Page 69 of The Alpha's Broken Oath

Not from his back that’s hidden with a black hoodie to his dark faded jeans that look like they’ve undergone a thousand washings.

I’d be calm if I thought it was Deacon in my living room or Luka, but this new guy doesn’t look like Deacon or Luka or any other guy I know from the neighborhood or the office.

He’s lean, less built, and more importantly, he is in my home, unannounced and unwelcomed.

“He barged right in. He kept saying he knows you. That he— he can’t leave without speaking to you,” Isabel explains, and I almost want to thank her for her bravery.

“Everything is okay. Everything is going to be okay,” I assure Adrian and Ash.

Isabel nods at my words as if she trusts me.

My words somehow trigger some sort of reflex action in the Hoodie guy because he takes a step toward my kids, and I lose it immediately.

“You hurt my kids and I won't hesitate to rip you apart. Who are you and what are you doing in my house?” I demand, my voice slightly trembling with a mixture of fear and fury.

The guy stands straight like he's listened to every word I've said and decided to heed to it.

The hoodie guy decides to turn around, and I freeze when I catch a glimpse of his face.

My throat constricts.

My heart leaps in my throat like I’ve severed an artery.

“Winter,” his deep, gravelly voice booms in my entire living room. My purse, my phone, and everything I had in my hands fall to the floor as I approach the man who shouldn’t be…here. It’s impossible.

Gnashing scars rest on his face, but that can’t hide the familiarity in those eyes.

Those scars aren’t hiding the fact that my older brother is standing in front of me.

“J—Jake? Jacob?”

It’s impossible.

I’m… I’m seeing things. I have to be.

To ascertain my claims, I reach out to him, my hands shaking.

Our hands touch. His rough, calloused hand touches my shaking one.

“It’s me, Winter. I’m back, kiddo.”

Kiddo? He used that nickname on me when we were kids. It's been seven years since…

“How?” I shake my head, tears streaming down my cheeks, “The fire…the fire…they said you were all dead. There were…there were bones of you, mom, and dad. You died! You were dead. You…all of you left me. Jake, you …you left me!”

“You two know each other?” Isabel asks, and my boys hold her hands tightly, not believing for a second that they are safe.

My throat dries up as I nod to Isabel’s question. I can’t believe it. I just…how?

“Yes,” I whisper, trying to muffle a sob so that my babies don’t get the wrong idea.

Isabel picks up on the tension because she offers a small, relieved smile and says, “Who wants to play video games in Mommy’s room while we eat ice cream?”

Addie and Ash look at me and then at Isabel. They are not too sure whether to leave with Isabel or leave me with a man they barely know.

“Alright then. We’ll give you two some space to talk.”

Jacob and I watch Isabel and the boys as they disappear from our sight.

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