Page 153 of A Second Chance for the Beta

“I love you,” she says. She isn’t one to voice her feelings all the time. It’s in the small gestures for her, but when she does, she always means it.

Her words make my heart jump, putting things into perspective for me once again. I have my family here. I have Ella and Charlie, and Liam and Annie, and Aryanna and Jazz. My friends became my family long ago, and then Ella and Charlie came along and made me whole.

Without thinking further, I grab my phone, calling Paris. Prince Eric answers almost immediately, happy to hear from me.

After exchanging some politeness, I get to the point. After my mother harassed Annie for a while, she and Eric told her that once I was ready, I would reach out to her, but to not harass me anymore. “Is my mother still at the Council?” I ask.

“No,” he says. “She went back to her pack.”

“I can’t believe she involved you in this,” I say.

He is silent for a moment, making me feel suspicious instantly. Eric is a laid-back and fun guy. He can be almost silly sometimes, albeit cunning. Being silent is not usual for him. “You are hiding something from me, aren’t you?” I conclude.

“You are Liam’s best friend,” he says. “And Liam is my cousin. It’s like you are extended family.”

“You don’t need to protect me from the truth,” I say.

“I know what your mother did and said,” he admits. “I wasn’t too happy that she tried to involve me, but at least she didn’t cross a line in reaching out to me.” He pauses. “Dante, she even tried to reach Elden’s father and have him contact Elden.”

“WHAT!?” I exclaim. “Does Liam know that?”

“He does, and he isn’t happy either,” he says.

“Please tell me Alpha Elden’s father didn’t reach out to him,” I say. Elden and I share a similar fate. While the reason for our fallout with our parents isn’t the same, the outcome was pretty similar. I can’t believe my mother would do that and play so dirty. She knew what the former alpha did! How could she?

“I prevented him from doing so,” Eric says. “Fortunately, Caelum isn’t an idiot. He knows he is allowed to stay in Paris and that his name and heritage are what protects him from any bigger repercussions, but that he holds no power anymore.”

He is right. Caelum is an intelligent man, and he knows he is at the mercy of the Council. They value his son Elden highly, and want him as the next king, which is why they allow his father to stay, without any rank or meaning to his existence, though.

“Tell me what else you know,” I say. I can feel Ella next to me, her scent calming me down. I pull her into my arms, feeling how she snuggles against me. “I am ready, Eric.”

“It seems like she might have found a chosen mate,” he says quietly.

Thanks to her werewolf senses, Ella hears what he says. I can feel her almost freeze in shock. I need a while to grasp what he said before I shake my head. “So, this is why?” I finally say.

I’m not sure how to feel about it. I don’t mind if my mother takes a chosen mate. Losing my father broke her, and if someone finds the strength to move on after losing their mate, they should be supported. But I can’t help but feel bitter about the way she treated me, and how it took her falling in love again to reach out to me.

“Do you want to talk to her?” Eric asks warily. “I can establish contact if you want to.”

“No,” I say. “Not yet. But if you would please deliver a message for me. I will write her a letter eventually, but I assume she is waiting for my response.”

“Of course,” he says.

The day I lost my mate, my baby, and my father destroyed me. And my mother blaming me for everything was the final nail in the coffin. I know she had her own trauma to deal with, but it’s been ten years now. And for at least half of this time, I tried to reach out to her, tried to connect with her, only to be met with insults and more blame.

And every time, it would make me spiral into an endless pit of self-loathing until I genuinely felt that I was the one who killed them. If it weren’t for Liam and Aryanna I would probably be dead by now.

“Tell her that it’s not about forgiveness for me,” I say. “That I understand she was broken when her mate died, but so was I. I’m not ready yet to move past the things she said and did. Seeing and hearing her still puts me back into that time. Please tell her that I will reach out to her when I’m ready. I don’t know when that will be or if that will ever happen. For now, my focus is on my real family here, and they need my undivided attention.”

forty-nine

Time to Heal

*DANTE*

Afewdayshavepassed since I had the phone call with Eric, and unlike usual, I don’t spiral down into a depressive episode. It does take me a bit more effort to stay focused and not lose myself in my thoughts, but I’m getting better at it. I focus on Ella and Charlie and on my work.

The meeting Liam calls Ella and me to still catches me off-guard. Ella doesn’t expect it either, which just made me feel more confused. I doubt anything serious happened. The last couple of days we spent upping our security again and making sure our schedules won’t get leaked that easily anymore… and that rebellious teens won’t be able to find them and use them to sneak off the pack grounds.