Chapter 2
"My mate died four years ago," Bastian said. "I still haven't found a second chance mate. Honestly, I've stopped looking, because I already know who I want."
He took a breath.
"I like you, Calla. I want to take some of the weight off you. It kills me watching you work yourself into the ground. And Tobin... I'd raise him like he was my own."
His eyes were so gentle. Even without a bond, I could feel how much he meant every word.
But I couldn't give him an answer. Not with everything I still had to do.
I was still searching for a kind way to turn him down when Delphine breezed in from the yard.
"Hi, Bastian! I'm Delphine, Tobin's aunt. We met at the parent-teacher conference, remember?" She held out her hand.
"Of course. Nice to see you again."
"Just so you know, plenty of men have chased after Calla, and she's turned every single one of them down." Delphine slid neatly between us. "She still can't let go of Corwin. Everyone knows he died saving her life... So please don't push her too hard, okay?"
"I would never push her," Bastian said. Then he looked past her at me. "Is that true, Calla?"
I nodded. "Right now, all I want is to pay off Corwin's debts and raise Tobin. I'm not ready to think about anything else."
"I understand."
He gave me a small smile and headed out to the yard. The second he was gone, Delphine grabbed my arm.
"Tobin is a special kid. Not just any man gets to be his dad," she said. "And Corwin was so good to you. He literally died for you! You'll never find another man who loves you like that. These guys only want you for your looks. What if you marry one of them and he's awful to Tobin? You have to be careful, Calla."
"You're absolutely right," I said.
She lit up, thrilled she'd talked me around.
"If Corwin's watching from up there with the Moon Goddess, I bet he's so proud of you. And since I haven't found my mate yet either, I'll stick around and look after you and Tobin."
"Thank you. What would I do without a sister like you?"
The sarcasm sailed right over her head. She went back out to tie balloons to the porch railing, humming to herself.
From then on, any time a man showed interest in me, Delphine got to him first and sent him packing.
As Tobin got older, he clung to Delphine more and more. She spoiled him rotten.
When he got into a fight at school and left another kid black and blue, Delphine told him he'd been brave.
When he hit his teens and started blowing money on designer everything, she handed him cash and let him spend whatever he wanted.
Every school break, she took him on trips. I was never invited.
I let her. If I fought her for him, she'd start wondering why. And as long as they thought I was a clueless Omega, nobody would look too closely at what I was really doing.
Little by little, my son slipped away from me. Knowing why I'd allowed it didn't make it hurt any less. He complained that I nagged too much and was way too strict. Every time he came back from a trip with Delphine, he was colder to me than before.
Then one time, they got home and I noticed he was wearing a pair of limited-edition sneakers. He caught me looking and couldn't resist bragging.
"A really cool guy got me these."
The words were out before he could stop himself, and that was all I needed. I'd always had my doubts about where those trips really went. Now I knew. Corwin wasn't hiding somewhere far away. He'd been seeing Tobin the whole time, and the three of them had been playing happy family behind my back for years.
"What guy?" I asked. "You can't take gifts that expensive from strangers."
Tobin opened his mouth, but Delphine cut in first.
"Oh, relax. It was just a coworker of mine. He thinks Tobin's super smart, so he bought him some shoes. No big deal."
She hooked her arm through mine, all sweetness.
"Anyway, you just focus on the company. I've got Tobin covered! The debt's almost paid off by now, right? Once Tobin's grown, he can help you run things."
"Sounds good," I said evenly.
So that was why she kept asking about the debt. They were waiting for me to pay off the last cent before they made their move.
That night, I locked myself in my study and went over every number I had. They'd fooled me once. They weren't getting a second chance.
