CHAPTER EIGHT
CATHERINE’S POV
Burke’s revelation is still a shock to me, as I walked to his father’s room, it was almost midnight, and I hadn’t seen the state of Ethan’s illness.
I left Burke in the garden since he had refused to tell me who Sereca cheated on him with, although I felt pity that he had to train three children that weren’t his, when he had three other biological children that he doesn’t know of, and would never know of.
I got to Ethan’s room and one of the guards opened the door quickly, making way for me to enter Ethan’s room.
“Ethan” I screamed, rushing to give him a tight hug as he lay on the bed, looking very sick.
I hugged him tightly and he hugged me back, patting my hair gently, I did not realize I had missed Ethan this much.
“Where have you been?” He asked as he coughed on my hair, making tears fill my eyes, I hated the fact that Ethan was at the brick of death.
“I went to Chicago to start a new life Ethan” I replied to him withdrawing from the hug, I sat on the bed with my hand resting in my thigh, as I examined Ethan.
He looks exactly like Burke, but he is just the older version. Ethan had grown very lean compared to the last time I saw him, he was very energetic during Burke’s coronation. His hair had grown completely white, but I still found it hard to believe Ethan was this old, and he might leave us soon.
“Don’t cry Cat, You know I’ll be fine”, he said, and that was when I realized tears were already rolling down my cheeks uncontrollably.
Ethan managed to give me a weak smile to prevent me from crying any further, but that was impossible, as the tears kept falling down from my eyes.
“What happened to you, Ethan?” I asked, with my voice breaking.
Ethan reached for my cheeks and wiped the tears away with his old, wrinkled hands. But more tears kept coming.
“Old age, Cat I’m getting old,” he said, with a chuckle, he was trying hard to make me laugh, although it was almost working.
“You are not old, stop it,” I said, giving him a gentle smack on his hands.
“Ouch, cat” he grimaced in pain, making my heart skip for a bit.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, trying to rub off the pain I caused when he burst into a burst of uncontrollable laughter, he sounded so much like Burke.
“I’m joking, that did not hurt a bit,” he said, still laughing, before I joined in the laughter.
Soon our laughter came to a stop, and for the first time in seven years I missed leaving the pack, I missed talking with Ethan, his jokes, and how he always talked about his last wife, Celine.
“Is he going to get better?” I heard Burke’s voice from behind and turned my head around to see him standing at the door, looking at us, Still without any emotions on his face.
I had not noticed his presence till he spoke, making me wonder how he had been standing there.
“I don’t know Burke, I’m still trying to examine him,” I said, blocking my ear with a stethoscope that was given to me in the pack.
Hours had already passed and I was still examining Ethan, nothing seemed to be wrong with him. I had tried nine methods of examination and all his organs were perfect, yet he lay weak on his bed, coughing every single time.
The only sickness that was very hard to examine is the deadliest, it is called the Affliction and that was what Ethan was suffering from, it is almost incurable.
“He had the Affliction,” I said aloud, as I looked at Burke, who appeared very surprised. He was surprised that I could catch the illness in a short time and also at the fact that his father is suffering from the Affliction.
“What? How the hell could he get the Affliction, Catherine, he hardly left the palace since became Alpha” Burke yelled, confusion written all over his face.
There is only one way to get the Affliction if it is not transmitted by a person suffering from the illness.
“Poison,” I said, and Burke gasped, but Ethan seemed unbothered, he was probably ready to accept the fate that he was going to die.
“Who would want to poison my father?” Burke asked, scratching the back of his head.
“Look, Burke, I don’t know. But Tafana poison is a way of getting the Affliction and the quickest way at dying. There is an enemy in your mansion that wants to kill you all” I said, getting off Ethan’s bed, allowing him to rest his head gently on the pillow.
“You have to cure my father, he can’t stay like this,” he said, walking aimlessly around the room.
“Look Burke, I’ll try my best, but I can’t give any assurance, the Affliction is hard to cure, and you know that,” I said, packing my things, to leave Ethan to sleep.
I left Ethan’s room with Burke walking behind me but saying nothing. We walked in a comfortable silence before we got to the front of his room where he stopped and held my arm to the door the same.
I stopped walking, although I did not turn around to look at him.
“Tomorrow is going to be a hectic day, take enough rest,” he said, before entering his room.
“He could even show a little sign of gratitude that his father’s illness had been uncovered,” I said to myself, disgusted by Burke’s attitude earlier.
Getting to my room, I was stopped by a blonde lady, she smiled at me and I knew I had seen her face before.
She was the lady that came with Ava earlier to say hello to me, she stretched her hand for a handshake, which I took without hesitation.
“Hi, I’m Catherine,” I said, still smiling.
“And I’m Ava, Burke’s Fiancee,” She said smiling.
Burke fucking Michealson has a Fiancee.