Contractually Yours Alpha (Riley) novel Chapter 479

Chapter Ninety Seven

ALEXANDER POV

**NINE YEARS AGO**

My mother, Riley, stared at me from a distance. I could see the longing in her eyes–the need to be close to her son. I saw her almost every single day–except for the times she locked herself away in her room, and yet, there seemed to be this distance between us; we could never have a normal mother–to–son relationship. I knew that.

The bruise on my neck still stung, a wound inflicted by her but I knew she hadn’t been in her right mind. I could tell the moment the switch flipped and her demon took control. I was strong enough to fight her now, but I’d rather die than hurt my own mother. The pain from each bite was bearable, but the thought of raising a hand against the woman who gave me life–that, I couldn’t endure.

I waved awkwardly at her, and she smiled, teary–eyed.

I walked towards her; her eyes widened in panic, and she turned around returning to her room, fleeing down the passageways, but I followed after her, and before she could shut the door on me, I slid into her room.

“Why are you here?” She asked, a frown on her face, but I could still see her fear. She wanted me close to her, and at the same time, she didn’t.

1 inherited her eyes, mine a bit lighter, but I didn’t think I looked a lot like her.

“Can I not pay my own mother a visit?”

The term takes her by surprise, as if she doesn’t believe she deserves it, but the small smile on her face vanishes almost immediately. “You can’t be this close to me; I can hurt you…”

“And I don’t care.”

“No. You should. If it happens next time, fight me, Ethan. Promise that you will fight me.”

I gave no response because we both knew that would be the last thing I’ll ever do. “All I want to do is speak to my mother. I won’t leave, not even if you ask me to.”

“You remind me of your father, very stubborn.”

“Father wouldn’t want me here either.”

That was true, Alpha Thane always did his best to keep me away from her. The only time I was allowed to visit my own mother was when he was present, just to ensure things wouldn’t get out of hand. Yet, one of us–either me or my mother,

They both loved me in their own way, and I loved them too.