Alpha's Second Chance (Second Chance Book 2)

18

Evan

I was sitting by Dean's bed, watching his chest rise and fall. It was the only sign I had that he was even still alive, other than our bond. Even with the bond, though, it felt like there was an emptiness whenever I attempted to call out to him through our Mate Link. It was as if he was completely out of my reach.

I held one of his hands, the other placed on my abdomen, resting over the new life growing there. It was comforting being able to be so close to him, but it was also heartbreaking, because he was just lying there, and I couldn't reach him, no matter how hard I tried.

I started falling asleep when I heard the ringing of a phone. It startled me at first, and then I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen to see who was calling. I didn't recognize the number right away, but still hit the green phone image instead of the red one.

I put the phone up to my ear, hearing a bunch of screaming and whining coming from the other line.

"Hello?" I asked. I almost believed it was an accidental dial, until a voice replied.

"Evan. It's Jackson. We're about ten minutes away from the town. Could you meet us at that flower shop? We've got a bit of— Jocelyn, stop tormenting your sister!— We've got a bit of craziness going on here." Jackson gave an embarrassed laugh, and I felt for him. It sounded tough having so many young kids.

"Yeah, I should be able to meet you there. It might take me longer than ten minutes though, because the town is a bit of a trek on paw. Plus I kind of have to be a little more careful after the hunter incident. I'll be there in about an hour? Stop by the little cafe while you're waiting."

"That sounds like a good idea. It could give the kids a chance to stretch their— Jordan, give Jocelyn back her toy! Jocelyn, stop pulling your sister's hair! Deven, please help give Justin a bottle, I'll be able to feed them both when we stop.— It could give the kids a chance to stretch their legs. See you soon." Jackson hung up the phone, and I couldn't get over the fact that he had at least four kids, though it sounded like there was a zoo in the background.

I put the phone back, and gave Dean's hand a squeeze.

"I'm going to meet some friends of yours. I'll be back with them as soon as I can. I love you, Mate. I can't wait until you open your eyes again." I kissed his forehead as I stood up from the chair, thankful Angel had finally agreed to give me a regular seat instead of the wheelchair.

I quickly left the room, stopping by Angel's office to let him know where I was going, since he had been so concerned for the last few days. After, I left the den, and quickly stripped, calling on Jasper's form to take over my body, feeling the bones and muscle reshape and realign themselves until I was in my fox form. Due to my size, I was more on par with a real fox than the wolves are in comparison to their animal counterparts.

I was able to make it to town relatively quick, shifting near a tree that contained clothes for me. The second I was dressed, I made my way toward the flower shop, looking forward to meeting Jackson as his family. This was the man who had been Dean's first mate. Subconsciously, I wanted to see why he chose to stay with me, while he had rejected Jackson. What made us so different, besides the obvious shifter type?

When I opened the door to Glinda's shop, it was chaos. There were two little girls laughing, playing with the different plants, a cute little boy who was following one of the girls, and two men chasing after the three of them, while a third man sat near the counter next to two car seats, sighing and massaging his temples.

I placed my hand on my stomach, wondering if that would be Dean and I some day, watching our children play around like that.

I walked over to the stressed-looking man, hoping to find out whether it was Jackson.