Big Bad Alphas novel Chapter 47

There is a knock on the door, so I open it to find Evangeline standing on the porch, looking depressed but different than at dinner last night. Immediately I urge her to come in, but she asks to walk with me outside. Together, we head off slowly in a random direction. The sun is beginning to fall.

"How's your day been?" I ask, surprised that she came to me in the first place.

"You told my son to talk to me," she says, getting right to the point. "Thank you for caring for him."

I nod, still quite confused. "Yes, I told him to ask about his father's death. I'm sorry if I brought on unwanted questions. It's still fresh and you were clearly in no state to talk about—"

"No, don't apologize. He deserved to know what happened to his father, and I'm sure Eric blamed it all on him."

We continue on until we reach a path going through the trees, our voices quiet. "Yes, that's why I told him to ask you."

"He saved my life, Isabella. Damn him," Evangeline mutters. "I knew he would, one day."

I begin to realize that we are heading towards the training grounds, recognizing the trail. Eric is there with Heath. He must have seen Evangeline this morning then.

"We—We were walking towards the house when everything went wrong. Sebastian could tell somehow. He didn't want to leave me so we hurried together to find Eric, assuming he was at home. W-When we got there, there were people from the Kenn Pack outside—we hid in the trees," she explains. "Sebastian wanted to go and confront them, knowing something was wrong, but I begged him not to. Of course, they were all around us. Behind, beside, in front, we just didn't see them until it was too late. I-I was distracting him, I was the reason we didn't see them. They attacked us."

I stay quiet, giving her a moment to breathe.

"I've never. . . I don't fight people—I haven't in a while. Two children and two decades. . . I wasn't prepared in the slightest. I thought I was going to die, and I was okay with that as long as I knew my children and my mate were okay, but I didn't. It was horrible. Too many started coming and Sebastian couldn't defend himself and me. If I could've. . . If I could've fought, well, he'd probably still be here."

We near the training grounds as my chest grows tight, her story bringing tears to my eyes and letting a few go from hers.

"He yelled at me to run, but I just screamed at him. I couldn't. Then he stopped yelling," she says. "I ran for my children, and my heart felt as if it was being crushed in the palm of the Goddess' hand. I ran into the house, closed all the doors and heard a gun shot. The men outside fled off in that direction. Some time your sister came in, then Olivia. They tried to help me. They held me down. I-I wanted to die," she says. "I can never forgive her for taking my love away."

We come up to the training grounds, Evangeline swiftly wiping the tears from her eyes like traitors, but I stop her before she continues through. "My mother—she lost her mate at a very young age. She may be missing a piece of herself, but she still finds joy in the things she loves. Working for the Luna is the only thing that makes her feel normal again. You just have to find your thing, another purpose now. You have two amazing children who love you and who are there for you, be there for them. That was my mother's mistake, to her, her family died when her mate died. So, let your purpose be them if there is only one," I tell her. Together we look over to Eric as he notices us standing across the field. "We love you, and there are still things to look forward to."

Evangeline smiles at me, her arm linking with mine as we walk towards Eric. "You're a good girl, Isabella. A good Luna."

"With you as my inspiration, I'm sure I have much to improve on. We can work together."

Eric approaches us, not expecting to see his mother at such a public place as the training grounds. "You look well," he tells her. "What are you two doing here?"

"Isabella is going to learn how to fight," Evangeline says, and I look down at her.

"You want to fight?" Eric asks, glancing at me.

"Yes," I improvise, "I want to be able to defend myself. If anything ever happens, I want to be able to help."

Evangeline seems to be very satisfied. "Well, go on. I'll be watching with Heath."

We watch as she walks away before looking to each other. "So, are you going to teach me?"

Eric crosses his arms. "If you like."

"Oh, well if there's someone better then maybe I should—"

"Come on," Eric sighs, "I usually don't train people, you're quite lucky for this opportunity."

I roll my eyes. "Just teach me. What are we doing? Should I shift?"

"No, everyone starts in human form. It's much easier to begin like this. Once you know the basics, then you can shift."

I scan the area quickly. "But everyone is shifted. They're going to know that I'm a wimp."

"They've been training since they were sixteen years old. Now do you want to learn, or not?" He questions.

"Wow, you're a tough teacher," I mutter.

"And you're a difficult student." Eric lets his arms drop, "Now this is only for self-defense. I don't want you fighting anyone when you don't have to."

"Okay."

Eric grabs my wrist with his right hand. "Get free."

I raise an eyebrow before yanking my arm from him, but he is holding on too tight. "Your grip is too tight."