My Second Chance

What do I do next?

I feel like I literally stopped breathing. I could not speak. I could not move. Magic? I felt Selene gently rub my back while Allie rested her head on my lap, nudging me lightly. I felt tears form in my eyes and start to trickle down my cheeks.

“I do not understand any of this, Selene. Who is Alexander and who am I that I am so important and so coveted that he would use magic to essentially trick an entire pack?!”

Selene sighed deeply. “I wish I could give you all the answers you seek, Brooke, but unfortunately, I do not know everything. I have some ideas of who Alexander truly is, but nothing definite. I have been trying to get answers for us both, but I have struck out,” I looked up at her and she continued. “In terms of who you are, I still need you to speak with your parents. I could give you a little background, but honestly, I feel it is their story to tell.”

I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them. I feel like I am never going to get answers. “You will get the answers you seek, Brooke, this I can promise you. Can I give you some advice though?”

“Go ahead, I guess if you are willing to give it, it is something I will need,” I looked at her with a slight smile. She continued to rub my back.

“You cannot go through this process alone, my child. I know you have Allie, but you need people in your corner. I think to have that support and to get the answers you need, you will need to bring your parents into the fold.”

My head whipped in her direction; shock written on my face. I stood up quickly, pacing the floor. “How… how do I even begin that conversation, Selene? Do I tell them that I am living this life for a second time? How do I tell them that they died, I died, and I am trying to stop it all? They will think I am crazy. Oh, and if I tell them that Alexander is not really the Alpha of my pack and is not supposed to be my mate, oh, then they will have me committed,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

Selene chuckled lightly. “Brooke, you need to have more faith in those you love and who love you in return. I think your parents will surprise you if given the opportunity.” I sighed. I honestly do not know what to think about all of this.

“Last night I spoke with Alpha Theodore of the Red Moon Pack. He mentioned knowing my parents and seemed to want to talk.” I looked at her questioningly, but Selene just smiled brightly.

“Ah yes, Theodore is one of my favorite children. His pack has been thriving for a long time, in large part due to how fairly and justly he runs his pack. He is a very good man, a great wolf, and an amazing leader. He grew up with your father. They were very close.”

“He mentioned my parents doing some sort of exchange; that they went to his pack to help train his warriors. He never mentioned that they were that close,” I looked at her curiously.

“Brooke, I promised you I would be honest with you, and honesty is what you are getting. Theodore might have more information that could be very useful. I think it would be beneficial to you to talk with him if you are able to without ruffling any feathers. I also think, however, that you should talk with your parents first. You need their support in this, my child. I believe the answers you get from them will make many things clearer.”

I sighed. Selene stood up, as did Allie. I looked up at her and Selene just smiled down at me. She reached out her hand for me to take. I put my hand in hers, she helped me stand up, then she wrapped me in a gentle hug. I was so warm and comforting. Unfortunately, that comfort left as soon as she let go of me though.

“It is time for you to return, Brooke. I know you do not want to, but I have faith that you will come through all this unscathed and will have a beautiful future ahead of you. In that future, your parents will be there, and your family will be intact.” She hugged me once more. As she was hugging me, Allie came over and tucked her head underneath my arm so that my arm was resting over her. It seemed like she wanted a hug too. “We will speak again soon, my child. Be safe.”

I opened my eyes again, and I was back in my room. I was hoping he was not there, but when I rolled over, there was Alexander. I quickly and quietly snuck to the bathroom, shut the door, and locked it. I was finally able to take a breath.

I cannot get that flashback out of my head, Allie. How can I fake this relationship when he did these things to me? To us? He made it so you could not come out and help me. He took you away from me and r***d me. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and quickly wiped them away.

I know this is going to be hard, babe. It will be the hardest thing you have ever done. Just remember though, this time around you are stronger. You are stronger because you have the knowledge. You know he is not who he says he is, and you know to be on guard. It is hard for me too. Even though it was his fault, I could not come out that night. I still feel a lot of guilt that you had to go through that. We both need to do this so we can have a chance to have an amazing life. You will be here for me, and I will be here for you. Every. Single. Day.

I felt Allie nudge me through our bond, sending warmth my way. It enveloped me in a way I had never felt from her before. It made me feel safe.

Thank you, Allie girl. I am beyond grateful for you, I said as I nudged her back, but now the question is how do we talk to our parents about this?

I do not know, Hun. My two cents? I think we should just tell them. We have to get them alone and somewhere we can talk freely without worrying about being caught.

It was like a lightning bolt hit me in the head. Suddenly, it was there. We need to go back to our pack, Allie. Somehow we need to go there for a visit, without Alexander in tow. It is the only place we know with 100% certainty is safe to speak about this. The office in Mom and Dad’s house is soundproof.

That is my girl! I knew you could figure it out! We will not be able to make this happen right away, but maybe we can talk to Mom and Dad before they leave and plan a time for us to come visit in the next week or two. At this point in the past, we had not gone back to see them at all since moving here. We should be able to make that work. I could tell that Allie was getting excited. Her tail was going a mile a minute in my head. I could not help but chuckle at her.

Calm down, Allie girl, calm down. This is just the first step. We have a lot still to figure out. I agree with Selene though. It will help to have our parents in the fold. It will help if they know what is going on, because they might be able to provide us with more information to help. Plus, they are the only ones that can tell us what we really are. I know I am obviously part wolf, otherwise I would not have you my BFF. What else am I though?

There are so many supernatural creatures out there, Brooke. I do not want to even go down that rabbit hole. Well, I might if I got a rabbit out of the deal, but otherwise we are just wasting time guessing.

I laughed lightly. Only you would think about food at a time like this, girl.

Hey! You know you want food too. We did not eat much yesterday. Let’s go downstairs and have some breakfast. Even though you do not feel hungry, you need to help take care of both of us, okay? Maybe they have waffles and bacon! You know how much you love bacon! There goes her tail again.

I think you are pushing the bacon more for yourself than for me, but yes, we both love bacon. Let us go down and see.

I finished getting dressed and ready for the day. I opened the bathroom door and there he was, standing in front of me getting ready to knock on the door. “There you are! You snuck out of bed. Is everything okay?” he said as he leaned in for a kiss.

With the long game I was playing in my mind, I sucked it up, and returned his kiss. “I am sorry, Hun. I woke up and could not sleep anymore. You looked so peaceful that I did not want to wake you up. I figured I would let you get a little more sleep. I was just about to head down to breakfast. Allie is requesting lots of bacon,” I said, chuckling. “Why don’t you get ready and meet us down there?” I looked up at him.

“Sounds like a plan, love. I could go for some bacon myself. I will meet you down there.” With that he headed into the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on and exhaled the big breath I had been holding in.

Dodged that bullet.

Yes, yes we did.