Page 15 of Betrayed Alpha Bride

My heart twists in my chest, and for the first time in my life, my eyes sting with emotion. I can’t stand the thought of Clara suffering like this, all alone with no one to turn to. She and Nico have been in terrible pain, and I could have prevented it.

But she didn’t tell me!

The angry voice rages in the back of my mind. I can’t feel guilty for something I didn’t even know about, and this logic fights the dull ache of failure settled in my guts. I wrestle with these feelings silently for a moment, trying to find a way to speak to Clara that doesn’t sound argumentative.

She didn’t tell me, but I had just broken up with her. She left the pack. If I hadn’t betrayed her, then maybe…

“I’m sorry,” I blurt out, pushing my words through the pain in my heart. “I’m so sorry you had to deal with this alone.”

She looks up at me, not raising her head, only moving her eyes. The dull, utterly exhausted look on her face only hurts me even more.

“I have to be honest, I am upset you didn’t tell me about Nico,” I admit, “but I understand why you did it. I broke your trust, and all I want to do is earn it back. I never forgot you, Clara. I always intended to come back to you and explain. I just needed time—”

“How could I have stayed there?” she asks, her voice dull and defeated. “I suffered so badly in that town, and you were my only lifeline. Without you, there was nothing for me there.”

“I understand,” I answer. “I really do. But please, give me the chance to make it up to you. For your sake, and for Nico’s.”

She sighs. “Of course. You want to claim your son. I expected that to happen if you ever found out.”

“That’s not what this is about,” I say, my voice hardening. “I knew from the moment I came through at the lake that you were there, and I was finally going to get my chance to apologize to you. I didn’t know about Nico then, and I didn’t know about him when I tracked you to West Glacier and knocked on your door.”

She nods, considering that. “Okay,” she murmurs. “I believe you. But I still don’t trust you, Galen. I understand your need to make this right with me, and that you aren’t just doing your duty to your son. But that doesn’t heal my heart.”

“I know,” I answer, wishing I could reach out for her hand. “I promise, I will show you how sorry I am, and how much I still love you. Every single moment we shared was real—I want you to know that. They don’t have to be bad memories. I was there with you, every second. You were the only one I ever showed my true self to.”

Clara looks up at me, and I can see that I’ve struck a nerve. The pain in me escalates a little more as I think about her crying over those beautiful memories we made, cursing my name for lying to her, having my fun with her, and then discarding her.

But that’s not what happened!

I know that, but she doesn’t. I had to play the dutiful alpha part to perfection so my family and pack members would leave me—and her—alone. Clara also doesn’t know that breaking up with her was the kindest thing I could have done to her.

My parents and other high pack members would have made her life a living hell. It would have been worse for her than ever—they would have to destroy her and run her out of town.

Another layer of guilt sinks into my guts, making me feel physically ill.

That’s just what I did to her, anyway.

I look across the table. Clara’s eyes are closed, her head almost resting on her chest. She looks so broken and so beautiful, I just want to take her in my arms and sweep her up, away to a place where nothing can ever hurt her again.

“Clara?” I say softly.

She mutters under her breath and jumps a little. “Sorry, I was dozing. What did you say?”

“Nothing yet,” I reply. “Did you hear what I said before?”

She nods, her face tight with strain. “I heard you. I understand where you’re coming from.”

“Okay,” I say, sighing. “All I’m asking is that you give me a chance, because all I’ve wanted, more than anything, is to make up for what I did to you. But now we find ourselves in this situation where we are bound by a marriage contract, and our son needs us. Both of us.”

Clara looks at me, her eyes flickering with golden fire as she considers my words. “How did you even end up on the website?”

“I'd come out of another meeting with the elders,” I say, frowning at the memory. “They were on my case about getting a mate… which I couldn’t do.”

Because I never stopped loving you.

I pause, waiting for a reaction. But she doesn’t give me one, so I just plow forward.

“Winnie signed me up as a joke. I wasn’t going to do it. But when Iris sent me the contract, I just had this feeling I should sign. That it would at least shut up the elders and give me something to focus on, if I truly had lost you forever.”

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