The Beta's Broken Mate (Book 3 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 8

Ragnar cuddled Matthew close to his warm body a few hours later. The little pup was sound asleep, though he'd be waking soon hungry again. He wondered if he and Talia would ever have pups of their own.

He was seated in the rocking chair in Caleb and Charlotte's apartment, while the couple was on the couch chatting quietly. He was half paying attention and more focused on Matthew. The little pup had the tiniest hands.

Ragnar finally felt as though his life had purpose again. Some years passed by in a blur with him barely remembering them, even though he'd just lived through them. He'd had many moments when he thought about walking away from his immortal life, but usually Caleb and Daniel could tell, and they would talk him out of it, reminding him that one day he'd find his mate.

He'd fought in wars out of boredom and done stupid things knowing they couldn't kill him. He'd gone to school more than once, and perfected his fighting skills in every type of combat he could find. He'd been all over the world, sometimes disappearing for months at a time. The Remington family understood his need for a break, and they'd let him go, finding someone else to cover his duties for a while.

He didn't regret the decision he'd made that night on the battlefield, even if he hadn't fully understood what was being offered to him. Life had been amazing, but he was beyond ready to settle down and have a family again. 

He was ready to be a father to Matthew and hopefully more pups on down the road. He'd missed out on a lot of Astrid's childhood as his need to travel and go to war had overshadowed everything else. He'd been young and dumb, but he'd made up for it. He was glad she was on this journey with him.

A knock sounded at the door interrupting his thoughts and he looked up to see Daniel and Jenna enter the apartment. He glanced back down at Matthew, watching him sleep. Then he looked up again when he felt eyes on him.

Jenna was looking at him and he realized she looked familiar. He studied her for a moment, trying to place her. 'Where have we seen her before?'

Rollo looked out at her. 'Texas.'

"Have we met?" she asked him, studying him intently.

Ragnar gazed at her for a moment, his eyes narrowing, trying to remember where he'd seen her in Texas. The cafe. "Texas?"

Jenna's face lit up as she tipped her head sideways. "At the cafe."

He nodded, scenting her. "You.." smelled like Talia. "...were pregnant."

"You met her?" Daniel's gaze swung to his in shock. You saw her in Texas and didn't tell me?

Ragnar glanced back at Daniel. Like I'd do that to you. "No. I just saw her. She had everyone's attention. They unconsciously knew she was your mate."

"Is that why everyone kept bowing their heads to me?" Jenna asked them.

Ragnar smirked. "Yup." He glanced back at Daniel. "I had no idea she was your mate, though." And frankly, I was more distracted by the fact that her bag smelled like my mate, he linked to Daniel.

Daniel's gaze snapped back to him, Your mate?

It's complicated. He watched Jenna walk into Talia's room, then looked back at Daniel. "Talia is my mate," he said quietly.

Daniel's eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. "You're sure?"

Ragnar just looked at him.

"Dumb question." Daniel looked at his father for an explanation.

Caleb shrugged. "I've never heard of such a thing." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and looked at Charlotte who shook her head. Charlotte loved to read and had read probably every book the Remington family possessed. If it was in a book in the library, Charlotte had probably read it at some point, but apparently not.

"I guess I need to invite her into our pack. I was actually thinking about doing so anyway once she's had some time," Daniel said quietly. "James's funeral is Tuesday." He had a feeling Talia would never want to return to New York to live.

"Have you told Astrid?" Caleb asked Ragnar.

Ragnar nodded. "Hopefully she finds her own mate now." Astrid was in the same situation as him, though she had found other ways to occupy her time. War was not her thing. Like Charlotte, she too enjoyed learning, and had gone to school more than once. She'd studied music and art, and she loved history.

The men chatted for a while longer, until Jenna called Daniel in to speak to Talia about the funeral.

Ragnar watched the hallway. Every time the door opened, he got a new whiff of Talia's scent. He could practically get drunk off of it. He heard others refer to their scent's mate as intoxicating. He completely understood that now.

Daniel reappeared a few moments later, followed by Jenna. "She wants you to bring Matthew to her."

Ragnar nodded and stood, excited to see her again. He took a deep breath, steeling himself to be overwhelmed by her intoxicating scent, and knocked on her door. He didn't wait for an answer, but pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Talia was sitting up on the bed watching him, and he immediately felt his body react to hers. He sat down in the chair and looked her over. Even with the swollen eyes, she still looked beautiful. She also looked tired. He wondered if she was sleeping.

"The funeral is on Tuesday," She said it so quietly, that he almost missed it.

She was breaking. He could see that she was fighting back the tears. He stood and placed a sleeping Matthew back in the crib then walked over to her and offered her his hand.

Talia looked at his hand and up his well muscled arm to his handsome face. She wanted to touch him, and she felt so guilty about it.

Ragnar watched the emotions cross her face. "Talia, come here," he finally said knowing she was conflicted.

She gave in and placed her hand in his, and immediately felt her whole body relax when they touched. He hauled her up and wrapped his arms around her. The relief was instant, and she hated herself for it, for the fact that she was using him, another male, for comfort.

"If you want me to come to New York City with you, let me know," Ragnar said quietly, enjoying the brief moments of holding her in his arms. He tried to ignore the pleasurable tingles where their skin touched. The last thing he needed was to get aroused around her.

She felt selfish for even thinking about it. How could she ask him to go to New York just so she could seek comfort from him? She couldn't even imagine what he thought of her. "Okay."

He waited for her to pull away, not wanting to break the contact, knowing it was the only thing he would get from her anytime soon. Something so simple, and yet he'd take what he could get. This was turning out to be one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

Talia didn't want it to end. Everything felt so much lighter right now. She didn't feel like her heart was being crushed. She could breathe again, and the overwhelming sorrow was a bit lighter. She felt safe in his arms. But Matthew started to fuss and she reluctantly pulled away. She looked up at Ragnar. "Thank you."

He nodded solemnly at her. He had to go. Matthew would probably be hungry, and he could feel his body starting to react to her. "I'll take my leave now. I'm sure he's hungry."

Talia nodded and moved over to the crib to pick her son up. She heard the door click shut and sighed. She selfishly didn't want him to leave her. If she could, she'd keep him in here with her so she could just breathe. She wondered if Daniel had told him to keep an eye on her. Talia was certain he had better things to do with his time. She unbuttoned her shirt for Matthew. Hopefully there wasn't some jealous she-wolf who would be coming after Talia later.