Page 35 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

Dallas barked out a laugh. “Really? You have a much higher opinion of Dad than I do, I guess. No. I mean sports. Dad got into a real bad habit of betting on sports. Basketball, football, baseball. Fuck, even the Kentucky Derby and shit.”

“Are you serious?” I gaped at him. It seemed too bizarre to be a lie.

“He got addicted to it, I guess. Used all the pack money on it.” He turned and leveled his gaze on me. “Thenit got real bad. No more money? What do you do? Borrow.”

A hollow pit formed in my stomach. I could see what was coming next.

“He borrowed from the only guy who’d give him money. That’s the only reason the accounts aren’ttotallyempty. The money in the bank? That belongs to someone else. And Cole, interest ishigh. The guy who loaned it has come to collect it.”

“Son of a bitch,” I hissed, running my hands through my hair. Dad. A dick till the end. He was fucking me over from the grave. All the money, though? How? It made no sense.

“How do you know all this?” I asked. “Did Dad tell you?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he said, giving me a derisive glance. “Shouldn’t be hard. You haven’t worried about me my whole life.”

“That’s not fair, Dallas,” I growled. “Farrah and I tried, but you didn’t make it easy for us.”

“Whatever,” he muttered, and pushed away from the tree, turning to leave.

“Dallas? Wait.”

He didn’t acknowledge me, simply walked into the distance toward the parking lot. Before he reached it, he shifted, and his wolf bounded into the tree line.

“Fuck,” I cursed, kicking at the dirt.

Dallas had been thirteen when I left. Almost the same age as Ashton was now. Time had passed, things had changed. Dallas wasn’t the same person he’d been. If I’d stayed in town, would we have a better relationship? More guilt poured onto me, heavy and thick like honey, engulfing my body and mind. The pack, Avery, Ashton, Dallas… how many others? The regret clawed at me, threatening to tear me to shreds. If I had my twenty-one-year-old self here right now, I’d beat the living shit out of him. How could one dumb decision have fucked over so many people?

The ball game ended soon after. The boys dispersed, but first they pulled out their phones and exchanged numbers with Ashton. After, some of the older ones shifted and ran off together, and the others headed for their bikes or the sidewalk to stroll home.

A small group of teenage girls had gathered to watch the game, and as Ashton walked off the court, I watched as several of them approached, their own phones out as though to ask for his number as well. The body language alone, plus the pheromones wafting off them, told me they were flirting with him. He waspolite, but also quickly made an exit before numbers could be exchanged.

Ashton headed my way, his shirt soaked with sweat, leaving the girls looking disappointed at the brush-off. I pushed my dark thoughts away and smiled at him as he approached.

“Good game?” I asked.

“Yeah. It was fun.”

Back in the car, as we pulled out, I pointed through the windshield at the group of girls. “Not your type?”

“Something like that.”

“Girls not your thing? You into guys? I don’t judge. Love is love,” I said.

Ashton burst out laughing, leaning his head against the window until he’d gotten himself under control.

“No. I like girls. It’s not that.” His smile faded, and he gave me a deep look. “It’s something Mom told me. She said, uh, that I need to be careful with anyone’s heart. In a relationship, I mean. Not to break it, because when you’re with someone, their heart is yours to protect. I don’t know that I’m ready to protect someone else’s heart yet.”

A lump formed in my throat as he spoke. Was that what I’d done? Avery’s heart had been mine to watch over and protect. To nurture and feed with love. I’d tossed it in the dirt and kicked it away the moment I left town fifteen years ago. She was teaching her son to be a better man than me, from the looks of it.

“Yeah,” I said, my voice rough with emotion. “Yeah, that’s good advice.”

As we neared his house, Ashton fidgeted in his seat, obviously uncomfortable and warring with something in his head.

“Is there something else you wanted to say?” I probed.

“I guess.” He hesitated, glancing at me. “Mom never says it, but I can see it in her eyes. Even back home, when she was with Perry... she was sad all the time. Still is. I think part of why she got with him was to try and get rid of that sadness. Now that I’ve met you, I see why she’s always so upset.”

I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, willing myself not to get emotional, but it was a struggle. The whole day seemed like it had been designed to rub my face in all my past mistakes.

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