Page 64 of Dante
“No. I didn’t know that. I’m happy for them. My parents,” I said. “I guess.”
“Banner,” Alpha Bernard said, his tone very serious.
“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” I asked. I could just tell.
Alpha Bernard nodded. “Your father was returning home from a work trip,” Alpha Bernard said. “You know what the roads can be like in Colorado this time of year.”
My breath hitched.
“His car hit ice, and he crashed into the guardrail and was spun around. But it was the semitruck sliding down the other side that was the issue. It slid into the driver’s door of your dad’s car before he was able to get out.”
I shook my head. “He didn’t make it,” I said quietly.
“I’m sorry, no.”
I felt Dante pull me closer, and then Blaze was carefully taken from me. I looked up, and it took a moment for me to see that it was Master Edison who had taken the baby. I smiled or tried to. I looked to my left and realized that Dante had pulled me into his lap.
“My dad is gone,” I said. I didn’t know how I felt about that. I mean, I loved him. He was my dad. He wasn’t overly affectionate with me. Neither was my mother. But they were my parents. They… “Mom? She’s…” I asked, turning around to look at Alpha Bernard.
“She passed yesterday. She only survived a day without your father.”
I was having trouble processing everything. My parents were gone. They weren’t amazing, but still. They had taken care of me and had wanted great things for me. But they had been so unconcerned when I’d told them what had happened to me—what I’d gone through.
“What of the child?” I heard Dante ask.
I had to focus, and it was difficult, but I managed to catch part of what Alpha Bernard was saying. “—is three months old. She is healthy and happy.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “You’re saying I have a baby sister?”
Alpha Bernard nodded. I looked over at Master Edison, who wasn’t holding Blaze. A moment of panic hit me, but it was immediately calmed by Dante.
“Master Edison put him in the bassinet.”
I looked over next to the fireplace and smiled. After taking several deep breaths, I looked up at Dante. “My parents are gone.”
“I know, baby. And I’m sorry. What do you need from me?”
I blinked and slowly shook my head. “I’m not sure how I feel about this,” I said out loud. “I mean, I loved them, and I know in some small way, they loved me. But my parents were older. They were a bit old-fashioned, I guess. They weren’t overly affectionate.” I stared blankly at the rug on the floor. “They weren’t mean. Just strict. They had expectations.” So many emotions were racing through me. I didn’t know how to process them all. I felt Dante’s arms around my waist, and he pulled meagainst his chest. His lips touched my temple, and then I looked at my mate again. “My parents had another child and didn’t tell me. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t fix it, but I am.”
“I know.” I stared down at the floor for a bit longer before I looked over at the others. “What did Alpha Carl want? That was it? To let us know they died?”
Alpha Bernard suddenly looked uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. “There is the matter of Morgan, your sister,” he said. “There is a couple in the den that would very much like to adopt her.”
“No,” Dante said immediately. Alpha Bernard smiled before I looked up at my mate. He shook his head at me. “No,” he said quietly. “She belongs with us,” he told me. “I don’t know how you feel about raising two babies at once, but she’s your sister, and she should be with us. I’ll do everything for her, and you can focus on Blaze. But Morgan should be here and not with strangers.”
I blinked up at my mate. “She’s not yours though,” I said quietly.
Dante shook his head. “Not in that sense, no. But she’s your sister. And even if you didn’t know about her, she belongs here with us. She’s innocent in all of this, and we’ll give her a home full of happiness and affection.”
I nodded slowly. He was right, of course. I was in shock, and I knew it, but I would regret not bringing her here with us. “He’s right,” I said out loud. I blinked a few times and focused on the others. “Morgan should be here with us. She’s my sister, and although she’s not my child, I’ll love her as if she is.”
“That’s all we needed to hear,” Master Edison said. “Carrington is on standby with a few of his team to travel to Colorado to bring her here.”
I looked at Dante. This was happening. “We don’t have anything for a baby girl,” I said.
Dante chuckled. “That can quite quickly be changed, baby. Just like things for Blaze, my magic works for things for Morgan as well.”
