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20: A Listening Ear
Last Updated:
2024-12-17 19:56:46
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Alpha Aidan's Rejection 21: Congratulations?
AIDANSince I got back from meeting Tara, I’d remained in one spot. I didn't think I would have ever used the word “hate” to describe myself, but after today, I didn’t see a more fit word.The bottle of vodka I brought out as soon as I stepped inside was already half gone. Another empty bottle of something just as strong was beside it, and it had only been hours.I was already feeling the effects of the alcohol, but it did nothing to chase away the feeling of being the most horrible person to have ever walked the planet.Her words played over and over in my head, and with each passing second, I realized that Tara would choose to be stuck in a room full of bears rather than with me.Was there any coming back from the things I put her and our daughter through?A knock pulled me from my haze, and without confining who it could be at such a late hour, I responded for the person to come in.Seconds later, Jace was standing before me with a shocked expression on his face.“Alpha Aidan. What
Last Updated : 2024-12-18Alpha Aidan's Rejection 22: Thankful For
TARAThe day for the moon goddess celebration came, reminding everyone that the multipack moon meet was coming to its end.If I were to describe what it felt like, a word for it would be bittersweet. I was so in tune with the week that the event had provided for the pack, and so grateful that I was a part of it.The last few days had been filled with activities upon activities, and when I wasn’t busy serving the customers at the diner or taking care of Nadia, I was fully immersed in one activity or the other.There were different parties, games for the different categories of people, competitions, a bonfire with history and storytelling sessions, and so much more.Now that we were coming to the end of it all, it was like I wanted it to last longer.‘Liar. The reason why you want it to last longer is because of him,’ A voice said in my head, and I shook it off.Since I went off on Aidan that night, we had not crossed paths again. He didn’t try to reach out to me, and when I caught a gl
Last Updated : 2024-12-19Alpha Aidan's Rejection 23: Sacrifice Of Motherhood
TARAAfter the rituals, the elders in charge led everyone in a round of singing and prayers, officially marking the end of the multipack moon meet, and I was nostalgic to the point where I shed a tear or two.The event of the decade had affected me in the most positive ways, and I was forever thankful for it.The sun was beginning to set, and the weather was cool and favorable, so the barbecue party was already being set up.Alphas and their packmates who had a longer journey than others, and wanted to make it early had already started retiring to their respective hotels and camps to pack up and hit the road.A larger number of people hung around the pack’s square, vibing to the music that had resumed playing or chatting with the new friends they had made, while others just lay around leisurely in their wolf form.Esme, Jenna, and I were with Nadia, enjoying each other's company with some drinks. We were listening to Nadia give us some tea about what was going on at school, and I foun
Last Updated : 2024-12-19Alpha Aidan's Rejection 24: Pinky Promise
AIDANThe one thing that I knew was that Tara got away from Attica pack and came into Vermont pack to have a clean slate. She had a new life that didn’t include my name, and as far as I could tell, she didn’t want me in that life.‘Yet,’ my wolf put in at the back of my mind.Right now, I was sure that not many people knew that I was Nadia’s father, despite the resemblances, but until Tara spelled it out that she wanted the case to be otherwise, I wasn’t going to blow her cover.There was also the fact that my pack and Vermont pack were still bitter enemies, and that implied that associates of mine could also be considered enemies to Vermont’s packmates.I wasn’t ready to put a tag on Tara’s and Nadia’s backs just so that I could satisfy my desire to be a part of their lives, and that was why I was currently being discreet and secluded from the many eyes of the public.My back was faced to most of the people in the barbecue party setting, and Nadia was talking my ears off, but honestl
Last Updated : 2024-12-20Alpha Aidan's Rejection 25: Come With Me
TARAI can’t say exactly why I blurted out that silly question asking Aidan if he wanted beers, but if I were asked, I guess I would say something along the lines of, “I wanted to redeem myself after chickening out when I saw him earlier.”We had been sitting together for close to thirty minutes now, and as time went on, the aroma of barbecue already filled the air, causing everyone around to salivate. The party was already in full swing.Aidan and I fell into an easy conversation about the multipack moon meet that had come to an end, and I was surprised that it wasn’t awkward in any way.I guess that even after all this time, conversations with Aidan still flowed easily.Nadia was playing a little distance away, casting mischievous little glances at us, and I couldn’t help but ask.“Care to share what it is that you both were gossiping about while I was absent? Because it seems to me that you two have something under your sleeves, or at least, just Nadia,” I said.Aidan put his bottl
Last Updated : 2024-12-21Alpha Aidan's Rejection 26: The Wrong Choices
TARACollin was fuming, but heaven knows that he was just looking for a fight where there was none. Aidan must have realized that because now, he looked like he was for sure not going to engage.So, thankfully, I didn’t have to be the only sensible one among us three.Collin wasn’t having it though.“I said party time’s over. You should leave, seeing as Attica pack is a long way from here,” Collin said with his fists still planted on the table and smoke rising from his nostrils.Aidan spoke calmly. “Attica pack is at most a day's drive from here, Collin, and trust me, I don’t want to fight with you, so I’m asking you to please give me some breathing space. You are making a scene out of nothing.”That seemed to annoy Collin more.“A scene?” Collin fumed. “I tolerated your presence when I had to, and now that it’s time for you and your beta to leave, you expect me to allow you to sit around and worm your way into my pack?”“You twist my words and intentions, Collin,” Aidan warned.Colli
