Read Online Doc Featherstone's Return by Stephani Hecht - Free Book Online Page B

her.
    What’s her name and lineage?”
    Damn, his father acted like they were talking about a show dog instead of a person. Joshua took a deep breath to hold back his anger. To think that he allowed this man to rule his life, for so long, too. Damn, he’d been such an idiot. Thank God Shane had slapped some sense into him.
    “It’s not a she, and it’s a Hawk shifter.”
    There was a long silence over the phone before his father said, “This had better be a joke.”
    “I’m sorry, but it’s not. I didn’t mean to, but I fell in love with him, and I’m not giving him up.”
    “Pack your things up and come home
    immediately. Those low-bred felines at that coalition have been a bad influence on you. I knew I should never have allowed you to go there. Once you get home, you’ll see things our way again.”
Joshua took the phone away from his ear and gave it a look of disbelief, his shock was so great.
    “I’m not going anywhere. I’m a grown man. I can make my own decisions in life, and this is one of them. You can’t dictate my life anymore.”
    “You do this and you will be letting down the entire family.”
    “And if I don’t, I’ll be letting down myself.”
    “Don’t you have any respect for your heritage, your ancestors?” his father yelled.
    “Of course I do, but that doesn’t mean I have to live an unhappy life.”
    “You do this and I’ll disown you. You won’t have a family anymore.”
    You’re wrong, I have my family here and that’s all that matters, Joshua thought.
    Instead, he said aloud, “I’m sorry, Father, but my mind is made up, my mate is more important to me.”
    Then he was listening to dead air because his father hung up on him. Joshua held the receiver to his ear for a few more moments before setting it down. It was only then that he realized his hands were trembling.
    He’d done it. Stood up to his father. Now all that stood between him and Ash was Ash forgiving him, something that Joshua knew wasn’t going to come easy. He’d hurt his little Hawk badly, and Joshua honestly didn’t know if he
deserved another chance. But he was going to do everything in his power to make sure he got it.

    Ash woke up and blinked a few times before the events from the night before came back to him.
    Then he sat up with a gasp as panic gripped him.
    “Shhh…you’re okay. Everything is over now.
    You’re safe now,” a familiar voice said.
    Turning, Ash was comforted to see Isaac sitting there. From the bags under his eyes, he’d been there awhile, too.
    “Scarlett?” Ash asked.
    “Dead.”
    “Shit,” Ash breathed as he closed his eyes.
    Even though she’d gone off the deep end and tried to kill him, he never wanted it to end that way. Before everything had gone into the crapper for her, she’d been a decent person. She hadn’t deserved any of what had happened to her.
    “Shane made sure she had an honorable funeral,” Isaac said.
    “At least she had that.”
    “How are you feeling?” Isaac asked.
    “A bit groggy, but otherwise great. For the first time since being shot, I have complete feeling in my legs. Was I dreaming last night or did they say that I could walk again?”
Isaac smiled. “No, you weren’t. They said that not only would you be able to walk again, but that you can shift, too. Before you know it, you’ll be back in the field with us.”
    Ash fell silent for a moment before another thought occurred to him. “Did the doc come back to see me after I came out of surgery?”
    “Are you kidding? He couldn’t wait to get in to see you. Why?”
    Ash ignored the question as, all of a sudden, bits and pieces of the conversation between him and the doc came back. Letting out a gasp, Ash brought his hand to his mouth. “I am such an asshole.”
    “Why would you say that?”
    “Do you know I never even asked Featherstone his first name?”
    “So what are you getting at?”
    “I’ve been mad at him for not giving up his family to be with me, yet I’ve