Chapter 165

Alaric’s POV

Seeing Richard Auburn again felt like just another turn in this terrible nightmare. Immediately, I stood and placed myself between Richard and my son.

Maybe Cara’s other brothers could forgive Richard’s actions against Cara, but I never would.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded. “Get the hell out.”

“Now, wait a minute, Alaric,” Ryan said. “Hear us out.”

“What is there to hear? This monster isn’t coming anywhere near my family.”

“I’m sorry for what I’ve done in the past,” Richard said. “Truly.”

“He only wants to help,” said another voice in the group, from a woman I had not seen in years. Ruby, Cara’s best friend. I must have looked at her so strangely that she felt compelled to respond. “He and I have been research partners for some time. We’ve been looking for a way to help Mia.”

There was someone else with them, an older man who I had never seen before.

“That is Grayson,” Ruby introduced. “He has helped us extensively. His wealth of knowledge will be vital in this case.”

“Then he and you may enter and tend to Mia,” I said. “Cara trusts you, Ruby, and I know you would not let Mia come to harm.”

Ruby lifted a brow. “But Richard?”

“He will stay here,” I said firmly, unmoving in this decision.

“I am an accomplished Healer,” Richard said. “I am sorry for what I’ve done, but please do not punish Mia over my old mistakes.”

“I am not the one punishing her,” I growled, insulted by the mere suggestion. “I am the one keeping her safe. She is my daughter, do you understand? It is my responsibility to protect her. I will not allow you to harm her as you attempted to harm her mother, your own sister.”

“We’ve been told she is unwell,” Ruby said, worry in her voice. “Where is she?”

“I’ll show you,” Colin said.

“Ruby and Grayson alone,” I growled. “Not this one,” I added, motioning to Richard.

“All I want to do is help,” Richard said. “Please.”

He could be genuine. He seemed like he might be. But all I could remember was the past, and with how helpless and vulnerable I felt with both my child and my mate unconscious with two different mysterious diseases, my protective instincts were pinging all over the place.

I had to protect them. I couldn’t save them from their own failing bodies but I could fight the entirety of the rest of the world. Nothing and no one would hurt my family again.

I was about to say as much, to kick Richard so far out of this hospital and this pack that he’d need a plane to land safely – when a tiny hand tugged on my sleeve.

Ethan looked up at me. “Can I talk to him?”

I wanted to say no, to protect Ethan too, but with the determined look in his eye, I knew my son was going to find a way to talk to his wayward uncle with or without my permission. I’d rather he have it so he did not feel compelled to go behind my back.

I was already outnumbered in this room. Everyone, including Aidan, Ryan, and Colin, who had previously been on my side about everything, were now on Richard’s side.

In a way, I knew they just wanted the best for Mia and Cara, but I still struggled to see how allowing Richard to see them would help, when he had failed Cara so spectacularly before.

I stepped back, allowing Ethan the room to step forward and speak with his uncle.

Richard disappeared after the truth of Cara’s lineage had been revealed. At the time, he had been taken in by Lilia’s charms, fully believing her to be his sister rather than Cara. The truth sent him into a spiral and caused him to vanish.

Because of that, this was his first time ever meeting his nephew.

Ethan bravely stepped forward and looked up at Richard.

“Do you really want to help my mom and sister?” Ethan asked.

Richard held Ethan’s gaze, looking back at him as an equal despite the clear age disparity between them. I could give Richard some credit for this; he was taking this seriously, regarding Ethan’s concerns as highly as my own.

“Yes,” Richard said. “With all my heart, yes. I want to help them.”

“Can you help them?” Ethan asked.

“I think so, yes,” Richard said. “At the very least, I want to try. Will you give me that chance?”

Ethan turned to look at me. I waited for his judgement, not sure what to expect.

“I just want mom and Mia to be okay again,” Ethan said.

I wanted that too, and hated that it took Ethan for me to get off my high horse.

Richard had been living in shame and regret for the past several years. Would it really hurt for him to try to help now, especially if he had Ruby looking over him? Ruby would never allow any harm to come to Cara’s child.

I hated how powerless all of this made me feel. I was an Alpha King, one of the strongest men on the continent. Yet here I was, unable to do more than watch as my mate and our child were unconscious.

“Very well,” I said, accepting Ethan’s judgement. “But if anything goes wrong, know that I am blaming you.”

“Nothing will go wrong,” Ruby said, and her assurance did give me some comfort.

“Nothing will go wrong,” Richard repeated. “We only want to help.”

“Go, then,” I said. “Do what you can.”

With that, the trio nodded and turned. Colin went with them, disappearing down the hall to take them to Mia’s room.

Alone now with Ethan and the twins, I struggled to believe that I made the right choice.

I hated being so powerless. I couldn’t even be a good judge of character right now.

“We’ll keep an eye on him,” Ryan said.

“You could have told me he was coming,” I replied. “So I could have prepared for this.”

“Would you have allowed it if he wasn’t already here on your doorstep?” Ryan countered. “No, we couldn’t chance it. Richard has been studying on how to help cure Mia for years. With Ruby and Grayson, we have all the experts here now.”

“Better to ask forgiveness than permission,” Aidan said, then led Ethan back over to the chairs. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him teaching that to my son, but now didn’t feel like the time to start scolding.

Looking at Ryan, I asked, “Do you really think he can help?”

“I’d bet my life on it,” Ryan said. “Look, I know you’ve got those Alpha protective instincts pinging left and right about this, but trust us. Cara is our beloved sister, and Mia our beloved niece. We wouldn’t bring in anyone who we thought might do more harm than good.”

That… rang true to me. The brothers did love Cara and our children.

“If you can’t trust Richard, trust me. Trust Aidan and Colin. Trust Eamon. It was his idea to start with.”

“I just want them to be okay,” I said, echoing Ethan’s previous words.

“We all do, Alaric. Even Richard.”