight? But why did you warn me about people coming for me?”
He shot me a confused look. “I did?” His eyes darted around as he tried to recollect.
“Oh! That was a nightmare.”
I hit him on the shoulder with a look of disapproval on my face. “You scared me to death.”
“I’m sorry.” He gave me an apologetic look.
“It’s okay.”
Silence filled the room as I thought of what to say to him. He might be the Alpha, but that doesn’t mean he should carry the whole burden alone. There had to be a reason for the attack.
“Dad?” I called. “What do you think those guys want?” I wasn’t sure where I was going with the conversation, but I knew I wanted to help.
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