The Alpha’s Contract

Chapter 0494

Damien

*Rejecting Eris was the right thing to do." Mallory sighs as she rocks back and forth, cradling Luca.

I glance around her chaotic home, "And I'm pretty sure she is dead now anyway."

She freezes. "Care to explain?"

"I was going home to check on Dottie but I changed direction to come here. I saw Dane take her into the forest and shortly after, Brax followed. Dane came out."

"But Brax and Eris didn't?"

"Exactly."

"Are you feeling guilty? Because that isn't like you."

"I'm not sure what I feel. Everything that I've been working so hard to ignore and bury, has come right back to the surface. When the hold on Eris broke and I realised who she was, all I could think about was Raven and what happened to her."

"You know that what happened to her was not normal."

*Is anything about us normal?" I cock an eyebrow at her.

*Okay, poor choice of words." she mutters. Content belong to NôvelDráma. Org.

"What I'm saying is, I don't understand how Eris could have been mated to me. She was a self righteous, crazy bitch. And that is putting it lightly."

Mallory laughs at me. "Yep, definitely not your type."

"And Dottie hated her."

"Dorothy does have a pretty clear view on who she likes and who she doesn't. Speaking of Dorothy, how is she doing now that things have changed with Kade."

"Better."

"And Kade? What is going to happen to him now?"

"Now Cooper is dead, I think that he will be allowed out. He will probably not be able to go anywhere on his own for a while."Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

*Just like his sister."

I hadn't given much thought to Blair. She had kept her head down and got on with everything. "I'm going to head home."

*Sure you don't want to stay?"

"No, I need to clear my head."

ANA

I stand at the front door of my home, listening to Dottie squealing with pure happiness. For a moment it reminded me of how Raven had made her laugh. Each and every time I had heard it in the past, Raven had always been right there with her.

Dottie appears at the window, her skin flushed and what looked like beads in her hair. "Are you coming inside, Daddy?"

"I will be back in a minute. Is that okay?"

"Okay, but hurry, me and Sammie have a surprise." I couldn't get over how much Dottie liked Sammie when everyone else around here had a problem with her.

I take the long way around to the small cemetery. I hadn't set foot here since the day Raven and her twin were buried. I didn't have the words then and I'm not sure if I do now.

The cemetery was kept spotless. Weeds and fallen leaves had been removed and brightly coloured flowers lined each grave. I stand at the edge of hers. My hands in my pockets and silently wishing that she had never given up on life. That she had found a way to tell me that she was done.

I still blamed myself. I had watched her fade and the little things I did to stop her fading further, were just not enough. I should have tried more. I should have made her more of a priority. I should have fought harder for her. "You couldn't have changed anything."

I glance up to see Brax. Dirt all over his face and a shovel over his shoulder.

"I thought I would find you here. I did the exact same thing when I realised Madison was my mate. I returned to my first mate's grave."

He lowers the shovel, balancing it against the small gate and makes his way over to me.

"You wish that things had been different. That you could have found a way to save her. Trust me, I know. I saw it that night and it's also the way I felt about my wife."

"When my mate and children were taken from me, I went on a mission, hunting and slaughtering every Rogue could find in my search for Blair and Dorothy. I didn't stop because I didn't want to feel. You distanced yourself, because the slightest conversation about her brings you right back to feeling this." He points at Ravens grave.

"Is that why you don't spend any time with your daughter?" I snap