Page 4

“It will, and she was smart to let the ortho team come work with us on the special needs for my practice. The cross-training could be better than hoped,” I told them.

“Good. She’s a smart lass then,” Da praised.

“She’s over three hundred,” Mum chuckled.

Da took it in stride. “Makes sense that it’s not a nipper running ASH.

Good. Glad she’s got a good head.” He gave me a firm look.

“Still not a bad plan to dust off that idea, Ha-joon. If you’re getting in well with your department head and your mum says you’ve been working with dermatology. Flesh it out with them.”

I considered it a few moments as I ate some more kimchi and scallion pancakes. “Yeah, you’re right. At least the scheduling idea. ASH would definitely be more open to that than my other hospital.”

Da nodded but then grabbed my chin and stared me down. I felt his wolf and let mine be explored. He gave me the look I deserved.

“I know, but I’ve been better in other ways,” I defended. “I’ve gained at least three kilograms and gotten into a good routine at the condo’s gym. All my other vitals and levels are excellent, especially nutrition and not all just takeout.”

“Fine, that’s good,” he accepted, backing down. “But you’re taking runs as your wolf this weekend. We can go in the morning with your brothers.”

Fuck. Just… Fuck .

“Aye, Da,” I agreed with a tight smile. It wasn’t meant to be a punishment… But it was. My brothers hated me and the feeling was mutual.

My parents simply dreamed of a time that their children all got along.

“And you will have an introduction with the Atlanta pack or I will come there and hold your hand like I’m taking you to school,” he warned.

“Yes, Alpha,” I agreed, smirking at him when he frowned.

Well, he was sounding more like my Alpha than my da… And the look Mum gave him backed me up.

“I said taking him to school,” Da defended as he made himself a plate.

We all chuckled, and the tension broke.

I got caught up on the family and pack while we ate, but then they headed off to bed or to start getting ready. I was on Atlanta time and it was only six there, so I hit the family gym and got in a good, extended workout since I kept skipping.

Well, skipping to have amazing cardio—the best cardio I’d ever had.

Just thinking about it got me hard. I sighed and glanced at my groin, annoyed it wouldn’t behave given I was at my parents’ gym.

For fuck’s sake.

I had more food as I worked on my laptop. Da was right that it was time to dust off some of the ideas my last hospitals shut down. I added some details and potential extras given I knew Ellie and Dr. Carpenter wanted to refocus on training more—dermatology as well.

It was ten my time when I wrapped up and ate way too much from the fridge. I quickly cleaned up and left a note to Mum and the personal chef apologizing if I ate something that they’d been planning to use for meals, but I was a growing boy.

That would get me smacked less. After a moment of thought, I also added that I had something special coming for dinner tomorrow because I was raised better than coming empty-handed.

Even when just home.

I quickly ordered what I wanted online to be picked up, and in the memo line I put in the rest I would love but I didn’t want to be an ass asking for that much so late. But if they could manage it to text or email me and I would approve the extra charge to my card.

I crashed hard after all of that.

Except it felt like I’d barely closed my eyes and someone was being loud. What I replied was less than friendly.

Fine, I cursed. A lot.

Which was why I got carried out by two of my brothers who now didn’t let me throw on more than my shirt and shorts that I’d slept in.

Da only sighed when I was tossed into the trunk of the Land Rover.

Yes, I had more choice words for that.

The drive to the pack’s lands wasn’t far, but far enough for all three of my brothers to threaten to pound me if I didn’t shut up.

I was seething when Da let me out of the back, gesturing to what I was wearing. “It’s two in the bloody morning my time, Da. And I’m a bloody doctor, so the next one who grabs my wrist flippantly, I’m gonna break theirs.”

He studied me. “Both are fair.” He glanced behind me. “You’re all too amused. Don’t be gits or I’ll let Ha-joon get revenge.”

I smirked at my brothers after my father walked away… And they got nervous. Yeah, I was a bigger wolf than them—my father even. They were one wolf type or another, but I was sort of both. I had features of both and I was fairly large.

I took off what little I was wearing and shifted, letting my wolf have the time he needed. He immediately snapped at me, and I apologized. I’d been a dick to him and barely let him run in Atlanta. I promised to do better.

Just to be polite, he went over to Da and flopped onto his back, showing his belly and neck and making it clear—as always—that we weren’t a challenge and accepted his dominance over us. Da chuckled while my brothers made noises and called me a kiss ass.

He squatted down and scratched my ear. “Good lad. Go give your wolf something he needs to apologize. I know you’re doing your best. Your mum has been filling me in and we’re proud of you.

My wolf is glad you like your new den from us and we provided like parents should, so let’s not bring it up again. ”

Damn. He won. I would let the condo thing go.

I rolled to my feet and licked his face, nodding that it was done.

I also agreed with him that my wolf needed a bit of spoiling and gave him permission to misbehave a bit… I just didn’t foresee how he would do it.

My wolf ran hard—faster and longer than the others which actually pushed Da. He was getting a bit lazy too, and when my wolf growled at him in warning that was dangerous, he nodded, accepting his chastising.

Which reminded me that my parents were overdue for their physicals. I would talk them both into getting on the books so they could see firsthand how ASH ran and was different, but also their health was important to me.

“You’re a fucking git,” my eldest brother snarled after we shifted back.

I gave a half shrug. “Da gave my wolf permission to misbehave. It’s not my fault he had an axe to grind with you.”

