Page 15 of A Chance at Redemption for the Alpha

“Tap out,” Dad yells. “Goddess, my boy, tap out.”

“Please,” Eugene whispers and through my clouded vision, the look in his eyes is suddenly desperate. “Marc.”

Thank you, Amos,I link my wolf.You held on longer than I expected. You were a great partner.

You put up a good fight,Amos mutters.It lasted long, much longer than any of them expected it. You didn’t make this easy.

I close my eyes, not wanting to see or hear anything, and instead let the darkness engulf me.

There is a beeping sound, constantly piercing my ears and trying to drag me up from the darkness. It’s always the same rhythm, annoyingly loud, like something is stabbing my ears constantly. My eyelids feel so heavy that I can’t bring myself to open them.

But slowly, my senses are coming back to me, one by one. I smell my surroundings, it’s sterile and clean in an almost discomforting way, and I still smell and taste blood. My blood. My body aches; every muscle and bone seems to be strained or broken.

It’s in this instant that realization hits me. I’m still alive. I’m not dead. Fuck, I am still alive. He couldn’t even kill me! He didn’t even have enough respect for me to end my life on my terms. Slowly, my senses allow me to differentiate between the many scents. That’s when I smellhim. I don’t open my eyes, feeling his presence next to me.

Eugene has his forehead pressed against my chest, sobbing silently. “Please wake up,” he whispers almost inaudibly. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t… fuck… please come back. Please forgive me.”

I wish I could, but I honestly don’t feel anything. It was the main reason why I agreed to this fight. It was not because of Olive or the rank; it was because of Eugene. I wanted to see how far he would go. I needed proof that he would never choose me.

The bond between twins is strong, but it can break like the one to a mate. Ours didn’t survive this. No bond would.

I feel my consciousness being dragged down again towards my sleeping wolf. Amos is curled up, exhausted and unresponsive as he is healing. I lean my body against his, hoping that at least our bond is strong enough to survive.

When I come to my senses the next time, I am much more on alert and here. I blink my eyes open, noticing Mom and Dad are at my side. Dad looks exhausted and like he has cried. Mom looks even worse.

“Marcellus,” she whispers. “You are awake.”

I groan when she reaches out for me and touches my shoulder

“I’m so sorry,” she blurts out. “You must be in pain. Wait, I’m going to fetch a doctor.”

She leaves me and Dad behind. I don’t say anything, too tired and hurt to even open my lips to talk. Dad takes my hand. “I’m so glad you are alive, so glad,” he mutters.

His low voice is soothing to my ears, making me close my eyes again.

“You think I don’t love you,” he continues. “But I love you so much. You are like me. Your mistakes are mine, and your strengths are mine, and sometimes it’s hard to look into a mirror. I… I… fuck! Marc, you didn’t tap out, you didn’t tap out. Why didn’t you tap out? You could have died. Eugene couldn’t kill you, and I’m so thankful for that.”

What is he talking about? I feel tired, so tired.

Someone else comes into the room. Scents I only barely register, but my mom keeps calling one of themdoctor. Then I feel his presence again.

“Is he really awake?” Eugene blurts out.

“Yes, he is awake, son,” Dad reassures him.

“How is he?” Eugene asks.

“His body is still weakened, and he is healing slowly,” the doctor answers. “Slower than I want him to.”

“What about his wolf?” Mom wants to know, her voice strained with worry.

“His wolf is still there, but very weakened. The strained mate bond took a toll on him.”

“It’s all my fault,” Eugene mutters.

“No, it’s mine,” Dad says quietly. “I should have found a proper solution immediately, but I allowed it to spiral into this catastrophe. It’s my responsibility as your alpha and father. This challenge should have never happened, and I should have made sure you and Olive stayed apart until she made a decision. I failed miserably.”

“You did,” I can hear Mom’s voice again. “But so did I.”