Falling in love with my Ex's Alpha Chapter 135

Why her?

There are so many strong warriors in the packhouse. Why did Kaiden have to choose her as his Gamma?

I try to hide my displeasure from Jay, I don't want him to know that I didn't want her to be the new Gamma.

The last time I saw her was enough to realize that she didn't like me.

"That's... great!" I respond, looking away.

"Kaiden just mindlinked me, let's go to Jake so we can leave," he raises his hand to hold me, I stagger a little as I get out of bed.

After torturous steps, we enter another room at the end of the hallway. Jay opens the door, and I see Jake next to the little girl that Jay described.

It's her! She was there with me.

My heart breaks, she is so young. She looks at me, scared, and hides behind Jake.

"Let's go home?" Jake asks her, and she looks at Jay, and he nods his head.

Then, she raises her arms, and Jake catches her; she immediately hides her face in Jake's neck.

He holds her gently as if she would break at any moment.

Maybe she is already broken. However, just like me, I know that he will do everything he can to make sure she can put all the pieces together.

"What's your name?" I ask her, but she doesn't answer. I look at Jake and Jay, waiting for them to respond.

They shake their heads from side to side, denying it, and I accept silence as an answer.

She probably hasn't spoken to them yet. I keep leaning on Jake until we get close to Kaiden, and he immediately picks me up in bridal style.

"I can walk, you know?" I say, satisfied that I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt, the clothes they usually wear after shift.

I could have worn something else, but I was happy to wear something loose.

"Hardly," Kaiden responds sternly, but I look at his face and see that although he isn't smiling with his mouth, he is smiling with his blue eyes.

It's so contagious that I smile back.

🐺🐺🐺

Two days after I left the hospital, I still haven't recovered. Even though I rest most of the time and receive everything in my hands, my body still hurts. But at least I no longer need to wear bands on my wrists or ankles.

Despite this, I always wear loose pants and a sweatshirt to avoid exposing my wounds because every time Kaiden sees them, he gets angry and storms away from me.

I wonder if he goes to where Chad is because when he comes back, he always comes up to me with a look of regret in his eyes.

I don't dare ask. I've already done my part, and now they need to resolve things among themselves.

Jay also gets all stressed out when he sees the little girl, or I wince in pain. Every time he sees any trace of trauma from what happened to us, he also storms off in anger.

When I asked where he was going, Jake told me that he had been responsible for punishing the imprisoned rogues.

I've never seen our house so full. We have three bedrooms, but our apartment isn't that big. Jake, Jay, and the little girl sleep in one bedroom, Maia in Chad's bedroom, and Kaiden and I in my room.

Jake has provided a mattress, and the little girl curls up next to their bed.

Maia has been an angel in my life. I was supposed to be helping her settle here at the pack and with her situation with Chad, but she has been helping me instead.

Everything I need, she is by my side to help me, even though I insist that she doesn't need to.

We haven't talked about my past with Chad yet, but I feel like she knows something has happened between the two of us. I'm waiting for her to bring this up. I don't want to make her more confused than she already is.

Kaiden has been solving the pack's problems and barely has time to spend with me, but whenever he can, he shows up to see me.

Maia left to go to the market, and the little girl and I are snacking on a croissant that Jake brought from the bakery I like.

When I saw the bag, I immediately remembered Chad, but I didn't say anything... I miss him.

The little girl is not ashamed to eat; whenever we offer something, she attacks as if it were the last food she will have access to in the next few days. Every time she eats like this, I can only think about how much she must have suffered from hunger; I remember how she devoured the leftover bread even though it smelled like pee and mouldy.

I'm halfway through eating when Jay arrives and kisses Jake on the forehead before sitting down next to her.

"It's delicious?" Jay asks her as he picks up a croissant on the table and takes a bite.

Despite his attempts to engage her, she remains reticent, her gaze fixed on the crumbs scattered on the table as she eats her croissant.

