The Beta's Regret (Eden and Eros) novel Chapter 245

(Lord Shevek’s Pov)

I stayed hidden in the crowd, as I watched Eden approach the tree stump where my beloved and Beauty sat on.

The minute Eden recognized her mother, her eyes widened in disbelief and they shared a small hug, with Eden’s son comfortably held in Rose’s arms.

Eden looked very different from the last time I saw her.

From where I stood, I could see the fine lines on her face that showed she's been through an enormous measure of stress and pain in the past weeks.

A baby cooed softly beside me. My eyes flicked to Adonis, who had another baby wrapped in his arms. A girl.

The desire to touch my own grandson and feel his smooth, tender skin beneath my palm with his mother right beside us engulfed me.

When Rose softly handed the baby wrapped in thick clothes to Eden, her face suddenly morphed into the glow of motherhood.

Torn by a feeling of longing to express my own joy in seeing her, I took a step forward and immediately stopped.

I couldn't.

Not when I was looking this way.

Unconsciously, I lifted one hand to my face and traced the line that ran from the left side of my forehead to the bottom of my right cheek.

An ugly scar. Something to constantly remind me of how I almost failed to save my mate.

Usually, vampires heal quickly. But Griffin attacking me with that dagger was strong enough to leave a deep scar.

I felt a deep sense of shame engulf me as I stepped back again. The last thing I wanted was for Eden to see me as a monster.

“Why did you stop?” Adonis asked, settling his gaze on me.

I shook my head.

“I'm not sure she wants to see me.” I said.

Adonis sighed and placed one hand on my shoulder. “Is it the scar?”

I didn't respond. I watched Rose and Eden fawn over the little child.

“I know you want to be with them right now; don't stop yourself.” Adonis encouraged. With a slight push, he nudged me towards them.

“Come on, let’s go.” He said.

It took a few seconds to gather my courage before I accepted and began to move.

Just as we got to Eden, she was asking the women “What is this place?”…

That was when she saw me.

Beauty's response was cut short by Eden's gasp of surprise, as she handed her baby over to Beauty.

“Father.” Eden said. Her eyes lit up in excitement.

Was she excited to see me? What about the scar?

“You're okay,” she said again.

“Alpha Griffin captured your mother and me, and kept us in a room. At first, I thought I was dead, but suddenly, I woke up.”

I paused, thinking of how to say the next part.

“It was blurry at first; I couldn't see anything. But when I did, the first figure I saw was the dagger that Luna Belle held in her hand above me. It was the cross-shaped dagger that has been in existence for centuries to kill strong vampires like me.”

Eden gasped. “Cross-shaped?”

I nodded. I didn't think much of the horror in her eyes. I continued.

“I was weak, and needed blood. Luna Belle posed as danger and a quick meal, and I...  I sucked her dry until she became cold and lifeless in my arms.”

The silence around me was deafening. I knew Eden never approved of taking a life no matter how evil the person was.

“After she died, I was able to think straight. I was still a little bit weak, and looked around. I saw your mother beside me, in a deep sleep. It was as if she had been sapped of all her strength.”

“What did they do to her?”

I shook my head. “I don't know, but it was a strong mixture of something and wolfsbane. I smelled wolfsbane on her, and guessed that she wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, so I carried her.”

Beauty and Adonis were paying close attention too…

“But just before I could leave, I heard Alpha Griffin and Theo coming towards us. The fastest solution I could think of was to drop Rose back on the bed they placed her, and then hide. I was too weak to fight them off at the same time.”

“What about Belle's body?” Eden asked.

I grimaced. “I hid her quickly under the table of  the coffin I was laid in. I entered the coffin just in time before Griffin and Theo entered…”