Filed to story: The Alpha’s Pen Pal Book
His cheeks were red, and he huffed and panted. But I had never felt more energized and alive. The edginess under my skin no longer felt foreign but integrated into my soul and the very essence of my being.
“Good race,” Sebastian puffed out between his breaths. “I’ll get you next time,” he added, and I rolled my eyes.
“We’ll see.” I chuckled as I walked to the water jugs.
I filled my cup several times, gulping the cool water down my burning throat. Nolan and Reid followed close behind with Seb, the three of them whispering and chuckling to each other about the impromptu race we’d just had.
I smiled to myself as I listened to their bickering and teasing. They were idiots at times, but I was lucky to have them by my side, lucky they would be the three closest to me as we led the pack with our mates when it was our time.
Their voices softened and then stopped altogether, and a chill ran through my body at the sudden silence and tension in the training yard. That sickening feeling in my stomach returned, and that primal thing within my soul sat up straighter, awake and alert to the approaching threat.
I placed my cup on the table, taking care to not crush it or slam it down. I cracked my neck to the right, shaking off the dread settling on my shoulders and my heart. Then I turned around and met the eyes of our parents.
Fiona was in Felix’s arms, her head resting against his chest and her eyes red-rimmed. He buried his face in her hair, and I could just see the outline of his mouth as he comforted her, although I could not hear what he said. My mom and dad watched them, my mom tucked into my dad’s side and his hand stroking her shoulder. Brad stood to the side, watching his friends.
Dad turned his face to me, his eyes locking with mine. His gaze was serious and pained and told me everything I needed to know.
I didn’t want to ask. I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want them to tell me, to confirm what I suspected was true. Their looks, their actions, their emotions were confirmation enough.
But the words left my mouth before I could stop them, spewing out from between my lips without my control.
“What happened?” I asked, but my words were barely audible, not even loud enough to be called a whisper.
My dad heard, though, or saw my lips moving, or both, and he swallowed and looked down at the ground.
“What happened?!” I asked again, louder this time.
The adults all looked at each other the way adults do when they’re deciding if they should let you in on what they know, and I lost it.
“TELL ME!” I demanded, my hands tensing, my fingers curling.
A twinge of pain shot through my body and out through my fingertips, but I ignored it. I focused on my mom instead, on her watery eyes.
“Wesley, you need to take a deep breath and calm down,” she murmured.
“Just tell me, Mom!” I begged. The pain shot through my body again and caused the veins in my neck to pop as I tried to hold it back. “Please,” I added, my voice cracking.
Dad blew out a breath and then looked me straight in the eyes again.
“The adoption agency denied Felix and Fiona’s application,” he said. “They can’t adopt Haven.”
I blinked and then shook my head. I had to have misheard him.
“No, that doesn’t make sense,” I said. “They are good people, wonderful parents. Anyone can see that. Why would they reject them?”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with them as people,” my mom said, glancing at Felix and Fiona with a smile. “In fact, they approved them to adopt in general if they choose to. But they can’t adopt Haven.”
“But why not?” I asked. That thing inside me bristled and edged closer to the surface. “I don’t understand. What aren’t you telling me?”
“They were denied, because someone else already adopted Haven. Another family.”
“But—” I furrowed my brow and looked at each of them. “But you said it could take a long time. Months. Or even longer.”
“Usually it does,” Dad said.
“So then, how did this other family adopt her so quickly? How were they able to do what you weren’t?”
“I don’t know, Wes. We did everything we could. We—“”No, you didn’t fucking do EVERYTHING you could!” I snapped. “You focused too much on doing things the ‘right way,’ on keeping your reputation intact and not cutting corners or doing things under the table or getting your hands dirty. You could have done more!”
I paced from side to side in agitation, my hands running through my hair and tugging at the strands, trying to cause myself pain somewhere else on my body so I could ignore the pain in my soul. I couldn’t explain this intense desire to have her here with us instead of out there with someone else.
Maybe because she was human and younger than me and had already been through so much in her life. Or maybe because I was one of the few friends she had made in her life. Whatever the reason, though, I wanted—
needed—
her to be with us.
“Who adopted her?” I asked.
“We don’t know. They won’t give us that information or a way for you to contact her. They said the court sealed the file.”
My body stiffened and spasmed, and I stifled a cry at the sharp pain shooting up my spine.
“Boys, come over here,” my mom murmured, waving Reid, Nolan, and Seb over to her and our parents.
My dad started walking towards me with slow, precise steps. “Wes, you need to—“”No, Dad! This is all your fault! All our fault! She should be here, with us, where she could be safe and happy and healthy, but instead, she is with Goddess knows who! And she probably thinks I abandoned her or didn’t care about her! And I’ll never get to tell her that I tried, that I tried to find a way to help her. Because you’re too worried about what others will think about us going out of our way to help a human girl!”
I held in another cry and bent forward at the waist, my hands clutching my stomach as it threatened to purge its contents.
My dad lunged for me and crouched down next to me, helping me keep my balance as I moved to be on all fours.
“That’s it, Wesley, just let it out,” he muttered. “Don’t try to hold it back. It will make it worse.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?