Ran Away Pregnant Came Back Alpha Heiress (Amelia and Damien) novel Chapter 218

Chapter 218

Chapter 218

Damien’s POV

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Talking to Claire was one of my least favorite things to do in the entire world. This woman had been directly responsible for so much of my heartache, in plotting to take Amelia away from me.

Years ago, her parents had talked me down from having her executed. She was to be exiled instead. After her traumatic childbirth, the exile was pushed back until she was feeling healthier and had a chance of surviving as a rogue werewolf.

That day still hadn’t arrived. Instead, she was stricken with many medical ailments, seemingly more all the time.

When her parents passed, perhaps that should have been my chance to cast her out once and for all. But by then, the girls were old enough to know her, but not old enough to understand why I would send a handicapped woman into the wilds to die.

As such, I felt beholden to Claire in a way that was otherwise ludicrous. Mostly, I just didn’t want to hurt my girls. So, with a sigh to prepare myself, I answered the phone. “What is it?”

“Alpha,” Claire said. Her voice sounded weak today. A bad day, then. I hated that I talked to her enough to be able to tell her good days from her bad. “I was hoping you could bring my child over today, so that I could spend time with her.”

This was a point of contention between us. While I wasn’t happy about Claire being a part of Stacy’s life, something about their mother-daughter bond helped Claire physically better. I’d been told by several doctors that without the bond, Claire would die.

Years ago, I had promised Claire’s parents that I wouldn’t be responsible for her death.

Now, I was still tied to that promise, even if it was from beyond the grave now.

“You know why that’s a bad idea,” I said. “When she spends time with you, Stacy just gets confused.”

“I am her mother.”

“You gave birth to her, but Amelia is her mother.”

“Amelia is dead.”

My blood turned to ice in my veins. “I’m hanging up the phone now.”

“Wait,” Claire said. “I’m sorry, Alpha. I only spoke out of turn because I feel so terribly today. Please, I’m begging you. Allow me to see my child today. I’m afraid too many more days without her would mean the end for me.”

Sometimes I wondered if she was lying. If I didn’t have a team of doctors all telling me the same thing, I would have surely stopped believing her long ago.

“It’s up to Stacy,” I said. “I will not force her to see you.”

“Even if it’s to save my life?” she asked.

“Even then.” I would protect my daughter as much as I could, even with the weight of guilt that sat heavy on my shoulders.

“My parents would be disappointed,” Claire said.

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“Then you should not have disappointed them,” I replied.

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Claire went silent. I checked the screen to make sure she hadn’t hung up on me.

After a moment, her voice returned, much softer. “Please, Alpha. I’m frightened…”

“I’ll speak to Stacy,” I said. That was the most I could do for her, and even that was far more than I wanted to do. “Thank you,” she said.

We hung up, then I went into the living room to find the girls. They were sitting on the couch, chatting about whatever they were watching on television. It was some cartoon I didn’t understand.

“Stacy,” I said.

She looked over at me, brightly at first, but seeing my expression or my demeanor seemed to immediately clue her in on the situation.

“Claire’s unhealthy again?” she asked.

I hated that she knew about her effect on Claire’s condition. I had wanted to keep it from her, but both of my girls were observant and too smart for their own good.

There wasn’t much I could keep from them.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” I said.

Stacy frowned. She looked at her sister. “Will you come with me?”

“Yeah,” Amy said, like it was an easy decision.

Then they looked at me.

“Okay,” Stacy said.

Honestly, I’d hoped she would say no. But, without even knowing Amelia or being biologically hers, Stacy seemed to carry so much of Amelia inside of her.

Amelia, too, wouldn’t have left someone to suffer that she could help, even if that someone had hurt her.

It was part of her Healer oath.

Stacy took no such oath, but still seemed to think it was the right thing to do.

“We don’t have to stay long,” I told them both. “We’ll get ice cream after.”

The promise of ice cream lifted their spirits, though mine remained dim with dread.

I would never forgive Claire for what she had done.

Amelia’s POV

Aside from Jake’s office, there was one other computer in the house. Everyone else shared the computer in the den. While it was an older model and made terrible whirling noises as it was started up, I knew from using it a few times that it didn’t do much but connect to the internet.

The internet was what I needed now, to have my answers.

Seeing my fantasy man in person led me to have questions. Jake’s answers weren’t enough, and I didn’t think I

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could ask him more specific things without upsetting him. Even mentioning the pack to the south had led him straight to saying I would be kidnapped.

Maybe that was true, maybe it wasn’t.

But it didn’t tell me why I felt a connection with that man and his kids, or why I had been dreaming about him for the past six years.

I sneaked down to the den, not wanting anyone to know what I was up to. Once I was there, I sat down and nervously booted up the computer. It whirled and whistled with its usual fanfare. Nervously, I watched the door, wondering if someone might hear the noise and become suspicious.

Blessedly, the computer loaded without my being interrupted.

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