The Alpha’s Rejected And Broken Mate
Chapter 59

Amber POV

I felt like an i***t once I turned around and saw that Alpha Rowan was standing directly behind me. "I'm right here" he said calmly, "what did you want to talk about?" he asked.

"How about how you've been avoiding me the last few days" I shot out, irritated beyond measure. The man still looked as handsome as ever, even if his hair was dishevelled and his clothes slightly rumpled from god knows what. He'd probably been out training or "I've been busy" he says, looking confused.

something.

Huh, maybe it was all in my head then, that he was avoiding me, because the man did seem genuinely confused. Weird. I deflated like a lead balloon. Now I didn't have any reason to be so indignant. "Well then, maybe we can have a talk" I said hopefully, as Laurence sidled past us, quietly heading towards the study.

He has the audacity to look at his watch. "Actually I'm needed elsewhere" he says and instantly I bristle, but then he adds, looking thoughtful, "Maybe you could come with me? I need to go and visit my father in hospital" he says, and instantly I feel remorse. I didn't know he had a father in the hospital. I wonder if his father is really sick and that's why Rowan looks so worried. Now I feel sorry for him.

"I would like to go with you" I said, biting my lip. "can I ask why he's in hospital?" I'm trying not to be nosy, but I am curious.

"He has leukemia", Rowan tells me, motioning for me to follow him out the front door and outside. I walked out with him, inhaling the fresh air appreciatively even though I just came from outside. The sky was still a clear blue and the sun was shining down on both of us.

"I'm sorry to hear that" I told him sheepishly as I fall into step beside him and we walked, Rowan's hands in his pockets, a grim expression on his face. I can tell that he's worried about his father, even if he doesn't express it. It's an instinctive feeling that I have, deep in my gut. "Thank you" is all he says in reply.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, heading across the grounds until a large white building appeared in front of us, the hospital. It looks so foreboding and so cold as we get closer. Rowan goes in first and I follow behind him, walking along several long corridors as nurses blatantly stare at him and doctors merely look away. We reach a room and Rowan halts me in my tracks. "Let me go in first and introduce you" he says quietly.

I give him a small nod and wait as he opens the door to the room and sidles inside. "Father" he says jovially, and I peer through the small space in the door, to see his father, who looks remarkably a lot like Rowan, except a tiny bit older that is. He also doesn't have scars on his face, but that's the only noticeable difference to me. They could almost pass as brothers.

"Rowan, what a nice surprise" his father says back, looking delighted to see his son. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asks, peering at me as I stand there in the doorway.

"Well, I brought along a special visitor today" Rowan said, motioning for me to come inside.

His father's eyes light up as he rakes his gaze over me, looking me up and down. "Is this?" he begins and Rowan nods.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir" I said politely, shaking his hand. He laughs and then pulls me in for a hug, squeezing me tightly, before letting go.

"You must be Amber" he says, "Rowan has told me all about you" he adds.

Has he now? I wonder what dear Rowan had to say about me. All good things, I hope, but there was no way to ask that politely. "What should I call you sir?" I asked him and he grimaced at me.

"Definitely not, sir" he jokes. "call me Teddy."

"Well Teddy" I said, loving the name, "what has Rowan told you about me?" I turned and, frowned at the man in question who merely looked unrepentent, plopping himself in a chair and making himself comfortable.

"All sorts of wonderful things" commented Teddy as I sat on another chair, next to the bed and next to that, dratted man, Rowan. "HE told me you were beautiful with fiery red hair and the greenest eyes he's ever seen."

I stiffen and shoot an incredulous look at a now very embarrassed looking Rowan. "He said you had freckles all over your face which he replaces adorable" continues his father as Rowan blushes beet red "and that you have the creamiest pale skin. He wasn't wrong, you are extremely beautiful" gushes his father.

I blush and shoot another wry glance at Rowan who is looking uncomfortable now. Serves him right, I think, a bit viciously. It was his idea to come here and he was the one who'd revealed everything to his father. It was like karma was kicking his a*s and I was enjoying every minute of it.

"So what do you like to do with your time?" I asked and Teddy grinned, pulling out a crossword. "Do you like these?" he asks and I nod, coming closer as he opens a crossword and points to one of the clues. "I'm stuck on this one, what do you think?" he asks. Alpha Rowan POV

I don't know what made me extend the invitation to Amber to come with me to the hospital. What on earth was I thinking? Of course, my father would replace a way to embarrass me. He's like that. I know that he's been looking forward to meeting Amber though, and I had promised to bring her the next time I came. Now I had kept that promise, but at the detriment of being humiliated in front of my mate.

Right now though, the two of them were getting along like a house on fire, Amber carefully reading off clues to the crossword and helping my father when he got stuck. He loved his crosswords that man. I hate them. I don't have the patience to go through the clues and then fill out all the blank letters. No wonder he was getting Amber to help him. I didn't mind though, because it meant I got to observe them both and how different it was to when Stacey had reluctantly visited my father on two occasions before stopping. "Rowan, I can't stand to be in the hospital. Not only that, but your father hates me, I can tell. No matter how nice I am to him, he glares at me or he gets little digs in. I'm sorry but there's no way I'm going to keep visiting him" she had whined to me. I had stared at Stacey incredulous. "I haven't seen my father be anything but nice to you Stacey. He enjoys your company, he's told me that. Can't you keep trying to come? You are going to be the future Luna after all. It's only right you should visit the man who used to be the Alpha of the pack. Besides, it's really important to me."

