Chapter 2: His Guardian
1205 Words
-Valerio-
“Valerio!” I heard someone whisper-yell my name while I was being nudged gently awake. Or maybe not so gently. The first push hadn’t been hard, but the second felt more like a slap against my leg. I pushed up from the bed, looking at my mate in front of me, who was now holding a child in her arms.
“Did we make a kid?” I asked, still groggy from sleep.
“No! It’s Ethan!” she exclaimed.
I shook my head, rubbing my eyes and focusing on the child in her arms, who seemed to be having a great time playing with her long braid. It looked rather amusing because it was evident Octavia didn’t know what to do with him.
“Stop smiling and help me!” she pleaded.
“What do you need me to do?” I inquired, just as the cat jumped into our bed and walked over to me, expecting to be petted, and I obliged. “Why do you have him anyway?”
Octavia looked at the ground, and I could sense something was very wrong.
“O?”
“Kate’s gone,” she whispered.
“What?” I exclaimed.
“Kate’s gone,” she repeated, this time a little louder.
“Say that again,” I urged, getting out of bed, grabbing some pants off the floor, and putting them on.
Octavia couldn’t even meet my gaze as I walked closer to her, gently placing my hand on her arm.
“O…”
“Some friend I am…” she muttered, the pain evident in her voice. “Chris made me promise I would take care of them, and now Kate is gone, and Ethan is without both his parents.”
“Little one, you can’t blame yourself for this,” I reassured her.
“But it is my fault!” she insisted, finally looking at me.
“No, you didn’t ask Chris to follow you. You didn’t ask him to jump in front of you.”
“But I went... I went on my own,” she said. “And he knew I had something planned.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re responsible for his choices. He did it to save you, trusting that you could help take care of his family afterwards.”
“But why me?” she asked. “I’m... I’m no hero.”
“You don’t have to be a hero. You just have to be there,” I said.
She sighed and looked down again.
“I wish I could take it all back... Chris warned me…”
“There was a good chance someone was going to die that night,” I said. “Most likely me.”
Octavia looked up at me, fear obvious in her eyes, but we both knew it was true. She and I had both made choices that night that put us and others in danger, but war always claimed lives, often of the good ones.
“I’m just as responsible for his death as you.”
“How?” she asked.
“I saw he wasn’t with us. I could have sent someone after him,” I admitted.
She looked at me, surprised, and I gave her a small smile before running my hand down her hair and resting it on her neck.
“Chris is gone, and now Kate. Ethan will need someone to be there for him,” I said.
Octavia looked at the little kid, barely a year old, in her arms, who had no idea what was even going on.
“I’m not a parent.”
“No, you’re his guardian. Chris entrusted you,” I stated.
“What does that mean?” she inquired.
I smiled faintly.
“Let’s figure that out tomorrow. Tonight, he sleeps here with us,” I suggested.
Octavia sighed, clearly weighed down by everything that had transpired, and I understood. Chris had sacrificed himself for her, and she carried the weight of that. I would have felt the same burden, but dwelling on it wouldn’t help. We needed to focus on bringing down Connor, once and for all.
With Lauren back and now under protection, along with Angela, Elijah, Hunter, and the others staying, we were stronger.
“Did Kate mention anything?” I asked.
“She said... She said she wanted to bring Chris back,” Octavia relayed.
“Excuse me?”
Octavia shrugged slightly.
“Bring him back?!” I exclaimed.
She nodded.
“That’s impossible.”
“I was brought back. Hunter and Lily were cured,” she pointed out.
“Yes, but that was because of the marking. We know it holds power,” I reminded her.
“Kate still hopes to find some kind of help,” Octavia explained.
“She’s embarking on a pointless mission,” I remarked.
“I know... but she just needs something to cling to,” she said.
“But what if she fails?” I pressed.
“She won’t come back then,” she whispered.
“What?!” I stared at Octavia in disbelief, and she nodded slowly.
“She said she wouldn’t return if she couldn’t bring Chris back. She grabbed a bag and Koda, and then left... We may never see her again.”
I took a deep breath, trying to process it all, but it was overwhelming. “I can’t believe this…”
“We’ve already suffered so much loss,” Octavia said. “And now this?!”
“Connor will meet his end,” I vowed.
Octavia didn’t seem entirely reassured by this, which puzzled me.
“What?” I inquired.
“I’d be content if he were simply dead. Quick or slow, it doesn’t matter anymore, or who does it. I just want him gone,” she confessed.
I nodded, pulling her closer, and Ethan gazed at me, almost mesmerized. Despite his alpha heritage, I was still king. I smiled at him and rested my hand on his back. It was a strange situation. Octavia and I had been content with our decision not to have children, but caring for Ethan didn’t seem so bad. However, I wasn’t ready to dwell on that now. It was late, after all.
“I’ll make sure he is removed,” I promised.
Octavia offered a small smile.
“I didn’t mention this earlier, but when I fought Connor, I felt her,” she revealed.
“Who?”
“My wolf,” she clarified.
“That’s a good sign, isn’t it?” I asked.
Octavia shrugged. “I haven’t felt her much since. What do you think it means?”
“Maybe your wolf wants to be the one to end him,” I suggested.
“Maybe... or perhaps she needs to be coaxed out of hiding?” Octavia pondered.
“You think Connor holds the key to bringing her back?”
Octavia shrugged again.
“Perhaps,” she simply said.
“Can we discuss this tomorrow? Let’s get some rest,” I proposed.
Octavia nodded, and so the three of us settled down to sleep—or rather four, because a certain cat decided to join us. Fortunately, our bed was large enough to accommodate us all.
- Writer
