Page 25 of Rejected by My Stepbrother Alpha (Billionaire Shifter Club #1)

A ngel

Asher

When I opened my eyes, I saw an angel. A golden light illuminated her radiant features.

Her hair was the color of copper, her deep blue eyes were the same color as the place where the horizon meets the ocean on a sunny day, and a honeysuckle scent surrounded me.

Her presence was like a comforting blanket of peace.

The last memory I had was one of terror as the sound of a car horn blared, and the brakes on my car failed. And now there was an angel in front of me.

Was I dead?

No, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and my whole body ached like I’d been hit by a truck.

Had I been hit by a truck?

As my vision came into focus, I realized the golden light I’d thought was a halo was actually just bright, fluorescent lighting.

But there was still an angel in front of me.

“Asher! You’re awake.” Relief flooded Ivy's tense features, and a wide, bright smile crossed her face. She grabbed my hand, and her warm touch brought me much-needed comfort .

“Where am I?” I asked, but answered my own question by looking around the room.

Immediately, I recognized the pack hospital.

The blue and white striped wallpaper and yellow curtains were in every room, and the decor hadn't changed since I was a kid.

I tightened my hand around Ivy's. The hospital always made my stomach knot, and my chest tightened.

An image of my dad lying dead on a hospital bed burst into my mind.

Thankfully, this wasn't the room he had died in. Healer Emery would never do that to me.

“You're in the hospital,” Ivy said and squeezed my hand. “You were in a serious car accident. I don't know much.” Her eyes shifted toward the door, and warmth spread across her cherubic cheeks. “I sort of snuck in here. I’m just so glad that you’re awake. When I walked in here and saw that your eyes were closed I—“ She cut herself off, her cheeks growing even redder. “Well, I’m just glad that you’re awake.”

My heart lifted. Ivy had been so worried about me that she came to the hospital, then snuck back here to see me? That gave me hope for the future.

“I should go get Healer Emery to check your vitals and everything,” she said, her eyes full of worry as she scanned my face.

When she turned to leave, I tightened my hold on her hand, bringing her back to me.

“No, Ivy. Please…stay.”

A small smile bloomed across her face.

“I'll be right back and…” She paused as if considering something. Her gorgeous eyes warmed when she studied mine, and she let out a deep sigh. “I'll stay for as long as you want me to.”

Intense joy flowed through me, and I slowly let go of her hand.

“Well, in that case, you can go get him,” I said and grinned. Even that small action made my face throb with pain.

I didn't miss the small look of longing on Ivy's face when she pulled her hand out of mine.

“My brakes just failed?” I asked incredulously .

Healer Emery had checked my vitals and said that I would be pretty sore for the next couple of days, but other than that, I seemed perfectly fine. I would have to stay in the hospital for observation until Healer Emery released me, since I'd been unconscious for a little over an hour.

I'd been lucky. My car had smashed into a tree, but on the passenger side instead of the driver’s side.

The airbag had deployed and protected me for the most part.

I wouldn’t have survived without my accelerated healing abilities.

That and my position as Alpha—which heightened my supernatural powers—saved my life.

The impact had caused me to lose consciousness. Fortunately, no one else had been involved in the accident, and I was the only one who had been injured. The car horn I'd heard had probably been someone honking at me because I was going off the road.

Healer Emery consulted his clipboard and nodded. “Yes, the officers on the scene are unsure why your brakes failed. I think that Beta Flynn was the one to collect your car.”

I nodded and made a mental note to call my second-in-command and have him create a team to look into why my brakes had failed. Could it simply be a freak accident? Or had someone purposely cut the brakes? Maybe a business rival or an enemy pack?

Healer Emery peered at my vitals. “I’m happy with how fast you’re healing. Let’s see how you’re feeling after a good night’s sleep, and if your vitals continue to stay the same, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to go home in the morning.”

In the corner, I heard Ivy give a quiet sigh of relief, and my lips twitched.

Healer Emery turned to Ivy. “You know, Ivinia, our nurses aren’t too happy with you since you snuck past them to break into Asher’s room.”

“Oh, right.” Ivy’s cheeks grew warm, and my stomach swooped at the inviting red color.

It was strange to see the usually composed Ivy flustered. I liked it.

“But as long as Asher wants you here, I don’t mind that you broke a few rules to get in,” Healer Emery said kindly, then turned back to me. “I’ll be in to check on you soon, but press the call button if you need anything.”

After he left the room, Ivy sat in the blue chair next to my bed.

“You seemed pretty happy that I'll be able to leave by tomorrow morning. I even heard you let out an audible sigh of relief,” I teased, just to watch her blush again. “So, one could summarize that you might care about what happens to me?”

Ivy scoffed, crossed her arms, and looked out the window at the setting sun. But her blush was deepening. I enjoyed teasing her.

“You even rushed to the hospital to see if I was all right.” My voice lowered, and I dropped my playful tone.

“It’s okay to admit that you were worried about me, Ivy.

” I reached for her hand and grasped it in mine.

“If the situation were reversed, nothing would have stopped me from getting to your hospital room. I would have fought through an army of nurses.”

That made a small grin appear on her face.

