The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 32

The conversation stopped abruptly, and I could picture them both freezing, suddenly aware that I might be awake and listening.

Of course they'd heard me. They both have incredible hearing - all werewolves do. There was no way my gasp had gone unnoticed.

My mind was spinning. Tristan had been mated. He'd had someone he loved enough to create a life with, and he'd lost both of them. When had this happened? How had I never known about something so huge, so life-changing?

And more importantly, how was he still functioning? How was he taking care of me and running the family business and being there for everyone else when he was carrying around that kind of devastating loss?

Suddenly, so many things clicked into place like puzzle pieces I'd been too blind to see before.

The way he'd thrown himself into taking care of me after I came back, like he desperately needed someone to protect.

The photos around his apartment - the ones with the dark-haired woman I'd never been brave enough to ask about. The reason he used to disappear every night at ten o'clock sharp, like he had some sacred ritual he couldn't break. He'd probably been visiting her grave.

The guilt hit me like a physical blow to the chest. Here I'd been wallowing in my own trauma, feeling jealous every time he paid attention to someone else, never once considering that he might be dealing with his own unbearable pain.

I'd been so wrapped up in my own misery that I'd completely missed the signs that one of the most important people in my life was quietly falling apart.

"Athena?" Orion's voice was gentle now, concerned. "Are you awake, sweetheart?"

I took a shaky breath and opened the door, stepping into the hallway where they could see me. Both of them looked absolutely terrible.

Orion had dark circles under his eyes and stubble covering his usually clean-shaven jaw. He looked older somehow, worn down in a way that made my heart ache.

I hadn't seen him in five years, and this was how we were meeting again - with him looking like he'd aged a decade in the time I'd been gone.

Tristan looked like he hadn't slept in days. His hair was disheveled, his clothes wrinkled, and there was a haunted quality to his eyes that I'd never noticed before.

"How long have you been listening?" Tristan asked, and I could see the fear written all over his face. He was terrified of what I might have heard, of what questions I might ask about his past.

"Long enough," I said quietly, my voice still rough from the medication and hours of sleep. "Long enough to know that I'm sorry. To both of you."

I swayed on my feet, the room spinning slightly, and before I knew what was happening, both men were on either side of me, their hands gentle but firm as they steadied me.

"You shouldn't be up yet," Orion scolded, his big brother voice coming through even in his worry. "The doctor said you needed at least twenty hours of rest after what happened."

"I heard what the doctor said," I interrupted as they carefully guided me to the couch. I sank down onto it gratefully, my legs feeling like they might give out at any moment. "I heard all of it. About the pills, about you thinking I tried to... that I wanted to..."

I couldn't say the words. Couldn't voice what they thought I'd attempted to do.

Tristan and Orion's eyes never left mine, watching me like hawks, like they were afraid I might disappear if they looked away for even a second. I could see pain in both their faces, the kind of deep hurt that comes from thinking you've failed someone you love.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking directly at Tristan. "I didn't know you'd lost your mate. I shouldn't have been bothering you with my problems when you're dealing with something so much worse."

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you," Tristan said softly. "Because you were already going through so much. I didn't want to add my grief to your burden."

"I didn't try to kill myself last night," I said firmly, watching the way both of them tensed up at my words. "I need you both to understand that. I wasn't trying to die."

Orion pulled a chair directly in front of me and sat down, close enough that our knees were almost touching. He looked like he was about to conduct an interrogation, and I knew there was no way I was getting out of this conversation without telling them everything.

"What happened then?" he asked gently, taking both my hands in his larger ones. "Why did you take the pills? Tristan said you were getting better, that you'd even started taking self-defense classes."

"I... I..." I started, then stopped, the words catching in my throat.

Orion squeezed my hands reassuringly. "Take your time."

"I think I should leave you two to talk in private," Tristan said, starting to stand up.

Orion's head snapped up, and he gave Tristan a look that could have melted steel. The look clearly said 'sit your ass back down right now or I'll make you regret it.'

Tristan understood the message perfectly. "I think I'll stay," he said, settling back into his seat. It made me laugh despite everything.

When Orion goes into big brother mode, even Tristan has no choice but to obey. Some things never change.

Tristan gently took my other hand from Orion's and held it, completing our little circle. "You can tell us anything," he said. "We're here, and nothing and no one will ever hurt you again. I promise."

Orion nodded. "We're family. We protect each other, no matter what."

I believed him. Orion doesn't make promises he can't keep. It's one of the things that makes him such a good leader.

"When I was at the market with Leah, I saw someone who looked like him," I said, refusing to speak Daxon's name out loud. I wouldn't give him that power over me anymore.

"The stranger was wearing the exact same clothes he wore the day I rejected him. At first, I was certain it was him." I took a deep breath.

"I panicked and followed him, but when he turned around, it wasn't him. It was just some innocent guy who probably thought I was crazy." I took a shaky breath.

Both of them wanted to say something about me chasing after a potential threat - I could see it in their raised eyebrows and clenched jaws - but they kept quiet and let me continue.

"But by then, I was already falling apart. I came home and couldn't calm down, couldn't stop shaking. I took the medication just so I could sleep, so I could make the fear stop."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," Tristan said, his voice thick with guilt. "If I hadn't left to check on Seraphine, this wouldn't have happened."

"Is there something else you're not telling us?" Orion asked, his alpha or brother instincts clearly picking up on something I was holding back.

I felt my stomach drop. How could he always tell when I was hiding something?

"We all need to trust each other," Orion continued, "because at the end of the day, we only have the three of us. So if there's anything either of you aren't saying, say it now."

He looked between me and Tristan. Tristan raised an eyebrow. "Brother, this conversation isn't about me. Besides, you already know about what I lost." His voice broke slightly on the last word.

Orion nodded and turned his full attention back to me.

I swallowed hard, feeling tears threatening to spill over. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure they could both hear it.

"I lost a pup," I said, the words coming out like they were being ripped from my chest.