Alec’s

Alec

I pinch the bridge of my nose when, yet again, my pack screams after Sadie disappears.

I saw it in her face. It wasn’t like she was trying to hide it or anything. She enjoyed the fact that she had scared the**p out of them. She loved that she had gotten to torment them.

The fear in their faces is evident. They really do believe that Sadie has come back from the dead to haunt them.

“Calm down,” I roar above their screams and fear, hoping they would hear me.

“Didn’t you just see that, Alpha! She’s a ghost!” someone cries, and he looks like he’s going to pee in his pants.

“Just follow me to the meeting hall!” this time I yell in irritation because it seems like nothing I tell them is working.

They scramble to leave the training arena. Most of them seem relieved that they are finally leaving a place they think is ‘haunted.’

When everyone is gone, I’m left standing alone in the arena. Using the mind link, I call for a pack meeting. The sooner they know about Sadie, the better. Yesterday, when we arrived, I had warned the elders and the omega who served Sadie not to mention anything to anyone about Sadie. I’d felt that it was my job to explain to them. That they should hear everything from me.

Now as I stand here, staring at where Sadie just disappeared, I am starting to doubt my decision. I should have done this the moment the meeting with the elders was over.

I turn on my heels and head towards the meeting hall. The sooner I get this done, the sooner I can focus on other things.

“You called a meeting?” Jason asks as he steps beside me on my way to the meeting room.

“Yeah. They need to know Sadie is back, and they need to know that she’s innocent.” I reply, not breaking a step as I walk towards my destination with determination.

This is my mess to fix. I am the one that fell for the wrong one. I am the one that started this whole **t show when I decided Sadie was guilty without digging into the matter further.

What kind of leader does that make me? I’ve always had a clear and level head, so why didn’t I push this further? Why didn’t I investigate deeper? Instead, I assumed that she was guilty just because she gave me a drink handed to her by Calvin.

Why didn’t I see how unclear things were? How suspicious things looked? Hell, my ga**a his intuition. An intuition that led him to believe that not everything was as it seemed.

followed

Micah had a hunch… and it’s because of that hunch that he helped Sadie escape. Why was I so

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f**g blind? Now everything is a mess and I don’t know how to f**g fix it.

I pull myself out of my thoughts when the meeting room door comes into sight.

“And how are the injured members?”

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A smile breaks from Jason’s lips. “Three of them woke up from their coma. The rest are responding well, according to the doctors. Even those that weren’t in a coma have made a significant improvement. Sadie really is your mate! This never happened when Lola was here.”

Ignoring the mention of Lola, I sigh in relief knowing that my people are getting better and not worse. Making a m**l note to visit the hospital to check on them, I fully turn to my beta.

“That’s great. Now, I want you to be there to receive Piper and Calvin at the airport, and tell Micah to be there to receive the warriors from both packs, I command him.

“Sure thing,”

When he nods, I push the double doors open. The chatter of the pack members, excluding the ones in the hospital, greets me as I walk down to the front. Due to my super hearing, I could tell that they were talking about Sadie. Those who were at the arena sure didn’t waste time spreading the ridiculous news of seeing a ghost.

“Quiet!” I command, once I’m at the podium.

They all shut their mouths at my alpha command. I take a moment to think about what to tell them or how to even tell them. It’s not every day you have to tell your pack that you made a mistake.

That the woman who you thought was your mate, isn’t… and the one they took part in torturing, is How do you even begin to explain such s**t? They were following my lead when they hurt Sadie. They felt my pain at losing Lola and took it out on her. Now, I have to tell them that the woman they hurt is actually their true luna. The news is going to unravel them. No one wants to hear that they hurt their luna.

“I know some of you saw Sadie Evans at the training grounds. You also assumed that she was a ghost. I can assure you that she’s not. She’s very much alive and will be staying here in the pack.” I begin, still not sure how to explain this s**t.

There is an immediate uproar of anger and disgust. The noise is deafening as their angry insults at Sadie fill in the space.

I grit my teeth, p**d off. “Shut it!” I roar, making them quiet down.

“With all due respect, Alpha, why would you allow that woman back here after what she did to our luna? And how is she even alive? She died three years ago. We all saw Piper bury her.” One member

stands and asks.