"No, I won't do it, Rowan, and you can't make me. It's too depressing with all these white walls and sick people. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to visit him on your own. I can't handle it. It's too much for me." "Stacey please, as a favour to me, can't you just visit a few more times? It makes his day."

"No and that's the end of the discussion, Rowan. Stop pressuring me to do something I don't want to do."

I had let it go after that but it still plagued me how easily Stacey had managed to get her own way. My father had adored her, those two visits, and I hadn't seen any evidence of him getting any digs in or glaring at her as she claimed. She just didn't like the hospital and, while that was fair, I had been disappointed that she hadn't been willing to visit someone who might have eventually become her father-in-law. It was after that, that I decided to hold back on my proposal, wanting to see if the woman I was going to marry might have a change of heart, but she never did.

Oh, she asked about my father from time to time, told me how sorry she was about not visiting him, but not once did she change her mind. When my father asked where she was, I was constantly forced to lie to him about her working or being busy. Because the truth was that Stacey didn't work, at least not after she met me. Anything she wanted, or desired, I bought for her and it had been that way for almost a full year until this whole Amber being my mate happened. Now I had to wonder if that was fate or something the moon goddess had planned for me, in order for me to see Stacey's true colours.

I heard laughter and blinked, coming back to myself as Amber wrote something down on the crossword.

"Yes" she exclaimed triumphantly, "I was right."

My father grins at her and then at me. "This one is a smart cookie" he tells me as Amber practically glows. "I haven't been able to get that one in weeks. Was going to give up" he added a little forlorn, before brightening. "Maybe you can help me with this one?" he asked tentatively, pushing another crossword at her. She happily begins to look it over as my father bends down to look at the clues as well.

"I'm going to go and replace the doctor" interrupted them both, and my father merely nodded in my direction, all his focus on Amber and his crossword as the two of them began to read out clues to one another.

Dr Smith is not far from the room and is in fact approaching when I halted him in his tracks. I know him as one of the several doctors treating my father and he greets me politely in the hallway. "Alpha Rowan, how lovely to see you again." "Hello Dr Smith. I was wondering how my father is going?" I don't mince words. I really need to hear that he's doing okay.

But this time, the balding man with large spectacles looked a bit downcast. I feel my heart hammering in my chest. Please, god, I pray, don't let this be bad news.

"I'm afraid the news isn't good", he begins, worried "the chemotherapy has stopped working on him, I'm afraid. We can try radiation next, but it will make him very weak and there are no guarantees. I was going to give you a phone call later today." "Can you increase the dosage or the amount of chemotherapy he's having? Would that work?" I demanded.

The doctor sadly shook his head. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. At the moment, we're making him comfortable, taking care of his nausea, but at this point in time, it would take a miracle for your father to get better", he said in a hushed voice, looking very awkward and uncomfortable.

I struggled to digest his words. My father was one of the strongest people I knew. How could he not be responding to his chemotherapy now? I couldn't bear the thought of losing the man that meant so much to me. Who had been my rock, especially when we had lost my mother.

"Radiation isn't a guarantee" I whispered shakingly.

"I'm afraid not and it could end up killing him sooner, rather than later" Dr Smith said grimly, adjusting his spectacles and looking at me worried.

"The decision is up to my father", I told him numbly. "whatever his decision is, I'll support it. It's not like he's not of sound mind."

"I'll inform you as to what he decides" Dr Smith said. "is he by any chance awake?"

"He is, he's got a visitor inside, but I can get her and leave. I think this is a discussion best held with him in private", I breathed out. Deep breaths Rowan, deep breaths.

"That would be a good idea. I promise to be there for him if he breaks down or gets upset, but often a patient needs to be left alone to digest what is happening."

I walk blindly down the hallway and go back into the room, where Amber and my father are sitting and carrying on a conversation. I hated to interrupt but part of me needed to get the hell out of there. "Father" I rasp in a hoarse voice as he looked up at me "I'm afraid that Amber and I have to leave."

"Oh but you just got here" my father protested, looking upset.

Dr Smith came walking in. "I need to have a discussion with you Teddy and check your vitals."

"It's alright" Amber assured him, helping to pack up the crosswords. "We can come and visit you again" she promised.

My father's eyes light up. "You'll come visit me again?" he asks and Amber nods.

"Alright then" my father says cheerfully, giving Amber a hug and then me one as I stand there, trying my best not to cry. "I'll see you later then."

"Bye father" I whisper and Amber gives him a small wave, before we both turn around and walk out, Dr Smith checking my father's vital signs.

"Is everything alright?" whispers Amber and I shake my head resolutely.

"No" I answered, "nothing is alright anymore" and that's all I would say until we reached the pack house. Amber, wisely, decided to go upstairs, leaving me to go into my study, which thankfully was empty. I sat behind the desk which used to be my father's and put my head in my hands, grief overwhelming me. Only then, with the door shut and with complete privacy, did I let myself cry.