Page 81 of The Alpha's Broken Oath

“Jake? Let me go! Let me go now! Jake? Jake, you are hurting me!”

By the time my mate understands what’s going on, it’s already…

“Jake? Jake, no! Jake, please don’t… Please don’t leave me. I forgive you, okay? You are my brother, and I forgive you, so please…”

“I love you, kiddo. I’m so sorry. For everything.”

Jacob Cavanaugh jumps off the cliff, taking Crystal down with him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

WINTER

The air hangs heavy with the scent of damp earth and lilies, and if you linger on a little longer, there’s the smell of death, too.

The same rain that began falling steadily since the funeral came to a stop.

I kneel beside the grave, my hands clasping the freshly turned soil tightly. A single tear traces a path down my cheek as I look at the other graves beside Jacob.

Before me lies my mother, my brother, and my father—my entire family. All of them are dead. All of them left me alone in the world to fend for myself.

I sob for the gaping hole inside my chest that Jacob left. I had just…I just got reunited with him, and he jumped to his death.

I know he was saving me. I know he was trying to do what was right, but he looked me in the eyes and decided to leave me.

Deacon kneels beside me, his arm wrapping around my shoulders, “It’s okay to grieve, Winter,” he whispers, his voice rough with emotion, “Let it all out.”

The raw grief that threatens to consume me rips out of me in a flood of tears and bitterness. ” I just found him, Deacon, and now…he’s gone,” I choke, “He’s the only family I had left.”

Deacon holds me close, just like he’s been doing all along. From taking care of Jake’s funeral preparations to taking care of the boys when I locked myself in the room trying to process Crystal’s betrayal and the aftermath of it all, Deacon has handled everything.

I lean into him.

I hold him like he’s my anchor because he is.

“I know, baby,” he murmurs, stroking my hair. “But you’re not alone, Winter. We're here for you, Winter. The boys, me..." Deacon pauses, looking at the boys who are playing a short distance away with the biggest grins on their faces, “They need you. I need you.”

“I know,” I whisper, my voice hoarse as ever, “I know.”

Gently wiping my tears with his thumb, my mate drops a kiss on my forehead and promises, "We'll get through this together. We'll build a life and a future filled with love and happiness, just like Jake would have wanted."

I trust in Deacon’s voice because in his eyes, not only do I see the same grief I have over Jake’s death, but also his love and his unwavering assurance that I'll be okay. We’ll be okay.

“Come on. Let’s go home, Winter.

XXX

FOUR MONTHS LATER

My morning dawns with a golden glow, the sun breaking over the horizon and casting its light across Moon Stone City just outside my bedroom window.

The scent of flowers and pine mingles in the air. That’s an indicator that the women in the pack went out of their way to make this occasion grander than I would like.

I gaze at myself in the polished mirror, my eyes racking over the gown that's embellished with silver-like threads to symbolize who I am and what power I'll hold in the pack from today henceforth.

My lips are painted with a red shiny lipstick, and I can't help but smirk knowing that, come tonight, the lipstick will be off my lips faster than I can get the dress off.

My hair is pushed back into a classy ponytail that has flowers pinning it up.

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