Wesley
I read somewhere that love is patient; love is kind. It doesn’t boast or brag. There is no arrogance in love; it’s never rude or self-absorbed. It doesn’t tally wrongs. It trusts, hopes, endures, and lasts an entire lifetime.
That’s why I promised Mirelle forever. On our wedding day, I kissed her and said I would never love another woman. If she died before me, then I wouldn’t find someone new. I told her I would live a lonely life until the day I could finally join her in heaven or wherever our souls go after death.
...so why have I fallen in love with someone else?
Pain shoots through me when I glance down at Lily’s sleeping face. Blankets surround her, and when I stroke her head, she releases a pleased sigh. Her face is contorted in happiness, and suddenly my chest feels so tight that I can barely breathe.
What is the meaning behind being given a second chance mate? What on earth was the moon goddess thinking?
Tears blur my vision, but since I was taught men shouldn’t cry, I stand up to distance myself from Lily—the cause of my current misery and unhappiness.
Would it be so wrong to be with her? I don’t have an answer to that question and pick up my boxers with a groan. Staying inside this room is doing me no good.
I leave my bedroom and walk inside the kitchen. Lily’s friends were each given a room upstairs, so I’m not surprised to see Sophia grinning at me when I turn around with my coffee.
“Are you going to marry Auntie Lily?” she asks in a voice far too intelligent for a two-year-old. I suspect being a rogue has forced this child to mature early.
It makes me feel a tinge of guilt. I never understood how hard the life of a rogue could be, but after meeting Lily’s friends, I realize every day is a fight for survival.
I sigh and look down at the child. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going to marry Auntie Lily.”
She gives me a mysterious smile. “But you love her.”
Those words hit me straight in the chest, and for a good minute, all I do is stare down at Sophia. Have I really been so careless that even a two-year-old has realized the truth?
I continue to stare at Sophia before I hear Juanita coming down the stairs. “Sophia, I’m going to go for a walk. Do you want to come with me, baby?”
“Yes!”
Sophia runs up to her mother, and Juanita offers me a smile while putting on her jacket. “My daughter is right, you know,” she says and gives me a cheeky wink. “The heart wants what it wants, and since you’re wearing yours on your sleeve, it’s obvious what you want.”
Again, I can’t do anything other than stare. I’m rendered speechless and silently watch Juanita and Sophia walk out through the door.
“I expect a breakfast buffet when we are back,” she singsongs, and my grandma laughs in response. She is just coming down the stairs.
“I will make sure there is one,” she promises and smiles upon seeing me. “Oh good, you’re awake.”
I arch an eyebrow. “You were looking for me?”
“Yes, honey,” she says and swans inside the kitchen with her usual grace, frowning when she sees my shirtless body. “And put on a shirt, will you?”
I groan. “But it’s warm!”
“I don’t care that it’s warm. An Alpha shouldn’t be waltzing around shirtless unless he wants the entire pack to drool by his door, which you don’t.”
She is right, yet I feel cheeky enough to ask, “I don’t?”
My grandma glares at me. “Wesley Brooks...”
Oh shit, she used my full name!
I hastily grab a blanket from one of the chairs inside the kitchen and wrap it around my body. My grandma still doesn’t look pleased but seems to accept my choice of clothing. She lifts her pert nose into the air and releases a “Hmph!” before sitting down by the table.
“Where is my coffee?”
“Coming right up!” I rush toward the coffee machine since if there is one thing I fear in life, it’s my grandma without her morning coffee.
“Thank you,” she folds her hands over the table. “Oh, and Wesley, darling?”
I turn around. “Hmm?”
She throws a flip-flop at my head, and I wince. “Ouch, what the hell was that for?!”
“For being an absolute idiot!” my grandma growls. “How long are you going to string that poor woman along?!”
My eyes narrow. “Are you talking about Lily?”