That is a mystery I am yet to solve. I saw Sadie’s body. I got the doctors to perform a DNA test, and it turned out to be hers. How the f**k is that possible? Sure, I know Raven is powerful, but I know she doesn’t have that kind of power.

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“My trip to be Hope pack has been enlightening. We were able to find out that Sadie was innocent. She wasn’t responsible for what happened three years ago. As for Lola, she wasn’t my mate”

I explain to them everything without really disclosing anything about the curse that was hanging over our heads. We had agreed to keep the knowledge of the curse from them. The last thing we need is the information falling into the wrong hands.

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When I am done, most of them are sagged on their chairs. Looks of astonishment and surprise on

their faces.

“B-But we saw you with Lola. How can she not be your mate?” an old member asks.

“Lola was an impostor, Sadie isn’t. The elders have verified that and so have I. Sadie will be staying here for a while since she’s helping the pack with something. I demand you give her the same respect you give me. We did her wrong. I did her wrong. Please don’t make her hate us more than she already has. I need her to stay.”

If I had my way, Sadie would stay here forever. I didn’t have my way though, because, like the idiot I am, I ruined things between us before they even began.

“Yes, Alpha.” They chorus the answer and I nod my head at them.

“You are dismissed.”

I wait for them to leave. Once the room is empty, I also leave, heading outside. I had a ton s** of work waiting for me, but I couldn’t focus on anything but Sadie and Aspen.

Everyone, including Piper, told me that Sadie had a huge crush on me. She used to follow me around like a lost puppy, but I just ignored her. One, because she wasn’t my type. Two, because she was my baby sister’s best friend. There was no way I would ever go there, even if I were attracted to

her.

To be honest, I never really noticed her. Apart from being Piper’s best friend, to me, Sadie was always the awkward and clumsy pack member. She was a plain Jane. There wasn’t really anything remarkable about her. She was always in loose-fitting clothes that swallowed her entire frame, her hair was always in a messy bun, and she never did make-up. In other words, she didn’t really put any effort into how she looked.

There wasn’t any one time I felt any attraction to her. In fact, I always felt the opposite. I felt irritated when it came to Sadie Evans. It irritated me how I would often catch her staring at me with a dreamy look or how she would find ways to try and touch me. I just hated it, so I went to great lengths to avoid her.

Now, though, I wonder if, at a deeper level, she had sensed we were mates. That would explain why she felt what she did for me, even though I never once felt the same.

It’s funny how the woman I’ve spent most of my teenage and adult life looking down on turned out to be my mate. I never once imagined that my sister’s best friend would turn out to be my mate.

Lola had been everything I wanted in a mate. Beautiful, s**y, intelligent and strong. While Sadie

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had been the opposite. I’m not saying she wasn’t any of those things back then, but she didn’t really put any effort into cultivating who she was. It’s like she was okay with just being plain and unattractive.

I must admit that I don’t know what to do with the current Sadie. She’s become everything I admire in a woman. Too bad her crush is long dead and she hates my f**g guts.

I take a deep breath and sigh, just as a small body collides with the back of my legs. I almost fall forward, but catch myself before I do. Turning sharply, my breath freezes when I see Aspen rubbing her chin.

“I’m sorry Mr.” she says, looking up at me with the same green eyes. “I didn’t look where I was going.”

“It’s okay sweetheart, there is no harm done,” I squat to her level so that we are at almost the same level. “Are you hurt?”

F**k. This feels amazing. I still can’t believe that Sadie and I made this beautiful and bubbly creature in front of me.

Before, I used to think that night was the worst night of my life. Now, though, I consider it the best, because the end result is Aspen. I may not remember sleeping with Sadie, but it doesn’t really matter because our daughter is the product of that night.

“No, I’m not hurt, but are you okway?” She asks, her head tilted and her wide green eyes staring at me with concern.

“Why do you ask, sweetheart?”

“Because you look sad.”

I don’t know what made me do it, but I just found myself saying, “I did something wrong. I hurt someone and she’s very mad at me.”

Aspen raises her hand and softly places it on my jaw. Cupping my jawline gently.

“All you have to say is sorry,” she whispers in a sweet voice, her eyes enchanting me. “Mommy always tells me that if you do something bad, then you have to apolowgwise. Have you said sorry?”

I know it won’t be that simple when it comes to Sadie, but Aspen is right. I haven’t said sorry. I haven’t even apologized for the hell I’ve put her through… But even if I did, would she accept it?