Erica’s POV
I kept trying to reach Lorenzo but it was still the same.
He wasn’t still answering. I began to worry. What could he possibly be doing?
My heart skipped a beat and I was uncomfortable. Something was wrong and I didn’t know what it was.
“Hey.”
Javier walked in with a big smile on his face and he sat at my bedside.
I managed a smile to cover up my worry. I couldn’t tell him about Lorenzo. I wasn’t ready to.
“I was able to find a doctor that is a werewolf. He said that he would be here shortly and he would try not to attract attention from the other doctors. He said that it is going to take a while and he needs to fill a form saying that you requested him personally to see you and that you won’t let anyone attend to you.”
I smiled and thanked Javier. He was amazing.
I felt a slight sinking feeling in my chest. I should not have slapped him. It was all my fault.
My grim brooding was evident on my face and I felt him stroke my hair gently and push a lock out of the way.
“You seem sad. What’s the matter?”
I turned away and he took his hands out. It was sad that the good feeling had to end.
“Nothing. I just feel bad about what I did to you. I was brash and I was…”
“Acting on instinct?”
He finished my sentence with a smile on his face and I felt even more embarrassed.
“Erica,”
His voice was so soft that I couldn’t resist looking at his handsome golden eyes and getting lost in their warmth.
“it really is okay. It was my fault for being a dickhead. I just fell in love with you so fast. But I respect your boundaries and if being friends is what you want, then I’m fine with that.”
I felt my eyes become moist as tears threatened to fall. I wiped my face with the back of my hand.
Why was I always stuck with the asshole men?
Why couldn’t they be more like Javier?
Dante was still self-absorbed and Lorenzo was not picking up my calls.
I sighed and stared at my phone. A thought dropped in my head and I gasped.
I hadn’t called my father yet. I needed to know that he was okay.
I grabbed my phone and began to dial his number. My sadness shifted to fear. Was he still alive? Had Hazan finished him off for good?
The phone rang for a while and I felt every nerve inside me come alive. Javier looked at me in confusion but he was silent and said nothing.
Not answering.
I was filled with dread. Was he dead?
No. If he was, I would have gotten a call from someone, at least.
My stomach grumbled, aggravated by the fear I felt.
I looked at the take-out bags. Surprisingly, the food hadn’t spilled despite all the rough handling. The chef must have really put a lot of time and effort into the packaging.
My stomach grumbled even louder and Javier giggled. My cheeks filled with color again.
“The monster in your belly seems hungry. I’ll go to the cafeteria and try and convince the cooks to hear up the takeout for you. It’s probably all cold now. I’ll buy more from the mall. It shouldn’t take too long.”
I was lost for words. How could someone be this caring?
He took one of the disposable plates and left.
I was so happy and relaxed. I decided to try and call my father again. It was a great opportunity, as I could talk about Lorenzo a little more freely.
I took a deep breath and dialed again. I put the phone to my ear and prayed earnestly that someone would pick up the phone.
Like a miracle, the call connected and my father’s voice filled my ears.
I felt the air trapped in my lungs escape. He was alright.
“Dad, I was so worried. You didn’t pick up my calls earlier.”
My dad sounded lighter and happier. What was making him so glad? Hazan was literally laying waste to our pack.
“I’m sorry, Erica. I was busy with the relief efforts. I’ve been on edge for the last two days since Hazan pulled his armies out of our pack and stopped his assault.”
I was stunned. Did I hear that right? Hazan stopped his assault?!
“Erica?”
I was pulled out of my shock.
“Oh, yeah. I’m here. That’s…that’s great.”
“You don’t sound too happy about it?”
My father’s voice was lowered and I realized my tone was suspicious.
“I’m sorry. I really am happy but isn’t it a little suspicious that he just laid off his assault? Something tells me that it is a trap. I feel he’s trying to lure you out so that he can get you.”
I didn’t mean to be a buzz kill but it was suspicious. Hazan just stopped the fight. He had to have had a cunning reason behind doing so.
My father was silent and I held my breath, waiting for him to say something.
Knock! Knock!!
There was a soft knock at the door and a nurse came in with a smile.
“Miss Erica, a kind handsome man asked me to give this to you. He zoomed off and said that he would be back soon.”.
The nurse set the table over my bed and placed a steaming bowl of spaghetti in front of me with chopsticks.
“Thank you.”
She left and my dad’s voice came loud again.
“Who was that?” He asked curiously.
“A nurse.”
I clamped my mouth shut but it was too late. I had said too much.
I could feel the panic slowly rising in my dad’s tone.
“Nurse? Erica, where are you?”
I bit my lower lip. I didn’t want to bother him but this was serious.
The golden eyes from the night before still gave me nightmares.
I sighed.
“Erica? Talk to me.”
I couldn’t lie to my dad.
“I was attacked. By…by a werewolf. It had glowing golden eyes and I have a deep wound in my arm and leg…”
The more I spoke, the hoarser my voice got as tears choked me.
“… I was so scared. I couldn’t shift into my wolf. It was like my connection to her had been severed and I was nearly dragged away but some men found me and brought me to the hospital…”
I was crying and my father cooed softly to me on the other end.
“Hey, hey, hey. It’s alright. I understand that you were scared. But you’re safe now.”
I sniffed and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
“I’m sorry. You’re right.”
My voice was still croaky and I tried to calm myself down.
“Is Lorenzo with you?” he asked.
“No. I’m with a friend. I’ve been trying to reach Lorenzo last night and all morning, but he isn’t picking up his phone. Have you heard from him?”
“No, I haven’t. But that reminds me. I asked Lorenzo to give you something when he left our pack. It was supposed to help your wolf. Did he give it to you?”
I was stunned and the tears dried up slowly.
“No. No, he didn’t. We got into a little fight and we haven’t spoken much since. He only spoke to me yesterday evening. He didn’t mention anything at all.”
My father seemed worried and slightly upset. I felt guilty and responsible for worrying him. He had much more important things to worry about.
“I’ll be discharged soon. I’ll try and call him again and if he doesn’t answer, I’ll find him at home. You don’t have to worry.”
My dad exhaled but I could still feel the tension in his voice.
“Alright. Please be careful. And stay away from anything or anyone that will upset you.”
I was shocked.
“Wh…”
The line went dead. I set the phone down and stared at my meal. What did my dad mean by ‘stay away from anything or anyone that will upset you’?
I said nothing a called Lorenzo again. I called him three more times but there was no answer.
I gave up and dug into my food. Once I got home, I would confront him and he had better have a good explanation…