The Mark of Betrayal (by Cooper) novel Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Roman

Our meeting with Austin and Elizabeth went as well as I had hoped. I’m thankful that Austin doesn’t feel badly about me wanting him to run the Brenner pack for our heir. I know he’ll need coaching. He’s never been trained as an Alpha. He’s an excellent Beta and I know Luca will be the same.

After they leave, I look at Samara. “Ready to talk to Sloane?”

“Sure, she and I can start looking for furniture for her room after we talk.”

I take a moment to kiss my mate, loving as always, the nearly overwhelming love that I feel from her. I growl when I pull away from her, making her laugh.

“Come on, let’s go get Sloane,” she says, hopping out of my lap.

When we get back to the dining hall, she and Scarlet are just finishing up.

“Sloane, can we speak with you, please?” I ask her.

She looks at us then back at Scarlet.

“Can I come too, Alpha?” Scarlet asks.

“Not this time, Scarlet. This is a private matter between us and Sloane,” I tell her.

I watch Sloane’s shoulders sag before she hugs Scarlet and stands, walking toward us like she’s walking to her death. Geez, are we that scary? Maybe we are. We did kill her parents.

Samara reaches out her hand when she gets to us and Sloane takes it, although she still doesn’t look sure of us.

We take her back to my office. Samara sits beside her in a chair and I crouch in front of her.

“How are you doing, Sloane?” I ask her.

“I’m okay.”

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to lie to us. We know you’re hurting. I don’t want you to be afraid of us. We’re not going to hurt you, Slade, or Aria. I know this is a big adjustment and a lot has changed very quickly. If there is anything we can do to make it easier, we want to know. If you hate your room, you can tell us that. If you hate the food here, you can tell us that. If you hate us, you can tell us that too,” Samara says gently.

Once again, Ayla has pushed forward, adding her strength and love to the conversation. Even without a wolf, Sloane would feel it.

Sloane looks down, her lips quivering. “I don’t hate you. I hate them. I hate them for what they did. I hate them for hurting so many people.”

I see a tear drip from her eyes to her hand. I reach behind me, grabbing a box of tissues. I hold it out so she can take one.

“I hate my room. I don’t want anything that reminds me of them,” she finally says.

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“We’ll get all new furniture for your room,” I say to her.

“I know that’s expensive,” she says.

“Your comfort in this pack, in your new home, is more important to me than money,” I say holding her gaze so she can see the truth in my words.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“You’re welcome. Is there anything else that you hate?”

She shakes her head no.

“Okay, let’s talk about what you want to call us,” I say.

“What do you mean?”

“We know we’re your aunt and uncle, but we’re also taking you in as our own. It’s okay if you want to call us mom and dad, AND it’s okay if you don’t,” I tell her. “It’s also okay if your sister and brother call us something different than what you call us. They’re younger, they didn’t know your parents as well as you did. I want you to know now, if they start to call us mom and dad, it’s okay if you don’t. But, it’s also okay if you do,” I say.

I watch her think through her answer.

“Either answer is okay with us, Sloane,” Samara says.

“I want to call you aunt and uncle.”

“That’s perfectly fine. If that ever changes, that’s fine too,” I say.

She nods and I look at Samara.

“We have one more thing we want to tell you,” Samara says, reaching out to take her hand. “But before I do, just know that this changes nothing between us. You are our family. We love you.”

“Okay.”

“Samara is pregnant,” I say.

“You are?” Sloane asks, a small smile spreading across her face.

“It’s early, but yes,” Samara says.

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

“We don’t know yet. It’s very early. But we’re going back next week, and we’ll hopefully find out then. If you’d like to join us, you’re welcome to,” I say, hoping she’ll say yes.

She looks from me to Samara.

“I’d really like it you’d come with us,” Samara says,

“Okay. I was there when they found out Aria was a girl. It’s really cool.”

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“Well, then you have more experience than I do. Maybe you can hold my hand because I’m sure I’ll cry,” Samara says.

“I could do that.”

“Good. Now is there anything else we should talk about?” I ask her.

“When are you going to announce to the pack that Aunt Samara is pregnant?” she asks.

“Tonight,” I say.

“Would it be okay if I told Scarlet?” she asks.

“Do you think she can keep it a secret until tonight?” I ask her.

“I’ll make her Bestie Promise before I tell her,” she says.

“What’s a Bestie Promise?” I ask.

She holds out her pinky finger. “It’s a promise that friends make but it’s stronger than a pinky swear.”

I reach up and hook my pinky with hers. “I Bestie Promise that Samara and I love you very much. We want you to be happy. And you can always, always tell us the truth about how you’re feeling or anything at all.”

I watch her eyes fill with tears again, but I hold her gaze and her pinky until she nods.

When I release her, I open my arms. She throws herself into my arms and I stand, holding her.

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