Page 20 of The Alpha's Heir

The dismay on her face makes it clear she didn’t expect that, but it’s clear to me now.

“I never wanted this to come between us, Lydia. Evangelina is my daughter and I am going to do everything in my power to make up for being a shitty father to her, because she deserves that at least. I hoped that you could accept her as part of my life, but by denying her very existence, you are rejecting her and her importance to me. The bond will not tolerate that. I love you, sweet cheeks and I am sorry I hurt you.”

I walk away from my life mate with a hole in my heart. This hurts, but I know I have to stay true to my vow of being a better father to my daughter. Above all, I want to stay true to that.

*** Amber ***

We enter the territory next to the place my mother was last registered and they strip us of our phones and devices. They take my knives and swords, which honestly makes me want to cry. They are suspicious of us.

We are given rooms in the pack-keep, which is seen as an honour, so I can’t be too outraged. The clans up here seem nice. Fierce, hard and rugged, but they treat us with hospitality, and it is apparent they hold the Alpha Laird my mother was mated to in high esteem.

Their thick accents make them hard to understand, but after six days in the Highlands, I am starting to get used to it and don’t need to ask so much for them to repeat what they are saying.

The Scottish clans are an infamous breed of werewolves. They maintain the old laws and systems; they have an Alpha who is also their monarch or Laird. They live in keeps, with moats and drawbridges. They settle arguments with a traditional fist fight and the rumours were true, they still wear kilts with nothing underneath. I am going to take one home to Preston.

The thing that sticks out most is that the whole clan is closed off to the human world. They are self-sufficient and private. They rely on the other clans and build their alliances accordingly. It is like a look back at the past.

I had a bout of tummy ache a couple of days ago and Aiden thought I was getting sick. The Alpha Laird hosting us had the healers see me almost immediately. He said it was because he didn’t want a dead English werewolf to explain to his supreme council, but afterwards he told me he was relieved I was feeling better.

I worried about the illness I was experiencing. At first, I thought I could be with pup, but a pregnancy test quickly ruled that out. Then, as soon as it began, it ended, but Lizzie is feeling the lasting effects. She whimpers and cries for Zack and Preston a lot and I have already told Aiden I need to go home before the two weeks we allocated because I cannot bear to be away from Preston any longer.

Aiden has reverted to being my annoying older brother. He constantly fusses and is overprotective of me and the wandering eyes of the Scottish warriors are the bane of his day. I feel a lot like when we were children. A lot of the time, it was us against the world and Aiden was my rock when I needed something steady and my umbrella in the storm. He loved me when I felt unwanted and unloved by everyone else.

I haven’t been able to talk to Preston for over twelve hours now and it's starting to get to me, and I know Aiden feels the same about Eva, in addition to worrying about life back home, and the pack, and a million other responsibilities. We are none the wiser about our mother despite it being five days since we left to find answers.

“Alpha Aiden and Lieutenant Amber, the Laird will see you now in the main hall.”

This is it; we will officially ask to cross the border and find our mother. We will know once and for all if she is willing to talk to us. Aiden tries to prepare me in case she says no, but I don’t think she will. I can feel her close by, I am sure of it, and I feel nothing but welcome here.

I hold Aiden’s hand as we walk into the main hall, just like I used to when I was a little girl.

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