Chapter 56

Raven

I swallowed hard, clutching the strap of my bag as tight as I could as I followed the nurse down the hallway. I’d left the others waiting outside, which was probably for the best. If I had walked in here with a posse full of strange-looking people, it might raise eyebrows and reveal that they were Lycans.

“This way,” the nurse said softly, pausing in front of a door. She opened the door and stepped aside, offering me a gentle smile as if that would somehow reassure me.

I just stood there for a moment, frozen, staring at the door like the room beyond it might swallow me whole if I stepped inside. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure she could hear it in the quiet hallway.

“Take your time,” the nurse said gently, then walked away, leaving me alone.

I exhaled shakily, then stepped forward and pushed the door open a little further. The door creaked open, and my eyes immediately fell on the frail figure lying in the bed.

My father.

He looked so small, so fragile, swallowed by the stark white sheets and the towering machines surrounding him. Tubes snaked from his arms and nose, connecting him to monitors that beeped endlessly in the quiet room. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and his cheekbones were jutting out sharply beneath his sunken eyes.

I had always thought of my father as indestructible. A quiet, steady force in my life who never faltered, never wavered. Hell, I had never even seen him get sick with the common cold before. But now…

Now he looked like he might disappear from the world if I so much as blinked.

“Dad?” My voice cracked as I stepped closer, my bag slipping from my shoulder and landing with a quiet thud on the floor.

His eyes fluttered open at the sound of my voice, and for a moment, they seemed unfocused. Then his gaze found mine, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.

“Raven,” he murmured, his raspy voice barely audible over the hum of the machines. “You came.”

“Of course I came,” I said, my throat tightening as I hurried to his side. I grabbed his hand, shocked at how cold and papery it felt in mine. “I’m here, Dad. I’m here.”

He squeezed my hand weakly, his eyes scanning my face like he was trying to memorize every detail. “You look… different,” he pointed out. “Did you get a tan? Put on some weight?”

I let out a shaky laugh, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over. Once, hearing those things might have made me break down in tears. But now, I was just proud of how far I had come. “Yeah, well, it’s been a long few months,” I chuckled.

His smile faded slightly, and he nodded, his gaze turning distant. “I’m sorry I ruined your vacation, honey. I didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t say that,” I cut him off, my voice trembling. “To hell with my stupid vacation. I wanted to be here.”

He didn’t respond, just looked at me with an expression on his weary face that I couldn’t quite read. Or maybe I just didn’t want to read it, because then it might make me realize a truth that I wanted to ignore.

My chest tightened, but I fought to keep my composure.

“I’ve missed you,” I said softly, reaching down and brushing a strand of graying hair behind his ear. “So much. And I have so many questions, Dad. About… about Mom.”

His eyes flickered with something—pain, maybe guilt—but he didn’t look away. “What about her?” he asked after a moment.

“I just…” I hesitated, my fingers tightening around his hand. “I don’t know much about her. You never really talked about her. And now… now I’m starting to think there’s more to the story than what I was told.”

I winced a little after I said that, if only because I couldn’t tell him why I thought those things. But he didn’t seem to notice.

My father was silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. I thought he might not answer at all, but then he sighed, his chest rising and falling with the effort.

“She was a Lycan,” he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

My breath caught, and I stared at him, waiting for him to laugh or tell me he was joking. But he didn’t.

“A Lycan?” I repeated. “You’re… serious?”

He nodded weakly. “She was from the Lycan kingdom. A defector. She left her people… left her family… because of me.”

I couldn’t breathe. The walls seemed to close in around me, the beeping of the monitors growing louder and louder. I was suddenly thankful for the chair right beside me, and I sank down into it, still clutching his hand.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered, my voice shaking.

He closed his eyes, a faint grimace crossing his face. “I wanted to protect you. Your mother’s family… they didn’t approve of her marrying a Werewolf. They wanted her to stay in the kingdom, to marry someone of their choosing. A Lycan. But we were fated mates, Raven. She couldn’t stay. And neither could I.”

Fated mates. The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Suddenly, so many things made sense—my wolf’s strength, my connection to the Lycan world. I’d always known that my parents were fated mates, that my mother’s death had weakened my father immensely, but I didn’t know all of the details.

“I’m half Lycan,” I said, the realization making the room spin around me. “All this time, I thought I was just a regular Werewolf, but—”

“You’re not just anything,” he interrupted, his voice a little firmer than before. “You’re my daughter. And you’re strong. Stronger than you realize.”

Tears blurred my vision, and I shook my head. “But why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why keep it a secret?”

“I thought it was safer this way,” he said softly. “For you. For both of us.”

I wanted to be angry, wanted to scream at him for keeping such a monumental truth from me. But as I looked at him, lying there so frail and vulnerable, I couldn’t muster the strength.

“I’ve been to the Lycan world,” I blurted out, the words slipping out before I could stop them. “I’ve seen it. I’ve—”

Suddenly, a harsh pain shot through my chest, and I gasped, clutching at my heart as the blood pact took hold of me. My vision blurred, and for a moment, I thought I might pass out.

“Raven?” my father said, struggling to sit up a little. “What’s wrong?”

“I—I can’t—” I gasped, shaking my head. The pain subsided after a moment, but I knew if I tried to say more, that it would return in an instant. Neil probably felt it, too. He was probably pacing outside the hospital, cursing me for trying to go against our blood pact.

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, forcing a smile. “Just tired. It’s been… a long journey.”

My father, of course, didn’t look convinced, but he nodded anyway. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said quietly. “I hung on… just for you…”

His breathing grew labored then, and the monitors around us began to beep faster. My heart leapt into my throat, and I leaned forward, gripping his hand tightly.

“Dad?” I whispered, my voice shaking. “Dad, stay with me. Please.”

He looked at me, his eyes glassy and unfocused. “I’m so proud of you, Raven,” he murmured, his voice barely audible. “So proud…”

“Don’t say that,” I begged, tears streaming down my face. “You’re not going anywhere. Do you hear me? You’re going to be fine.”

But his eyes fluttered closed, and his chest rose and fell one last time.

“No,” I choked out, my voice breaking. “No, no, no. Please, don’t go. Please…”

I cradled his lifeless body in my arms, sobbing uncontrollably. My tears fell onto his face, onto his chest, onto his hands, but nothing happened. No spark, no warmth, no life.

“Dad? Dad?”

No answer. It hit me all at once.

My healing tears couldn’t bring him back. I had been so tangled up in my own head that I hadn’t even healed him before it was too late.

I had failed him.

Suddenly, a warm hand came to rest gently on my shoulder, and I flinched, looking up through tear-filled eyes.

Neil stood beside me, bowing his head.