The Untamed Female Alpha And Her Beta Mate

CHAPTER 8 – Alan contacts his mother -Ria’s reaction

Alan

When my mother asked if it was me on the phone, her voice trembling with excitement, a pang of guilt surged into my heart. I shouldn't have given my parents the cold shoulder. I truly made an enormous mistake by not calling them earlier. I'm sure the pain I caused them must have been unimaginable. 

"Yes, mum, it's me, Alan. I'm so sorry, mum." I replied and stopped talking. What could I say to her? How was I supposed to apologise for being a complete jerk? For not caring how they would react with my disappearance? All I ever thought about was my colossal ego! It never crossed my mind that my leaving would affect my parents so much. They knew I was carefree as a teenager. I thought they would see it as a whim of mine and decide to give me time to come round.

"Oh baby, where have you been for so long? Your Dad and I were worried sick about you. Why didn't you give us a call and let us know you were okay?"

"I know, mum.  I should have called you earlier. It's just that I needed time to think about things that bothered me and decide about my future."

"What kind of things, honey? What happened that was so serious it made you disappear like that?"

There was nothing I could reply to her. What was I supposed to tell her? Knowing my mother and her relationship with Luna Alison, she would run to her the minute we hung up and tell her everything. I didn't want to cause Ariana any trouble with her mother. They were constantly arguing about something due to Ariana's unruly character.

"Mum, let's drop it, okay?  I don't want to talk about it. It's over and done with anyway, so there is no point in mentioning it anymore. How are you and Dad?"

"What do you expect to hear, Alan?  That we are doing fine? Well, we aren't!  We both miss you like hell!  When are you coming back to us?"

A long pause followed my mother's words. She suspected that something was wrong and asked:

"Alan, honey, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Look, mum, I just needed to see whether you're okay or not.  I won't be able to be in touch with you for a long time. My work schedule is overloaded. It is full-on, and no, I will not be coming back to the Blue Silver Moon pack any time soon." 

"But what about your Beta position? The twins will be taking the reins of both packs in a couple of days. Won't you be their Beta in the Blue Silver Moon pack? And what about their birthday? Don't you want to attend the party? Don't you miss them?"

"No, mum, I'm not attending any celebration, and I won't be accepting the Beta position. The way things turned out with my life, that's impossible right now".

"Alan, what do you mean? You were supposed to be the next Beta after your father's retirement. Why won't you accept the rank?"

"Mum, it's impossible for me to come back now. Tell Dad that I called and that I miss him a lot. I also miss you, mum! I love you guys! Please take care of each other. Do it for me, please. Oh, and by the way, please don't let anyone know that I called you mum. Bye, mum."

I hung up on my mother and realised that tears were running down my face. I sobbed for a long time. Damien was distraught too. He disagreed with the way I dealt with the situation with Mum.

"You shouldn't have talked to her like that, Alan. Your mum truly misses you. Maybe we should go back at least one last time and say a proper goodbye to your parents before we move out to France."

"No, Damien. I don't think I would be able to handle meeting Ariana again. Not at this point of my life. Everything is just crazy right now. I would rather avoid any encounter with her. I need to concentrate on sorting everything for my travel to France. It will be a whole new world for you and me. Who knows? We may get lucky this time."

I left my room and headed downstairs to have breakfast with Sarah and Cooper. While eating, I informed them about my decision to accept the headmaster's offer and take my chances in France. They were very happy for me. Sarah told me she would miss me a lot and had come to think of me as her son. I was very touched by her words because my mother's face came into my mind right that moment. 

I went back to work and informed them that I would be taking up the Institute's offer for the exchange students' program and move to France. What surprised me, though, was that they already knew about it! Without knowing it, the headmaster had contacted the main branch of the current company I had been working at so I wouldn't have to swap jobs. My current boss had got hold of the architect department in France and informed them of my work performance.

The University arranged everything in a couple of days. My transfer to the French University, my work schedule, my stay. All I needed to do was pack.

On the day of my departure, I hugged Sarah and Cooper and thanked them for the hospitality and love they showed me.

I couldn't control myself and send a text to my dad, "I love you, dad! Please take care of mum for me." Before he even managed to reply, I took my phone's sim card and threw it away. I immediately replaced it with a new one.

I kept thinking that there was one more thing I should do.

What the hell was it? I was so frustrated that I couldn't remember what it was. Then it struck me! I had to reject Ariana before leaving.

