After they'd all left my room. I grab a quick shower and get dressed. I decided to call Uncle Knox before making the appointment with Alpha Nate. The last time we talked was when I was on my way to the Council Yard to visit Ash and he told me Miranda ran away from home and how she isn't Nate's daughter.
"Eric?..."
"Hey, Uncle Knox." I happily say when I hear his voice over the phone
"Eric is that really you?..." He calls my name again, sounding like he can't believe he's hearing my voice.
"Yes, Uncle, it's me. How have you been?" I ask with a chuckle but he flies off the handle instead
"How have I been!? Really!? You knucklehead son of a gun! You asked 'How have I been' as if I'm supposed to be fine while you lay unconscious somewhere! Well if you must know, I've been miserable! Not knowing how you're fearing! Do you know how that feels!?..." He forcefully says, pausing to catch his breath
"Now, calm down Uncle," I tell him, afraid he would have a heart attack. I pray he will take it easy so that doesn't end up happening.
"No, Uncle! I– I didn't know you knew. I thought Thor would want to keep it away from you considering the state of your health and..."
"What!?..." He didn't allow me to finish what I was saying before he interrupted me.
"You wanted him to keep it away from me!? He wasn't supposed to tell me that you were attacked and unconscious!?" He sounds more upset now as he talks
"Uncle Knox, you know I don't mean it that way! I was just thinking about..."
"You were attacked and unconscious and I couldn't even see you!" He interrupted me again.
"Thor wouldn't let me! That cold-hearted boy! He stopped calling and still wouldn't answer my calls so I would at least find out how you were doing! Ella also stopped calling me! I know he ordered her to not pick up my calls! I was kept in the dark! Left wondering if you were alive or...!" There was a catch in his voice then. He couldn't finish his sentence.
I exhale loudly, wishing to see Thor right then so I can wring his neck.
"I'm sorry about this Uncle, I never knew he would... I mean he wasn't supposed to..."
"What were you even thinking? Going off by yourself. Fighting those rogues alone!? Are you out of your mind!? Were you on drugs!?"
"Please, Uncle, calm down– your heart! I promised you I wasn't on drugs. I was ambushed when I was on my way from..."
"If you boys don't end up killing me with fright and shock one of these days then maybe I might just live to see another hundred years on earth..."
I gave up and let him continue venting his emotions when he interrupted me for the fourth time.
With a shaky voice, he talked about what he went through and how scared he was when Thor was feral. He told me how he almost had another heart attack when Thor called to inform him of what happened to me and how Thor wouldn't call and even stopped answering his calls after that.
By the time he's done talking, I can't help but feel guilty for making him worry so much as if I went looking for the rogues to attack me. I also feel like killing Thor for telling him what happened to me and still wouldn't pick up his calls to assure him everything would be okay.
"I'm sorry I made you worry so much." I apologize again when he is finally done venting
"Don't be sorry. What are you sorry for? It's not as if you asked to be attacked by those filthy bastards. Now I'm just glad you're okay. What am I going to tell Drew and Liv when I die and meet them in the afterlife if anything happens to you?
I'm also glad you called to tell me you're okay. Thor wouldn't call! He wouldn't even pick up my calls!..." He complained to me for the umpteenth time and I swear to myself for the umpteenth time that I will kill him the moment I lay my eyes on him.
"I woke up yesterday and I'm okay now, so you don't have to worry anymore. And I'm sure Thor didn't call, not because he didn't care about your feelings but because he was..." I paused to quickly think of a perfect excuse to give on behalf of Thor.
"When I woke up from the coma, Ella told me how he was scared when the doctors told him I would die and that nothing could be done. She told me how he went about searching for the antivenom.
I guess that was what made him so busy he forgot to communicate with you. Especially when there was no good news to share with you, you know. We are sorry! Please forgive us. I'll have him call you as soon as I see him this morning"
"No! He shouldn't bother to call me! Let's leave him and talk about you. How are you doing?"
"Great! Tomorrow is the trial. Thor and I planned to go see Alpha Nate today. Have you spoken with him after the last time we spoke?"
"Yes. Several times actually. He's the only friend I have after your dad passed you know. I told you that day that they knew nothing about what Miranda did to Thor. The two of them, Nate and his mate, Raina, were shocked and disappointed when I told them."
"Who wouldn't! So how did they learn she wasn't their daughter?"
"Well, Nate told me it was the day she and her friends fought with one of their maids. They took her to the ER to have her crushed bones set so she could heal properly. It was there that the surgeon who operated on her revealed to them that her bones are of very low quality. Her bones didn't have the same amount of strength as should an Alpha. That test determines the impossibility of her being their daughter.."
"Ohh..."
"Yes. They did a paternity test on that same day and the result later confirmed that fact. Miranda is not their daughter.''
"The Luna cheated on him?" I ask with surprise
"No, the Luna didn't cheat! I meant to say she's not their biological daughter. She's not even Alpha! She's Omega! It seems the baby was switched on them at the hospital. He told me Raina had always suspected that something was off with their daughter but he never took her seriously"
"Ohh..." I say again with surprise while my brain starts adding two and two together. Miranda is Omega and Ash is Alpha. Both girls were born in the same month. Could it be that was where the switch was made? I think to myself as I half listen to what Uncle Knox is saying.
"They've been investigating. They had all the doctors and nurses that were on duty at the hospital the day Miranda was born arrested but there is no headway yet. According to Nate, they've been hitting dead ends"
"That's serious. What about Miranda? Has she returned home? She spent only one night at Alpha's mansion. She just up and left without telling anyone and we've not seen her ever since."
"She hasn't returned home ever since she sneaked out through her window the night she fought Ash. They've involved the police and all efforts made to find her have proved abortive. It was as if she disappeared into thin air."
"I wish I could tell Uncle Knox about my suspicions concerning Ash and Miranda and also about Ash's pregnancy but I can't... He's Thor's dad but who's to say he won't run to Nate, his best friend, and share the information with him? Whatever information I have, I'm going to inform Thor first before anyone. This affects him directly more than anyone else after all.
"Okay, Uncle Knox. I need to call Alpha Nate now to let him know we're on our way to see him. I don't want Thor to know he's related to Miranda just in case he has any photo of her sitting around in his office."
"Okay, that's good! So what's the plan? How am I getting to the Council court tomorrow?
"I can't say for now until I've spoken with Thor. We'll let you know how it's going to be this evening."
"Okay, will be expecting your call in the evening then," He says and ends the call