Last Updated : 2024-12-21Alpha Aidan's Rejection 27: The Elephant In The Room
TARAI didn’t know how long had passed since Aidan’s hand was over mine, but something finally snapped, disconnecting the tension between us, and I pulled my hands away, letting him have the bag.“I’ll get Nadia,” I said, ignoring the sudden dryness in my throat.Aidan shook his head, stopping me. “It’s not a hassle, Tara. Just get the doors and I’ll grab her without waking her up.”With my heart on the tip of my tongue, I watched as Aidan adjusted the bag containing our clothes and essentials on one arm, pulled Nadia out of the back seat, and hoisted her up on his shoulder with his free arm.Nadia snuggled herself up in the crook of Aidan’s neck, smiling to herself, and muttering unintelligible words as she did.Aidan chuckled at her movement, and I couldn’t help but stare at them as I thought.Aidan and Nadia looked perfect, and I would be a liar if I said I didn’t want this to be a norm for Nadia. It was hard being a single mother, and although it was something I could do well on
Last Updated : 2024-12-22Alpha Aidan's Rejection 28: An Olive Branch
AIDANThe next day, Jace and I were having an early morning briefing about pack matters before I was to go about my day. We were barely an hour in, but I was already exhausted. Thankfully, we were now rounding up.“The pack isn’t expecting you back till later this week, but he has been calling me nonstop since yesterday.” It was Jace speaking.I lifted my head from the desk that served as my workspace for the time being.“Who has?” I asked.“Your dad. He said he had called you multiple times already, and that was why he reached out to me instead. He said you should call him back.”“Did he now?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.Jace laughed. “It was more like a command,” he said, shrugging.I shook my head, wondering how on earth that man was my father.Having confirmed that Tara was very much alive and well, I knew that it was one of two options. It was either my father knew that Tara was alive but wanted me to think she wasn’t, or he was misinformed by his trusted sources. And knowing
Last Updated : 2024-12-23
Latest chapter
Alpha Aidan's Rejection 87: Friend Turned Foe
TARAWe took a ride back home, and I could say that I’d never been as hurt, confused, and afraid all at the same time before as I was now. In the thousands of seconds that it took for us to make it back, I fought the urge to cry thousands of times, but I couldn’t. Not in front of Nadia. I couldn’t bear the thought of scaring her like that, but I also couldn’t stop thinking about it.‘Dad’s not home. He’s out with Mom. Kayla Graham.’Aidan was a father. To someone other than Nadia.And Aidan was a husband. To someone else who wasn’t me.Could there have been a misunderstanding somewhere?None of it made any sense, but I still remembered the odd sense of familiarity I felt when the teenager showed up, telling me somewhere deep inside me that this held some real bitter truth. The betrayal hurt like a thousand cuts from a jagged saw to the same spot.I almost hissed in pain, but I swallowed the feeling like a pill, waiting until we got back.The thought of going back to the penthouse wher
Alpha Aidan's Rejection 86: Dad?
TARAI’d be honest upfront. I couldn’t care less about the basket that me and Nadia spent over half an hour filling it with whatever fruits we could find at the market. All I cared about was the way my heart was doing unfamiliar things like gymnastic moves in my chest in anticipation of seeing Aidan.A little more than for me though, I was happy that Nadia did not turn into a shadow of her usual self after we broke the news of her parentage to her. She still missed spending time with Aidan and was just as excited about seeing him as me.“We have oranges, peaches, a watermelon, bananas, and even more fruit, Nadia. I doubt Aidan is going to be able to finish these all by himself, so I think we should stop here, okay?”She seemed to be enjoying the local shopping spree a little too much, but she bobbed her head in response either way.After paying and bagging our stuff, I transferred them to the basket we came along with, and pulled out the possible location list that Aidan dropped off w
Alpha Aidan's Rejection 85: Going To See Aidan
TARAThe next days were better than I could have predicted in years to come, and that meant better in the sense of things with Aidan, and even better with my mother. We frequented my old home as often as we could, spent hours upon hours in my mother’s company, and sometimes, even visited twice on the same day for days in a row.My mom was so happy, confessing to it by herself that she hadn’t been happier in years. When she randomly mentioned one afternoon that she was grateful to have seen these days, and would now peacefully go to meet the Moon Goddess, I rebuked her, telling her that I saw her spending many more years with us after this.I truly did.Nadia wasn’t left out in the merriments. Her grandmother showered her with so much love that she was the one who dragged me sometimes to go see her.And then there was my father. Just as I had suspected on the first day when we came, he was only entertaining us because of Mom. Her seeing us must have brought about a time that had been c
Alpha Aidan's Rejection 84: Apologies
