Ares POV
After telling Serenity's dad that I needed to make a phone call I stepped out of her hospital room and pulled my phone out. I thought about her smiling face as I scrolled to find my dad's number and shook my head with a goofy grin on my face. I was definitely being dumb when I considered rejecting her but right now that didn't matter. I need to update my father on everything going on. Heck, I haven't even told him she was my mate yet.
I finally found his number and pressed the button to call him. It only rang once before he picked up and shocked me by saying, "How is your mate?"
"How did you know?" I asked him shocked he knew before I told him.
"Son, give your dad some credit, here. I have known you your whole life and you have never wanted to stay behind when your people leave a place much less shirked your responsibilities as prince for a month before for anyone. Now, answer my question, how is my future daughter-in-law?"
I couldn't help but smile as I thought about Serenity in a wedding gown, "She finally woke up a little while ago. She is beautiful, wonderful, and perfect, if a bit on the strong and stubborn side."
My dad started laughing, "Well look at what we have here, the dark demonic dragon prince has fallen in love with the heartless ice princess. Since she's awake, when do you plan on bringing her here and introducing her as your mate?"
I sighed and rubbed my temples not sure how he was going to take this next bit of news. I really didn't think he would like the fact that it would be another week when he's been waiting a month already, but I had to put Serenity's health first. Goddess knows she would hate not being able to walk at all more then she hates waiting a week.
"The doctor said she has to wait a week before doing any traveling. Since she has been out so long, her muscles aren't strong enough and pushing it could risk her loosing use of her legs permanently," replied with a grimace and my eyes closed, prepared for my father to blow up and start shouting but instead he surprised me, yet again, by laughing.
"I bet she isn't very happy about that. If my memory of that child serves me correctly, she was never one to like being ordered to rest," my dad said confusing me and making me recall something Serenity's dad said earlier.
"Wait, you knew her before the ball. Does that mean that I knew them before then too?"
"Yes, son. Me and Grimmy go way back and you and Serenity used to give us the most trouble out the whole lot of you."
"Grim mentioned something about me protecting her as a kid, earlier."
"Yeah, it was the day her mother died. Rogues attacked and killed her mother but when they turned their attention towards little Serenity, you wrapped her in your tail and burned the lot of them. In fact, you even swore that day that you would marry her. Don't you remember?"
"No, but neither does she it seems," I answered as I looked at the door to her room frowning.
"It's fine, that was many moons ago. She is definitely going to need someone there to make sure she follows those doctor orders and frankly I think Grim would bend the moment she cries for the first time. Stay with her. Your brothers can handle the stuff around the castle for a little bit longer," he said before hanging up the phone. I stood staring at the door for a while when an elderly looking lady with Raven hair walked up to me.
"She's a strong girl with her mother's stubborn streak but her heart is the thing that's the most amazing. She could never feel anything but she still knew what was right and wrong and would always fight for what was right. I remember once she even beat up a bully because he was picking on a younger girl. The boy was twice her size. I know you're wondering why I am telling you this. It's because, she won't tell you how she feels as she doesn't even know what it is she is feeling. But, rest assured, she needs you just as much as you need her, if not more," she said before walking off in the opposite direction.
I breathed in a sigh before walking back into the hospital room to rejoin my mate, her father, and the doctor. I closed the door behind me and looked towards Serenity just in time to see my mate's eyes roll back and her let out an ear-piercing scream.