An Unwanted Second Chance (JB Tirado) novel Chapter 94

Extra Story Chapter 2

Age 14

Riley shouldn’t have been shocked when Kent told her they had taken Evan to the hospital. Apparently, he had thrown up and then passed out in Kent’s office. With no way to determine how much alcohol he had actually consumed, thanks to the number of broken bottles, Kent had decided the safest course of action was to get

him checked out.

Penny was sitting beside the hospital bed when Riley walked into the room. Her auburn hair was piled into a messy bun, and her eyes were red–rimmed from crying. Evan lay asleep, his face slack, making him look every bit as young as he truly was.

It always amazed Riley how quickly Evan was growing, already taller and broader than most of his peers. Sometimes he looked so much like an adult that it was easy to forget he was still just a child. A boy who was lost, hurting, and unsure of where he belonged.

“How is he?” Riley asked, slipping into the chair beside Penny..

“He has alcohol poisoning,” Penny said, her voice raw. “They pumped his stomach, but he’ll need to stay for at least a day for observation and fluids.”

“Goddess, I can’t believe he drank that much.” Riley reached for Penny’s trembling hand and held it in hers.

“I’m just grateful Kent insisted on bringing him in,” Penny said with a shaky breath. “Max was furious. He wanted to make Evan sleep it off in his room. If Kent hadn’t pushed, something could’ve happened to him.”

“You know Kent loves Evan,” Riley said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “He’d do anything for him.”

A tear slipped down Penny’s cheek. “What am I supposed to do, Riley?” Her voice broke as more tears followed. “I don’t know how to help him. I don’t know what he needs.”

“What about therapy?” Riley asked softly.

“He won’t cooperate. Even when we manage to get him to go, he refuses to talk. Or he acts like a complete jerk the entire time.” Penny wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “He won’t listen to me or Max. The only one who gets through to him at all is Alex, but what can he do? He’s just a kid himself.”

She let out a long, unsteady breath. “And the things Evan says sometimes… he can be so cruel. He knows exactly how to hurt us. I don’t understand it. We’ve done everything we could for him. We’ve always given him everything he needs, everything he wants. We’ve always made sure he was treated the same as Alex and Emma.”

“But he’s not the same as Alex and Emma,” Riley said gently.

Penny’s brows shot up. “No. He’s my child. Just as much as they are. Even if I didn’t give birth to him…”

“I know,” Riley said, lifting her hand slightly. “I’m not questioning your love for Evan. I know you love him just as deeply as your other two. But Evan is different. Being adopted means he carries a story that’s separate from theirs.”

Penny chewed on her lip, her eyes locked on Riley.

“He knows he’s adopted,” Riley continued. “He knows what happened to his birth parents. He knows how he

Extra Story–Chapter 2

came to live with you. He probably has a list in his head of every way he’s not the same as his siblings.”

Penny said nothing, her gaze fixed and distant.

“And he’s been through things most kids never have to experience,” Riley said softly. “He was kidnapped as an infant and abused. Even if he doesn’t remember it, his body does. That trauma is still there. And then it happened again when he was five. He’s carrying so much pain.”

Penny’s eyes filled again. “How do I help him?” Her voice cracked. “I can’t take that pain away. I can’t fix what’s already happened. And he doesn’t want my help. He doesn’t want anyone’s. He’s just so angry.” “We’ll figure it out, Penny.” Riley wished she felt as confident as she sounded.

Riley stood in the hallway outside Evan’s hospital room for a few minutes. The low hum of the machines and the occasional beep echoed like a metronome of anxiety. She finally turned away and made her way down the corridor, where Kent, Max, and Penny had gathered in the small family waiting area. The coffee in the corner sat untouched. No one had said much since Kent called them all in.

She slipped into the seat beside Kent. Max sat across from her, elbows resting on his knees, hands dangling loosely between them. He looked drained. Penny sat next to him, her fingers twisted in the hem of her shirt, eyes puffy and tired. Kent leaned back with his arms crossed, his jaw set in a familiar line of restrained frustration.

No one spoke at first. The silence between them was thick.

“We can’t keep doing this,” Max said finally, his voice raw. “Every few weeks it’s something new. School fights, disappearing for a night, drinking, trashing things. It’s like we’re just waiting for the next crisis.”

“I know,” Penny whispered. “It feels like we’ve tried everything, and nothing works.”

Kent exhaled through his nose. “Because everything so far has been soft. Talking. Waiting. Hoping. He needs consequences. Real ones. Not just ‘go to your room‘ or a stern lecture. That’s not cutting it anymore.”

Max looked up, his eyes shadowed. “You think more punishment is going to help him? He’s already angry all the time. If we come down harder, what if we push him further away?”

“We might,” Kent admitted. “But right now, we’re letting him walk all over us. He’s tearing up his future, and we’re watching it happen. He needs boundaries. He needs to know his actions have weight.”

Riley cleared her throat, drawing their attention. “I agree with Kent.”

Penny turned toward her, brows drawing together.

“I don’t think we can keep handling Evan like he’s a broken child who needs to be protected from everything,” Riley said gently. “He’s not just angry. He’s reckless, and someone’s going to get hurt. Or worse, he’s going to destroy his own path before he ever has a chance to walk it.”

“So, what do we do?” Max asked. “Ground him again? Take away privileges? He doesn’t care.”

“I think we stop just taking things away.” Riley said. “And start giving him responsibility. Make him clean up

what he’s broken. Make him apologize, to people and to the pack. Force him to do the work. If he’s old enough to break rules, he’s old enough to repair the damage”

Kent gave a slow nod. “Restitution.”

<Extra Story- Chapter 2

+ Pets >

“Yes,” Riley said. “He needs to feel that his actions don’t disappear when we forgive him. That they cost

something.”

She hesitated before continuing. “I’ve been reading more about True Alphas lately. Especially about the changes they go through during puberty.”

Max blinked at her. “You think this is connected to his genetics?”

“I think it’s all connected. True Alphas mature faster, physically, mentally, emotionally. Their instincts are

stronger, their tempers harder to control. Their energy can overwhelm them if they don’t learn how to focus it.

Add to that the trauma Evan’s carrying, the rejection he’s starting to feel from people in the pack, and it’s no wonder he’s spiraling.”

Max ran a hand over his face. “The things people have been saying… calling him a stray when they think we

don’t hear.”

“He hears it,” Riley said quietly. “Even if he pretends not to.”

They fell silent again. Riley felt the weight of all their years together, of battles fought as warriors and

parents and leaders. It wasn’t just about Evan anymore. It was about the future of the pack. About who Evan

could become if they failed him now.

“You know,” Max said, after a long moment, “when Evan was five, and we thought we’d lost him for good… it

was you who brought him back.”

Riley looked up, surprised.

“He trusts you,” Max continued. “Always has. You’re the only person he’s never fully turned on, no matter how

angry he gets.”

Kent looked over at her as well, brow lifting slightly. “You think he might actually listen to her?”

Max nodded. “If anyone can reach him, it’s Riley.”

“I’m not a therapist,” she said quietly. “I’m not even his parent.”

“No,” Penny said, her voice shaking. “But you’re,the one person he’s always looked up to. And maybe right

now, he doesn’t need a parent. Maybe he needs someone who sees him as a future warrior… maybe even a future Alpha.”

Riley stared at the linoleum floor, at the faint scuff marks and shadows cast by the fluorescent lights.

Training Evan wasn’t what she expected. And definitely not what she wanted.

But maybe it was what he needed.

She looked up, meeting Max’s eyes, then Penny’s. Then Kent’s.

“Okay,” she said finally, “I’ll try”

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Extra Story – Chapter 3