Filed to story: The Alphas Contract Novel by Taylor West
“I knew.”
“Huh?”
“I knew. I did a sweep of your house after the fire. I saw the tests.”
I drop my gaze. “It was supposed to be a surprise and I was nervous, after what happened to the boys. I knew you wanted it and now…. Now, I can’t ever give you a pup.”
It’s odd, because it’s only now that I’m realising how much I wanted it. I’ve always known that I wanted to be a mother, to have my own little crew. I also never saw it happening, not until I saw those two lines.
“I’m sorry.” I mutter again and he grabs both my hands.
“Stop apologising, this wasn’t your doing. You didn’t know this was going to happen. No one could have predicted it. This is not your fault.”
It didn’t stop feeling like it was my fault.
I plaster on a smile as Damien makes his way in.
“I will give you guys a minute.” Eric mutters, then makes a point of looking at me. “Stay in bed.”
“I was going to come and see you.” Damien speaks quietly, and peers through the blinds of the window. “Are you okay?” I ask
“I should be the one asking you that question. I guess they told you.”
I nod, though he isn’t looking at me. “I don’t really understand. I thought Jenson was dead.”
“It doesn’t matter. They are both dead now.”
“She was your mate.”
“Was! She gave up, Mallory. I didn’t see it. I couldn’t see it, or maybe I didn’t want to. But she gave up. I wasn’t even worth holding onto, She loved him more than she loved anything else. Twins in life, twins in death.”
“So you are good?” I ask with a head tilt
“Yes.”
I stare at him. “I don’t believe you.”
He makes his way to the chair next to my bed. “Everyone is watching me. Waiting for me to break down. Brax has his beady little eyes on me at every opportunity. He’s probably pissed that I am in here and he can’t see me. I don’t need you watching me too, Mallory. You need to focus on your own health.”
“I’ve seen people lose their mates. This is not how they react.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Or maybe I’ve just been preparing myself to lose her since first met her.” He groans, “I knew a time would come where would lose her or she would lose me. Though I never imagined losing her to her own fucking brother.”
I wanted to gag, I really hoped he didn’t mean what I thought he meant.
“Like I said. Twins in life. Twins in death.”
I had seen Damien do a lot of stuff, including the shit he did as a Rogue, but this, this had me feeling the most unsettled. He was too calm, too understanding. Or maybe he was right, he was too used to death.
“I swear Mallory, you don’t need to worry about me.”
I dip my head in acknowledgement, though his comment just left me more unsettled.
“Oh, I’m taking the oath tomorrow evening. Being Beta is hard without being able to link Dane and with this many Lycans, there needs to be someone who can link both.”
“Right.” I was so weirded out by our conversation. Eric had said he was acting odd, but he wasn’t, he was acting like his usual self and that’s what was odd. Maybe he was having some kind of delayed reaction?
Damien
“Daddy?” Dottie had dropped her spoon in her cereal bowl and was staring at me with wide bright green eyes and a stuck out bottom lip.
“You should finish your breakfast. You have a big day today.”
She screws up her nose. “I can’t eat.”
“And why is that?”
“You’re sad.” She mutters with a tiny frown “And if I go to school, I can’t keep an eye on you.”
“Is that right?”
“Uh huh!”
“Well, I have a lot to do today so you don’t need to worry about me. I’m taking the oath later to officially be part of Black Shadow. And it’s important that you start school.”
“Why?”
“Because you are a clever little girl. Besides, school is here in Black Shadow so I won’t be far and you get to hang out with kids your own age.’
“If I’m clever, I don’t need to go to school. Neah didn’t and she is an Alpha!” She pouts at me and hugs herself
I sigh, Dottie had an answer for everything these days.
“But I wish I had got to go to school.” Neah mutters as she makes her way into the kitchen with her boys toddling along next to her. It’s not as fun learning to read and write when you are an adult.”
Dottie hikes her shoulders up around her ears. “Fine, I will go!”
We had been making plans for this for about a week. A lot of the Lycans had brought young kids, pulling them from schools to be here. They were worried that their children would fall behind so Dane had agreed to set up a small school. And I think now, Dottie’s nerves were settling in.
She turns to Neah, “Will you look after Daddy? He’s sad.”
Neah’s blue eyes flash in my direction as she settles Logan into a high chair. “Sure.”
I wish Dottie would stop telling everyone I was sad. Raven was dead, that was the end of it.
“Do you think my other Daddy will come with us and walk me to school?”
“I can ask, but you need to finish your breakfast. I know you Dottie. You will be hungry again in ten minutes.”
She gives me a guilty smile and starts shovelling cereal into her mouth.
Dottie holds my hand with a tight grip as we walk across the grounds to the small building that had been turned into a school. She was more jittery than usual. Her eyes darted all over the place. Probably because Brax hadn’t turned up like he said he was going too.
She isn’t the only one who is hesitant. Other kids are protesting too. Ryken has his youngest boy trapped under his arm as he carries him towards the school with a look that suggested he had also had a rough morning convincing the boy to go to school.
“He’s scared.” Dottie whispers to me.
“He hasn’t been here that long. Remember, you were scared when you first came here. Maybe he needs a friend.” “Like Auntie Mallory is your friend?”
“Exactly.”
She nods and straigthens out her pink dress. Confidently, she strides away from me, stopping in front of a Ryken. “My name is
Dorothy. I can be your friend.” She offers her hand to the boy but Ryken just stands there, staring at her like she had some kind of disease.
I hadn’t considered that the Lycans wouldn’t be happy that a daughter of a Hunter would be going to the school.
“She is just a kid!” I snarl as I get close.
“I know.” Ryken mutters. “But do you think it’s wise? The room will be full with young Lycans.”
“I think you are worried about the wrong person.”
Dotties hand slides back into mine. “It’s okay Daddy, I can just go home.”
I force a smile for her. “No, you have the right to be here just as much as anyone else.” I turn my eyes to Ryken. “Doesn’t she?!”
“Of course.” He mutters, but there is no truth behind it. And if I can see that, she could too.
I make sure she is settled before I leave, though the way the parents are looking at her doesn’t go unnoticed. I was starting to thinkit was a good idea Brax didn’t turn up. He would have shot every single person in this room and maybe he knew that.
Kissing dottie on the cheek, I promise to pick her up later and make my way to the teacher.
“Any problems, anything at all, give me a call immediately.” I slide my number across the table to her.
The sooner I take this fucking oath, the better.
“Wait!” Ryken calls as I stride back towards the house.
“What?”
