lphas Second Choice novel Chapter 46

I noticed the faint redness in Jaxon’s eyes again, probably from anger, I assumed.

He must’ve been shocked that I was still alive.

My existence alone was a threat to Skyla’s perfect little life.

How did I survive?

Someone else gave their life for mine. But that wasn’t something he needed to know.

The old Paige Rivera never had to lift a finger. She was like a delicate vine that only knew how to cling and depend on others.

But the woman before him now, Paige Forrester, had hardened; she no longer cried, begged, or relied on anyone.

Seeing me stay silent, Jaxon grew impatient.

“What’s wrong with you? You used to talk nonstop, and now you’re pulling a tragic heroine act. Don’t tell me that massive avalanche up north four years ago froze your brain or something?

“Seriously, hiding out in a backwater like this… guess getting buried in snow would’ve served you right.”

Just then, a neighbor walked by, waving.

“Evening, Ms. Forrester! Haven’t started dinner yet?”

I smiled politely. “In a minute.”

Jaxon froze, as if the name hit him like a slap.

“You should go,” I said quietly.

But he grabbed my arm again.

“You changed your last name? Forrester? You got married? No! Wait, whose name is that?”

“Whose name it is doesn’t concern you.” I pulled free, each word deliberate and steady.

“My name, my life, Jaxon… they have nothing to do with you anymore.”

He said nothing, just stood there, his expression unreadable.

As a celebrity and the heir to the Bloodmoon Pack, he couldn’t afford to be seen arguing in public.

Later, I picked up Hope and took her home.

Through the window, I saw him still standing outside, lost in thought.

Chapter 3

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He’d never cared about me before. Maybe now, his daze wasn’t guilt, it was simply discomfort at being treated with indifference.

Four years ago, when I learned of his dream to become a singer, I had spent nearly all my connections in the werewolf realm to get him a chance on stage.

Even his current agency, the one that made him famous, was the one I personally found for him.

He was my little brother.

He had suffered enough, and I wanted him to have a better life.

But he twisted all that into manipulation, convinced I’d done it just to turn him against Skyla, to make her suffer.

“Mommy,” Hope asked softly that night, “that Alpha we met today… is he family?”

I froze, then smiled and brushed her hair.

“No, sweetheart. Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know. You kinda look alike.”

Family. Cassian’s face surfaced in my mind.

I used to believe that, blood or not, Cassian would always be my brother.

But four years ago, when Skyla fell down the stairs, he carried her in his arms and glared at me with nothing but fury.

“Paige, you’ve disappointed me beyond words. From this day on, you are no longer part of the Bloodmoon Pack, and I have no sister named Paige. My only sister is Skyla.”

I had cried, clutching at his coat, begging him to believe that I hadn’t pushed her.

But he roughly shook me off and walked off without looking back.

I blinked, returning to the present, and told Hope gently, “That man isn’t Mommy’s family.”

She looked down, a bit disappointed. “I thought… maybe you had other family besides Zevius.”

I smiled and tapped her nose. “Having you and Zevius is more than enough for me.”

Her lips trembled. “But Zevius is gone… I miss him.

I understood her pain.

But disappointment was still better than losing something you’d depended on, and better than being abandoned after believing you were loved.

Chapter 3

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I had lived through that kind of agony once. I wouldn’t let my daughter go through it again.

That night, Hope came down with a fever.

It hit fast and hard, a viral infection, the doctor said. She needed IV treatment.

I stayed by her side all night without closing my eyes.

By dawn, her fever finally broke, though she was weak and drowsy.

I carried her home in my arms, stopping by the supermarket to grab some groceries.

After paying, I reached for the bag, only for another hand to take it from mine.

I froze.

When I looked up, I saw Cassian’s face.

Chapter 3