Page 240 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

Cole walked to the front of the stage. I took Ashton’s hand in mine. He squeezed back, and I hoped he found some reassurance from my support.

“I want to thank everyone for coming,” Cole said, his voice booming out across the room. “You’ve stood by me and my family in a time of need, and I can never thank you enough for that. None of you had any reason to risk your lives for me and mine, but you did, and that will never be forgotten.

“There are a few things I need to mention that were touched on in our last meeting,” Cole went on. “With the help of a friend, we’ve managed to retrieve all the money Kyle Alexander took from our pack. We’ve also reached out to many of the creditors that were making life difficult. They understand the situation, and I believe we are in a much better place than we were four months ago.”

A collective sigh went through the crowd, their faces showing relief and joy. Now that Kyle’s threat had been taken care of, the pack’s attention had turned to their financial difficulties. Knowing that Cole and Farrah had done everything they could to get the pack on better footing took a load off everyone’s mind.

“With that out of the way, I would like to officially accept the role of pack alpha. I know I’ve been the acting alpha for a few months, but I now want you to know that I am here to stay. I’m here to lead, and I’m here to live. I am not running. No matter how bad things might get, I’ll be right here doing my best to protect you and the land we call home.”

A surprisingly large eruption of applause and cheers rumbled through the room. Trent, who sat toward the back of the room, gave Cole a thumbs-up and grinned from ear to ear.

“Thank you,” Cole said. “That being said, I also want to officially introduce someone else. You’ve already met my mate Avery, but I wanted to bring my son Ashton up.” Cole waved for Ash to join him.

“Go on,” I whispered. “It’s okay.”

Ashton looked at me with an expression of terror and stood on trembling legs. Cole took his hand and tugged him to the front of the stage.

“Harbor Mills,” Cole shouted. “May I introduce you to Ashton, son of the alpha and heir to the Harbor Mills pack.”

The next round of cheers nearly deafened me. I clamped my hands over my ears. If Ashton was embarrassed, he didn’t show it. He only gazed out at the hundreds of people shouting for him, clapping and whistling. All the fear and trepidation vanishedfrom his face. Instead, he watched the celebrating crowd with a childlike grin on his face.

After the meeting, Cole drove us to the hospital to check on Dallas. We hadn’t known how bad his bullet wound was until Farrah had called us from the hospital the day after the attack. Kyle had shot him in the liver. Had he not been a shifter with increased healing, he wouldn’t have survived the ride to the hospital. Even then, he’d nearly died twice during surgery. They’d had to use the defibrillator on him one of those times. Cole had taken that news hard, and now made an effort to stop by at least once a day.

Dallas had a room to himself. When we arrived, he looked up from the tray of grayish hospital food and smiled.

“Back again?” he asked.

“Of course,” Cole said as we took our seats around his room.

“They said I’ll be getting out tomorrow or the next day,” Dallas said.

“That’s good news,” I said, giving him a heartfelt smile.

I’dhatedDallas for taking Ashton from me, but he’d risked his life to get him back to me and had almost died for the trouble. Everything he’d done had been because he was terrified of what Kyle might do otherwise. Perhaps by convincing Kyle to kidnap Ashton, he’d saved his life. Maybe the madman would have chosen to simply kill my son instead. In my mind, Dallas’s penance had been paid.

“What’s the plan for after you get out?” Cole asked.

Dallas poked at something that wobbled. “No clue. My apartment is gone. Kyle was paying for that. The room I usedat the mansion is ashes now. I might look for an extended-stay motel or something until I get on my feet again.”

“Bullshit,” Cole said. “You’ll stay with me. At the alpha house.”

Dallas glanced apprehensively at me and Ashton. “I’m not sure that would be a good idea. I’m probably not welcome there. Which istotallyunderstandable,” he added quickly.

“Dallas,” I said. “It’s fine. You saved us. You kept Ashton safe and helped us get out of that house. Things didn’t start the way they should have between us, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be different from now on.”

He gazed at me in disbelief and licked his lips.

“Yeah, Uncle Dallas, you gotta come stay with us,” Ashton said. “I know Aunt Farrah wants to play nursemaid.”

When Ashton said the words “Uncle Dallas,” the man’s eyes nearly popped out of his head like a cartoon character’s. He turned to look at my son and opened his mouth to say something, but flattened his lips into a tight line instead. A shimmery glaze formed in his eyes, and I thought he might be close to tears. Dallas blinked rapidly to stop whatever surge of emotion was trying to come through.

“He’s right, Dallas,” Cole said. “Farrah was worried you’d want to go it alone. She’s already got one of the bedrooms at the house ready for you.” Cole stood, walked over next to the bed, and gripped his brother’s hand. “Our father was an asshole. I think he changed, orwaschanging at the end, but that doesn’t erase everything that he did to you and your mother when we were younger. You deserve a family. Arealfamily. Come home with us. We’ll be your family. We can help you build a better life. Hell, I’ve got a job for you at the water company as soon as you’rewell enough. I’m here. It’s like I told the pack earlier, I’m not running. Not now, and not ever again. I’m especially not running from my family. So? What do you say, little brother? You gonna run, or are you gonna stay and see how your life could turn out?”

When Dallas gazed up at Cole, I could picture them as young children. Dallas, a broken, angry, lonely boy who only wanted what his half-siblings had, agonizing over what his father had refused him. In a few quick seconds, the years melted away, and the bitterness fled Dallas’s eyes. He looked up at Cole with an adoration that only a little brother could have for a big brother.

This time, Dallas was unsuccessful in holding back his emotions. He couldn’t even speak. His face crumpled into tears, and all he could do was nod. Cole hugged his brother.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” Dallas began repeating the words over and over, his voice muffled in Cole’s shoulder.

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