Accept me, Please?

Chapter 2

Raul dragged himself to his car, later that night and after getting in, he drove himself home. After talking to his Alpha, his mind was in an even more significant turmoil than it had been before. So, he'd gone back to work and tried to find peace. He'd stayed well after everyone else had left at five o'clock.

The Alpha's answer to his questions had been simple.

Shifters live a long time: most times, it's hundreds of years. Lola was a shifter, so had she lived, they would have lived for an exceptionally long time, happily and together. When Lola died, he should have passed with her, following her into the afterlife because that's the way their shifter nature works. His wolf knew that their pup was young, too young to raise himself. So, Raul had survived to raise Carlito.

This was where their discussion had gotten complicated.

Because Raul needed to survive, his mate bond to Lola had been...not exactly severed but damaged just enough that the wolf in him could survive the loss of his mate and stay alive for his pup. Now his pup was of an age to care for himself, and his wolf was ready to follow his mate into the afterlife. This is the reason why Raul felt as if he was dying because, in all reality, he was.

Today though, Topaz had caught his human attention. It was a fluke that she had somehow caught the attention of his wolf, yet somehow, she had. Maybe it was because of the damage done to his mate-bond with Lola.

The Alpha had told him he wasn't sure. He'd suggested that Raul meeting Topaz was fates way of giving him someone to love. It would also give him a chance to stay with his son. Because of this, his wolf had been pulled from his depression, and a new mate bond had been created. Also, according to the Alpha, this meant his mate bond to Lola was now destroyed completely.

This left Raul free to make Topaz his second mate. Raul was all for a second mate because it meant he'd get to stay with his son, see his grandchildren born. Yes, he still loved Lola, but the sharp pain of her passing had gone in the hustle and bustle of raising Carlito until it was bearable.

Now the thought of new love, well, he had to admit that he was ready to embrace it. Maybe that too was the fates at work.

Anyway, it seems that this is a rare thing to happen, exceedingly rare. His Alpha said he'd only seen it one other time, and it had been more than a hundred years ago. His Alpha was three hundred sixty years old.

As much as he was ready to embrace a second mate, he feared his grown son would hate it. Carlito had been angry enough at the thought of Raul dating for companionship, how much angrier would this make him?

With his thoughts still heavy, he parked his car in the driveway and got out. He noticed his son's car in the drive, and that most of the house lights were on.

He groaned. It was almost ten pm and Raul had hoped Carlito would be in bed, or even at his mate's house. He'd really hoped he wouldn't have to act happy for his son tonight.

Pausing on the porch steps, he tried to clear his mind of his turmoil. Carlito finding his mate was a wonderful thing, and he was happy about it, he was. He just wasn't sure he could hide his pain and worry. His worry about how Carlito would react to him having a second mate, and his pain if he couldn't accept it.

The door suddenly busted open, causing Raul to jump.

"Dad! Why are you so late? You missed the awesome dinner Dianne cooked. Why are you standing out here? Get in here, I want you to meet Dianne, my mate," Carlito exclaimed excitedly.

Raul forced himself to smile as he walked inside the house. "Sorry, son. Something came up and I had to work late. I figured you'd be busy and wouldn't miss me, but I should have called."