Contractually Yours, Alpha by Giftemmy

Epitoque 1 Epilogue 1 1 had found my mother an hour later at the farm; she was dressed in a regular gown.

"What are you doing? The ceremony had begun, and people were getting very worried." I said to her, but she gave no response; she had her back to me. "Mom!" I walked to lier, and only when I saw her face did I notice something was wrong.

Tears streamed down her "I can't do it," she says.

eyes.

"What do you mean you can't do it? Gabriel is the love of your life; you wanted this. What changed?" "Everything. Everything changed." "I don't understand you-what is wrong? Why are you crying?" "You never told me. You knew, and you never told me." She says, and that silenced me. "You knew that your father, Sebastian Bruce, was alive. You always hide things from me, and I had to go on with it because you are the queen, and you can't always share things withlike you once would do, but this wasn't about you-this was my life, and you never uttered a word. You were going to leavein the dark." "Bruce had left us for years; you moved on. How do you expectto mention him again? How do you expectto bring him up at your own wedding?" "He had a reason-there was a reason he had to abandon us." "What did that matter? It was in the past; he was in our past, but Gabriel... you love him.” "You know, I always felt like something was missing. I always felt incomplete, and sometimes I lay down, imagining a person that was never real, a man I had loved once, and it turns out it wasn't all my imagination, Riley. I loved him, and even if he madeforget, I didn't I still unconsciously yearned for him; I yearned for that emptiness into be filled up, and then... I saw him, and everything cback." "He made you remember?" "Yes, he maderemember. I remember it all now. I thought I could go ahead and marry Gabriel even after my discovery, I thought I could forget it all but couldn't. I can't be with Gabriel. I love him, but my heart belongs to another." "You said it before: this pack, it's your home; they love you here; Gabriel needs you. Don't do this, Mom, please." "You made your decisions; they did look stupid at times, but I let you. Now all I ask of you is to letmake mine." She passed a paper to me.

"What is this?" "You might thinka coward, but I can't face the pack to tell them this; I can't face Gabriel and tell him I love another man, and the years away didn't change that, and so I wrote it all down. You will helppass it to him. He is a good man; he would find someone fitting." "Mom, please don't do this." "If I marry Gabriel, I would forever keep wondering what it would have been like if I followed my heart instead; he doesn't deserve that; he deserves better, and so I have to make this decision. I hope he will find it in his heart to forgivefor this." 1/2 +25 BONUS Epilogue 1 "You are just being plain selfish, Mother." "You aren't the judge of that." "What if Bruce leaves you? What if he isn't the sas you remember?" "He won't leave me; he promised not to, he loves me, Riley and you know that." "And you are going to believe his words?" Epitoque 1 Epilogue 1 1 had found my mother an hour later at the farm; she was dressed in a regular gown.

"What are you doing? The ceremony had begun, and people were getting very worried." I said to her, but she gave no response; she had her back to me. "Mom!" I walked to lier, and only when I saw her face did I notice something was wrong.

Tears streamed down her "I can't do it," she says.

eyes.

"What do you mean you can't do it? Gabriel is the love of your life; you wanted this. What changed?" "Everything. Everything changed." "I don't understand you-what is wrong? Why are you crying?" "You never told me. You knew, and you never told me." She says, and that silenced me. "You knew that your father, Sebastian Bruce, was alive. You always hide things from me, and I had to go on with it because you are the queen, and you can't always share things withlike you once would do, but this wasn't about you-this was my life, and you never uttered a word. You were going to leavein the dark." "Bruce had left us for years; you moved on. How do you expectto mention him again? How do you expectto bring him up at your own wedding?" "He had a reason-there was a reason he had to abandon us." "What did that matter? It was in the past; he was in our past, but Gabriel... you love him.” "You know, I always felt like something was missing. I always felt incomplete, and sometimes I lay down, imagining a person that was never real, a man I had loved once, and it turns out it wasn't all my imagination, Riley. I loved him, and even if he madeforget, I didn't I still unconsciously yearned for him; I yearned for that emptiness into be filled up, and then... I saw him, and everything cback." "He made you remember?" "Yes, he maderemember. I remember it all now. I thought I could go ahead and marry Gabriel even after my discovery, I thought I could forget it all but couldn't. I can't be with Gabriel. I love him, but my heart belongs to another." "You said it before: this pack, it's your home; they love you here; Gabriel needs you. Don't do this, Mom, please." "You made your decisions; they did look stupid at times, but I let you. Now all I ask of you is to letmake mine." She passed a paper to me.

"What is this?"

"You might thinka coward, but I can't face the pack to tell them this; I can't face Gabriel and tell him love another man, and the years away didn't change that, and so I wrote it all down. You will helppass it to him. He is a good man; he would find someone fitting." "Mom, please don't do this."

"If I marry Gabriel, I would forever keep wondering what it would have been like if I followed my heart I m instead he doesn't deserve that; he deserves better, and so I have to make this decision. I hope he will find it in his heart to forgivefor this." 1/2 +25 BONUS Epilogue 1 "You are just being plain selfish, Mother." "You aren't the judge of that." "What if Bruce leaves you? What if he isn't the sas you remember?" "He won't leave me; he promised not to, he loves me, Riley and you know that." "And you are going to believe his words?" "Yes. I am going to believe him."

I should have known Bruce never planned on moving on; I should have this late Prevendit was too and maybe she was right: she could make her own decisions, and if this was what she wanted, then I was going to stand by her. "I want you to know that in whatever choice you make, I will stand by you." I promised her, and I could see the relief on her face.

"I feared I would lose you too. Thank you." She said, pullinginto a hug. "And one more thing: you don't need to hide what you are from me; I know you aren't a werewolf-at least not anymore-and I love you anyway." I should have known Bruce never planned on moving on; I should have tried preventing this, but it was too late, and maybe she was right: she could make her own decisions, and if this was what she wanted, then I was going to stand by her.

"I want you to know that in whatever choice you make, I will stand by you." I promised her, and I could see the relief on her face.

"I feared I would lose you too. Thank you." She said, pullinginto a hug. "And one more thing: you don't need to hide what you are from me; I know you aren't a werewolf-at least not anymore-and I love you anyway."