“The only reason I came here was to make sure that you would still be able to work on the Alpha king project,” she said and lifted her chin. “We have a lot of people relying on us to get that account.”

But I could tell she was worried about me, and it made my heart burst with happiness.

Gently, I tugged on her hand until she looked at me.

“Ivy,” I said, staring deep into her eyes. “It’s all right to admit you care about what happens to me.”

She let out a shaky breath, and I traced my thumb over the back of her soft hand.

With our gazes locked together, desire for her coursed through me. Not just for her body but for her heart. I was pretty sure that I saw the same longing in her eyes.

She looked to the side for a moment but kept her hand in mine. The silence stretched from one moment to the next as Ivy bit her bottom lip. I’d give anything to know what she was thinking. When her eyes slid back to mine, her expression was torn.

“Asher, I—“

“Hi, Asher! My mom told us you were awake. ”

I looked over, and Adrian was standing in the doorway, clutching a folded piece of paper.

As soon as Ivy heard her son’s voice, her mouth snapped shut, and her face closed off.

Mason walked up behind Adrian. “Hi, sorry. He was getting antsy in the waiting room and wanted to visit. Is this a good time?” He looked between Ivy and me, probably sensing the leftover tension in the room.

“Of course,” I said and waved them inside. “Come on in.”

Even though their arrival had interrupted a moment between us, I wasn’t upset by it. On the contrary, seeing Adrian’s shy grin with those adorable missing teeth made my heart warm.

Adrian ran into the room, but instead of taking the empty chair beside his mom, he hopped up on my bed and plopped down on the end of it.

“Oh, Adrian, honey, don’t,” Ivy said, rising from her chair. “Asher’s still sore from…”

I raised my hand to stop her protests.

“He’s fine,” I assured her and smiled at Adrian, who grinned back.

His body weight was comforting. Having Adrian there was reassuring in a way I couldn’t explain.

“I’m glad you’re all right, Asher,” Mason called from the doorway. “I’m going to get a cup of coffee.” Then he turned around and left.

I noticed Ivy glare after Mason’s retreating form. She mumbled something that sounded like “subtle”. But I could have heard her wrong.

I shifted uneasily. Had Ivy told Mason she didn’t want to be left alone with me?

“How are you feeling?” Adrian asked, his bright green eyes—that were so like Damian’s—on mine.

“I’m a little sore, but overall I’m doing good,” I answered. “You know, this is a good reminder for you to always wear your seatbelt. If I hadn’t been wearing mine, I could have been hurt far worse.”

That was strange.

What had made me go on a safety tangent? Maybe I just wasn't used to talking to kids.

“I made you a get-well card,” Adrian said shyly and handed me the folded piece of paper I'd seen him holding.

My mouth dropped open slightly, and my hand trembled slightly when I took the card from the boy's hands. In crayon, Adrian had written “Get Well Soon, Asher!” on the front, and when I opened the card, a wide smile crossed my face.

Adrian had drawn a picture of a slice of key lime pie on a plate and written “Hope we get to eat a slice together soon!” with an arrow pointing to the pie.

“Wow, this is incredible, Adrian,” I said as my eyes took in every aspect of the card. “This is the first homemade card I've ever received. Thank you so much. It really means a lot to me.” I set the card down on my bedside table where it would be on display.

As I stared at the card, my whole body seemed light with happiness. Why did this card mean so much to me? Of course, it was a nice thing to receive, but I'd only met Adrian today. Why did the fact that he had made me a card cause the backs of my eyes to prickle?

“Where did you find the time to do that, sweetheart?” Ivy asked Adrian. Her eyes were shining with an emotion I couldn't decipher. She was probably happy that her son had been so thoughtful to a stranger.

“There were crayons and paper in the waiting room,” Adrian answered.

I sat back and got into a comfortable position against my pillow. “You're really good at drawing,” I told Adrian. “If I tried to draw a piece of pie, it would look like an old boot.”

That made Adrian throw his head back and giggle. His laughter made me emotional in a way I couldn't explain.

“So, you like to draw. What else do you like to do?” I asked and picked up my water cup to take a sip.

Adrian's face brightened at my question.

“My favorite thing is to race cars,” he said excitedly.

“I want to be a race car driver when I grow up so that I get to see what the real thing is like, but I think that makes my mom nervous because whenever I mention it, she changes the…what do you call it when grown-ups talk about something else be cause they want to distract you?” Adrian's head tilted to the side, making his brown hair flop.

“She changes the subject?” I guessed and chuckled.

“Yeah! That's exactly what she does.” Adrian nodded. “But I'm really good at racing my toy cars already, and I'll be safe cause I'll always wear my seatbelt, just like you said.”

“You're a good listener,” I said and grinned.

“That's what Ms. Chelsea said at daycare. She said I always have my listening ears on. Didn't she, Mom?” Adrian turned to Ivy. “Didn't she say that?”

When I glanced at Ivy, my heart felt like it was going to explode. She had such an awestruck look on her face as she gazed at her son. It made my heart slam behind my ribs.

I looked back at Adrian, who was still staring expectantly at his mom, waiting for her to corroborate his story.

Could this little boy sitting in front of me really be Ivy and Damian's child?

If Damian wasn't his father, who was?