~Aurora.
Not sooner had we settled in the room than morning came. We got settled a few hours earlier, and I was still trying to get another round of sleep when Arne stirred awake next to me.
“You should get some more sleep,” I said as I planted a kiss on his temple.
“Is this where we are going to live from now on?” He asked, paying no heed to my request.
“No. No, we will be out of here as soon as possible. I just have to do a little job of taking care of some patients. Those patients we saw yesterday and just a little more, then we will be out of this place.”
Arne pinned a look on me for a second before shifting his gaze to the ceiling. “Is he a good man? The man who took us, can we trust him?”
“I…he, yeah…well. It will be best if you stayed out of his way.” I set my lips in a thin line and looked away as Arne turned back to me.
“Why? Because he's not a good man?”
No, because he is your father and he just may be out for your head. I bit back the sentence and swallowed it back with a spittle.
“Will he hurt us, mom?”
Yes, he just might. “No, no, he wouldn't. But it would be best if you stayed out of his way. He is a very busy man, and I'm certain he wouldn't have time to entertain anyone, especially a kid like you.
Arne sighed, “I don't like him.”
I tugged my bottom lip in between my teeth. I never wanted Arne to meet his father because of the threat hanging above his head, but I also never wanted him to hate Ethan either. Ethan was his father and Arne his son, no matter how much he tried to deny or cover it up.
“We will be out of here soon, baby.”
“You don't like him either, do you?”
“I don't hate him.” Which was true. Ethan may have done some unforgivable thing but, I still did not hate him.
“Is he my daddy?”
“What?” I blurted and almost choked on my spittle. “Why would you ask that?”
He raised a shoulder, "you did say I am my dad's lookalike, right?
“And you are certain you're Ethan's lookalike?”
“So that is my daddy's name. Ethan.”
I gasped, “Arne.”
I was not certain where he got the idea that Ethan was his father, but whatever got into him that morning was scary, “never say that out loud again. We are on royal ground and anyone can hear you, the king, especially. Something like this could pass as treachery, do you know what happens to treacherous people? They get beheaded or worse, skinned alive.”
“So, if he is not my daddy, who then is? And when do I get to meet him.”
“Soon,” I said with a sigh, “soon baby, soon. I promise, you will meet him soon.”
I was reaching for him when a knock came on the door. I sat up on the bed and checked the sky; the sun was starting to rise, but the day was still very early. Narrowing my brows, I opened the door to see two maids with a trolley of food behind it.
“Morning ma'am.”
“The Alpha asked that we prepare an early breakfast to compensate you for your troubles last night.” The maids said.
“Ugh, finally,” Arne grunted.
“Okay, but, I was hoping I would prepare us a meal myself. There are certain things we don't eat.”
“Oh,” one of the maids said, “we cook with everything except wheat and eggs, if you are not comfortable with them, you can tell us what you want, and we will make that for you.”
“We eat everything but wheat and eggs.” I crossed my arms against my chest, “who doesn't eat wheat and eggs?”
“The Alpha,” the second maid replied with a smile, "eggs especially.”
Of course, how did I forget?
With a smile, I accepted the food and closed the door behind me to meet a corny looking Arne, “what?”
“Ethan doesn't like wheat and eggs, mom.”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes as I walked to the bedside table to pick up my phone that just chimed to see a message from Audrey inquiring where we were.
I sent her a quick response that we had an emergency trip and after much contemplation, I sent one to Reginald too. Perhaps, we can put Greece on a hold.
“Since you would rather not sleep again, you can as well wash up and eat. The temperature won't remain the same, you know.”
Nodding, he got off the bed and walked to the bathroom.
*Is he my father?* a sharp pain ran through my chest accompanying the question. I never for once, imagined I would hide the father of my kids from them, but here I was, denying the obvious truth.
Another knock came on the door as Arne stepped out of the bathroom, and I looked through the peephole to meet a familiar pair of green eyes. I opened the door and Sam, Ethan's assistant, that was a few years older than me and younger than Ethan, pinned me a look.
“Good morning, Dr. Rory, the Alpha would like to see you now.”