TARAI kept on ignoring the voice in my head that had been echoing on repeat, making me question if I had made a rash decision without properly thinking about it. Nadia’s eyes were swollen with tears, her face, still wet and puffy from sobbing after we broke the news to her. She had let me into the room now, but I still gave her a few minutes for her occasional shudders to calm down before I started speaking.“Can I talk to you now?” I asked, watching her sunken frame on the bed and wondering when my baby became this smart. I couldn’t say “shocked” was an appropriate word to describe how I felt when she uttered those words.Nadia nodded, so I steadied myself with a deep breath before I spoke.“Aidan, your daddy, and I, first met each other a very long time ago, and as of then, we weren’t very wise to make the best decisions. Aidan hurt me by pushing me away, but I realized that he only pushed me away because he was scared for us and trying to protect you from a bad man who would have
Alpha Aidan's Rejection 83: Better Now Than Later
TARA“You know how Aidan has been here for a very long time making sure that we’re okay, we’re happy, and we have everything we need?” Nadia’s eyes brightened as she stared between me and Aidan, nodding. “Good. And how a dad always does these things because that’s what they’re supposed to do?”Nadia’s smile faltered, mirroring her confusion now. I quickly went on. “It happens that Aidan is your dad, just like you’ve always wished. He always has been, and he’s here for you now.” My forehead had gone clammy with the tension of the moment, and I felt my heartbeat thrashing in my ears. “How do you feel about that, baby?” I asked when Nadia hadn’t said a word for too long.“He…Aidan is my daddy?” Nadia’s voice was unrecognizable. Small, and unsure.Aidan answered this time, cautiously. “Yes, Nadia, I’m your daddy.”I’d thought about how this was going to play out in my head, and thought about the many scenarios in all directions that this could take. Only one truly stuck, hence my surprise
Alpha Aidan's Rejection 82: Rip The Band-Aid
TARAMy mom had insisted we spend the night with them after already staying over four hours there, which honestly felt like minutes with how much laughter and crying we did, but I politely refused, mostly because Dad’s attitude didn’t yield the whole night.Mom offered to clean my old room and set it up for me and Nadia, claiming that they had barely touched anything since after that night, and even if Nadia was excited about the idea, I didn’t want to be back in the space just yet.I promised that we would show up again tomorrow to take off where we left, even going as far as making plans to spend the day in the kitchen, all three of us—me, Mom, and Nadia— before Mom finally agreed to let us leave.My gratefulness to the goddess knew no bounds. It hadn’t even been a complete day, and my heart was already lighter as everything was beginning to fall into place.And more than anything else, I found myself wanting to share the good news first with Aidan, and I was surprised that it didn’
Alpha Aidan's Rejection 81: Tolerating Our Presence
TARAI couldn’t say if I considered it funny now, or something else. For the last couple of days, I’d been worried sick about the outcome of us coming back here, but as soon as I laid eyes on my mother, all my worries melted into nothingness.It was like she didn’t believe it was me at first, but immediately I said the word, a shocked sound slipped past her lips, and she threw her arms forward, going in for an embrace. On instinct, I did the same, laughing as the heaviest weight of the moment was lifted off my chest.Wrapping my arms around her neck and burying my face into her clothes, I felt hot tears falling from my eyes, and I didn’t bother stopping them. She was alive. She was well, and I got to see her again. To smell that familiar scent of home, of my mother.“My baby girl,” she cried, her smaller body racking with aggressive sobs against mine. “I never thought the goddess would bless me with a day to see you again. This has to be an illusion. Please tell me it’s not a dream,”
Alpha Aidan's Rejection 80: Greeted With Silence
TARAI didn’t expect to be hit with so many memories as soon as Aidan drove us past Attica Pack’s borders, those from the events surrounding my departure, and more from way before then, but I was.Attica pack had changed—in a really good way—, but with the anxiousness and the bad memories this place brought up, I would have turned around and headed back where I came from if Aidan wasn’t with me.He must have noticed my dampened mood, seeing as he rushed in and out of the large penthouse after showing Nadia to her room. Not even the jaw-dropping gorgeousness of Aidan’s condo could get me to relax.As soon as he got back, Aidan took my hands in his, automatically calming me down, and he led me to a sofa. His eyes held the most understanding and patience, something I was so grateful for. Aidan didn’t know that this was more than just facing my parents after the tragic event years ago, but also some dark traumatic experiences of mine that I barely thought of anymore because it was way eas
Alpha Aidan's Rejection 79: Getting Settled
AIDANShouldn’t I have been ecstatic that Nadia and Tara were finally coming to Attica pack, where I most wanted them to be, even if this journey was only temporary?No arguments…I was. I was happy for this development, but dread coiled itself around my neck more than joy, making me question if this was the right time, or if once again, Jace was right, and I had dug a grave for myself that I couldn’t get out of.I hadn’t entirely been honest with myself, and neither have I been one hundred percent honest with Tara. My briefcase stared at me, and so did all the evidence from my attempt to change the hands of fate.Documents for a new diner in Attica pack with keys I had intended to give Tara, documents with Nadia’s name, admitting her as a pupil in Attica’s most prestigious institution, a new home for them, and subsequently, for us, and even more incriminating information that I couldn’t dare name.These should have been a thing of joy and pride to share with Tara, but I’d gone and don
