Page 107 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“Son of a bitch,” I hissed as I tore the envelope open.

A maid service had been taking care of Dad’s house in the years before his death. They must have brought the mail in as well. Neither I nor Farrah would have ever had any reason to thinksomething was amiss with the pack succession. Why the fuck would we? We’d been too mired in the financial disaster we’d inherited to worry about succession documentation.

The document was exactly what I thought it was, post-dated to three days after Dad’s death. I skimmed down until I found the line that sank into my brain like teeth:

The Georgia State Shifter Alliance Office does hereby register the Harbor Mills pack as No Alpha Available. The N.A.A designation will be removed upon receipt of official documentation of pack hierarchy succession in the form of a notarized last will and testament.

No alpha available? So, a will hadn’t been filed with the state. That meant that Kyle may have been telling the truth, but it was only guesswork. All it really meant for sure was that Dad hadn’t done his due diligence in the years leading up to his death. Even if there was a will that proclaimed me as the new pack alpha, that hadn’t been sent in, either. These were things he should have done literally decades ago, and hadn’t.

“Fuck, Dad,” I muttered, and slapped the document onto the desk.

Before I could stew any longer the shortcomings of my father, the doorbell rang. I flinched, and my inner wolf gave a low, sad whine. I could already sense who was at the door. Ashton.

My heart thundered. I could still see the anguish and anger on his face when he’d called me out for what was happening. It seemed the Garrett family had a habit of letting their sons down.

I was no coward, far from it, but the thirty seconds it took me to answer the front door was the most terrifying moment of my life. The last thing I wanted was to open the door and see myson glaring at me, coming to give me another tongue-lashing. It was worse because I knew anything he’d say to me would be warranted and deserved.

Thankfully, when I opened the door, Ashton wasn’t glaring or snarling in anger. Instead, he looked contrite and apologetic.

“Uh, hey, Ash,” I said, shocked at how weak and scared my voice sounded.

“Hi. Can I come in?”

“Sure,” I said, and stepped aside.

My wolf gave another heartbroken whine as I closed the door. It took everything I had to keep my emotions in check.

“I’m sorry for what I said,” Ashton said, his eyes pinned on his shoes.

“It’s okay,” I said automatically.

“No, it’s not. You are a real dad. I’m glad you’re my father. I was just angry, and I said stuff I didn’t mean.”

I swallowed hard. “It’s okay if you meant it. I probably deserved it.”

“I didn’t mean it,” Ashton said. “Not really.”

“I appreciate you saying that.” My hands were tingly and numb. The fear and worry of what he’d say, of what I might say, filled me with anxiety.

“Why won’t you fight for us?” Ashton stared at me with a heartbreaking kind of confusion, like he couldn’t imagine a possible reason I wouldn’t. “I’m worried for my mom,” he went on. “I’m scared she’s going to go back to being sad all the time.Things have just started to get better. Do you actually love her? Really?”

God, kids really knew how to cut right through the bullshit and hit you where it hurt. At what age did people start hiding that talent? My heart ached at the thought of Avery. My wolf wanted her, I wanted her, but were we good enough for her? Could I keep her safe? All questions I couldn’t answer for sure.

“I do love your mother, Ashton. I never stopped loving her,” I said. “But things are dangerous. You guys shouldn’t be in Harbor Mills. It’s not about fighting, it’s about surviving. You’re young, and it may not make a lot of sense, but I love you and your mom too much to let you stay here and be in danger. Sometimes—” I felt the burn of tears but choked them back “—when you love someone, you have to do hard things that you don’t want to do.”

Ash’s shoulders slumped, and the sadness on his face was almost too much to take. “Uh.” He glanced at me awkwardly. “Um, can I have a hug at least? Before we leave?”

“Yeah, buddy. Yeah, you can,” I said. Tears spilled from my eyes now.

Ashton lunged for me, wrapping his arms around my back and holding me tight. I squeezed him back. How could I ever let him go? My boy. He was my boy.

“This won’t be forever,” I said. “When this is over, when the pack is settled, I’m coming for you and your mom. I promise. I won’t let you guys go.”

“Really?” Ashton’s voice was muffled in my shoulder.

“I promise. You’re right. I should fight for you, but I need you to be safe first. I promise you, I’ll come for you.”

Ashton pulled away, wiping at his eyes. “I’d like that. I think Mom would, too, even though she probably won’t say it.”

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