My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 466

Kane

Callum took a step toward me, careful not to disturb the wreckage at our feet. He held out the files. "The Mistwood batch for the month. They need your signature before day's end."

Broken chair legs cracked under my boots as I turned to face him. I crossed the room slowly, stepping over shredded curtains and the splintered remains of a child's crib. The painted star constellations on the ceiling blurred as I looked up, my vision still hazy with tears.

I took the top file from Callum's outstretched hand. The manila cover was crisp beneath my fingers. I didn't open it. Instead, I stared down at it, mumbling to myself, "We can't continue doing this."

My breathing had only just settled from the storm of grief that had torn through me minutes before. My hands still trembled as I gripped the file tightly, the edge digging into my palm. I sensed Callum tense beside me.

He cleared his throat. "It's the usual, Alpha. The same rights, the same tithe."

I sighed heavily and looked away, not wanting to meet Callum's gaze. "I've ruined this pack," I said, my voice heavy. "If there were an award for most useless Alpha in Blackwater history, I'd take it without a contest."

"But Alpha, you've kept us together," Callum said quietly. "After your father died, you could have let everything fall apart."

I shook my head, barely looking at him. "That's not the same thing. I haven't done anything positive. I've just... existed."

Callum stepped forward. "Existed? You've protected us, Alpha. From rogues and other threats. You've given us a home."

I laughed, a harsh sound. "Yeah, great protection." I swiped my hand across my eyes. "Look at this place. Look at what I've done."

"You're just having a bad day," Callum said softly. "Tomorrow will be better."

I looked at him then, a short laugh escaping my throat. "What do you know? You're young."

Callum's mouth tightened. He looked down at the stack of files in his arms.

The silence gaped between us like an open wound. I'd hit too close to home. His youth made his every word suspect.

I took in the young man properly for the first time. His jaw was clenched, his eyes flashing. I'd cut deep, but he wouldn't cut back. He was too respectful for that.

I softened. Callum may have been young, but he'd never failed me. "How's your father doing?" I asked.

"He's getting close now, Alpha," Callum said quietly, the papers in his hands rustling as he shifted his grip.

I frowned. "What do you mean close?"

Callum swallowed hard. "Close to the end, Alpha." He shook his head slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing under the thin skin of his neck. "It won't be long before we have to let him go. He's tired and in a lot of pain."

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