I'll Live Vicariously Through You

Chapter 2

**Andy's POV**

*Few Months Before The Party*

I’m already 17, an age where most of my friends are eagerly declaring their mates, yet I remain shrouded in lonely uncertainty, unable to catch even a whiff of my destined partner. In our world, both werewolf females and males don’t just unlock the ability to sense their mate until they turn of age. This means that if my potential mate happens to be underage and close by, I would remain oblivious to her presence. According to werewolf law, however, once you cross the threshold of 16, you're no longer deemed a child.

When I was merely 15, my dad made a decision that would forever alter the dynamics within our household. He brought home Melissa, whom I had to awkwardly accept as my 'sister.' Her mother, Katy, was my dad's high school girlfriend—his first love—whom he had shared his teenage dreams and secrets with. Tragically, their paths diverged when he left for college, only to discover my mother there, his true fated mate. The separation devastated both my father and Melissa’s mother, resulting in their poignant heartbreak. My dad ultimately made the decision to break things off, choosing to forge a life with my mom instead.

But why would one make such a choice? It’s simple—fated mate bonds are distractingly potent, transcending any fleeting infatuation. When you finally find your fated mate, it’s as if a cosmic light has illuminated your path, intertwining your destinies. You share an instinctive understanding, a deep-rooted connection that can eclipse anything you believed was love before. When those mate bonds solidify, an overwhelming wave of desire and protective instincts swells within. It obliterates the naivety of first love, leaving the heart fiercely loyal and possessive.

Melissa's mother, not a member of our pack, eventually left. She transferred to a new school when she became a senior, desperately needing to escape the shadow of my father, her heart barely mended. That was the last my dad heard of Katy.

---

**Gamma Jay’s POV (aka Andy’s Dad)**

*2.5 Years Before The Party*

The early morning sun glinted off the crisp winter landscape, and as Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, waddled out of his burrow, he breathed in the cool air. Lifting his head, he gazed around, relieved to find no shadow. Spring was on the horizon…

*RING, RING*

*RING, RING*

Gamma Jay’s gaze flickered from his computer screen to his cell phone, the bright display highlighting an unfamiliar number.

With a sense of foreboding, he pressed the answer button. “Hello, Gamma Jay speaking.”

On the other end, a fragile voice trembled, “*sniff* *sniff* I…I’m... *sobs quietly* ... my name is Melissa... My mom is Katy... Spencer... she... she... *hic* ... told me to call you...”

A jolt of anxiety coursed through Jay. Why was Melissa calling, and why did her voice sound so broken? A knot formed in his stomach as dread clouded his thoughts.

*More muffled sobs followed, haunting and disheartening.*

Leaping from his chair, Jay tried to shake off the unsettling sensation building within him. “What happened to Kat?” he managed to ask, his voice quivering.

Melissa's cries pierced through the phone like daggers. “My mom is dead... she told me you’d know... you’d be able to help me...” The anguish in her voice echoed painfully.

Jay felt his heart plummet. “Stay where you are, Melissa. The hospital is just a couple of hours away. I’m on my way,” he assured her, quickly mind-linking his Alpha for permission to leave—the urgency escalating with each passing second.

“... okay,” she whispered, and the line fell silent.

Jay sent a quick link to his son. “Andy, I’ll be away for a while. If you need anything, contact Beta.”

His Alpha responded, granting him leave, and with a heavy heart, Jay hurried out of the pack house, urgency propelling him into his car.

**Shadow Hospital**

The moment Jay pulled into the hospital parking lot, tension tightened in his chest. The familiar facade of the building loomed before him, but he couldn’t find space near the entrance. He raced to the farthest parking spot, urgency propelling him forward.

As he approached the receptionist desk, his voice was a low growl charged with desperation. “KATY SPENCER, WHICH ROOM?!” The beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, a testament to his worried state.

The receptionist, visibly shaken, pointed a trembling finger towards a resuscitation room number, her eyes wide with fear. Without wasting a second, Jay dashed down the fluorescent-lit corridor, heart racing.

