Page 145 of A Second Chance for the Beta

Charlie stares at him briefly before it dawns on her. “Oh,” she says. “Right, I think I need some sleep now.”

Dante grins, looking proud that his distraction worked, while Charlie snuggles back into her blanket. I wrap my arms around her, turning my head to look at Dante.I’m glad I have both of you back with me,I say.

Me too,he says.I love you.

The next day, Dante plays into his connection to the kitchen, and we get fresh bread delivered to our hospital room. He tells Charlie and me what exactly happened last night. Then, however, I make sure to send him home to get some more sleep. He has to be exhausted.

“Charlie and I will wait for the doctor, then pick you up for lunch.”

“Good,” Dante says, the relief evident in his eyes. He looks like he needs a good couple of hours of sleep. “I will see my two girls for lunch then.”

Charlie smiles happily at his words. To imagine how wary she was of him at the beginning, and now she has accepted him fully as family.

The both of us have to wait quite a bit. Charlie uses the time to draw for her comic. The panels she is working on seem to be darker than the usual tone of her work. She keeps painting an owl, too, but it’s always just a spectator, lurking in corners without truly intervening. I want to ask her about it, but then figure this might be her way of working through what happened.

Eventually, Nicole comes to check on Charlie, clearing her to go home. “Be careful, Charlie,” Nicole says with a warm smile. “Your wrist is strained. Don’t overuse it.” She winks at her. “No skateboarding, please.”

Charlie looks flustered but nods. “Can Austen come and visit?” she asks quietly.

Nicole stays quiet for a while. “He can,” she says. I’m relieved she agreed to it. I know she must be disappointed in him sneaking off pack grounds, but for me, Charlie’s mental health means more than anything else.

And Austen is one of her closest friends.

Thank you,I link Nicole.

It’s okay,she says.Austen has apologized a lot and has taken responsibility for what he did. His issue is that he constantly tries to please everyone around him, which is what got him into this situation in the first place. We are working on that. I think Charlie is good for him.

I grab mine and Charlie’s stuff before leaving the room. “Ella.” Charlie grabs my arm. “Can we visit the guys?”

“Let’s see,” I say. Nefeli can feel Liam’s aura in the infirmary, so I take Charlie and look for him. He is currently standing with Alpha Elden and one of our surgeons, probably the one who performed Felix’s surgery.

“Alpha Liam, Alpha Elden,” I greet them politely.

Charlie seems to be spellbound by having both alphas in front of her, greeting them nervously.

“You must be Dante’s and Ella’s niece,” Alpha Elden says with a smile. “Finally, we meet.”

“Thank you,” Charlie stutters. “I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…” She pauses. “Felix and Dario…”

“Them getting hurt is not your fault, Charlie,” Liam says.

“But they saved me.”

I can see a hint of pride in Elden’s eyes, shining through his worry. “Their alpha blood showed,” he says.

“We heard about what happened from Dario,” Liam says. “But once you are prepared, we hope you will fill us in on the gaps. Due to the shock, Dario can’t recall all the guards.”

“Of course!” Charlie exclaims, sounding relieved she can be helpful. “I remember them all! I made sure to remember them so that one day I could return and smack their brains out of their heads.”

Elden chuckles softly. “Good to know you have so much fighting spirit.”

Their kind response to her makes Charlie loosen up and relax. I decide to let her have this conversation instead of butting in. “Are… are the boys okay?”

“That’s not so simple to answer,” Liam says honestly.

Elden turns towards the surgeon. “The doctor was about to explain the aftermath to us. He just checked on Felix.”

Charlie takes my hand, holding onto it while she listens to what the man has to say.