An Unwanted Second Chance (JB Tirado) novel Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Riley went searching for Kent after ending the call with Whey, but Patrick had stepped out of the office when. she knocked, blocking her entrance. He had been unwilling to tell her what was going on, only that she needed to leave Kent alone for a while. She could sense his pain through the bond, but no matter how much she pressed, Patrick had been unwilling to tell her anything.

She skipped lunch, opting instead to hide in her room and replay her conversation with the commander over and over again. He had ended the conversation by making sure she understood that no matter her decision with Kent, it was very likely she would be losing her job.

It was sometime around three when someone knocked on the door. She opened it, slightly surprised to see Max standing there. He looked rough, his blond hair a mess, his face unshaven. He had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes.

“Alpha has requested a meeting,” he said softly, his gaze running over her.

She nodded, stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind her.

“Are you ok?”

The question took her by surprise. She turned to look at Max, his forehead creased in concern.

“I’ve had better days,” she admitted. “Is Kent ok?”

“I don’t know what happened with the commander,” Max murmured, “but it’s like something in him has snapped.” He bit his lip, staring past her for a moment as though lost in thought.

“What happened?” she asked, reaching out to touch his arm.

Max shook his head. “You’ll need to ask him. I’ve already overstepped when it comes to you.” He sighed, taking her elbow and steering her towards the office.

Everyone was already there when she arrived. Kent was slouched behind his desk, his eyes red. He didn’t even look up when she walked in. Patrick and Penny/were sitting on the couch while Leo and Wesley were in two of the armchairs. Max flopped down beside Penny, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Riley reluctantly took the only open armchair, glancing at everyone’s solemn expressions.

After a moment of silence, Wesley cleared his throat. “I’m assuming we’ve been called here for a reason.”

Kent glanced up, as though realizing that there were other people in the room. He nodded weakly.

“Riley and I spoke with the commander today,” he said quietly. “I thought we should discuss what he said.” He

motioned towards Riley.

She sighed, giving the highlights of the conversation regarding the commander’s thoughts about Evan and his possible heritage. She left out the discussion regarding her relationship with Kent. When she finished, Max was pinching the bridge of his nose while Penny wrung her hands. Patrick dropped his head back against the back of the couch, looking as though he wanted to disappear.

The only people who seemed remotely put together in that moment were Wesley and Leo.

“So he’s either the son of a déranged woman who has been attacking this pack for two years or he is a lost alpha heir with incredible strength and power?” Leo said, incredulously.

ને

Chapter 64

“Basically,” Riley sighed, rubbing her forehead.

“I don’t know what’s worse,” Max scoffed, dropping his hand.

“It doesn’t matter,” Penny cried, tears streaming down her face. “Either way, we lose him.”

Max wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling his mate into his chest. He buried his face into her hair, but not before Riley saw the tears in his eyes. She closed her own eyes, her heart breaking for them. Penny was right. Either way, they were going to have to give up the child they have loved like their own for the last four years.

“So what do we do?” Patrick asked, his voice hoarse.

“We have to send someone out to meet with this woman,” Riley explained. “We have to request that she come into the pack and prove that Evan is her son. We’ll have to do a DNA test on both of them. The commander has also asked that we send Evan’s DNA sample to the Council Hospital so they can compare it against a relative of the alpha of Green River.”

“Send Jaxon out,” Kent said, staring at his desk. “He’s the most diplomatic.”

“I’ll go.”

Everyone turned to look at Max.

“He’s my son. Regardless of what happens. I will go meet this woman. I will explain to her that I have been raising him and that he is healthy and well. And then I will bring her here to see him.”

“Max,” Kent started, his voice strained.

Max held up his hand. “No, Kent. I’m going to do this. He’s my son. I will do this.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment as the alpha and beta stared at each other. Finally Kent relented, nodding.

“Can I ask a question?” Leo asked.

All eyes turned towards him.

“It’s been bothering me since the night in the hospital. You guys said you learned about what the rogues were after over two months ago, but we captured a rogue less than a month ago. We were going to try to get

information out of him but he died unexpectedly in his cell.”

Riley felt the blood drain from her face. She had completely forgotten about that.

“Did he really die of his injuries or did you three do something?” Leo asked.

Kent sighed, shaking his head. “We went to interrogate him without you two, to see if he would give the same information. The guard had given him wolfsbane but had logged the dose incorrectly. We gave him a dose,

but…” He trailed off with a sigh.

Riley flinched. Wolfsbane was highly controlled poison. It was incredibly dangerous to werewolves. In small doses, it could block one’s access to their wolf and their healing abilities. In high doses, it was deadly.

“So you expect us to believe that you accidentally overdosed him on wolfsbane?” Wesley raised a skeptical eyebrow.

Kent shrugged. “Believe it or don’t, but it’s what happened.”

“For what it’s worth, he’s telling the truth,” Riley muttered. “I would know if he wasn’t.”

Chapter 64

Wesley stared at her for a moment before rubbing his forehead, “Forgive my skepticism, but you haven’t exactly been trustworthy either.”

“Does it even matter anymore?” Patrick looked exhausted as he stared at Wesley. “We killed the rogue, whether we meant to or not. It’s done. Can we just move on?”

Comments

Get Bonus (Ad) >

604

ង