Wolf Endangered (Willow's Forbidden Pack #2) - Avery Song Page 0,72

car, leaving me with Viktor as we watched him walk to a guard post to the far left.

"Do you see any point in driving back?" I tossed the question to Viktor as he reached my left side. "We couldn't even go to the penthouse with that amount of traffic. By the time you even attempt to get to wherever you have to go, it'll be well past midnight."

"You have a point," he admitted. "I won't make it to the hospital before visiting hours are finished."

"Hospital?" I inquired, confused as to why he was going there. "You're not unwell, are you?" I moved all the way onto my tiptoes to press my hand on his forehead. "You never get sick."

His smile was priceless as his eyes softened.

"I'm not sick, Willow," he assured me, his hand laying upon mine. It remained there for a few extra seconds before he wrapped his fingers around my hand and lowered it. "Roberto's in the hospital."

"Huh?" My expression surely expressed my shock. "Papa Dearest is as healthy as a damn horse. What the hell happened that could land him in the hospital? He hates being cared for by anyone."

"I know," he replied. "He's having heart issues. They're still conducting a few more tests to determine what triggered the sudden drop in health."

"If that ain't fishy," I grumbled but looked away to think for a moment.

In all honesty, if Roberto died today, I wouldn't feel as emotionally heartbroken as a child losing their parent would be. It was a bit cold-hearted to admit, but I wasn't going to lie to myself.

Papa Dearest was the reason for my fucked-up problems, but then again, it was thanks to his cruel upbringing that I wasn't some pushover. I certainly was alive thanks to my desire to be better, stronger, wiser, and prove my worth as a human.

Though I was now a wolf, that desire to be on top didn't diminish in the slightest. It was stronger and wouldn't be shattered by Roberto's death, but with how things had been going the last forty-eight hours, I could only assume this had potentially been coordinated.

Viktor gently squeezed my hand, alerting me that he was obviously still standing there, and bringing me back into the present.

"You okay?"

"I'm not necessarily worried," I stated defensively. "But I'm not as pleased with this news as I always imagined I would be."

"It's because of what we've recently found out, correct?" Viktor offered.

I sighed with a bob of my head. "He knew I was royalty...was well aware of the life I could have had, and yet he treated me like a worthless piece of shit. I feel like I should only be angrier and disgusted that his blood runs through my veins, but I'm unsure why I'm not reacting the way I should."

"You're still processing the fact that you're a wolf," Viktor reasoned. "Give yourself a few days. It's been a rough forty-eight hours."

"It has," I whispered and couldn't help resting my head against his chest.

"Are you alright?" He sounded worried, but I just needed a moment.

"I'm fine. Just need a moment to let this info settle," I assured him. "If you're not driving back, can you run with us?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Would it be selfish of me to say it is?"

"No."

"Then, I'd like for you to join us, please." I added the last word because I really did want him to join. Knowing Viktor, he'd either watch in the shadows in an effort to protect me or try to keep himself busy.

A good chunk of his life had been protecting me, and I felt like he needed some sort of balance so his life didn't revolve around taking orders, protecting me, and completing errands.

"It's just a pack run," Viktor voiced. "There are no underlying dangers."

"I'm not worried about my safety, Viktor," I stated. "I just want you to have a break. When was the last time you ran with a pack of wolves?"

"I haven't done so since Russia," he admitted, which was a bit surprising to me because I expected him to brush it off with a funny comment. "During my time with other warlock hybrids."

"Wait, really?" I asked, immediately intrigued by his openness. "Are you gonna get in trouble for sharing with me?"

I knew Russia didn't play around with their information sharing. Many shifters and humans alike would be sworn to keep all information private, and the more they attempted to share, the closer they got to death.

"I'm allowed to share with those who I