Page 73 of The Alpha's Heir

“I have two questions. Just two questions, Rose. Answer them truthfully and you can leave. Did you ever truly want and love me or was I just a cash cow to you?” Eva blinks away the tears.

“There are no repercussions for my honest answers?” Rose asks, and Eva shakes her head at her. “Then I will tell you. No. I didn’t want to keep you. By the time I found out I was pregnant, it was too late to get rid of you and then, when you were born, I placed you up for adoption, but your father begged me not to give you up. He told me he would contribute financially if I provided a home for you. It seemed as good a job as any.”

Rose continues to sit, unaffected by her cold admission, but we all shudder at how anyone could be so unfeeling. Eva’s tears stream silently down her face, but she hasn’t made a sound since she asked her first question.

“Thank you for your honesty. And finally: Ryan… How could you? You are my mother; how could you do that to me? Did you love him? How long did it continue for? Did you know how he was treating me?” My little girl has done so well to hold on to her composure, but the hurt, the humiliation and the pain are taking its toll. Her body is practically vibrating, we need to end this as soon as Rose gives her answer.

“Well, it's simple biology, Eva, I did it because I wanted to. Ryan was young and handsome and very sexually frustrated. I kept him satisfied for you so he didn’t go looking elsewhere. No, I didn’t love him. What was the next part?” My hackles raise as Rose looks indifferently at her nails. However, Aiden answers her, saving me from having to.

“How long did it continue for, and did you know how Ryan was treating her?” he spits out at her, while Rose rolls her eyes in bored defiance.

“It started the day after you introduced him to me and continued throughout your marriage, although it was just blow jobs and it was mostly because he blackmailed me. And yes, of course, I knew how he was treating you. He took great delight in telling me everything that happened between you both. He threatened to be rough with you on your wedding night if I didn’t sleep with him too. Then he called me the next day and told me he destroyed you and laughed as he did.”

“GET OUT! Get her out! And stay out, stay away from me. You are a monster and I do not want you in my life, Rose. You are poisonous.”

Beta Preston and Lydia grab Rose and drag her out as Eva loses control. She howls in agony as her body convulses. “Xavier, I need you to help me, we’re going to lose her. I can't lose her,” Aiden shouts to me. His voice is full of pain and panic.

Eva’s howls turn to blood-curdling screams, the walls start to tremble, and cracks run through them, debris falls all around us and dust puffs out angrily. A massive crack opens up in the floor right where Eva is violently shaking on the floor.

I’ve only just got my daughter back in my life and terror and overwhelming pain fills me as I contemplate the fact that I’m about to lose her all over again.

*** Aiden ***

Excruciating pain travels throughout my whole body. I didn’t tell Eva last night, but when she was reliving her memory of her wedding night, I felt every ounce of pain along with her. As her body writhes in agony on the cell floor, Roman howls inside me, a haunting howl that scares me… what is happening to me and my wolf?

When Eva starts to convulse, I lose my composure. I am going to lose her. I am going to lose the love of my life and our pup too, because I can’t save her from the hurt she had to endure while waiting for me.

I get down on my knees next to her. “Eva, baby, please! Please come back to me. She didn’t love you, but I do, we all do. You have so many people here who love and respect you and want to help you through this.” Her movements slow but the screaming doesn’t and neither does the pain destroying my own body. “Eva, don’t let this beat you. You’ve got to try, for you, for me, for Summer and for our pup. You have to try for your dad, stepmom, your friends and your pack. We all love you.”

“Mum and Dad. I need Mum and Dad,” she tells me in between sobs of anguish. I don’t understand. She’s just told Rose to leave and now she wants her back?

“Xavier, she needs you and Mum. She’s asking for mum and dad.” Xavier’s eyes glaze over, then he enters the cell and holds Eva, cradling her head.

“Daddy’s here. I’m never going to leave. I love you with all my heart and your mum will be here soon too. We both love you the whole world and more, Evangelina, don’t ever forget that. I am so proud of you and how you have conducted yourself throughout this whole ordeal. I admire you so much for accepting my mate as your mother figure.”

Lydia! Now it makes sense. Eva told me that Lydia insisted she call her Mum and that’s who she needs now. She needs a proper mother's love.

Lydia dashes into the cell. “I’m here, X. What can I do to help?” Xavier instructs her to hold Eva’s hands and talk to her. Slowly but surely, Eva’s screams turn to cries of grief and anguish.

“Oh, my sweet girl. Don’t worry, Mum’s here now. Mum and Dad are here, and we’ll always be here to love and support you and our grandpups. Let it all out.”

Lydia grasps one of Eva’s hands and strokes her face with the other hand. She makes soothing noises at my mate that comfort her and reassure her.

I feel completely redundant. I don’t know what else to do to help, but my concern for Eva and our pup still weighs heavy on me. I can feel every bit of pain her body is having to endure, and I don’t know how much more it can take.

I mindlink directly to Lina. Please, Lina, let us help. We love you. We love our pup. I’m beyond worried about Eva, her body cannot cope with it anymore.

Roman. I need Roman. I need my mate, Lina’s shaky voice tells me.

I shift straight away, unable to comprehend how the hell I’m meant to help my mate in wolf form. As soon as I give Roman control, he wraps his body around Eva’s and almost immediately Eva starts to calm down. Her body becomes balmy, covered in a sweaty sheen, but her screams stop. Every so often, Roman bursts out into the grief-filled howling that is inside me, and I notice that Eva is emitting the same sound. That is Lina. Lina is using Eva’s body to express her pain.

Roman links words of comfort to Lina and I am so proud of him. He instinctively knows what his mate needs and gives it to her. His easy acceptance of both Eva and Lina and his willingness to endure whatever pain he had to in order to help them are a credit to him and him alone.

I realise that I have wanted to limit the pain that Eva must feel, but the only way to heal is to walk through it and then let it go. I hate the thought of her being in pain, but that is the only way. She must face it and, therefore, we will face it together. From now on, I will ensure we always do. She will never have to do anything alone anymore. She will know nothing but love and acceptance from this moment until her last. No one will ever mistreat her again; I will skin them alive if they even try.

Aiden, Lina is almost back to being an ordinary werewolf. The manifestations are mostly reversed now that the pain of the past is addressed. Eva needs to rest now to protect our pup. This has been hard on both of them. We need to keep looking after them. Roman is clear about what must happen, but I can tell from his strained tone that he still has concerns about them.

I shift back to my human form and pull on some clothes before I lift Eva up in my arms. She resembles a limp rag doll. She still whimpers as she sleeps, and her tears cling like dewdrops on her eyelashes.

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