Page 56 of A Second Chance for the Beta

The emo prince looks at him. “What?” he asks quietly. “Is this your logic?”

“My grandpa always said a werewolf who can’t protect their pup is worthless. You have to understand that, Dario!”

I feel my breath getting stuck in my throat. And unexpected tears burn in my eyes. “My mom was a fucking hero,” I yell. “She died just to save me.”

Dante turns around, his eyes catching me. They widen in shock, as if he only now realized I am here. “Charlie,” he says, hurrying towards me and hugging me. “You are right; Candy did everything to save you. To make sure you would survive. And you did. Both of you are heroes.”

I cling to his sweater. “Where is Ella?” I mutter under tears.

“She and Luna Annalise went to a meeting a few hours away. They immediately cut it short and started to travel back the moment I called her,” he reassures me.

So, Ella is coming to see me. She isn’t mad. I thought she would be, and that’s the reason she sent Dante.

Dante is still rocking me in his arms, and I feel more like myself again. Ella didn’t give up on me.

“Is Alpha Jace coming in person?” Dante asks the emo prince, Dario.

Dario shakes his head, but a small smile curls his lips. “He is sending his sons. He said as they are going to take over soon, he gets them to deal with everything uncomfortable.”

“That’s even better,” Dante mutters. “Henry Hearst in particular is said to have a zero-tolerance policy against bullies.” He shifts his attention to Levi. “What about Austen?”

“I think he broke his leg,” Levi says in worry.

“Thank you for helping Charlie,” Dante says. “That was very brave.”

Austen’s cheeks turn pink. “I… I… she is my friend,” he stutters. “Of course, I would help.”

We all turn our heads when two more vehicles arrive. I see two bulked-up guys getting out of the car. They are identical twins: one looks very angry, the other just looks serious. The angry-looking one walks directly towards Rob and his minions before chewing them out verbally. Rob looks like he wants to cry.

The serious-looking one watches the video beachboy prince Felix shows him, eventually walking towards us and showing it to Dante with a chuckle. “That was a class-A kick from your niece.” He looks far less serious now that he is in front of me. He smiles sadly at me. “I’m very sorry, Charlotte, for how our young pack members treated you. You don’t need to worry about them anymore. We will deal with the issue.”

For a while, the place is buzzing. Rob and the others get shoved into the car, looking really miserable now. Gisela and the guard have arrived too. Gisela looks worried and terrified at first but then relieved. “I’m so glad nothing happened to you!” she blurts out.

“I wouldn’t call that nothing,” Dante points out.

His eyes gloss over for a while, then he turns towards me. “You snuck out on your guard?” he asks.

“Yes.” There is no denying it anyway.

“You don’t understand, Beta Dante,” Gisela says. “This is not to belittle his competence, but the guy is sticking out like a sore thumb! Do you know how freaky it is to be a new girl at school and have a target on your back to get picked on?”

Man, she really has no fear in her at all. Dante raises his eyebrows. “No, I don’t know how that feels. But how about next time you talk to me about it, and we will find a better solution?”

“Deal,” Gisela says after a while, like she and Dante just negotiated a business deal.

“I think we will need to discuss this issue a bit more,” Dante tells her. “But for now, I want to take you all home.” He looks at Felix and Dario. “Are you two coming too?”

“Yes, we wanted to visit Liam for a few days anyway.”

“Good, then everyone hop into the car. We are going to get Austen to the infirmary first,” Dante says while he moves us all to his car. Thank Goddess, it’s one of those fancy SUVs. I’m convinced the company is funding itself completely by the werewolves constantly purchasing them. I make sure to sit down next to Austen.

“How are you hanging in there?” Dante asks him.

Austen smiles slightly. “I’m fine, thank you, Beta Dante.”

“Say bye to the friend zone,” Felix says to Dario, a grin spreading over his face. When Dante glares at him, his grin just grows. “Just saying,” he says before climbing into the car as well.

The others chat during our drive home while I remain silent. I was so lucky that Levi and the twins arrived last minute. If not, my actions might have gotten us seriously hurt. Well, Austen is seriously hurt, but it could have been even worse.