“Kat, I’m so sorry…” he whispered, collapsing beside her motionless form, gripping her cold hands with trembling fingers. “I should’ve stayed in touch. I had no idea how much pain you were in,” his voice broke as he pressed a kiss to her lifeless fingers. “If only I had been there…” Sorrow washed over him, a heavy wave dragging him down. “You shouldn’t have faced this alone.”

Frustration boiled inside him, anger directed at himself for not being able to mend the shattered pieces of her life. “Why didn’t you call me when your chosen mate betrayed you? How dare he sleep with his step sister! That bastard! How could he do this to you?” His voice rose, filled with agony. “Why did you choose him over your fated mate, Kat?”

The hospital room felt heavy with sorrow as Melissa sat on the edge of the bed, her heart breaking for the lifeless form of her mother. The sterile smell of antiseptic clung to the air, mingling with the quiet beeping of machines that had fallen silent in the face of loss. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, pooling on her mother's now-cold body as she wrapped her arm around her, desperately seeking warmth. Resting her head on her mother's chest, she listened for a heartbeat that would never again resonate within that beloved frame.

Wiping her eyes with trembling hands, Melissa spoke softly, her voice a fragile whisper. “We became rogues. I don’t know what compelled Mom to make such a drastic choice.” Her voice cracked as she continued, “I have only one mom, and wherever she went, I would follow. We were on our way to you, but halfway there, we were ambushed by a pack of feral rogues.” Her words tumbled out, heavy with the weight of memories. “Mom fought with a ferocity I’d never seen, she fought hard to protect me since I haven't shifted into my wolf yet. Driven by the hope of finally reuniting with you after all these years. It gave her strength beyond measure to defeat those rogues. But who could have anticipated that the last of them would poison his fangs with wolf bane? Can you believe it? Just one bite to her leg, and…” Her voice broke, choking back anguish. “…it killed her.”

In the midst of her grief, Jay recalled the doctor’s grim explanation of what had transpired. The autopsy report had laid bare the truth: the femoral vein, a significant vessel in the leg, was responsible for carrying blood back to the heart. It had been a cruel twist of fate that the wolf bane coursed through that vein, racing through her mother’s body ten times faster than normal. In a horrific instant, the poison reached her heart, overwhelming it and stealing her away to eternal slumber.

After the cremation, they had placed Kat’s ashes in a stunning purple crystal keepsake urn, its shimmering surface capturing the light in a way that almost seemed to dance.

“Mom, you'll always be with me,” Melissa murmured, her voice thick with emotion as she pressed a soft kiss to the urn’s lid. Gently, she slipped it into her backpack, holding it close to her heart, seeking a semblance of comfort in the weight of her grief, desperate for a moment

Guilt and self-condemnation were etched into every line of Jay's weathered face, his eyes shadowed by the weight of unspoken regrets. "Melissa," he began, his voice trembling slightly, "come live with me. I know we’re essentially strangers, but I once loved your mother deeply. I vow to her spirit that I will take you in as my daughter. You don’t have to rush into this decision; feel free to take your time until you feel comfortable and can trust me if this feels too sudden."

"I... I..." Melissa stuttered, the words catching in her throat as she struggled to process his offer.

"You don’t need to give me an answer right away, Melissa. My only wish is for your safety and for your mother’s soul to find peace knowing you’re protected under my care. Please, let her rest in peace," Jay implored, his voice laced with a mix of hope and anxiety.

Melissa remained silent, her eyes cast downward, yet she nodded her head in reluctant agreement. In that moment, a flicker of a wicked smirk danced across her lips, a brief glimpse of something hidden deep within her, but it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

*********

Andy's POV

Few Months Before The Party

As I reclined on my bed, the soft light of the evening filtering through the curtains, I found myself lost in thought about my father's past relationship. I pondered the series of events that led to Melissa moving in with us. Despite the complexity of it all, a sense of contentment washed over me.

*slurp* *slurp*

"Dee-dee, my mouth is having all the fun, you're not sharing with my pusssy, " Melissa said as she gobble talked from under my blanket.

I shoved her face deeper into my dickk, "shut up you whoree and keep being a good girl or else I"ll punish you all night..."