Page 49 of The Alpha's Heir

She pauses while she gains her composure, and with her being pregnant, I want her to be comfortable.

“When he came back into my life a few years later, it felt like a second chance to be with him and this time he wanted me too. He lived with me, Eva, he came home to me every night and he told me that you two were separated and estranged but you were holding him to ransom with his money. I was stupid and needy. I didn’t care about you and your little girl because I was finally getting Ryan back. I was selfish and wrong.”

Summer returns from her afternoon with Mrs Moore, so I call our talk to a halt. I don’t want Summer to see or hear this, and I need a break too. I speak to Lina, who tells me that finding out about Melanie came after the manifestations. Melanie didn’t cause the manifestation in Lina, Ryan did and Melanie cannot and should not pay for Ryan's crimes.

“Thank you for your honesty. I need to take a break.” Max offers to take Summer out for fresh air and when Melanie sees an opportunity to spend a little time with Summer, she asks if she can go too. I smile when Max shrugs indifferently. Despite his outward appearance, I know his wolf will be going crazy inside him.

When they leave, Aiden asks Amber and Preston to give us a moment too. He unlocks my cell, and the tears are falling before I can stop them. “Did it help, Shortie?” I shake my head no, because it didn’t, it didn’t help Lina. I don’t know how to help her. What if I can’t?

“She said Ryan’s actions caused the manifestations, not Melanie’s, but how can I confront Ryan when the fucker’s dead?” He holds me in his warm embrace and strokes my head soothingly while I rant.

When there is a lull, he kisses me softly on the lips. “Eva, I have an idea. Maybe you don’t have to confront Ryan? Maybe you need to remember everything he did, by talking about it or writing it down so you can address it and then heal from it.”

I contemplate what he has suggested and I think that could work. We don’t get to discuss it any further as the security alarms screech all over the pack house.

As Alpha, Aiden must be there, he quickly locks me back in the cell before running out to see what the breach is. “Aiden, get Summer. Check on Summer.”

I’m alone in the cell and a sense of foreboding overcomes me. Something bad is about to happen. I can feel it. I need my little girl back in sight.

*** Melanie ***

When I am giving Eva the answers she asks for, I am embarrassed and feel wretched that she has to hear some of the stuff I am saying. Moreover, the fact that I had actually done those things in the first place made me feel even worse. I had no consideration for her based on the few details Ryan had given me. It just demonstrates to me how much I loathe myself, how little respect I have for myself to want to be with a man who treated his wife and child so shoddily.

Eva has a lot more grace and decorum than I do. She shows no outward reaction to my confessions, just as she promised. She is at least twice the woman I could ever dream of being.

I ask if I could play outside with Summer for a little while. I just want to talk to her about my baby, who will be her sister. She is so young she probably doesn’t understand. The man with the lovely eyes comes with us and I wonder at the place I’ve been brought to that a little girl who isn’t quite three years old needs a bodyguard.

Nevertheless, it is clear that Summer is comfortable and close with her bodyguard. “Up, Maxxi,” she shouts to him, and he picks her up like she is a flower and places her on his shoulders, causing her to giggle. Summer is such a beautiful girl, so full of light and love. How on earth is Ryan Jefferson her father? I rub my tummy and pray that my daughter takes after her sister and not her father.

“So, you’re carrying the child of the Luna’s ex-husband?” Max asks. Shame and guilt trickles down my neck. I didn’t have to wait long for the comments and judgements.

“This baby will be Summer’s half sister because they share a father. However, this is my baby.” I sound a lot surer of myself in comparison to how I feel. “Why do you call her ‘The Luna’?”

“I didn’t mean any offence. I was just curious.” My cheeks flame again. I am jumping ahead of myself. “And I call her Luna because she is the boss now, well, the female boss. And she’s too short to be called the female boss.” He smiles quickly before his face becomes guarded again. I am confused by him, he seems indifferent and yet intrigued at the same time.

“Maxxi, down. And run,” Summer shouts when we reach a piece of flat grass. As soon as Max places her feet on the floor, she imitates a wind-up toy, running as fast as her legs can carry her. We both laugh at her and her enthusiasm.

“She is such a sweet little girl,” I say as I watch her roll about and giggle in the grass. Max nods his agreement; a smile almost reaches his eyes. But in the blink of an eye, the whole atmosphere changes.

Max grabs me by the shoulder, causing me to shriek. “Something is wrong, get to Summer now.” I nod to him and run over to Summer; however, she thinks I’m playing and runs away from me, giggling and asking me to catch her.

Panic fills me, as I struggle to keep up with her. I turn back to Max and there is another guy there and a woman in the background. Max and the guy fight and shout and then the woman shoots something from a pipe in her mouth and it hits Max in the neck.

Max falls into a heap on the floor and the other man grins at me, as he sprints towards Summer.

I have never been athletic or sporty. I have never been particularly fast or fit, but as I see the menacing look in the man’s eye, I know nothing good is planned for little Summer. I don’t know how I do it, but it's almost as if I fly to Summer, who also senses the danger and runs to my open arms with fear and tears filling her eyes.

However, an unknown, unseeable force stops me. My hair follicles pop in my scalp with the pressure of being held back but I can’t give up, the man is gaining on us.

I scream as I force my body forward. The man reaches for Summer, and I run headfirst into his side, knocking him off balance. I quickly push Summer behind my back, they will have to go through me to get to her.

And that is, unfortunately, what he does. The force of his weight hitting me is what I imagine being hit by a bulldozer feels like. I scream out in pain and when I open my eyes, Max’s eyes meet mine. The woman who had been in the background is fleeing on foot and Max and the guy fist-fight.

I must pass out from the pain because I am sure Max transforms into a large dog. In my pain-filled haze, I hear snapping and cracking and growling.

When I finally wake up, I’m in a white room, surrounded by machines and lights and beeping. Max is asleep in the chair next to my bed, he needs a shave, but it looks cute. Why is he here and where is ‘here’?

“Max?” I try to wake him, but my voice is gravelly and croaky. “Max!”

He jumps when he wakes up. “Melanie… Thank the goddess you’re awake. You’ve been out of it for two days. I was so worried you were never going to wake back up.”

“Where am I? What happened?” Flashes of my last memories fill my mind; my hands quickly go to my tummy. “My baby?” I know from the look on his face he was dreading me asking.

“I’m so sorry, Melanie. Your injuries were too severe. Your baby didn’t make it.”

The room fades from my sight as I howl and scream in pain.

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