Filed to story: The Billionaire Alpha’s Contract Lover by Caesar Erickson
If Harper knew I was about to d ie, she wouldn’t be able to bear the blo w.
I wanted the rest of my time with her to be happy…
I tore the blood results into pieces without looking at the paper, then threw it into the trash can so Harper wouldn’t see it. I’d make up something to tell her about why they weren’t in my file if she asked. Hopefully, getting me food would distract her from it.
I turned around to push the IV pole back to the spot it was in before I’d moved it, glancing out the window as I did so. The window in this room looked out over the parking lot, and I saw a few luxury Town Cars driving in and heading toward the ER
entrance.
When they came to a stop, a group of wolf shifter bodyguards in black suits exited the cars and escorted Griffon out.
He hurried into the hospital with Tara in his arms.
When I saw his anxious look, my heart sank.
I’d come to the emergency department because of a heart attack when I was with him.
What kind of reaction did he have then?
I remembered him standing by the bed and looking down at me while I was curled up in pain.
He’d thrown an AMEX Black card at me as if I were a beggar.
He’d thought I was pretending to be sic k to gain his sympathy and get more money from him.
There was a clamor of footsteps coming down the hall, getting closer and closer to my room. Since this was the ER ward of the hospital, the rooms weren’t private. The walls facing the hallway were gla*s, and Griffon would be able to see me as he pa*sed.
But when Griffon rushed by my room, he didn’t even look my way.
Harper chose that moment to come back, holding a tray with red Jell-O on it. When she saw that I had moved around in bed, sitting up at the edge of it, she hurried over.
“You just recovered from a high fever. You should be laying down, not trying to get out of bed.” Harper set the tray down and then came over to gently push me to lay down again. “Don’t be so careless with your health right now.”
Warmth spread through my heart at her concern for me, though all the concern and care-taking in the world wouldn’t help me get any better. I pursed my lips and smiled.
Harper peeled the top off the Jell-O and said, “I’ll go see if your blood test results are in. Why were you trying to sit up? You weren’t going to get up and get it, were you?”
When I hemmed and hawed and didn’t answer, she furrowed her eyebrows, and I could see her nose wrinkle up a bit as she sniffed.
Dam n her wolf’s abilities to scent out my nerves and know I wasn’t telling her something.
“Where’s the report? Show it to me,” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.
Shi t. I didn’t want to lie to her, but…it was for her own good. “I was going to find the doctor, but then he came in and told me the results.”
“And?”
“It’s just a blood test. I’m fine,” I replied calmly.
Harper stared at me, a serious expression darkening her face. I rarely saw the super protective nature of her wolf take over, but it was written all over her right now. “You’re different from everyone, Taya. You’ve had a heart attack before, and you’re not a shifter. You can’t just get better like most people can. You have to take this seriously.”
For the millionth time, I wish werewolves could be created like they were in books. You mated someone and they could turn you, make you like them so you could be together much longer than the average human’s lifespan. It would be so much easier than…this.
I mustered up a smile I didn’t feel. “I know. The doctor said that I was fine. My heart is fine. Don’t worry.”
Harper’s eyes narrowed a smidge more, and then what seemed like a look of relief touched her face. She handed the Jell-O to me. “I managed to find red for you, instead of gross lime green.” She made a disgusted face.
I took the wiggly food and the spoon, then took a bite.
Crisis averted.
For now.
Harper looked at Taya’s pale face. She wanted to say something but stopped herself after thinking over it for a second longer.
She was pretty sure she’d heard Taya call out to Silas.
After so many years, it was the first time she’d heard Taya say his name. Harper wanted to ask about it, but she didn’t want to reopen Taya’s deep scars.
Especially now, when Taya was in the hospital. It was probably better to leave the dead buried…right where Silas belonged.
Somehow, that small amount of Jell-O managed to fill me up. I put down the spoon and asked Harper, “Shouldn’t you be getting to work?”
“I’ve taken two days off to take care of you. You can’t just be in the hospital alone.”
Harper lay down on the empty hospital bed next to me. “Plus, I can take this opportunity to get some rest.”
I smiled gently, knowing better than to argue. “Thank you, Harper,” I said softly.
Harper waved her hand and yawned. “I’m gonna take a nap. Yell if you need anything.”
I nodded. “The nurses are here if I need anything. Don’t worry, and go to sleep.”
Only then did Harper close her eyes.
Harper worked in a nightclub. Most of the time, she was on the night shift. Since her hours were awful and she had to cram her daytime chores and errands into a few hours after she woke up, she was always very busy and tired.
Had she been adopted into a pack, her life would have been very different. I’d always hoped for that for her. Once I didn’t get my wolf at puberty, I knew there was no hope for me. But Harper? She had her wolf, and she was so smart.
Without a pack and a family, she wasn’t able to go to college, and without a bachelor’s degree, there wasn’t much else she could do other than a service industry job.
After graduating high school, she didn’t find a good job, but she wanted to settle in Arcadia. So, the nightclub it was.
At first, she worked bottle service. It didn’t take her long to be promoted to a management position, though, because she was dam n good at her job. She was great at everything she did, and I was super proud of her.
She was even able to buy a house and a car after a few years, which was a huge achievement for an orphaned she-wolf with no pack.
To top it all off, Harper had met the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with, and their mating ceremony was next month. After she mated, she’d finally belong to a pack and have the family she’d always dreamed of.
No more struggling for her. She’d finally have everything she wanted.
Unlike me. I’d never have the chance for that.
But I wouldn’t have any regrets as long as I could live until Harper’s wedding and see her get married.
After staying in the hospital for a night, my high fever had completely subsided. I was still weak, but I could go home.
As soon as we got home, Harper went straight to the kitchen. I wanted to help, but Harper refused.
“Go to bed and rest. You need it. I’ll take care of this.”
Harper waved her hand and dro ve me out of the room.
Sure, my fever had subsided-but my heart failure had worsened.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?