Now, I was in a full-on spiral.
“Are you okay?” She gripped my arm, and it managed to snap me out of holding my breath. I sucked in oxygen, filling my lungs.
“I’m okay.” I straightened, trying not to collapse into the wall. I didn’t want to scare the poor woman more than she already was.
The loud thumping returned, seeping through the walls. Zhao turned toward the door at the end of the hall and then back to me, her expression screwed tight.
“I’m okay.” I waved her forward. Finally, she decided to stride toward the door. She knocked loudly, her thuds vibrating the frame of the door.
“Mr. Wilder,” she called. “Can you please turn the music down?” She kept knocking.
I straightened, finally getting my breathing in line, and gathered myself. Zhao looked at me over her shoulder at hearingmy approach. “I’m worried he could have done something to himself. He hasn’t answered since yesterday.”
“Why haven’t you gone in?”
“His temper.” That was all she had to say, and I got it. I saw how quick Lucian was to bite first instead of asking questions.
“Do you have the key?”
She rifled through her pocket and pulled out a silver metal card. I took it, and the door beeped as soon as I pressed it to the scanner. With a click, the door opened and the scent of alcohol wafted out, slapping me across the face. That wasn’t the worst part; it was the excruciatingly loud music coming from the speakers. Like father, like son—they both liked classical music. I entered slowly, hesitant to find him in a private moment, but I poked my head through the slim door. He sat against a couch, head tipped back, eyes closed.
I strode over to the speaker beside the television in the main area, attached to the hall. I shut off the device, leaving the room in eerie silence. Bottles of various brands of alcohol littered the floor, empty. He was not discerning about what he drank.
“Mr. Wilder?” I murmured, as to not startle him. He lifted his head so fast, it scared me. He watched me with blood-shot eyes.
“Is that my son’s mate?” He squinted and blinked. Red marks covered his face.
“Yes, it’s Josephine.”
“Ah, Josephine, a lovely name.” He brought the bottle to his mouth and tipped it back. “The second loveliest name I’ve ever heard,” he slurred, low-toned, like he was talking to himself.
He was obliterated.
“Oh, and what’s the first?” I mused.
He pounded his fist into his chest.
“My fated,” he croaked. “I miss her.”
His eyes opened to show bloodshot and glassy orbs. I crouched nearby, far enough away to be at a suitable distance. He rolled the back of his head against the cushion.
“Where is she?” I finally allowed myself to ask. His dark hair, so much like Lucian’s, other than the shock of white at the temples, fell into his forehead. I couldn’t help but study the male. To see how Lucian would age, how he wouldn’t lose the angled features, strong build, and other than a few wrinkles at the edges of his eyes and lining his mouth, he’d remain startlingly attractive.
“What are you doing?” Lucian’s voice whipped through the living room. I stiffened, but stayed still. It took him long enough; I expected him to come searching for me as soon as I left the lobby.
His dad squinted over at him.
“Son.” He smiled dopily. “The only good that came from taking your mother as my chosen.”
I frowned, and Lucian shook his head slightly to the question in my eyes. If he saw Lucian as his only positive . . . was Alex not his? Now that I paid attention to that, as attractive as they both were, Alex was much more fair. But I thought it was just because Alex favored their mom while Lucian his father.
“I missher,” Henry slurred again, the mournful tone sending an ache through my chest.
“What are you doing wallowing then?” Lucian strode closer, his gait hindered by the cast. “Go find her.”
“I want to find her,” he sobbed. “I would trade anything. I would sell my soul to have her.”
He closed his eyes, and tears squeezed from them. I couldn’t help but feel bad, but the fact was, he’d made his bed and now he rotted in it. If it were me, and Lucian claimed a mate, I didn’t think I could ever be with him.
