Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
Fiona drew a sharp breath through her nose, covering her mouth with her hand as she waited for Galen to continue.
“He found traces of activity worldwide,” Galen said, “he’s gone to these places, listened, and run tests.”
Galen paused. He let out a slow breath before continuing.
“He was finally able to figure out something,” he said, looking down at his hands as he spoke. “The activity he had found, it was… echoes… some kind of residual effect left behind from the destruction of the ley line.”
Fiona lowered her hand to her cane. She swallowed as she felt a hard lump forming in her throat.
“There was no sign of new activity,” he said. “Myka said there was nothing more we could do.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
Galen looked away.
“Say it,” she demanded.
Galen took a deep breath and looked up at her. He moved to her and put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently.
“Alexander…” he began, his voice tender, “Alexander is gone. He’s never coming back.”
Fiona drew in a gasping breath, her brows furrowed, and the pain filled her eyes. But still, she held firm. She continued to look up at Galen, listening to his every word.
“It’s time, Mom,” he said, his voice cracking as tears glistened in his eyes. “We need to move on.”
Fiona clenched her jaw tight, taking short breaths through her nose but never enough to fill the need of her lungs. She felt a painful weight in her chest and couldn’t breathe. It was too much to bear. She let out a sob and went weak in the knees.
Galen caught her, pulling her close as he gently lowered them to the ground and held her as she cried. He patted her back and smoothed her hair, gently shushing her as he would have done for Ren after a nightmare.
His heart ached at each sob, each gasp for air. Everything he had said was true, except for one thing. Myka had followed the echoes, and there was no new activity, but he hadn’t given up. He was still searching, and so was Alice.
There was still a chance that Alexander could be found, a chance that he could come home. But the only way that Galen could keep his promise to take care of Fiona, was to let her believe that Alexander was gone.
Silent tears fell from his eyes. He kissed the top of her head, praying she would forgive him for his good intentions one day.
After crying for a long time, Fiona finally found the strength to stand. She shook her head and waved Galen away when he offered to help her up. She told him that she wanted to be alone for a while.
But before she sent him away, she told him one more thing.
Fiona did not lift her gaze to Galen as she spoke.
“I will support your decision,” she said in a tired voice, “I will take your side and nominate you, Galen, as Alpha of Summer.”
She paused with a heavy sigh as Galen turned back to look at her.
“But,” she continued, “if you hope to take control of Summer without violence, you will also need Selene’s support.”
Galen took a deep breath.
“She may have left Summer behind,” Fiona said, “but many of them cling to her with the same desperate hope I have for the past three years.”
“I know,” Galen replied softly.
“Good,” Fiona nodded.
As he shut the door behind him, Galen closed his eyes and lowered his head. He let out a shaky breath as the weight of the conversation settled over him.
“Hi, Puppy,” Bell’s soft voice called to him from a few feet away.
Galen lifted his head, surprised to see her.
“Bell?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”
Galen straightened up and moved to her. Bell immediately wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.
“I wasn’t sure how the conversation would go,” she said, leaning against his chest. “But I knew you would need this either way.”
Galen took a deep breath and smiled. He hugged her closely and rested his head on hers. Relishing the comfort and warmth of her scent and touch.
“I always need this,” he whispered.
Bell smiled.
Bell nodded, taking his hand and leading the way.
“How did it go?” she asked, still holding him.
Galen kissed the top of her head and pulled away gently. He looked at her and smiled sadly.
“Not here,” he said. “Let’s go home.”
Bell nodded, taking his hand and leading the way.
When Galen finished telling Bell all that had happened with Fiona, she could only hug him again.
“You did what you had to do,” she whispered.
Galen sniffled and nodded.
“I know,” he said softly. “Doesn’t make me feel any better about it though.”
Bell kissed his forehead.
“I know,” she whispered.
After letting the pain ease, Galen took a deep breath and focused on what needed to be done.
“I need to find a way to get Selene to return,” he said.
“Maybe we should tell her the truth,” Bell suggested. “Not just about you becoming Alpha… about why Fiona can’t, and about the research that Myka and Alice are doing.”
Galen closed his eyes and swallowed.
Selene had avoided coming home as much as she could. If he told her the reason he needed her now, she would come. But she would come with anger and accusations.
It didn’t matter how well he explained it. Even if she understood his reasoning and agreed, her heart would never allow her to simply accept it.
Galen understood that.
But he couldn’t have her arriving with that dark cloud looming over her. If she entered the gates of Summer angry and ready to argue over replacing Alexander, the fuse of the powder keg of anxiety and fear that had been building between the wolves would be lit.
On top of that, telling her about Myka and Alice’s search was not an option.
“Axel and I talked for a long time about whether to tell her about it,” he said. “But I still don’t think it’s a good idea. I need to be the one to tell her about my decision, but I can’t tell her about searching for Alexander.”
“Why not?” Bell asked. “Maybe she’s ready now. Maybe she can handle it.”
“Bell,” Galen sighed, “Selene and Fiona are very different in many ways, but they are also very similar.”
He leaned back on the couch, letting his tired body relax against it.
“For them, hope is a double-edged sword. It can fuel them, giving them that last bit of strength to get out of a desperate situation and back to safety,” he said. “But if they hold too tight, for too long, it’ll consume them. Wrapping so tightly around them, they can’t see or feel anything else, even as they fall apart.”
Bell swallowed and took a slow breath.
“Selene hasn’t given up on Alexander. She never will,” he continued. “But she’s trying to work through it… keeping herself moving, fighting, and away from the daily reminders. But Fiona was stuck in it. Day after day, she has been here trying to keep Alexander alive every moment.”
Galen paused, looking down at his hands bawled tightly into fists.
“I just had to destroy that hope in Fiona to help her survive…” he said softly. “I know that Selene feels alone in her search for Alexander. I know she thinks we’ve all forgotten him. Telling her would probably make her feel better. She might even come home more often…”
Galen leaned his head back.
“But…” he continued softly. “The biggest difference between Selene and Fiona… is that Fiona has always known there was a chance Alexander was gone. To keep her hope alive, she needed me to believe with her. But Selene…”
“Doesn’t need anyone else to believe,” Bell sighed.
Galen nodded.
“So, you think that if she knew anyone else was looking, she would lose herself again like she did at the beginning?” Bell asked.
Galen turned and looked Bell in the eye.
“I think that if we give her even a string of hope outside her own, she’ll hang herself with it,” he said.
Bell took a deep breath, turned away, and nodded.
“You’re probably right,” she said quietly. “I guess I’d rather see her once or twice a year and have her hate me a little than risk losing her all together.”
“I’m sorry,” Galen whispered, taking Bell’s hand. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you about Myka and Alice. It’s not fair to ask you to keep that from your best friend.”
Bell looked back at him with a smile.
“Hey,” she said, “I’ve kept a lot of secrets in my life, some I shouldn’t have, and some I wish I had held longer. But this one I can handle.”
“Thank you,” he said, kissing her hand.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?