Chapter 225
Those words hit me like a physical blow.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I’d already taken a step forward, my body moving of its own accord.
This urgent need to follow her confused me–enraged me, even. What was this pull? This woman was nothing
to me.
Nothing but trouble.
“Alpha Alexander!” A doctor’s voice called from the hospital room. “The young miss is awake!”
I froze mid–step, cast one final glance at Summer’s retreating form, then turned decisively and strode into the
room.
Thea lay in the hospital bed looking impossibly small, her eyelids heavy, her face pale as moonlight.
My niece had just clawed her way back from death’s edge, and the sight of her so frail made my chest constrict painfully.
“Uncle…” she whispered, her dry lips barely moving.
I exhaled heavily, dropping into the chair beside her bed. I took her tiny hand in mine, pressing it against my forehead as if I could transfer my strength to her through touch alone.
“It’s alright now,” I said softly, the Alpha command absent from my voice for the first time since I’d arrived at the hospital.
“Uncle…” Thea’s voice was weak, fighting against the sedatives coursing through her system. “I think I heard you yelling at Aunt Sarah, didn’t I?”
I raised my eyes from our joined hands, studying her with a mixture of exhaustion and wariness. “So what if you did? What do you want to say about it?”
Thea’s lips trembled, her voice so fragile it felt like a physical pain in my chest. “Uncle… please don’t blame
Aunt Sarah…”
“It’s me, it’s my fault, I’m the one who wanted ice cream…”
“I saw the other children eating it, and I was so envious. I wanted some too…‘
“I just took a little bit. I thought I’d be okay…”
“I wanted it so badly. I wanted to be like other children, go to school, make friends, eat snacks, eat ice cream…”
“I just wanted it so badly…”
Her words struck me like lightning. Every syllable dripped with a loneliness so profound it cut through all my defenses.
The white–hot anger in my blood turned cold, as if someone had reached inside me and squeezed the most vulnerable part of my heart.
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Chapter 225
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For years, I’d been so focused on Thea’s physical health that I’d failed to see what she truly needed most- companionship and joy.
I’d kept her locked away in what amounted to a gilded cage, denied her school, friends, and normal childhood experiences.
I’d clipped her wings and imprisoned her, all in the name of protection.
She had always been such a good child–never complaining, rarely asking for anything.
This was the first time, the very first time she’d ever told me: Uncle, I envy other children. I want to be like them.
My wolf whined inside me, sharing my sudden guilt.
“Uncle, don’t blame Aunt Sarah…” Thea continued, her voice barely audible.
“None of this is Aunt Sarah’s fault…”
“I like Aunt Sarah. When you yell at her, it makes me sad…”
Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. “Uncle, I promise I won’t be willful anymore, and I won’t eat things I shouldn’t…”
“So, Uncle, can you please bring Aunt Sarah back?”
“I want Aunt Sarah to stay with me too…”
Looking at her on the verge of tears, I felt my throat tighten. My Adam’s apple bobbed as I swallowed hard. “Five years, and I’ve never seen you get teary–eyed for your uncle.”
“But for this Aunt Sarah you just met, you’re ready to cry because I scolded her a little?”
“Uncle, Uncle…” Each plea was weaker than the last, tugging at something deep within me.
I frowned slightly, relenting. “Fine, I understand.”
I stood up immediately, not saying another word as I strode out of the room.
My mind was filled with images of Thea’s tear–filled eyes. The little one’s pitiful expression–red–eyed and wounded–was remarkably similar to Summer’s face when I’d lashed out at her. 1
I let out a derisive snort, completely unaware of how quickly my feet were moving, how urgent my steps had become as I searched for the woman I’d just driven away.
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