Rejection and Redeemed

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

J acob felt himself slowly coming awake. He could hear soft talking and laughing coming from around the bed, and his hand felt like he was holding something.

He sighed and opened his eyes. The first person he saw was Fran, his blue-haired mate, holding his hand.

“You got restless while you slept,” Fran told him and went to release his hand, but Jacob tightened his fingers.

“Thanks.”

“Do you want to sit up?” Fran asked.

“Please,” he replied.

Fran let his hand go and stood up.

“I’ll help,” Emory said, walking to the other side.

“Dr Fitzwilliams, thanks,” Jacob said.

“Call me Emory, we’re all family here,” he said, helping Jacob to sit up.

Finn handed cushions to Fran to put behind Jacob and helped him get settled.

Jacob tried not to groan. Instead, he hissed a few times, which he took as a win.

“Can I get you something to drink? I’m Ezzy, by the way, Robbie’s younger and more amazing brother,” Ezzy said with a laugh.

“And my mate. You can have water or orange juice,” Emory said, checking Jacob’s pulse.

“Yeah, Dr Robert said. Just water for the moment please,” Jacob replied.

Ezzy walked to the table and picked up a bottle of water and a glass and brought them over. He handed the glass to Fran and poured water into it.

“Thanks,” Fran said. “Here you go.”

Jacob took the glass and took a sip, sighing happily. “Thanks.”

“I hope we didn’t wake you. We’ve been talking about the castle ghosts and missing secret passages,” Finn said.

“No, I was waking up anyway. But ghosts and missing secret passages?” Jacob enquired.

“Oh yeah. See Robbie, me, and Fran thought we knew all, and I do mean all, the secret passages and priest holes. But the other day we found out we are missing a few of each,” Ezzy said.

“So now we need to look for the missing ones, which must be really well hidden if we’ve not found them,” Fran put in.

“And then I mentioned someone died in one, and that’s how we got onto the topic of ghosts. The castle has a few. So now we have to take you all ghost hunting,” Ezzy added.

“I must admit, I would be interested in seeing a ghost, purely from a scientific viewpoint,” Emory put in.

“But we’re going to wait until you’re better so you can join us,” Finn said. “I mean, the ghosts and missing secret passages have been around forever, so waiting for you to get better and join us won’t make any difference.”

Jacob looked confused. “You want me to join in?”

“Sure we do. If you don’t mind me saying, Jacob, you look like you need to have some fun,” Finn said softly.

“I can’t remember the last time I had any,” he admitted softly.

“That’s why we’re waiting for you. It’ll be fun. Just wait until you walk your first secret passageway,” Fran said, grinning at him.

“It’s fun discovering them. Not so much having to use one, but I’m glad the castle has them,” Finn said.

“You’ve used one?” Jacob asked in surprise.

Finn nodded. “Yeah, when my dad turned up with a couple of others to capture me and drag me back to the Bishop pack. The priest hole helped me stay safe.”

“Sorry about your dad, and mine, and well, everything,” Jacob said to him.

“Not your fault and truthfully, if I hadn’t have been kicked out, I would never have met my Robbie.”

“Or me and Fran,” Ezzy put in. “And I wouldn’t have met my Emory, or Fran meeting you,” he said, looking at Jacob, before grimacing. “Sorry, forget I said that.”

“You're right, none of us would have met, otherwise,” Jacob said. He ignored the part about meeting Fran. His feelings were still confused over Finn and Fran.

“I’ve gotta ask, Jacob,” Ezzy said, trying to look serious but Jacob could detect humour in his eyes. “A frying pan?”

“Not one of my better ideas. It was a spur of the moment thing. He walked into the kitchen to help himself to my food, I saw the frying pan and before I knew it, hit him round the head,” Jacob admitted. “If he had just respected the fact that my father had just died, that I was in my home, a home he was kicking me out of, I’m sure things would have worked out better.”

“Yes, Cresswell did say he had gone about things the wrong way,” Berni said, walking in with Frank.

Jacob looked Frank over making sure he was better. Sure, Dr Robert had said he was fine, but he wanted to check the Beta for himself.