“Who else would I be talking about?!” she snaps, but once I place her coffee on the kitchen table, she visually relaxes. Her shoulders slump, yet I don’t dare to say anything. I’m eagerly waiting for my grandma to take the first sip of her vanilla latte so that she won’t beat my ass.
And I kid you not—the women in the Brooks family are terrifying. I’m constantly praying my kid won’t be a girl. Of course, I would still love my child, but damn. I’m already outnumbered by Lily and my Grandma, and if the baby is a girl...I will be one against three.
My grandma clears her throat, interrupting my thoughts. “You have to tell Lily how you feel.”
I know she is right, but at the same time, I feel incredibly guilty. “But I made a promise to Mirelle—”
“Screw your ex-wife,” my grandma narrows her eyes. “Mirelle made you happy, and she was a great werewolf, but she had no right to ask you never to love another woman. You’re not even thirty yet and deserve to be happy again.”
I let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair. “I know, Grandma, but I still have feelings for Mirelle. I’m not entirely over her yet, and I don’t want to hurt Lily.”
“You’re already hurting her, Wesley,” she says, taking another sip of her coffee. “She’s head over heels for you, and you’re leading her on. And I know you like her too, so what’s stopping you from telling her the truth?”
I look away, feeling ashamed. “I just don’t want to mess things up. We are about to become parents, and what if getting romantically invested is a big mistake?”
My grandma chuckles, shaking her head. “Oh, Wesley. You’re such a fool sometimes.”
I bristle at that, feeling defensive. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that true love is rare, my dear boy,” she says, fixing me with a stern look. “And when you find it, you don’t let it slip away just because you’re afraid of getting hurt. You take a chance; you leap.”
“True love?” I snort. “How do you know that it’s true—”
“Because the moon goddess is seldom wrong,” my grandma interrupts, and I fall silent because she hardly ever raises her voice. “Wesley, do you want to know why I think the moon goddess gave you a second chance mate?”
I sigh. “Let’s hear it...”
“Because even though Mirelle was beautiful, I don’t think she was the right person for you.”
I growl. “I don’t like where you’re going with this...”
My grandma’s face softens. “This won’t be easy to hear since I know how much you loved her, but for your sake, I have to speak my mind: Mirelle asked too much of you by telling you not to love another person after her passing. It was incredibly selfish of her. She would have wanted you to be happy if it had been true love.”
I swallow hard, feeling a lump form in my throat. “I...I don’t know if I can ever love again.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” my grandma says, looking up at me with gentle eyes. “You’re capable of loving again. And you will love again. In fact, you already do.”
I look at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“You love Lily,” she says simply. “Maybe not in the same way you loved Mirelle, but it’s a different kind of love. And it’s just as valid, and I can see it growing every day.”
I stare at her, feeling conflicted. Mirelle meant everything to me, and I feel like a terrible person every time Lily makes my heart flutter. I feel rotten, like I’m committing a crime. This begs the question if I can move on. Can I really let go of the past and embrace the present?
My thoughts are interrupted when Lily walks into the kitchen, a bright smile on her face. “Hey, you two. What are you talking about?”
Before I can say anything, my grandma speaks up. “We were just talking about how much we love you.”
Lily beams at her. “Thank you, Eva, but I doubt it. Wesley would never openly be that sweet.”
I glance down at her and hold my breath when her beautiful eyes meet mine. She is wrapped in one of my shirts, but it’s too tight to close all the way. Her pregnant belly is exposed and...and I think I’m going to be sick. There are butterflies fluttering their wings in my stomach, and since I don’t know how to handle my emotions, I head for the door.
“I need some air...“
“But you’re not even wearing any clothes! Where are you going with that blanket? Wesley?!” Lily calls after me. She sounds so concerned about me that everything inside of me goes hot and tight, but my grandma just chuckles.
“Let him go, child. He is fighting an inner war with himself and needs a minute to set his head straight.”
My grandma isn’t wrong about that. I feel so lost. Just what am I supposed to do?