“Give Ha-joon the front seat after he rode here in the trunk,” Da ordered when they got dressed. He gave me the look I deserved but then covered his mouth and spoke under his breath. “I shouldn’t have enjoyed that as I did, but the git deserved it. He’s been a bit too big for his britches.”

“If you ever want my opinion on that for real, let me know,” I told him just as quietly.

I sighed when he went tense. “I want the family and pack to succeed and I don’t have other motives, Da.

I don’t want to lead. I like my life. So I’m the one person you can trust besides Mum that we’re rooting for his success and nothing else. ”

“I’ll think about it,” he accepted after a moment. “And you will visit on weekends more to push my wolf. He’s all fired up.”

“Fine, but not at two in the morning my time,” I grumbled as I climbed in the front seat.

“That’s fair,” he chuckled as he got behind the wheel. “We can do a lunch run on Saturdays if you come home Friday nights.”

“Once a month would be nice,” I admitted. “Learn some balance.” I took the opportunity when he nodded. “Like you and Mum need. You’re both late for your physicals. I’ll talk to Mum and get you both scheduled for—”

“We’re healthy and don’t need—”

“You are not the doctor,” I snapped. “And you set a bad example for the whole pack when you don’t take your health seriously.

I see people with issues all of the time that could have been something small if they had just fucking gotten checked, Da.

Physicals save lives , and you get to spend time with me telling you that you are healthy. That’s time not wasted.”

I was so into blasting him that I didn’t feel the tension and upset in the vehicle until I let out a few breaths.

Fuck.

“I won’t apologize for saying that,” I said evenly.

“But I should have waited until we were off pack lands so your wolf doesn’t think it a challenge.

I’m a son talking to his da about not being a git.

” I met his gaze for a moment. “I listen to you as family. Listen to me and respect my knowledge too, Da.”

“You’re right,” he accepted after several tense minutes. “Even if I disagree, I should never be so dismissive of you. Sorry, Hugo.”

Steam was coming off my brothers, but I’d heard Da apologize to them too. They were too much and he should smack them into place.

“I was thinking of bringing up the idea of doing more outreach programs to the new board,” I told Da. “The blood drive turned out awesome. We should keep that going.”

“The vamps get enough damn blood and—” my second brother drawled.

“They’re most of our soldiers and first responders,” I cut in, shocking them again that I wouldn’t just let that go. “Yes, our soldiers mostly sit around and run drills.”

“But they keep peace and are deterrents to remind the other governments we fought for peace,” Da said firmly.

“And we need to take better care of them. The vampires are valid that they’ve been pushed to blue collar roles because of what they handle better.

We push our people to go into business and make a lot of money.

“They push theirs to serve in jobs that don’t pay anywhere near as much.

I’ve talked with a few Alphas that are nervous.

The vampires are voicing more upset over the way things are, and we’re fucked if they ever hit their limit.

” He growled when my eldest brother snickered.

“They control the fucking military, duffer. The police. They have access to everything .”

“Yeah, that’s a terrifying point,” I muttered as one of my other brothers agreed.

“And they have the extra expense of blood. Shifters equate it to the extra food we eat but so do vampires and magics. We just don’t go around helping people move and do more with our extra strength.

We protect and help pack. Our pack needs to be more than wolves. ”

“It does,” Da agreed. “You come up with a plan and we’ll help.

Even if it’s not with ASH’s additives, donate blood to give to the police and European military.

Get a basic screening for all members—including kids—of the pack that donates.

Maybe a screening day for London’s police that we can pay for so it’s not all on ASH especially stepping outside of North America. ”

“That’s actually a great idea, Da,” I praised. “Yeah, most of the practices are closed on weekends besides overflow. We couldn’t do a full day with the time difference—that would mess us all up too much.”

“An afternoon is better than the nothing that’s been happening,” he accepted. “Get one on the books and more could follow. ASH is a leader and the founder a visionary who wanted to save lives and push peace.”

“What?” I asked.

“I heard a story about the founder, but I don’t know if it’s true. He risked his life to save some humans,” he muttered. “Everyone has monsters in their ranks, and several of the humans took advantage of the situation—we saw it here too.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“A mayor of where they lived or leader—maybe a minister—I don’t remember—wanted to marry a woman, but she wasn’t interested.

When the chaos started, he threatened to name her whole family witches if she didn’t marry him.

She was going to do it, but her father clocked the git, saying they’d never sell their family.

“He had them dragged in front of the town to be ‘outed’ and then locked them in their house, setting it on fire.

The founder knew the woman and family. He was training her to be a nurse I think.

He outed himself to save that family—got them all out with only minor burns and killed the guy and his men.

“The family thanked him and didn’t care, but the rest of the town freaked out and tried to kill him.

But the story was that the founder of ASH used to treat humans.

It wasn’t originally All Supes Hospital, but All Souls .

He didn’t want humans to be shipped off because that would corrupt them all against us.

He made quite the stink about it, but people said a doctor—”

“Only knows medicine. Yeah, Ms. Reed is dealing with that now,” I said with a sigh.

Da nodded, frowning. “I remember a Reed from the beginning of ASH. I thought I once heard it was Dr. Miller who founded it, but—the memory fades.”

I snorted. “Our brains don’t deteriorate with age like humans. You just have too much to store.”

My da let out the rare full laugh, shocking my brothers. He laughed and laughed… But I saw the worry and tension. Something was going on with him and the stress was overwhelming him.

And I was going to figure it out. As his son.

Definitely as his doctor.