Chapter 63: Ada's Mate

Ada

By lunch, I have no other choice but to go and see Dad. I cannot procrastinate any longer. The bodies are at the morgue and the office debris is removed. A team is already busy fixing everything that was damaged by the bombs inside and outside of the castle. And the entire grounds have been swept and declared safe.

“Are you ready?” Blake asks as he takes my hand.

“No,” I snort before I seek comfort in his embrace. “This is going to suck.”

“I know,” Blake kisses me quickly. “But this is the last thing that needs to be done.”

I only nod and follow him to my car to make the quick drive to the clinic.

**

Dad looks older and smaller than I remember when I walk into his room. I cling to Blake’s hand as I go stand next to Dad.

“Hi,” Dad smiles weakly as he looks at me.

“How are you feeling?” I ask softly as I rest my hand on his arm.

“Like I need morphine,” he grunts as his face pulls in pain.

“Should I rather come back later?” I ask softly as my heart aches for him.

“No,” he rests his hand on mine. “I can tell you have something to discuss with me and I can guess what it is. Go ahead, say it.”

“Dad, you need to tell Tyler and Zayne about the fire,” my voice breaks and I clear my throat.

“And Gregory,” Dad nods. “I must tell him as well.”

“He already knows,” I say softly. “I had to tell him.”

“I will tell him again,” Dad groans and shifts uncomfortably. “Ada, of all my mistakes, I regret letting you down the most.”

“Dad, it’s okay,” I squeeze his hand. “It’s over.”

“No,” Dad says adamantly. “I must tell you this. I owe you so much, Ada. My life changed for the better when you were born. I love your brothers, but you are my heart. Only when I had you, did I realize how poorly I treated women over the years. I knew that if any man did to you what I’ve done to them, I would kill them with my bare hands. I tried to hide the truth about Gregory and Clyde because I was ashamed and feared that I might lose you if you knew the truth. I’m not excusing or justifying what I’ve done, I’m only trying to explain why I did it.”

“Oh, Daddy,” I lean over and kiss him on his forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you more,” he smiles weakly. “And I thank the goddess for getting a second chance to prove it to you. I will confess to Gregory, your brothers and the pack and I will take my punishment. I know I cannot undo what I’ve done, but I will try and make up for it for the rest of my days.”

I do not say a word as I lay my head on his shoulder. I so want to hug him tightly, but I am afraid I will hurt him.

“Alpha,” Seth interrupts us, and I reluctantly let go of Dad. “I’m sorry, but you should go now. I want to examine him, and he needs to rest.”

“Okay,” I nod as I lean over and kiss him. “Bye, Daddy. I’ll see you later.”

Dad smiles at me and tiredly closes his eyes. Blake puts his arm around my shoulder, and I lean with my head against his as we walk down the hallway.

“Are you okay?” Blake asks softly and I shake my head.

“I want to cry,” I admit. “For so many reasons. I wish people knew the man that raised me. Not the alpha or the womanizer. The kind, loving and gentle father that I grew up with. Everybody will remember him as the weak alpha that murdered innocent people.”

“It doesn’t matter what people think or say about him,” Blake pulls me tighter to his side. “You know the truth, and he’s trying to fix his mistakes.”

An alarm goes off and people start rushing and running down the hall.

“Is that coming from Dad’s room?” I frown as I turn around.

“Oh, no,” I mumble as my blood turns cold. “It’s him.”

I pull away from Blake and run towards Dad’s room with Blake on my heels.

“Daddy?” I yell as I run towards him, but a nurse blocks my way and ushers me outside.

“We need space, Alpha,” the nurse says strictly.

“But my father,” I protest as I try to push past him.

“He’s in good hands,” he says firmly. “Let us do our job.”

I cover my ears with my hands and bury my face in Blake’s chest. His arms go tightly around me, and I inhale his scent deeply as I pray that Dad will be okay. This cannot be happening, my mind protests. We just talked and he was fine. He must be okay. He must.

Time stands still and I have no idea how long I have been standing in Blake’s embrace when he softly pushes me away. He rests his hands on my shoulders and the way he looks at me tells me everything I did not want to know.

“No,” I whimper as I shake my head.

“I’m sorry, Alpha,” Seth says behind me, and I hesitantly turn around. “It was a blood clot, there was nothing anyone could do.”

“No,” I wail as my legs give in and Blake catches me and pulls me into his embrace.

“It’s not fair,” I cry. “He was going to redeem himself. It’s not supposed to be this way.”

I pull away from Blake and walk to Dad’s room. I ignore everyone as I climb into his bed and curl up against him like I used to when I was a little girl. I close my eyes and curl my fingers into his hair to scratch his head. He used to love it when I did it Sunday afternoons while he was sitting in his favourite chair and reading the newspaper. He always slipped me an extra dollar or two when I did it.

“Alpha,” Seth says hesitantly.

“Touch me or him and I will kill you,” I warn as I continue to scratch Dad’s head.

“Alpha, your brothers are here,” Seth says softly.

“Let them in,” I sniff. “They need to say goodbye while he’s still warm.”

I hear people talking. I hear outbursts of shock, anger and pain. People are coming in and leaving the room. Voices, noises, talking and crying. Furniture moving and feet shuffling. But I do not open my eyes or stop scratching. I am caught up in a Sunday afternoon and Dad and I are reading the paper.

**

It is dark outside when I open my eyes. I must blink a couple of times to focus on my surroundings. The harsh reality of Father’s death hit me like a ton of bricks, and I groan as I clamp my eyes shut.

“Ada,” Gregory says tenderly as he comes to sit next to me, and I open my eyes in surprise.

“What are you doing here?” My voice is raw from crying.

“Blake phoned and told me,” he smiles sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“He was going to tell them,” my bottom lip starts quivering again. “And he wanted to tell you himself.”

“I know,” Gregory takes my hand. “Blake told me.”

“He wasn’t a bad person,” I cannot stop the tears that are streaming down my face. “He only made poor choices.”

“It’s okay,” Gregory smiles at me. “Let it go, I did. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“But …”

“No buts,” he grins. “We need to move forward. Don’t tell Zayne and Tyler. They have enough to deal with as it is. Knowing the truth will only hurt them more. Let this secret die with me, you and Blake. It’s not going to do anybody any good if we tell them. The best you can do for your brothers now is to allow them to remember Theo the way they knew him.”

“You’re a good man, Gregory,” I smile through my tears.

“I guess it’s genetic,” he grins.

“Come on,” he pulls me out of bed. “You should be dehydrated by now from all the crying. Let’s get you a drink.”

“Let me just fix my face,” I sniff and wipe over my cheeks.

“Please,” he rolls his eyes. “There’s not enough makeup in the world to salvage the damage.”

“Rude,” I slap him against his shoulder, and he starts laughing.

“But true,” he pulls me under his wing. “Besides, nobody’s looking any better. The entire pack is snot and tears.”

“I’m the alpha,” I protest. “I should look presentable.”

“You’re also human,” he looks down at me. “Allow your people to see your pain and suffering, Ada. It makes you human. Trust me, I know a thing or two about grieving.”

“Okay,” I pull my shoulders back. “Let’s go.”