Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 299

I use the most sarcastic, mocking tone to ask, "Who's there?"

"Not me." He laughs hysterically. I remember him wiping a tear away. "Damn, I crack myself up."

Click.

I stare at the screen. After two more tries, I get worried.

"What's wrong?" Onai asks.

I shake my head, trying my mother. Thankfully she picks up on the first try.

"Are you okay?" Mom asks. "What happened?"

"I'm fine," I say.

"On a scale of ice cream cone to three boxes of tissues, how fine are you?"

"I'm okay, Mom. Really." Me and Carson haven't even talked about the whole 'caught cheating' thing. "I was just wondering where Michael is."

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"He's not picking up."

She pauses. "He's not with you?"

Is this the moment where I'm supposed to lie? Where the heck is he? "I-"

"I should've known," she says.

I raise an eyebrow.

"When Suzie came rushing over... And then they both left to go 'pick you up.'" The tone Mom's using means she's definitely shaking her head. "Be honest. They're dating, aren't they?"

My eyes widen. "No, Mom. Absolutely not."

"Are you sure?" She drags out the last word for far too long. "Don't worry. They'll still make time for you."

Omg. "Yeah, well, I'll go try to call Suzie then. I love you." I wait for her to say goodbye and hang up the phone. This is ridiculous. Michael's missing and she's got her head in the clouds.

Onai looks away when our eyes connect, and I wonder how much of that conversation he heard. I try to call Suzie, but I get nothing. So I keep texting Michael, hoping he'll respond. I just need to know he's okay.

After a while, Fei tires herself out, head nodding back on the blanket. When it's clear she's asleep, Shen says what we've all been waiting for, "Fei's mother was a Dawn werewolf. You saw her at the border, right?" She turns to Aiden.

He narrows his eyes at her, then nods slowly. "How did she...?"

"Her imprint passed," she says.

The room gets quiet. That's the same way the brothers' father died. It's always a sore topic.

"Was he Fei's father?" Axel asks.

Shen nods, but when Aiden asks if it was the same man he saw at the border, she shakes her head. "That was my aunt's brother. Fei's father was a Bloodmoon soldier. He died during... A..." She pauses.

The doctor frowns. "Well, you have some kind of idea, right?"

Aiden has plenty, but Axel cuts him off. "We're... figuring it out." Axel's tight smile doesn't hide the pointed looks they exchange. I wonder what they're thinking. From the tight expressions on Onai and Ethel's faces, they don't know either.

Dr Janice sighs. "Well." She turns to her nephew, meeting his worried eyes. "I'm sure they'll decide what's best."

"Will they?" he asks frantically.

She doesn't have an answer. She carefully wraps a bandage around Shen's leg, keeping the damaged limb as still as possible. "Have..." She hesitates. "You told your mom yet, Ethel?"

He pales.

Dr. Janice quickly adds, "I could tell her if you want me to-"

"No," he shouts. Then he lowers his voice, holding his forehead. "I mean, please... Don't."

Her eyes say it all.

Silence fills the room as the doctor pulls Shen's pants leg back down. "If that's all you alphas needed." She stands up. "I should be going. I've got other patients at the hospital."

Axel nods. "Of course. Sorry to keep you."

"It's fine-"

"Obviously..." Aiden's cold eyes turn to her. "This stays between us."