Page 139 of A Second Chance for the Beta

“Yes.” Silas smiles at her. “Your dad was my cousin. He was a great man and I liked him a lot. It’s an honor for me to meet his daughter.”

“See,” I say. “You still have family out there and someone from your dad’s side.”

Her eyes light up curiously, and I’m glad we distracted her a bit. Meanwhile, Julianus and Dante swiftly deal with the bodies of the two wolves. Eventually, the novelty of having met her uncle or rather great cousin wears off, and Charlie is back to being worried. “Felix and Dario,” she says. “I need to see them. They are alright, aren’t they?”

*FELIX*

There is blood oozing from an open wound on my stomach. I press my hand against it, trying to roll to the side while Dario is being overpowered by the three remaining guys.

Fuck it, why can’t I be stronger? I train so much and try to listen to all the tricks Dad shows me, but while I’m agile and fast, I seem to lack real talent while fighting. Or I wouldn’t have been bested the way I was. I had a surprise moment on my side. I had a knife, yet I couldn’t do anything. It’s like I have never learned how to fight.

At least Charlie got away. I saw her disappear into the forest. I had hoped that maybe Dario would follow her, but while he had an opening, he instead came to help me. No other person in the world means more to me than Dario. He is not just my brother; he is my best friend too. Mom always says the twin bond is magical, but now it feels like a curse.

He is getting hurt because he wants to help me, instead of running to safety.

He fights hard, but he is no match against the three of them. Soon they tackle him to the ground. The man… the one the alpha called Dylan, is kneeling above him, his hands around his throat. “You little bastard,” he hisses.

Hearing Dario gasp for air and trying to claw at Dylan’s arms raises my fighting spirit again. I can’t allow them to hurt him… he can’t get hurt.

I roll up again, using the moment of distraction to drag myself forward. My vision is getting blurry, and my head is so dizzy I can barely stand. I grab a rock from the side of the path and hit Dylan on the back of his head with it. A grim sense of satisfaction fills me when I see him curl over.

The moment of victory doesn’t last long; soon, I feel a hot pain shooting through me. I don’t know what happened, just that suddenly everything around me goes white in pain. Someone grabs me before I can drop down to the ground and punches me into my stomach. More hot liquid leaves where I have been stabbed earlier.

I can hear Dario scream my name. I can’t see what’s going on anymore. Everything is blurred around me. I feel so tired.

Close to me, a loud growl cuts through the air, and I swear I see a gigantic black wolf appear out of nowhere. I try to force my eyes open and focus on my surroundings. The men seem to scramble around in fear.

What’s going on?

A second wolf appears. A similarly black and majestic one. I feel warmth surrounding me, like something is pulling them towards me. It makes me feel safe and warm.

Dad, is that you?

Dario crawls closer, brushing the hair out of my face. “Felix,” he mutters.

Something warm drips down on my face.

Why is he crying?

In the chaos, I can see a woman appearing. She looks like… “Mom,” I whisper.

She shifts to her wolf form. Through my blurred eyes, her fur looks almost silver, like it’s gleaming under the moonlight.

Magical. I must be dreaming.

forty-five

The Necklace

*DANTE*

ThemomentIamsure that Charlie is cared for and safe, I leave her with Ella and hurry to help my alpha. I’ve only linked him briefly, and his words were truly unsettling.

It takes me one glance to realize it’s worse than anticipated, and I’m glad I didn’t cave when Charlie begged me to take her along.

“What happened!?” I call out while running towards the scene. I can see bodies of men lying around, some mutilated beyond recognition, and one of them even merged with a tree. It’s a sight I wasn’t prepared for.

Dad got the first couple of guys. Then my mother arrived and went for the rest of them,Liam says. I don’t need any more explanation. Flora definitely didn’t hold back. In the distance, I could swear I see one of the men being pierced by the branch of a tree.