The Alpha's Second Choice, His First Regret

CHAPTER 2

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Caleb's voice dropped to a whisper. "On the anniversary of my wife's death? Have you no respect at all?"

I stood my ground. "The agreement was for two years, Caleb. Two years to help Theo transition. It's been over five now."

His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer. "So that's it? You're just going to abandon your responsibilities because of a little wax and some harsh words from a child?"

"A little wax?" I gestured to the angry redmarks covering my scalp and face. "Theo deliberately hurt me because I changed my hair color. What's next? What else will he destroy?"

"He's grieving, Emma!" Caleb shouted, slamming his fist against the wall. "For God's sake, he lost his mother! How many times do I need to explain this to you? You promised to help him!"

I tried to remain calm. "I've given him five years of my life, Caleb. I've tried everything to help him heal. But he doesn't want to heal, he wants to punish me for not being Olivia."

"Don't you dare speak her name," a cold voice interrupted from the doorway.

I turned to see Margaret Weah, Caleb's mother, standing with her arms folded across her chest. She'd never made any attempt to hide her disdain for me.

"I knew you'd pull something like this," she said. "Always looking for attention, always making everything about yourself instead of Olivia's memory."

"Margaret," I acknowledged her with a nod. "I've fulfilled my obligation. The agreement was two years. I've given more than double that."

She laughed. "Obligation? Is that what you call taking her place? Living in her home? Wearing her clothes and sleeping in her bed?"

"I never wanted to replace her," I said quietly. "That was never the agreement."

"Really?" Margaret's nail jabbed into my chest. "Then why did you agree to marry her husband? Why did you move into her house? Why have you been parading around looking exactly like her for five years?"

"Because you all insisted it was what Theo needed!" I felt my composure slipping. "You said it would help him heal!"

Caleb sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "We should all calm down. Today is about honoring Olivia's memory and celebrating Emma's birthday." He placed his hand on my shoulder. "Let's get you cleaned up. I'll help you dye your hair back to blonde, and we can forget this nonsense about leaving."

His fingers moved from my shoulder to my neck, his touch lingering. "I can make it up to you tonight," he whispered. "After the party. Let me remind you why you're here."

I stepped away from his touch. "I'm not interested in being your substitute for Olivia."

I could see the flash of anger in his eyes, but before he could respond, the doorbell rang.

"That must be our guests," Margaret said. "Theo has been so excited about this party. Don't ruin it for him, Emma."

Without waiting for my response, she swept out of the room. Caleb gave me one last warning look before following her.

I took a few minutes to compose myself, trying to cover the burns with makeup as best I could. When I finally made my way downstairs, the party was already in full swing.

Pack members filled the living room, mingling with Theo's school friends and their parents. Theo's face turned sour when he spotted me.

"Look, Theo, your mother is here," one of the adults said to him.

Theo scoffed loudly enough for everyone to hear. "She's not my mother!"

I stood frozen as Caleb sighed deeply and approached his son.

"We don't talk like that, Theo. Emma is your mother now, and she's been taking good care of you,"

Theo's face contorted with rage. "No! She can never be my mother. Everyone," he announced to the room, "this woman is a fake. She's just pretending to be mom because she's jealous she wasn't the one Dad chose!"

Whispers immediately filled the room as the pack members all stared at me. I kept my face blank, used to the judgment. None of them knew what I'd sacrificed.

The front door opened, and the whispers stopped.

Selena walked in, her honey blonde hair styled perfectly, blue eyes sparkling. Caleb's mistress had arrived.

"Selena!" Theo squealed with delight, running toward her with pure joy on his face.

She bent down and hugged him tightly. "There's my favorite boy! Happy anniversary dinner, sweetheart."

Theo clung to her hand as they walked back to the dining room. "I'm so glad you're here. I hate when she tries to be my mom," he said loudly, pointing at me.

"Theo, honey, be nice," she said, but the smile never left her face.

Caleb cleared his throat. "Emma, come take a photo of us."

I stood frozen as Caleb handed me his phone. The three of them posed together, Caleb's arm around Selena's waist, Theo in front of them.

"Say cheese," I managed to whisper.

As I took the photo, Caleb leaned down and kissed Selena deeply. Theo grinned at me over his shoulder.

A perfect family. The family I could never give them.

"Aunt Emma," Theo suddenly called out. "I want to apologize for earlier."

The room watched as he approached me, holding a wrapped box.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," he said, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "I got you something."

He held out a small box wrapped in shiny paper. With trembling fingers, I lifted the lid. A scream escaped me as I dropped the box, its contents spilling across the patio. A dead rat tumbled out, followed by a thick red liquid that splashed across my clothes.

"Oops," Theo giggled. "I thought you'd like a new pet since your camera's broken."

The crowd gasped as the blood-like substance soaked through my white dress.

"Theo!" Caleb said halfheartedly. "That's not appropriate."

But Selena was already laughing. "Boys will be boys," she said, ruffling Theo's hair proudly.

Margaret quickly moved the focus back to the celebration. "Let's make a wish, Theo!"

The entire room watched as Theo closed his eyes.

"I wish Aunt Selena would stay with us forever," he said loudly. Then he leaned closer to the flame. "And I wish wolves like Emma would die a painful death, just like this rat."