Page 224 of Wicked Savage Wolves
He still has the phone to his ear, but all the blood has drained from his face as he listens to whoever is talking.
“You okay, man?”
It’s like he doesn’t even hear me. His eyes fill with moisture and my chest seizes.Fuck.His hand falls away from his face, the phone still cradled in his palm. Whoever is on the other line is still speaking, but Zheng’s no longer listening. I reach for the phone and he relinquishes it without comment.
I bring it to my ear right as he drops his head in his hands, a choked sob wracking his entire body mixed with the mournful yowl of his tiger.
“Who the hell is this?” I snarl.
There’s a pause. “Are you related to Mr. Liu,” a calm voice asks almost hesitantly.
“I’m his roommate. What’s going on? What did you say to him?” He’s not in the right headspace to deal with whatever shit this is right now.
The guy on the other line clears their voice. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I was explaining to Mr. Liu—”
“Zheng,” I correct.
“Right. I was explaining to Zheng that there’s been an accident.” I wait. “His… his mother was in a car accident on the highway earlier today. There was a pileup, and while Ms. Douglas was able to stop before colliding with the vehicle in front of her, the eighteen wheeler behind her wasn’t able to do the same.”
Fuck.
“Is she okay?”
He’s quiet for a beat, and I look down at Zheng. He’s hunched over, elbows on his knees and hands on the back of his head. If she was okay, he wouldn’t be like that.
“We weren’t able to get to her in time. She … she never made it back to the South Atlantic Pack Compound. I’m very sorry.”
“What the hell do you mean you didn’t get to her in time?” I bite out, and it’s Zheng who answers, his voice dejected.
“She was pinned and bled out. She couldn’t free herself, so the Lyc-V in her system kept trying and failing to heal her until it burned out. She’s gone.”
“What?” I ask him, eyes wide before repeating into the phone, “What? She’s dead?”
Zheng flinches.
“I’m sorry. She’s gone. Zheng Liu is listed as her next of kin. She was a new addition to our Pack and I was contacting him so we can proceed with the next—”
“No. He’s not dealing with that today. He just found out his mom is gone. Everything else can wait.”
“Sir, if I—”“No. You can call back in a few days. Give the man some time to grieve and don’t you dare make any fucking decisions about her body.” I hang up and toss Zheng’s phone onto the sofa beside him.
“Hey.” He’s not looking at me. “What do you need, man? What can I do?”
He hiccups and then gets to his feet.
“Whoa. Slow down. Where are you going?” He grabs his keys and heads for the door, but I block him. “Zheng—”
“I have to tell my sister.Shit.How am I supposed to tell her? How do—”
Fuck. I didn’t even think about Meiying. Shit. Shit. Shit. “Okay. It’s okay. You don’t have to do that right now. We have time.”
“Yeah, I do,” he shouts, tears tracking down his face. I’ve never seen him like this before, and fuck if I know how to fix it. This is not something he can handle right now. Already I can feel the beast inside him calling to my own. Bloodlust rises in him, searching for a way to deal with his grief and pain. “She needs to know. She’d want to know. Now. Not tomorrow or in a few hours. She needs to know now. But how the fuck am I supposed to do that, Des? She’s my baby sister and I have to tell her but—”
I nod my head and grab him in a tight embrace. He clings to me like his life depends on it, hands fisted in the back of my shirt. “I get it, man. But you’re still processing shit right now and your beast is already on edge. You can’t drive like this. Just...sit down for a few, okay. We’ll sort this out.”
His shoulders shake, the urge to shift consuming him. “She needs to know, man.” His voice is hoarse.
“I’ll tell her. You stay here and I’ll tell her.”
