On arrival, I was informed my dad has been moved to the critical care unit of the hospital. Not because he's in critical condition and needs intensive monitoring but because the unit is located in a secluded wing of the hospital which has never been used since most shifters were rarely ill to the extent of needing intensive care.
According to Alpha Nate, apart from the doctor and the maid he promised to help get for my dad, nobody in the Night Howlers pack knows my dad is still alive. Not even Alpha Nate's Beta and his Luna.
Henrik is already waiting for us when we drive into the hospital's critical care unit through the back gate. As he leads us to where my dad's new room is located, he keeps us up to date on the things we missed during our few hours of absence. When we arrive in front of my dad's room, he stands guard by the door with Bear and we enter.
"Thank you, Martha..." My dad says to an old woman that I guess must be the maid Alpha Nate brought.
We stand aside and watch as she removes the bed tray that had an almost empty bowl of soup from my dad's lap. She turns towards Eric and me and slightly bows to us before limping out of the room.
I'm surprised to see she's limping since we shifters don't usually have disabilities on our bodies unless a part of the body was so damaged it didn't heal properly or it gets amputated. My eyes follow her as she walks out, I sniff the air around her to smell her wolf but get nothing.
She's human! I thought to myself in alarm
Humans are fickle-minded beings that shifters would always have reservations about even though we coexist. I wonder why Alpha Nate would choose such an unreliable being for my dad as a maid and not our kind. I might be mistaken but from the way my dad relates with her, it seems to me like he doesn't mind having her around.
I pull up a chair to sit beside his bed and so did Eric.
"Your maid is human!" I say to him, my disapproval for his choice of maid obvious in my tone of voice
"Yeah, she is. Don't worry, I trust her. I've known her way before you were born. She used to work for Vivika and me back then before..." His words trail off. He looks away from me to the window that overlooks a garden that has not been attended to in years. I guess he stopped talking because he thought I wouldn't like what he was about to say.
"Before you met your mate." I complete his sentence and his eyes drift back to mine. I nod to him in understanding so he will at least know I won't be upset by the talks that have to do with his mate
He nods back at me and continues talking
"When Nate offered to get me a maid, I asked for her since I know she works in his pack. She's a good woman. I can only trust her and no one else. I hope you understand?" He asked. I can see from his facial expression that he really wants my approval.
"Of course..." I reply with a nod before looking in Eric's direction. He silently nods back at me and immediately brings out his phone to make the necessary arrangements that I want.
I just love how Eric and I can communicate with each other without words or mind links. Since it will be impolite to use our mind link with my dad right there. I love how he can easily tell what I want just by looking at each other.
My dad might trust the old maid but I don't. I'm not as sentimental as the old folks. She will be generously compensated for her work and Ella, one of my team members will immediately take over from her.
"So how are you feeling?" I ask while seriously looking at him. The way he talks and breathes as if he's engaging in a difficult task worries me a lot.
"You could have given me a heads up at least. You gave us all a fright!"
"I could have given you a heads up if I planned on having a heart attack but surprisingly I didn't! I only thought to fake my death after the incident and since we don't know who might be watching, I wasn't sure it would be a good idea to pass you a note you understand?"
"Yeah, okay..." I reply and can't help but chuckle at his attempt at humor. "So how are you doing now, for real?"
"Let's leave that aside and talk about the son of a bitch that tried to murder me..."
"How are you doing Dad!?..." I ask firmly.
His eyes widened in surprise while Eric turned sharply in my direction. Their reaction isn't because of my tone of voice but because of the way, I addressed my dad.
Even I surprised myself. I have never, ever addressed him as such before in my life. The word just sort of slipped out of my mouth unconsciously and I can't take it back. I'm not sure if I even want to take it back if presented with the opportunity. This grudge between us has gone on too long. It's time I bury the hatchet.
"Let's first talk about your health. I will still ask the doctor anyway so no bullshitting!" I say and he smiles.
"Okay, no bull shitting... I'm still feeling weak. The healer said it was because I lost so much blood. He said it's not a cause for alarm though that the blood count will soon return to normal. He also said my heart will need more time before it returns to its full working capability so because of that, I should avoid anything that will bring excitement and surprises which might trigger another heart attack. That's all. You can talk to him yourself if you want to know more
I nod
"You bet I will," I reply and change the subject.
"Now, tell me about your Beta," I say and the smile on his face immediately disappears.
"That bastard! I didn't see his act of betrayal coming. He never gave me a reason to suspect him... Thirty-four years ago, my dad was the Alpha and I was working with the Council…