The Alpha’s Rejected And Broken Mate
Chapter 98

Darius POV

I woke up in pain, the monitors making incessant noises, with all the beeping and shrieks, it was driving me insane. I glared at the white-washed walls and ceiling, knowing I was in the hospital and knowing that one man, that son of a b***h Rowan had put me there. My mother was sitting in the armchair, dozing lightly. I wondered how long she had been there for. My father was awake and as my eyes looked over at him, he got up with ease from his own seat and wandered over, gently grabbing my hand and squeezing it. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like I got hit by a truck" I rasped, feeling a little ashamed that I had lost the fight. My father said nothing for a moment, but his eyes turned black, a sure sign that he was pissed off.

"Did you really let a prisoner out from Rowan's pack?" he prodded.

I shook my head, lying for all I was worth. "I went looking for Amber remember? I didn't see any prisoners while I was there. Someone else must have let the prisoner go and he's blaming me. Using me as a scapegoat" I said hoarsely.

My father hesitated. I knew he wanted to keep questioning me, but his eyes continued to scan the room and the machines, and I realized he was afraid to push too far while I was in this condition.

I moved experimentally and winced. My ribs felt like they were cracked, and bruised. Surely they would have healed by now? But then again, I had been injured by another alpha and not an ordinary shifter or rogue.

"You're going to be hurting for a while," my father said gruffly, a sympathetic look in his eyes.

"Where did Alpha Rowan go?"

My father narrowed his eyes "Alpha Rowan Craven went back to his own pack. He will no longer be welcome here" he hissed.

"As he should expect" my mother cut in, getting up from the chair and walking over to my bed, gently stroking my forehead from where she stood, on the opposite side of my father.

"Oh, sweetheart" she sighed "you've been through so much, what with the loss of your wife and child. It's really not fair, is it? What a horrible man that Alpha Rowan is."

I shrugged and flinched from the pain. "He was well within his rights, I'm the one who instigated the fight" I admitted sheepishly.

My mother shook her head. "I don't care, he didn't have to injure you so badly" she cried out. "he went overboard."

I personally considered myself lucky, to be honest. If Alpha Rowan had wanted to kill me, then I had no doubts I would be lying in a morgue right now, stone-dead cold. I never should have provoked the man into fighting, but he'd made me so damn furious. A pretty nurse came sauntering in, clutching a clipboard in her hands. Her gorgeous blue eyes lit up when she saw me awake and she tossed her long brown hair over her shoulder. "You're awake," she said unnecessarily.

"Yes," I said hoarsely as she put the clipboard down and began to check my vitals.

"Your blood pressure is good," she said "and your pulse is steady" she added.

My mother let out a sigh of relief. "So he's going to be okay?" she asked, biting her lip.

The nurse gave her a reassuring smile "I believe that Master Darius is going to be fine. He just needs to remain in the hospital for a few more hours while we observe him and while he continues to heal. He's going to be fine Luna Marian" she added quietly, before giving a respectful nod and sailing back out the door.

There was a tentative knock on the door and we all glanced at the doorway where Clarissa, Sophie's mother, was standing there, leaning against the doorway, looking nervous. Her blue eyes were red and puffy from crying and her blonde hair was disheveled. She had looked like that since the funeral and she hadn't gotten any better it looked like.

"May I come in?" she asked quietly.

"Of course," my mother told her, quietly rushing forward and grabbing hold of Clarissa in a tight hug "how are you doing dear?" she added.

Clarissa gave a watery smile "I'm doing alright" she said quietly "but I would love to visit my other daughter Amber who needs to know her sister has passed away. Darius" she added, looking at me intently "I don't suppose that Alpha Rowan let slip where Amber was?"

I gave a reluctant shake of my head. "He claims she rejected him and just left" I snorted disbelievingly. "But I think he's lying" I added.

Clarissa took a deep breath. "Never mind," she said sweetly, coming over to my side "how are you feeling Darius? It must be painful," she said.

Was it my imagination or did I just see something akin to glee on her face? I blinked but when I looked again, Clarissa just looked concerned and a little worried.

"I'm in a little bit of pain" I answered "but it's not too bad," I said drily.

My father gave me a small pat on the shoulder. "I'm glad son," he said briefly "you gave us quite a scare."

"Yes," my mother said faintly "you lost quite a bit of blood you know."

I did know. I still remembered it trickling from my wounds and pooling beneath me during the fight. It would explain the slight dizziness I was feeling. I settled back against the pillows, content to just lie there quietly. It seemed too much of an effort to talk. Besides, there wasn't much to talk about.

"Perhaps it would be better if I left," Clarissa said shrewdly but my mother wasn't having any of it.

