Page 24 of Rejected by My Stepbrother Alpha (Billionaire Shifter Club #1)

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Ivy

The cheeseburger and fries that I ordered sat in front of me, untouched. My dad, Damian, and Adrian were already eating their desserts. My son was sitting next to me, happily finishing off his slice of key lime pie. Asher’s words from earlier kept running through my mind.

Key lime is my favorite flavor of pie, too.

I’d seen the way that Asher had been closely examining Adrian. Had he put it together that Adrian was his son? All he had to do was some basic math, and bam. He’d figure out the secret I’d been keeping from him for seven years.

My stomach churned with anxiety, and I pushed my food away.

Would it really be so awful if Asher discovered the truth?

Sure, he’d probably be mad at me for not telling him, but would it be better for my son to know his father?

Could I trust that Asher wouldn’t turn his back on Adrian?

My number one priority was my son, but just from their small interaction, it seemed like Adrian had liked Asher.

There was also a weird apprehensive feeling in my stomach that I couldn’t explain.

A powerful force was tugging insistently inside of me like it was trying to tell me I had somewhere important to be.

My instincts were on high alert and my heart was rapidly pounding in my chest. Why did I feel so unnerved?

The pull in my chest became even more demanding, urging me to leap out of my seat and take action.

My wolf began to prowl back and forth inside my head.

What was happening? Why was my heart throbbing with pain?

My phone beeped from its place on the table, interrupting my thoughts. It was a headline from the local news that my phone had automatically received. Idly, I glanced down at it.

Cold dread washed over me, making my stomach sink.

The headline read, “BloodMoon Alpha and Ceo, Asher Callahan, Involved in Serious Car Accident”.

No!

Guilt, sadness, and worry threatened to crush me with their heavy weight.

My shoulders bowed forward, and there was a high-pitched ringing in my ears.

With a shaking hand, I clicked on the article.

Quickly, my eyes scanned my phone. There weren't any details on the crash as of yet.

They were only reporting that Asher had been involved in it.

My brain flooded with worst-case scenarios. Asher in his smashed up red BMW, his head lolled to the side, a horrible gash on his forehead, his eyes open but unseeing, his useless seatbelt still strapped tight around him, unable to save him from the cruel hands of death that had already claimed him…

Stop!

Asher had to be all right. I wouldn’t accept any other outcome.

My breathing became shallow, and I was unable to pull air into my lungs. Yesterday, Asher proposed the idea of getting to know each other. What if we never got that chance?

What if he was…gone?

If something did happen to him, I would be partly to blame. Why the hell did I tell him he couldn’t come eat with us? Adrian had wanted him to. If I’d let him come, I could have prevented this.

What-if’s aren’t helpful right now.

I tried to catch my breath, but there didn’t seem to be any air left 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 me toward 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…”

I flushed and looked down at Adrian to make sure he still wasn’t listening. Thankfully, he wasn’t.

“Yes, it’s complicated. I don’t want to get into it, Dad.”

“I understand,” he said quickly.

We were close to the pack hospital. I could see the building that was made mostly of glass up ahead. My heart began to slam in my chest. With each beat and each step closer, I could only think of Asher’s name.

My dad reached over to grab my hand.

“No matter what the situation is between you two, I can tell that Asher means a lot to you. I really hope that he’s all right,” my dad said softly and squeezed my hand.

One tear rolled down my cheek. “Me, too,” I breathed out.

“What are you guys whispering about?” Adrian asked as we passed a large sign pointing us in the direction of the pack hospital.

“Nothing, sweetie,” I answered and wiped my cheek. “We’re just hoping that Asher will be all right.”

“Oh, yeah, me too,” my son said and kicked a pebble that was on the sidewalk.

Asher did mean a lot to me. Faced with the devastating news of his accident, I was just realizing how much he did mean to me.

Could I really live in a world where he wasn’t somewhere out there?

Could I possibly still have feelings for the man who rejected me?

Even though it seemed trivial to think about this right now, it was where my mind went.

If I were being truly honest with myself, when I left Sun Fire, part of my soul always felt like it was missing, and when I was around Asher, it was like he was holding that missing piece.

But I knew all too well that he could crush that fragile piece of my heart just like he had done seven years ago.

I prayed to the Moon Goddess one more time as I walked through the hospital’s automatic doors.