The Shadow Alpha novel Chapter 6

‘Allie Cat, please come to my office. I need to speak to you.’ Alpha Jamie called through the mind link; I stood up off my bed and walked to his office, wondering what it was he needed, he never called me to his office unless it was something serious.

My thoughts came to a halt when I caught sight of Alpha Jamie seated on the couch. After closing the door behind me, I moved to take a seat beside him.

“You wanted to see me?” he nodded and without preamble he began.

“You have come to be a vital part of this pack in the six months that you have been here, Allison. It seems almost as if something was missing in all the time that you were not here.” I smiled at that; I have never felt happier anywhere else.

“Ever since I met you in the forest that day, I have liked you. You reminded me of someone that meant a lot to me and still does. I’m sure you have noticed how much older I am that my Beta and Theta and there is a reason for that.” His grave tone worried me, for the first time since I’d met this man, he looked unhappy.

“At the age of 20 I met my mate, Sasha. We met when I went to the Silver Crescent pack for an Alpha meeting; she was the daughter of the Theta and Theta Female. I fell in love with her the moment I laid eyes on her sparing with a warrior, as I passed I caught her scent in the wind, that’s when I turned and saw her. Her body moved with such precision and grace, I was enticed by it. I didn’t get to watch her for long, because the next thing I know she was standing in front of me touching my arm, confirming that she was indeed my mate.” He smiled with a faraway look in his eyes as he reminisced.

“Our bond was extremely strong, she came back with me and became my Luna, we got married and soon she fell pregnant. I was the happiest man alive; I had the best mate and a pup on the way. The pregnancy went perfectly, we had everything planned and ready for the baby’s arrival. The Labour was going well, until she started pushing. They had done an ultrasound before she went into labour and found nothing unusual. The baby was half way out when they realised that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, once he was out completely they cut the cord but he still wasn’t breathing, the cord was wrapped so tightly that it caused his lungs to collapse. My heart was broken, I lost my baby boy, and I lost my chance to be a dad. There were tears running down my face when I turned to Sasha, but she was unconscious. It was then that they realised that the force exerted on the umbilical cord while he exited the womb caused it to rip out from inside of her and she was haemorrhaging terribly, they tried to stop the bleeding but no avail.” He breathed deeply, trying to find his voice again.

“That day I lost the love of my life and my baby boy too. My family was gone and there wasn’t a single thing I could do to bring them back.” He was fighting back tears as he recounted the events that changed his life, my heart constricted seeing a man I had come to love and respect as a father in so much pain. Without thinking I reached out and grasped his hand wishing I could take away his pain.

He sucked in a deep breath and continued, “I miss her- them, so much every day. The only thing that kept me from falling off the deep end was the promise I made to her. She used to say, “No matter how tough life gets, no matter who you lose along the way and how many times you wonder whether life is worth living with all the pain. Hold your chin up and dry your tears, stay strong and keep fighting because one day you will meet someone who makes it all worthwhile.” At first I told myself that she was the one that made it worthwhile, I didn’t want to live life without her.

“It wasn’t till one day when I looked up at one of my pack members; she looked sad and heartbroken, it was then that I noticed that they all did. They loved her and awaited our baby just like I did; she adored our pack so much and she was always there for them, she was the Luna every pack dreams of having.

“I realised that they made it worthwhile, so I picked myself up and became the Alpha they needed, the Alpha that they deserved.” I felt pride swell up in me, he was stronger than anyone ever gave him credit for and that only made him an even better Alpha than I thought he was.

“Time doesn’t heal pain, you just learn to live with it and embrace it over time. When we first met she made me promise her that I would carry on and make her proud if a day came and we were no longer together. She knew how mates got when one passed away, she didn’t want that for me if I ever lost her.