Frank smiled at him. “I’m perfectly fine thanks to you, Jacob. Robbie told me your first thought on waking up was to protect me.”

“They wanted me, I couldn’t let you be hurt because of me,” Jacob said simply.

“You’re a good fighter. If you want extra training and training for multiple opponents just let me know,” Frank said to him.

“Thank you,” Jacob said, sounding confused.

“I spoke to Cresswell earlier and told him I want your mother’s money and her furniture. He said he found a folder that said how much money your mother had when she married your father and all the furniture that came from her family. He’s emailing me a copy of the paperwork. Everything that was your mother’s will be coming to you. I’ll release some of the money to you, but the bulk of it, however, will be held in trust for you, until you’re twenty five.”

Jacob was stunned for a moment. “Thank you, Alpha.”

Berni nodded. “I also mentioned the secret cupboard in your father’s office. Before Cresswell rips the office to bits, he wanted me to double check that you didn’t know where it was. He wondered if you had seen your father at a specific random location in the office?”

Jacob started to shake his head then stopped. “I saw him bent down by the fireplace a few times when there was no need for a fire. I’d tell him to start there.”

“Perfect, thank you, Jacob. Now, I hope everyone is treating you well.”

Jacob nodded. “I’ve been hearing about ghosts and missing priest holes.”

Berni looked at Ezzy and Robbie who had just walked in. “So disappointed.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” Jacob said quickly. “Don’t be mad at them.”

Berni looked at Jacob. “I’m not mad at them, honestly. But you’d be disappointed in them too if you knew they’d lived in this castle their whole lives and not discovered everything they could,” he finished with a grin.

“It’s true. I mean, I’m disappointed in Robbie as well,” Ezzy joked.

“Hey now, you didn’t find them either,” Robbie pointed out.

“But I’m the younger brother. Being the next Duke, you should know everything about the place.”

“Did you find them all, Dad?” Fran asked.

“Of course I did, what do you take me for? I even spent the night in the haunted priest hole,” Frank replied, puffing his chest out.

“Seriously?” Emory asked.

“He did, and spent half the night screaming,” Berni said, laughing at the memory.

“I was ten and you blocked the door so I couldn’t get out,” Frank protested.

Berni looked at Jacob. “See, you have all this to look forward to. Now, Frank and I are off to chat to those three wolves.”

“Be good, boys,” Frank said, walking out with his brother.

There was silence for a moment. Jacob looked at the tray of goodies at the end of his bed. “Please tell me that’s lemon cake and I can have some.”

“I’d rather you didn’t have any today,” Robbie said, before relenting. “But maybe just a little bit.”

“Really?” he said happily.

“Sure,” Robbie replied, cutting a small piece and putting it on a plate before handing it to Fran to pass to Jacob. “Let’s all have some,” Robbie suggested, cutting more and handing the plates out.

Everyone sat around the bed and ate the cake.

“I can’t remember the last time I had any cake,” Jacob said.

“Laura, the cook, is amazing,” Ezzy said.

“I’ve just had the best idea,” Finn said, sounding excited and sitting forward. “When we go shopping you should come with us, Jacob.”

“Shopping?” Jacob queried.

“Yeah, I need some more clothes. Most of my new clothes were destroyed by those wolves who came for me. A lot has been replaced, but I could always do with more, and I’m pretty sure you don’t have many clothes with you. We should go and buy more. Me, Ez, and Fran love shopping. Robbie breaks out in hives. What about you, Uncle?”

Emory laughed. “Hives, so many hives.”

“So, we leave the boring doctors here and go have fun,” Fran said.

Jacob looked confused. “You want me to go shopping with you?”

“We do,” Finn said. He gazed at Jacob. “Jacob, you’ve had friends before, you know how friendships work.”

“I’ve only ever had one proper friend, the others all hung around with me because I was an Alpha heir,” Jacob admitted.

“Well, that was one more than me,” Finn said.

“So, we declare you our friend, whatever happens between you and Fran, you are now our friend,” Ezzy announced.

Jacob gave a small smile. “I’m sorry about everything,” he said, looking at them all.

“It’s forgotten,” Finn said, patting his leg.