Page 157 of A Chance at Love for the Twin Alphas

Mom laughs. “He’s got you, Jace. That’s what you get for being reckless yourself. Now stop being hypocritical, or I will tell our sons the story about how we visited this pack in Nepal and how a certain young alpha handled a rogue attack.”

Dad furrows his thick brows. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I would.”

“You would backstab me like that?” Dad asks right at the moment when Henry peeks into the room.What’s going on?

Dad wanted to chew me out for getting hurt.I grin.Mom’s on my side.

He grins.That’s why Mom is our favorite.

Of course!

He sits down next to my hospital bed, continuing our conversation via mind link so as to not stop Mom and Dad’s bickering.How is Dalila?

My gaze wanders to my mate, who lies curled up next to me. The doctor let her stay with me, saying it would do us both good to feel each other close.She is exhausted. She needs some rest.

She really is bound to Maahes now?Henry asks.

I nod, not sure how I feel about it. Part of me feels like a nervous wreck, but I’m also proud of how strong and decisive she was.On our way back here, she told me it’s her birthright and that Maahes was just waiting for her to be old enough and learn about who she is. She can use part of his powers now, and he can ask her to help if he needs it.I pause.I tend to forget that she is part deity.

And how are you coping with this?He asks me carefully.

I will make sure to have her back and support her.I let my hands brush over her thick hair.How is Elo?

She just went to the Council to call Prince Eric. She and Elise are going to move their stuff here now and then help Marcel move.

Meanwhile, Mom narrows her eyes to a glare and stares at Dad. I have no idea what they are still discussing, but it seems Mom has had enough. “And Jace, did you tell your sons how proud of them you are? Because, as far as I’m concerned, we could have lost them today.”

Dad looks flustered for a moment. “You are right,” he mutters. “I almost forgot to tell them.” He turns to us. “You heard her.”

Mom elbows him.

“You did very well,” he says, a smile lighting up his face. “I’m so proud of what you did.”

“Literally everything that could have gone wrong went wrong,” Henry points out.

“Yeah, it doesn’t feel like we achieved much,” I agree.

“You showed your leadership qualities,” Dad says. “And you were up against a deity. Apophis is strong. He isn’t a lesser deity but one of the main players. There was no way you could have been prepared for this, but you reacted and acted fast, and you managed to break out of his mind spell.” He looks at me now. “Elden also told me that you and Lys reconciled. Another thing I’m really proud of.”

I look at him, wavering for a moment. Henry doesn’t say anything. He lets it be my decision. “My first mate… I met her when Henry and I returned from our mission with Finn. She was a human girl and died right at the moment I saw her. That’s why Lys and I had our issues.”

Dad’s face falls, and Mom looks at me, horrified. “Tony…” she mutters.

“My dear son.” Dad looks sad as he sits down at the edge of my bed. “You didn’t need to carry this burden alone.

“I didn’t know how to tell anyone,” I admit. “Or how to even grasp and understand what happened. It’s okay now,” I say. “I am okay now. Dalila is everything to me, and Bastet told me that it was never planned for my first mate to die. The Goddess rewarded Dalila and me to each other because we have lost so much.” I smile gently at my mate, feeling her stir slightly in her sleep. There is a beautiful smile on her lips. She has to be dreaming of something nice.

“What was her name?” Mom asks, and it touches me that she wants to know.

“Corinne,” I say. “When she got hit by that car, I tried to do first aid, but she died in my arms. She felt the tingles…” I swallow. “… and she thought I was some sort of angel.”

“You haven’t told me that,” Henry says quietly.

“Is there something we can do for her family?” Dad asks, and again, I feel touched that he wants to help them. I have my second chance mate now, and everyone could have told me to just not bother about Corinne anymore, but it feels wrong to completely forget her.

“I’m donating money to one of Corinne’s projects every month,” I admit. “I found out she was planning on doing a library and reading circle for children from poor families. I decided to fund it. I’m also regularly paying into hospices.”

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