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“This cannot go on!” she proclaimed. “Owen is my mate, and we have produced a son out of our union. Isn’t that enough of a lesson from the cosmos to learn that this has all been pointless?”
Dernet stopped shambling and moved toward Reika. Connor tried to help him, but he pushed him away. The man was certainly old but tenacious at the same time.
He approached both Owen and Reika, stopping a mere foot away. Reika was no longer afraid of him, and she knew Owen wasn’t either. Plus, there was a look in Dernet’s eyes that indicated more of a peaceful energy rather than hate.
“Reika,” he said softly. “You have come into our lives during a time that none of us could have foreseen. We were weak, hateful men, wanting what we believed the ancestors had called for us to do.”
The old man closed his eyes, still holding most of his weight on one side of his body. Connor stood by, the look of shock painting his expression.
“You have taught us patience and understanding,” Dernet said. “And it is because of that I knew Owen would be strong enough to take on the pack as the new alpha. With you, my son has grown into a man I am proud of. He has learned patience, responsibility, and love for another. He now knows what a father will do to protect his family. The alpha is the father of the whole pack. Something he had no concept of before you. Come, my son.”
Owen and Reika looked at each other hesitantly, but eventually, Owen nodded, and Reika helped him walk closer to his father.
Dernet held out his arms to his son, and they awkwardly embraced. Reika stood by Owen’s side the entire time, holding her beloved by the waist so he would not fall.
“You are everything I always wanted you to be,” Dernet whispered.
Reika felt her eyes welling with tears, knowing that Owen’s were swelling too.
Dernet pulled away from Owen and held his son’s hand in the air like they were in the center of a ring in a boxing match.
“Here is your new alpha of the Raff pack … my son, Owen!”
Connor’s face began to tremble, yet, he wasn’t a confident enough person to question the decision of his father. He clapped reluctantly, then Dernet tumbled to the ground.
“Father!” Owen yelled.
Connor returned to Dernet’s side as he went to his knees, old and worn out from the fight. Connor pulled him upward and carried him toward the main homestead.
Reika was relieved that Connor had already shown his loyalty to Owen but was immediately taken by another harrowing thought.
“Where is my son?” she screamed.
Dernet glanced over his shoulder with a wide grin. “Nina has been nursing him,” he said happily. “She is in the main guest house.”
Reika felt her body surge with anger, then felt Owen’s hand on her shoulder. He squeezed it, a clear indication for her to take a moment to rein her emotions in.
She helped Owen move to the guest house, which looked like a tiny stylish garage next to the main Raff homestead. She tried to keep her frustration to herself, but the moment the door opened and she saw Nina, Owen’s sister, holding her son, she was ready to snap.
“Owen, Reika,” Nina said, smiling from ear to ear.
Reika nearly let Owen fall to his knees as she reached out for her son, arms that felt abruptly empty.
“Give him to me,” she said sternly.
Nina handed Reika her son, who appeared to be content in dreamland. Owen was still leaning against her shoulder, swaying slightly but holding his own as they looked down at their boy.
“I was only feeding him until you returned,” Nina said meekly. “I kept hoping, praying things would work out the way they did.”
Nina touched her chest as Reika pulled her son close. She saw how much she loved Owen and how little she thought of the familial rage. It melted Reika’s heart, and she felt instantly regretful.
“I’m sorry,” Reika said, closing her eyes. “I was so worried about him, about losing him, about losing Owen.”
When she opened her eyes, all she saw was a look of understanding. The small flicker of light in Nina’s irises looked like Owen’s, which made Reika realize that they were definitely going to be okay.
“I know,” Nina whispered.
She rubbed Reika’s arm and then quickly went to Owen, helping him sit on a couch nearby. Reika hadn’t noticed that he had tears streaming down his pulpy-looking face, crumbling, holding out his arms to her desperately.