"Oh Clarissa, you're family. There's no need to leave" she said quietly. Clarissa fidgeted with her hands. "Nonetheless, I think I'll go and get a cup of coffee or something. Darius do you want something? John, Marian?" she asked.

"We're fine" my mother assured her and glanced at me "Darius what about you?"

I shook my head. My stomach was churning at the thought of eating something, let alone drinking coffee or anything hot. "Thank you but no thank you, Clarissa," I told her tightly and she gave a small nod and smile, before walking towards the door. "If you change your minds" she called out over her shoulder "just text me."

"Sure will" my mother called back.

I sighed. My father was still looking at me grimly and I knew he didn't believe a word I said about going looking for Amber or the reason behind it. My mother was distraught, not just by my injuries but at the loss of her future grandchild. "Mother, father," I said quietly "I went to go find Amber for another reason. One that I know is going to make you angry and annoyed with me."

My mother put a hand to her mouth but my father remained unsurprised and looking nonchalant "I suspected as much" was all he said to me. He was definitely the quiet type my father.

"Well, why did you go then? I mean, what was so important that you had to go looking for that undesirable?" my mother almost snarled in disapproval.

"I went to go and find Amber because she's carrying my unborn child," I said in a rush and waited for the penny to drop as an awkward silence filled the room.

"Unborn child" muttered my father, crossing his arms and glaring at me. "Since when has Amber been pregnant and why is this the first time we're hearing about this?"

I swallowed hard. My mother was pale and trembling, a hand still to her mouth.

"She got pregnant before I married Sophie" I supplied slowly, between gritted teeth.

"Why was nothing said?" barked my father "it would have changed what happened between the two of you."

I flinched. Sorry, Clarissa but I was about to sell you and your husband Mathew out. "Clarissa and Mathew told Amber not to say anything to me or to you both. They wanted it kept a secret so that I would still marry Sophie" I explained tiredly. My father looked saddened. "It's because she was an undesirable, wasn't it? They wanted Amber gone and they knew we would want the child she was carrying."

My mother's eyes were flashing now "as if I would have let you marry that slut" she hissed "Sophie was perfect for you, do you understand that? She would have made a perfect Luna in the future if she hadn't died."

"Amber would have been perfect, if you had just been willing to see her," I told mother firmly, sitting upright and staring directly into her eyes which were flashing daggers at me.

"There is no way I would have let you marry an undesirable" my mother said hotly.

I gave a chuckle. The irony was that Amber was no longer an undesirable and had her wolf. A rare wolf, it was to be believed if Stacey had been telling the truth.

"She has her wolf now mother," I said drily.

My mother looked stricken. "She does" she stammered "but how is that possible?"

I shrugged. "I don't know but she does. Besides, I thought you would care that she's having your grandchild" I pointed out, watching my mother's lips flatten as she glanced over at her husband.

"I think that we might be needing to get our lawyers involved," she said with a large exhale and grimace "that is if you want custody of the baby Darius? I'm assuming you do because I want that grandchild to be in our lives and I want her away from Amber." There lay the problem. My mother would do anything to get her hands her hands on her grandchild, but she still wanted nothing to do with Amber.

"Mother, I plan on marrying Amber," I said quietly but with determination, my tone brooking no arguments "you took her away from me once, but I don't intend for you to do that again."

"Marry her," my mother said incredulously. "You cannot be serious Darius!" she stormed.

But I was. I was deadly serious. My father looked thoughtful. "It would be far easier to have Darius marry her if she's willing that is than to have a long drawn-out legal battle over custody," he said wisely.

My mother glowered at him. "I would rather the legal battle," she said sharply "we have the best lawyers. No one would be able to win against us. Not unless she was hooking up with the werewolf king or something and we both know" she laughed "that that would never happen."

"I want to marry Amber" I cut in.

"Don't forget Darius" she said, glancing nervously towards the doorway "that you have just lost a wife and child. You're meant to be in mourning, not thinking about marriage to the sister of the wife you have lost!"

"Screw being in mourning" I hissed "Amber should have been mine in the first place. You should never have interfered in my relationship with her and I won't allow you to do it again."

My mother sighed. My father grimaced at her. Both looked down at me pensively.

"I'll contact the lawyers just in case," Mother said quietly, "in case your plan doesn't exactly come to fruition."

My father nodded "do that but just in preparation. I believe in giving Darius a chance to persuade Amber to marry him. It is what would be best for the child."

We heard a scrambling at the doorway and my mother gasped, but when she went over to check, she saw only a nurse walking away, her heels clacking on the ground. "It's alright" she assured us all, a small smile on her face "nobody overheard us, so we're perfectly safe. " But we had all completely forgotten about Clarissa by that point.