Page 56 of Rejected By My Stepbrother Alpha
What-if’s aren’t helpful right now.
I tried to catch my breath, but there didn’t seem to be any airleft in the room.
“Ivinia? What’s wrong?” my dad asked, noticing my distress.
My hand trembled as I showed him my phone.
His face grew white. “That’s awful. We just saw him…”
I showed Damian, and his eyes widened in shock.
Seeing our reactions, Adrian looked between the three of us and dropped his fork onto his empty plate. The loud clattering of the metal against ceramic made me jump. “Mommy? What’s wrong?”
“Um…” I swallowed, unsure what to say.
“Remember Asher, the man you met today?” my dad said to Adrian.
“The nice one who likes key lime pie, too?” my son asked.
“Yes…he’s been in a car accident,” my dad said.
Adrian’s nose scrunched up like it always did when he was upset. “Is he okay?”
I reached out and grabbed my son’s small hand, holding it tight in mine.
My son had no idea he was asking about his father. Had I made a mistake keeping this a secret from Adrian and Asher?
“We should go visit him. See if he’s all right,” my dad said. “Ever since his father passed away, I don’t think he has much family left.”
“We should visit him,” Adrian echoed. “I want to see if he’s okay. He seemed really nice, and he likes key lime pie, too. Just like me.”
“You guys go. I’ll get the bill,” Damian said, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. “I don’t want to overcrowd the hospital waiting room. I’ll wait for you back at the hotel.”
Still stunned, I rose from the booth with shaky legs and reached for my son’s hand, needing him at this moment for the strength to put one foot in front of the other.
“He’ll be at the pack hospital,” I said, my voice almost as shaky as my legs. “The same place where I was treated after the wolf attack.”
I raced out of the diner, pulling Adrian along behind me. My dad caught up to us on the sidewalk outside. I had to get Asher. I wouldn't be able to take a full breath until I saw him, until I made sure that he was alright.
Something inside of me pulled me in the direction of the pack hospital. It was like a string was attached to my heart, tugging metoward Asher. My feet were heavy as I walked. I wanted—needed—to get to Asher. But I was terrified of the state I would find him in.
Please let him be okay.
I hoped the Moon Goddess would answer my prayers.
My dad held his hand in front of his eyes to shield them from the setting sun and turned to me. “Are you all right?”
I was about to lie, but I couldn’t muster up the strength. And what was the harm in telling my dad the truth? Damian already knew. I glanced down at Adrian and saw that he wasn’t paying attention to our conversation. His button nose was still scrunched up with worry.
When the three of us were waiting at a crosswalk, I lowered my voice to barely a whisper and leaned close to my dad.
“Asher is Adrian’s father,” I revealed.
My dad blinked rapidly as he processed the news. He was still quiet when it was our turn to cross the street.
“Sun Fire was my home for a little while,” I whispered to my dad, still gripping my son’s hand. “Evelyn tried to cheat Asher’s dad out of his money by charming him and then marrying him.”
“Evelyn married Russell Callahan?” my dad asked in a low voice, clearly shocked that his former business associate married the same woman he had long ago spent the night with. “And then you and Asher…”
