Chapter 5

“Of course,” she said, turning her smile toward Penny. “And you don’t need to use my formal title when we talk, sweetheart. You can just call me Violet.” Penny dragged Violet away toward the makeshift dance floor, and I watched as they held hands and twirled around. They looked so natural together, so at ease. It was far more than I had expected. My daughter had never had a mother… “Do something! The baby needs its mother,” I commanded the doctor loudly. “I’m sorry, Alpha. There’s nothing more we can do,” he replied. “She’s lost too much blood, and we can’t get it to stop.” “That’s unacceptable,” I growled. I returned to Jana’s bedside, holding her hand as I watched her pale eyelids flicker. “Hold on, we’re right here,” I whispered to her, willing her to continue breathing as a second doctor finished delivering our child. The sound of an infant’s cry filled the room. The child had strong lungs, making her presence in the world known. “It’s a girl,” the doctor said, passing the baby up to me. I held the small bundle tentatively, afraid that she might break if I made a wrong move. Jana’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked at our baby girl. “A girl,” she said weakly. “Penelope.” Her eyes closed once again, and I placed the baby in the crook of her arm, urging her to come back to us. “You did it, Jana. She’s right here. Open your eyes, dear—” My voice caught in my throat as I saw the color begin draining from Jana’s face. The memory of the only time Penelope had been held by her mother haunted me throughout her entire life. From the moment she could speak, she was full of questions about her mom. “Why did Mommy have to die, Daddy?” Penny asked tearfully. “Her body got hurt, and it couldn’t get better,” I explained, pained that such a small person had to know this heartache. “Does Mommy love me?” “More than anything in the world.” Such was the life of the daughter of the alpha, cursed to live without a mother. No one could replace her mother, of course, but watching Penelope latch onto Violet today made me hopeful. Perhaps Penny’s little heart could find a way to heal now that she had a mother figure in her life. For myself, there was no comparison. I wondered how my life might have been different if I hadn’t put Violet’s safety and my own duty as leader of the rogues ahead of my feelings for her. When I met Jana, there was no love or passion. Our marriage had been one of mutual respect, but my feelings for her paled in comparison to my feelings for Violet. Still, I had done my duty by my wife, cared for her and protected her as best I could. With Violet, though, it was all I could do to keep myself from loudly proclaiming my love and affection for her before carrying her back home to perform my marital duties. I knew in my head that this wouldn’t be taken well by my new mate, so I fought my impulses as the night went on. I didn’t let Violet knowwhat I was thinking about. The last thing I needed was for her to get scared off or for the packs to realize that their new luna held a grudge against the alpha. A slow song came on, and I moved toward her. “May I have this dance?” I asked, holding out my hand. She nodded, taking the hand I offered and spinning into my embrace. “Have you been waiting all night to ask me that?” she replied. “I’ve been waiting much longer than just tonight,” I whispered back. Her eyes flickered up to meet mine before she averted her gaze, glancing around at the crowd who had gathered to watch us. I could tell exactly what she was thinking, because it was the same thing running through my mind. It was impossible to tell what the other person truly felt when we were putting on a show for others.