The Alpha’s Rejected And Broken Mate
Chapter 74

Sophie POV

"Father, what on earth happened to you?" I cried, rushing to his side. He was severely injured, with a s***h on his side, and multiple bruises on his body, not to mention a concussion. Darius was with me, looking concerned but not overly so. I suppose for a strong shifter, this wasn't fatal, but what had he done to piss off Alpha Rowan aka the monstrous Alpha so severely? I had gotten a call from a distant-sounding mother, that my father had been injured and had rushed towards this pack, Darius dragged alongside me. I guess I was panicked, not knowing whether father was alive or almost dead or even dead. I hadn't been certain. "Sophie" my father mumbled, sitting up awkwardly on the hospital bed, "what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you" I huffed, gesturing towards him "and look at you. Father, what on earth were you thinking, challenging an Alpha for heaven's sake?"

My father was still out of it and quite heavily drugged, otherwise, I'm certain that he wouldn't have spoken as he did.

"Bastard tried to keep my wife from me" he muttered, "like it wasn't my right to drag the b***h back home."

Was he speaking about my mother? I frowned and looked at Darius, who looked back at me grimly. I know he had never liked my father, but I had always assumed it had been from the way my father treated Amber. "What about mother?" I asked and my father glowered from his sitting position.

"b***h" he snarled as I flinched, "she rejected me, can you believe it" he added bitterly.

My mother had rejected my father. But why? They had always seemed so happy together, but now hearing the way father spoke about her, I had to wonder if it had all been an act for my and Amber's benefit.

My father winced in pain as he shifted in the bed. I hurried to help him, Darius sitting at the bedside, calmly viewing my father with what I could only describe as contempt.

"Sophie, fetch a nurse" my father hissed, scowling darkly. "tell them I want more pain medication."

I looked at Darius, who gave a barely imperceptible nod, before scurrying from the room. A nurse, upon hearing that it was my father requesting the pain medication, rolled her eyes at me in frustration. "He's had as much pain medication as he's allowed," she said brusquely when I tried to explain that he was still in a large amount of pain "he can't have any more for another two hours."

"Please" I begged, but she was having none of it, shaking her head and moving past me, to tend toward other patients. I gave a huff of frustration and was about to go back to my father's room when Amber came walking through the front entrance of the hospital. Upon seeing me, she turned pale and hesitated, almost like she wanted to turn tail and run. I rushed to her side and gave her a large hug, Amber stiffening upon contact, before relaxing slightly and hugging me back. "What are you doing here?" she whispered, pulling away and viewing me with curiosity.

I motioned for her to sit down in the waiting room with me, folding my ankles and wringing my hands together. "I got a phone call telling me about father. What happened? How did he get hurt so badly?" I asked in a rush, uncomfortably aware that Darius was still alone in the room with my father.

Amber sighed. She sat down and faced me. "Mother came to see me, she had bruises on her face, Sophie, and it's not the first time that father has done it to her."

"But I've never seen bruises on her face" I protested in horror, even though I suspected Amber was telling the truth. After all, she had no reason to lie. Then I remembered the time I had seen brusises on her face and the lies she'd told me. She hadn't been training after all.

"Makeup is a wondrous thing," Amber said drily. "It can be used to cover up all sorts of things" she pointed out.

I felt disgusted with my father. How could he have been so horrible as to lay a hand on our mother? No reason was good enough for it. Now I was sorry that I had even come here to see how he was doing.

"Is that why she rejected him?" I asked softly.

Amber nodded. "Yeah, among other things," she said quietly, fidgeting with her hands and wriggling in her seat.

"What made him challenge Alpha Rowan?"

Amber rolled her big green eyes now. "He was drunk and he made a few not-so-nice comments about mother and me. Alpha Rowan decided to take exception to it and when our father challenged him to a fight, like the drunken i***t he was, Alpha Rowan accepted and then kicked his a*s. He deserved it too", she added with a scowl.

I wasn't in disagreement. It sounded to me like father deserved everything that had happened to him. I was surprised, however, to see Amber in the hospital.

"What brought you here?"

She ducked her head, looking sheepish. "I was coming in to check with the nurses to see how father was going. I wasn't going to visit him but I wanted to make sure he was going to be okay. Even if he is a complete a*****e, he's still our father." Amber was such a forgiving person, I thought to myself in awe. Even with how she had been treated, she still gave a damn about her father, even when he didn't give a s**t about her.

"Is Darius here?" Amber asked so quietly, my ears almost missed it.

I remembered why she might be panicking and was quick to grab her hand and squeeze it. "He's here, but he just wants to speak with you Amber, that's all. He's not angry at you", I was quick to reassure her as she placed a protective hand against her stomach. "I wanted to tell him" she choked out "but mother and father..." she trailed off.

"Not to mention me, I didn't want you to" I helpfully replied.

A voice came from behind us. "Well, I'm here now and there's no time like the present to have this chat," said Darius breezily.

Amber went as white as a sheet and for a moment I worried that she was going to keel over, or faint or something. But instead, she drew back her shoulders and faced Darius head on. "You're right, it's time we had a talk," she said quietly and stood up "but a hospital is no place for it, let's go back to the pack house" she suggested, raising an eyebrow at me "unless you need to go and see dad first?"

I shook my head. My father can fend for himself for now. I would see him later after we had all had a discussion.

Amber led the way, walking out of the hospital with her head held high, looking brave and courageous, like she always did. I don't know how she does it, but no matter what, she always shows her strength as a person. I didn't know that I would be so brave in her shoes. She's definitely unique and a one-of-a-kind individual. We walked, silently, across the grounds, the pack house coming into view. It was magnificent to behold and, unlike a lot of pack houses, it was simple but elegant and looked homely, rather than a large cold mansion. I liked it on sight.

Amber held the door open and ushered us inside. She led the way to the kitchen and we sat down at the dining table together, everyone waiting with their breath held, for someone to break the silence. Finally, my husband, Darius, spoke and when he did, it was gentle. "About this child," he said quietly, "I have every intention of being in my child's life, but I will not take custody of them", he explained, "I think that you should have full custody. It's only right. "

Amber looked relieved and a little touched. "You would give me full custody," she said a little suspiciously, "providing you get to be in the child's life?"

Darius gave a short nod. "I understand that it might prove to be somewhat difficult, but should you get married, then there are the both of you to parent the child. I want the child to have a happy family that provides for it. Don't get me wrong, I'll provide for it financially as well, but I want you to be its main parent and caregiver."

Amber was stunned and silent. She glanced at me hopefully, asking with her eyes if Darius was lying. I gave a shake of my head.

"Believe me, it's what we both want" I explained calmly, "and if you don't want us to be a part of the child's life, we'll not take you to court, but it will be upsetting for us."

"No I um" stammered Amber, "agree with what you are saying. It's more than fair, thank you Darius" she breathed "I was so worried that you would try and take the child away from me."

"No way" protested Darius, "after everything I've put you through, there is no way in hell that I would put you through that as well," he declared.