Ria

Ever since Alan called me, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I couldn't understand what could have happened to cause my boy to leave and his denial to take the Beta's position. It must have been something severe. Alan loved our pack. He used to tell me he couldn't wait for the day he would become the Beta, and his friends take their positions as the new Alphas. His sudden attitude made me suspect that he might have found his mate that night, and she rejected him.

I expressed my thoughts to Tom. He was sceptical for a while, and then he agreed with me. There was only one way for me to find out. I should go to Alison. With her help, I would find out the truth.

I didn't lose any time. I mind-linked Alison and asked her if she had the time to meet with me. She understood it was something urgent by the sound of my voice, so she agreed to meet me at her house after lunch.

I entered the packhouse and headed towards the living room. Alison had already prepared some tea for us. We kissed each other, and she pulled me to sit next to her. Alison had always been my best friend. She was close to Missy too, but with me, it was different. Living in the same pack for so many years and our mates being best friends, it was only natural for our relationship to be stronger than with the rest of our friends.

"Hey sweetie, what's wrong? You sounded frustrated on the phone. Did anything happen between you and Tom?"

"No, Alison. I shouldn't be telling you what I am about to say, but I need your help. Alan called me this morning. He's not coming back. He doesn't even want the Beta position. And I think I know why!"

I thought I saw Alison's facial expression change for a minute but immediately skipped the thought. I then continued: "I have a feeling that Alan must have found his mate that night, and she rejected him. That's why he left. I can't explain it otherwise."

Alison choked on her tea and started coughing. I patted her back worriedly. "Alison, honey, are you alright?" I asked her, concern in my voice.

"Yeah, don't worry", came Alison's answer.

I sat back and looked into her eyes. "Alison, I need you to help me find out if what I suspect is true. Ali hon, please help me. I can't lose my son like that."

Alison's reaction was to hug me tight and kiss me softly on the cheek. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to say anything. Her response was what I expected it to be.

I didn't know back then that Alison was feeling guilty as hell about her daughter's behaviour towards Alan.

Alison

The minute Ria called me and asked if we could meet, a bad feeling rose in my heart. I didn't know why but I had a hunch that she wanted to talk about Alan. I had been already feeling guilty for not telling her what happened the night Alan left. I didn't keep it a secret to protect Ariana. I had a hope that when my daughter turned eighteen, she would see things differently and accept Alan as her mate. That would solve every misunderstanding, and Alan would come back to us. I truly loved that boy. I wouldn't say I liked the way things turned out between him and Ariana. So, when Ria asked me to help her find out what happened that night, I choked on the tea I had been drinking. OMG! What was I supposed to say to her? That I had the culprit living under my roof? So, I did the only natural thing that came into my mind. I HUGGED MY BEST FRIEND AND KISSED HER ON THE CHEEK. There was no other way for me to express my guilt towards her.

I wish there were something I could do to make her feel better. And indeed, something I could do to put some sense into my daughter's head.

The good thing was that the day of my children's eighteenth birthday was close. When the clock struck midnight at the ballroom that night, Aiden and Ariana's wolf would come to the surface. And hopefully, they would realise who their destined mate was. And then everything would go back to normal. Alan would probably come back to us, and my best friend would be happy again.

In the evening, when Axel and I were left alone in our room, I mentioned to him what happened earlier today and how Ria asked me to help her. I told Axel how guilty I felt and wished this whole thing didn't backfire on me and my relationship with Ria.

Axel comforted me and assured me that everything would be fine. Although I badly wanted to believe his words, something in my heart told me that we were probably heading to a disaster. 

I wasn't sure when or where, but something big was about to happen. What bothered me was that I didn't know if it was good or bad. It would probably affect everyone's lives, though.

I went to take a bath. I needed to relax and clear my thoughts. When Axel and I finally went to bed, I closed my eyes and made a silent prayer to my mother, the Moon Goddess. "Mum, I know you want to punish Ariana for what she did. I can see the signs. Please don't make any of them suffer that much, not like Axel and me back then. Please mum, I beg you! I have been there before, and I don't want any of them to go through the same difficulties Axel and I went through until we finally got back together."

There was a light whisper in my ears. It was as if the leaves from the trees were floating in the air. "My child, there is a day when all mistakes come back and demand their retribution."

I froze. I knew what my mother meant. The point was, would my poor child be strong enough to handle her retribution?