Page 2 of Bonded Beyond Regret

“Aisley is probably the only reason Nyx has been able to hold it together. The death of a mate can change a wolf,” I murmur softly, feeling the truth of my words in the depth of my soul.

“Tilly thinks that maybe a change of pack and not being surrounded by all the memories she has here with Andrew might help her,” there’s hope in the Alpha’s voice.

I know it’s not easy for an Alpha to ask another one for help, but when it comes to pack members that pride has to be set aside. The more I talk to Whitaker, the more I like him. I’m glad he was able to work through his issues with his mate.

Serenity filled me in, at least a little, on what the pair was up against. It could have gone down very differently; acceptance wasn’t a guarantee. I’d already let Serenity know that my pack would be open to Tilly if she needed somewhere soft and safe to land.

I’m glad it’s not needed.

“Nyx and Aisley are welcome here,” there’s a firmness to my voice.

Honestly, I want them to come here. I understand how hard it is to be surrounded by one’s memories. It’s different for me since my memories are tainted by who Kathy was. I don’t think I’d be able to be the Alpha here if they weren’t. There would be nowhere to go to escape the gaping hole in my soul.

My heart aches for this female, one I don’t even know. She must be so strong and have a tight, unbreakable bond with her daughter.

“Thank you,” he sighs. “I haven’t talked to Nyx yet. I wanted to reach out to you first before going to her with an idea thatcouldn’t be followed through on. There’s no way I was going to risk giving her false hope.”

“I understand. If she would like to speak to me about the pack, or anything, please let me know. We’ll start making preparations for her. I have a feeling she’ll take you up on the offer,” my tone is sincere.

I can almost feel Whitaker’s relief through the phone. “I’ll be in touch soon,” he tells me before we say goodbye.

Before I can get pulled into something else for the pack, I mind link Dalton.“Dalton, are you available to come to my office?”

“Of course, Alpha,”I roll my eyes at him using my title, but don’t correct him,“I’ll be there in three minutes.”

He’s right on time and doesn’t give me the chance to call him in after knocking on my door. When he sits down, he’s grinning at me. Dalton is a nice guy and he’s an amazing Beta for the pack. Still, there’s a hint of shadows in his eyes. He wants his mate, but I know she’ll make herself known when the time is right.

I have faith that he’ll be gifted a mate by the Moon Goddess that will be perfect for him, and he’ll have a happy future.

“I just got off the phone with Alpha Whitaker over at Silver Howler Pack,” I inform him to start the conversation.

His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline and leans forward in his chair slightly. “Oh? What does he need?” The expression on his face changes to something serious. “Is he having a rogue problem?”

I hold my hands up and shake my head. We’ve had a few more rogue issues over the last year, so I understand why that’s where he goes first. With the change in the power structure here in thepack, rogues—wolves who have no pack and are, usually, up to no good—wanted to test the strength of the pack.

Thankfully, I think we’ve proven to them that we are more than capable of protecting the pack. Considering all the people who need the safety we provide, that’s the best outcome. For everyone.

“No. He has a pack member whose mate died three years ago and is struggling. He was interested in the changes we’ve made to the pack and our commitment to giving people a new place to go to heal and find themselves after a rejection or death of a mate. Nyx is 29 and met her mate when they were both 18. She has an eight-year-old daughter.”

“Damn,” Dalton breathes out. He shakes his head and muses, “I’m sure the daughter is why she’s been able to stay in the pack for three years.” I nod and he sits up a little straighter. “We can give them a new place to belong that’s not mired in the past.”

I grin at my Beta as pride fills me. “I agree. He’s going to talk to Nyx and get back to me, but I think we should take steps to get a cabin ready for her and Aisley.”

“Of course.” The look of determination on his face tells me that he’s going to make sure we’re ready for Nyx if, no, when she arrives.

I clamp my hands together and stand up before heading toward the door of my office. “Great. Now, lets go down to the afternoon training.”

Dalton lets out a whoop of excitement that has me laughing. The man loves training. I think he’s using it to distract himself from not having his mate at his side, but I’ll never call him out on it. Not when I use training to help me forget the yawning chasm in my soul.

As we make our way through the packhouse and then to the training area, the feel of the pack is light even though there are more than a few pack members who deal with their pain on a daily basis. We’ve done more in the last year than I expected us to.

It’s a good start.

When we get to the training area, my eyes immediately go to Stephanie. She was one of the first wolves we took in once we opened up or borders. Because she was rejected and cast aside by her mate, she reminded me of Serenity, even though the rejection Serenity experienced wasn’t quite what we thought it was.

I shake my head, not wanting to let my mind wander to my sister.

Stephanie has become like another little sister to me and my wolf is protective of her like she’s family. To see her out here and training makes me proud as hell. It’s taken her months, but I feel like, finally, she’s at a place where she can embrace her future instead of wallowing in the pain of her past.

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