I felt all the blood drain from my face and I'm pretty sure I looked just as pale as Xainier did. My mate's father is the man who ruined my life? No. There must be some mistake. I refused to believe it.
"I'm sorry, Eva." Poppy sighed.
"Holy shit" I muttered, my eyes wide with horror.
Xainier sighed. "I won't let him hurt you Evangeline, I swear. Carlos probably won't let him anywhere near you anyway"
I threw my head back against the pillow with a heavy sigh."You can mind link him right?" I asked the two of them. They both nodded. "Okay. You need to convince him to come back. I can't let him hurt his own father. No matter how scared I am of him" I explained.
Xainier gave me a tight smile. "I appreciate that Eva. That's very mature of you but he's probably half way there by now. Nothing I say will stop him"
"So we use Evangeline to our advantage. Mates will drop anything for their mate especially if they are in danger" Poppy shrugged.
"You've got to be kidding? You're saying we put her in danger?!" Xainier looked at her like she was mad.
"No! Of course not. She's my sister doofas. We tell him that she's deteriorated or something"
I felt like that was extremely mean and also dangerous. He was already mad. We were only going to anger him more. After pondering it for a moment, I eventually gave a reluctant nod. It was the only way to stop him doing something he may regret later on. Less than five minutes after they sent out the message, Carlos came bounding into the room panting heavily.
"Eva!" He breathed out in relief when he saw me. "Thank the goddess you're okay!"
I instantly felt bad. He thought I was in danger and nothing had even happened. I reminded myself to slap Poppy for that idea later and myself for agreeing to it.
"She's okay Carlos but we couldn't let you go through with what you were planning" Xainier sighed.
"You made me think she was dying to stop me killing that bastard?!" He growled at her.
"He's my father too!" Xainier seemed to loose her cool now. "We've only ever known him to be a loving father and alpha. We at least owe him the chance to explain himself!"
Carlos looked taken aback. He sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't think about that. I can't even look at him right now knowing what he did!"
I grabbed his hand and held it firmly, directing his attention towards me. "Carlos, it was a long time ago. He may have changed. No one really knows how to deal with the kind of situation he was put in. " I tried to convince him and myself.
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just can't believe he did that to you. On behalf of my father, Eva, I am truly sorry"
I smiled. "You don't need to apologise"
He does, I thought to myself.
^^^^^^^
The rest of that day we sat talking and playing games. Carlos stayed with us for a while but had to leave eventually to do some pack work and Poppy told her mate, Max, to keep an eye on him since he was Carlos' beta.
Even though I was acting like I was okay, I couldn't get rid of the fear that settled in as soon as I discovered that I had stumbled right back into the same pack that made it very clear I was not welcome all those years ago. I looked to the door of the ward I was on. It was dark and quiet, the nurses and doctors had left for the night, leaving only a few to guard the ward in case anything happened and someone needed urgent attention.
I slowly pulled myself out of my bed and reached for the crutches that they had given me as part of my physiotherapy. I made my way around the room, gathering the few things I had and the things I had been given by Poppy. I sat back down on the bed, fully dressed, with my duffel bag packed.
I pulled a sheet of paper from a journal I had been writing in and started to write a note to Carlos. Once I had finished, I lay it on the pillow and hobbled on my way. I walked out of the infirmary and made my way into the forest.
Carlos
I walked towards Eva's room with a big smile on my face and a tray with two servings of avocado on toast and coffee. I also put a flower on there but cringed when I did, thinking I went overboard. This day was hopefully going to be a big step in our relationship. I had received clearance from the pack doctor that it would be okay to move Eva now and I was going to ask her to move into my room. I wasn't sure how she would react but I was hoping for the best. If she did say no, however, I had one of the omegas set up a guest bedroom for her, so she had another option.
When I reached the room I opened the door and my smile fell off my face as I discovered the empty room and a folded piece of paper on the pillow with my name written across the front of it in stunning handwriting. I put the tray down on the table and picked up the note.
"Carlos,
I am so sorry but I had to do this. I refuse to live in fear of that man and now I know he's your father, its just too risky for all involved. I know if he hurt me again you wouldn't think twice about doing what you planned yesterday but you can't do that. You have to think about Xainier. She would never forgive you if you hurt him.
So that's why the best option is for me to leave, to the place I belong. I'm better off somewhere where I'm not the reason people are getting hurt and where the only person I have to protect is myself. I can't be the reason your family gets torn apart.
Thank you for everything you have done for me. You will always have a place in my heart."
I threw the note across the room as if it had burned me and a low growl rumbled deep within my chest. How could she do this? How could she just walk out on us?
Without thinking too hard, I ran out of the infirmary, shifting as I ran. When I had fully shifted I caught a whiff of her scent. It was weak and at least a few hours old but it was there and it could lead me to her. I howled as I ran my wolf feeling hurt and concern for our mate. She was injured and she didn't have a wolf, her chances were lower than usual. I pushed every muscle in my body to work as hard as possible, leaping over fallen logs, brooks and boulders. As I ran the scent stated to grow stronger.
She's near.
I saw a small cave in a rock face, Eva's scent was strongest there. I slowed down and trotted towards it, being careful not to make too much noise. I shifted back into my human form and grabbed a pair of basketball shorts that were hidden behind a rock. Being a wolf pack meant a lot of the time people were caught naked in the woods due to our clothes shredding when we shift, so we hid clothes all over the forest in case we needed them.
I looked into the opening of the cave and my entire body relaxed. There she was, curled up against a rock with her duffle bag under her head and one of my rather large jackets lay on top of her, presumably to keep her warm. I sighed and gently approached her.
"Eva," I nudged her gently. "Hey, come on"
She scrunched up her face in the most adorable way and opened her eyes. When she saw me her eyes widened. She looked scared. I felt a stab through my heart at the thought of her being afraid of me.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm not mad at you. You were afraid and you always ran when ever you were afraid when you lived out here. But you don't need to be scared anymore. I will always protect you. No matter what." I sat down next to her and she gave me my jumper.
"You must be cold" She muttered.
I smiled. She was so cute.
She sighed. "I'm sorry"
I nodded. "I know, it's okay" I pulled her into a side hug and she accepted it, leaning into me. "Just never do that again okay?"
She looked up at me through her eyelashes, her guilt radiating off of her. "I promise I won't."
I smiled. It felt like the perfect time to ask. "Evangeline, I wanted to ask you something" I could feel nervous knots in my stomach.
"What is it?" Her eyes were wide in wonder.
I grinned. "Would you like to move in with me?"
She thought about it for a moment. I could see her pondering the idea as she starred at the ground. Eventually she smiled and nodded.