Screw My Childhood Sweetheart His Alpha Brother Marked Me First novel Chapter 102

Lara froze for just a second, but recovered quickly. “Abbie was amazing. An incredible empath, but also a hoot. She had a thing for sweets. She was never without some form of candy. She was an amazing friend, and I know she would’ve made an incredible mother.”

I gripped Luc’s hand tighter and knew my nails were digging into his skin. “Did she want kids?”

Lara met my gaze across the table. “Yes, Senna. We talked about it often. Starting our own families one day, what we’d name our little ones. I know without a shadow of a doubt, she never would’ve given you up unless she didn’t have another choice.”

“Thank you again for having me, “I said as River and I hovered by the door to his parents‘ cabin.

Greg pulled me in for a quick hug. “You have an open invitation.”

“Yeah, if you get tired of Luc and his friends showing you fighting techniques, I can do it,” Lily chimed in.

“I just might take you up on that.”

River tugged on his sister’s ponytail. “Are you saying I’m a bad teacher?”

Lily grinned at him. “Sometimes we need a little girl power.”

“She’s not wrong,” I told him.

“I found it,” Lara called, waving something as she hurried down the hall. She handed me a photo that was worn around the edges. “I have more, come by any time if you’d like to see more.”

I looked down at the image. The woman in the frame looked so much like me. Her hair was redder than mine, my auburn tended more towards brown, but the eyes were like looking in a mirror. That same blend of green and blue. Her arm was thrown around a younger Lara. Both of them smiled so widely at the camera. There was such life in their eyes and a hint of mischief too.

“Thank you.” My voice came out hoarse, and River wrapped an arm around me as thunder rolled in the distance.

“If you ever want to talk about her, I’m always here. Come by any time,” Lara said.

I nodded, saying my final goodbyes. But my gaze kept being drawn back to the photo. The woman in it was a stranger, yet undeniably familiar.

River guided me down the walkway and back in the direction of the lodge. “She was beautiful.”

I swallowed against the burn rising in my throat. “She was.” I ran my thumb across her face. I had so many questions. Ones I doubted I’d ever get the answers to.

River was quiet as we walked, seeming to sense I needed time with my thoughts. Yet his presence was a balm to the worst of the ache in my chest. He made me feel safe, assured me I wasn’t alone.

Lightning flashed overhead, and with a crack of thunder, the skies opened up. Rain mixed with hail pelted down.

“Shit!” River grabbed my hand and tugged me towards a building.

I slid the photo into the pocket of my hoodie as we ran, hoping to protect it from the worst of the rain. River pulled the door open, and it banged against the side of the building. He flicked the light switch, but nothing happened. “Power must’ve gone out. Usually, the generator flicks on, but I don’t think the storage sheds are covered.”

We moved into the space, my eyes slowly adjusting to the light. There were groups of tables and chairs, what looked like different lawn games, and pots for flowers. Thunder cracked again, so loudly, the whole building shook.

09:39

Screw My Childhood Sweetheart–His Alpha Brother Marked Me First!

90.2%

Chapter 102

I shivered and River pulled me against him. “You cold?”

“No. I’ve never been a huge fan of storms like this.”

He pulled me down onto some sort of cushioned chaise lounge, more than big enough for two people. “They don’t usually last long. It’ll roll right through

“As long as we don’t get hit by lightning.”

Lane chuckled. “We’re in a grounded building. We’re safe,”

“If you say so…”

He squeezed the back of my neck. “Trust me,”

I looked up into his eyes. “I do,”

His lips swept across mine. “One of the best gifts you could ever give me.” He was quiet for a moment, searching. “Was tonight too much for you?”

I shook my head, pulling out the photo. With my new shifter sight, I could see the image clearly, even in the near dark. “There are so many things I want to know, but I might never get the chance, She could be impossible to find.” My hand gripped the side of the chaise. “Or she could

he dead.”

“Sometimes I think the unknown is worse than anything else.”

I thought about it for a moment, Losing Lacey had fundamentally changed something inside me. There was a pain that had left its mark on me forever. It was solid, and I knew I would never forget what it was like to love her and lose her.

My birth mother was this ever–changing thing. It felt like trying to balance on a paddle board in a rough sea. I had no stable ground to stand on. “I keep wondering, was she this noble, amazing woman as your mother described? Or was she someone who had an affair with somebody she shouldn’t have and got rid of the evidence? Good or bad? I want to know where to put her in my mind.”

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