Lessons in Love

Chapter 54: My Family

POV: Beta Ben Westlake

We had followed the scent as far into the woods as we could. The smell of Rogues started to muddle the scents we were tracking, and we had lost them. I knew my father’s scent well. I recognized the second scent as Henry Sloan. I was enraged. Henry had betrayed me, my mother, and our whole pack. He had endangered and injured my mate. That alone made me want to gut him.

“Katherine says the kids are still under lockdown in the bunkers. She wants to know if they can be released yet?” Sam asked through the mind-link as we ran back toward the village as wolves.

“Yes, but I want everyone on high alert.” I said, heading toward the packhouse.

“Where are you going?” Sam asked.

“I need to get everything from Rick’s office tested. I need to know what was in that whiskey.” I growled.

“Why don’t you let me do that?” Sam offered. “You should go be with Rick and Riley at the hospital.”

I turned abruptly and growled at him. “I’m not doing anything until I get to the bottom of this.”

“Ben, you need to take care of your family first. Go, please. I’ll handle Rick’s office and will make sure your mother is brought down to the hospital to be with you.”

“No,” I shook my head. “My mother should stay at my place. Some of the warriors tried to arrest her this morning.”

“What?” Sam was shocked.

“I told them she was at her house and to check the basement. I haven’t seen any of those guys since, but I linked with my mom a little while ago, and she’s still in my suite. No one has come back to get her.” I told him. I sighed. “Maybe you could check on her though?”

“Okay, I’ll talk to the warriors and get patrols started in the area we tracked George. Give me the names of the warriors that came to arrest her this morning, and I’ll track them down after I clean out the office.” Sam said reassuringly.

I gave him the names. “Sam, I want everything dusted for prints, and I want all the bottles on that drink cart tested for anything that shouldn’t be there.” I said firmly.

“I will make sure it’s done.” Sam gave me a nod and headed for the packhouse. I turned and headed for the hospital.

As I entered the building, I felt more and more apprehensive. What if this wasn’t my father’s doing? What if it was just how it looked? What if Rick had tried to take his own life? A shiver went through me at the thought. No, I gave my head a shake. No, he wouldn’t. No matter how hard things got, Rick never gave in. The pictures on the floor, I reminded myself. They weren’t just pictures to him. He had seen those things happen in real time.

I reached the nurses’ station and asked for some clothes, and Dr. Morris. She met me in the hallway with some scrubs and took me to her office. She explained what was happening with him. “Beta, you know him very well. Is there any chance that this was intentional?”

In my heart, I honestly didn’t know, but I shook my head vehemently. “Not a chance.” I said firmly. “You said it yourself, the pills were dissolved in the whiskey. A person in that kind of distress wouldn’t waste time marinading the pills.” I gritted my teeth to keep from growling. “Besides, we just chased the acting Alpha off the pack lands. In the last 24 hours, he’s kidnapped the Alpha and Luna, tried to kill his mate and son and then arrest his mate and his son. He tried to kill Ms. Campbell this morning. Poisoning Rick would be par for the course.” I growled that time.

“I need to be sure,” she said gently. “You know I’d have to report it if it were a suicide attempt.”

I stifled a harsh growl and wrapped my hand around my watch. The watch had been a gift to hide the scar for this exact reason. Mental health wasn’t something the council seemed to care about. We were supposed to be soldiers, tough and immovable. If the council found out an officer or a potential officer had made an attempt on their own life, they’d be stripped of their title. Depending on the pack, they could be turned out as Rogues.

Rick had spent nearly fifteen years helping me hide my scar to keep me in my position. I would do whatever it took to keep him in his. “We’re having everything in his office printed and tested.” I told her. “I’m sure we’ll find the proof that this was not his choice.”

“Understood.” She gave a nod. “He’s still asleep. Ms. Campbell and Emma are in with him. We moved a bed in there so Ms. Campbell would be more comfortable. Is there anything else you would like brought in?”

“No, thank you.” I tried to give her a smile. It was strained at best. She led me back to Rick’s room and quietly opened the door. Riley and Emma were cuddled on the bed, fast asleep. There was a chair next to the bed, and I moved toward it. I stood there patiently as the doctor took Rick’s vitals and did a quick examination of his head wound.

“He’s healing a bit slowly,” she said. “That’s not uncommon with the drugs in his system.”

“How long till he wakes up?” I asked quietly.

“That’s up to him, really.” She said. “His body has to get the last of the drugs out of his system, which could take a while. If he’s not awake in two hours, I’ll run some more tests.”

“Thank you.” I whispered, sitting down. Dr. Morris left, and I finally had the courage to look at Rick. His usually clean-shaven face was covered with coarse stubble. His hair looked stringy and a bit tangled. He was pale, making the dark smudges under his eyes his most prominent feature. Even though he was on a bed, I kept thinking of him lying on the floor in his office bathroom.

“Rick,” my voice was whisper, but it was thick, and I cleared my throat. I reached out and gripped his wrist, feeling his pulse strong and steady under my fingers. I rested my elbow on the bed and gripped my temples with my free hand, covering my eyes, which I closed against the tears.

“Rick, I’m so sorry.” I whispered. “I won’t let him get to you again. I promise.” I choked on the words and felt the tears hot on my face. This was my fault. How many times could I have ended this, but fear or politics or pride had gotten in the way? All of it seemed like foolish excuses to me know as he lay there.

“Ben,” Riley’s sleepy voice whispered behind me.

I took a steadying breath but couldn’t move. “Hey,” I whispered back. I heard her get out of the bed and move toward me. She stroked my hair and rested her hand on my shoulder.

“What do you need?” She asked softly.

“I …” I shook my head, unable to speak without sobbing. Riley ran her arm across my shoulder blades and stepped in closer. I wrapped my arm around her waist, burying my face in her shirt. She held me tight as I wept silently into her stomach. I had nearly lost everything. In the blink of an eye, I had almost lost my entire family. I think I wept as much from relief that they were all alive as I did from fear and hurt in that moment.

Riley let me, never flexing her aura to calm me down. It was like she knew I needed to let it all out. She stroked my hair silently the whole time, providing equal measures of comfort and affection. That moment would define safety to me for the rest of my life. I felt, despite my emotions, that I was home. She was home. I pulled my head back and looked up at her. She brushed her fingers across my face, wiping the tears away. She leaned in and kissed my forehead before pressing her forehead against mine.

I tried to smile at her as her hands stroked my hair and the side of my face. “I needed that.” I kissed her lips gently. “I need you.”