She doesn't answer everything he asks. So we're trying to let her speak in her own time.

But he keeps talking, offering snippets of conversation that dissipate into the quiet air. His eyes reflect his concern and affection as he watches her, yearning for the slightest sign that she might open up to him.

I look at Jake, and his eyes are no different from Jay's; the difference is that he's not trying to talk to her all the time. But you can tell he's just as eager to find out about her as Jay is.

"... I wonder what your name is," Jay asks once more, trying to hear an answer from her.

Suddenly, her lips part, breaking the silence that had lingered for so long. Her voice, soft and hesitant at first, carries vulnerability as she says, "My name is... Carol." Then, she looks away.

I stop chewing my croissant immediately upon hearing her hesitant voice and look at her abruptly, just like the two of them.

Jay's face lights up with surprise, and then a radiant smile forms on his lips as he listens intently, hanging onto her every word. "Carol? That's a beautiful name," his smile widens, radiating warmth and encouragement.

However, she frowns when she hears him repeat her name.

"I hate it," she says, still without looking at him, "don't call me that."

The three of us looked at each other, after having insisted so much to talk to her, Jay suddenly didn't know what to say.

"Why don't you like your name?" Jake asks, and she lifts her head and looks at him with fear in her eyes.

"They... They repeated my name several times when... when... when they hurt me," she wraps both arms around her body and looks at the floor. Her croissant-crumb-stained hands squeeze her body.

Jay puts a hand on his face as if he's trying to put himself together, and Jake puts a hand on his shoulder as comfort for both Jay and himself.

"What do you think about us changing your name?" Jake asks her. She lifts her head and looks at him hesitantly.

"Are you serious?" she asks expectantly.

"How about Victoria? We can call you Vick," I suggest with a smile at her, trying to swallow the dryness in my throat. Somehow, Victoria suits her.

"Vick?" she murmurs softly, her voice barely audible but laden with emotion.

"That's a pretty name," Jay replies, looking at her with a smile.

A faint blush colours her cheeks, a shy yet genuine response to Jay's gentle praise. She glances up, meeting his gaze, "I liked that," she loosens her little arms around herself.

"Where do your parents live? Is there anyone you would like us to contact to find out where you are?" Jake asks, and I see him and Jay holding their breath.

They are both already attached to her.

She takes a while to respond, but after some time, she shakes her head. "They're dead... I lived with my uncle, but..." she tries to explain in a slightly broken voice. We all remained silent to let her continue, "he handed me over to some bad guys..."

My eyes fill with tears. How much this child must have suffered!

"Have you been in that place for a long time?" Jay asks through his teeth, but trying to remain calm.

"...No, I was somewhere else before that, and it was worse... I just remember waking up there and after having a dream that an angel saved me," Jake and Jay look at me, and I bite my bottom lip, "and then ...and d-then," she tries to continue but starts crying, and her body starts to shake.

Jay hugs her, and Jake hugs them both, "Shh, it's okay now. There's no need to say anything else."

But it was in vain; she cried hard, sobbing in both of their arms. I got up and went to them and also petted her, but she just cried even more.

After some time, she finally stops crying when Jake tells her firmly, "From now on, you live with us! You won't see any bad guys anymore," Jay wipes away her tears as she nods.

I return to my chair and sit down, the atmosphere becomes heavy, the three of us trying to assimilate the suffering that this child under 10 years old is already carrying.

Jake's eyes glisten with unshed tears. I know that, like me, he's overwhelmed by her words.

After a while of silence, she turns to Jake, "Can I have another one of these?" she asks in a hesitant voice while pointing at the croissants with puppy eyes.

She's so cute! Jake takes the croissant and puts it on her plate immediately, but it's Jay who says while stroking her head, "You can eat whatever you want, sweetheart!"

She gives him a shy smile as she picks up the croissant and takes a big bite. With her mouth full, she responds smiling, "Thanks, Daddy."