The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 94

Tristan's POV

I didn't want to leave Athena alone, but I needed to be there for Seraphine. She was going through something terrible, and as her Alpha, I had responsibilities I couldn't ignore.

But if I was being completely honest with myself, there was more to it than just duty.

Sometimes I used helping Seraphine to ease my conscience about all the times I hadn't been there for Athena.

All those years when she was suffering with Daxon, when she needed someone to protect her I and Orion weren't there for her.

So whenever Seraphine called, I went. It was my way of making up for past failures, even though I knew it couldn't really balance the scales.

I also knew that Athena didn't like Seraphine, and I couldn't blame her for that. There was something about Seraphine that set people on edge, though I'd never been able to put my finger on exactly what it was.

I'd been thinking about finding her a new place to live, somewhere far from here where she could get a fresh start.

Somewhere her ex-mate's memory couldn't haunt her, even though he was dead now. Maybe then she'd be able to pull herself together the way Athena had, though I doubted she had Athena's strength.

Very few people did.

When I arrived at the hospital, I was heading toward the main entrance when I heard Marcus's voice in my head through our pack's mind link. He always used it when he didn't want anyone overhearing him call me by my title in public.

"Alpha," his voice echoed in my thoughts.

I turned to see him walking toward me across the parking lot, his expression grim.

"Where is she?" I asked the moment he reached me.

"The doctor says she's going to be fine, but only because I found her in time. She took a lot of pills, but they were able to pump her stomach before any permanent damage was done. She needs rest now."

"Is she still sleeping?" I asked, already starting to move toward the hospital entrance.

Marcus nodded, then caught himself and spoke aloud but only for my ears. "Yes, Alpha."

I started walking toward Seraphine's room, my mind already focused on what I needed to say to her, how I could help her without giving her the wrong impression about our relationship.

"I'm sorry," Marcus said behind me, making me pause.

I turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry for what?"

His face was etched with guilt, though I couldn't understand why. "You trusted me to investigate Seraphine's mate's death, but it's been months now and I still haven't found any solid leads."

Relief washed through me. For a moment, I'd thought he was about to confess to some serious mistake that would require punishment. The investigation into how Seraphine's abusive mate had died was important, but it wasn't urgent enough to warrant that level of guilt.

"I know you're doing your best," I said, patting his shoulder. "We all are. We'll get to the bottom of it eventually."

Marcus nodded, but I could see he wasn't entirely convinced. He took his failures personally, which made him a good beta but also meant he carried unnecessary guilt.

I pushed open the door to Seraphine's room and stepped inside. She was lying in the hospital bed, looking small and fragile against the white sheets, but the moment I entered, she stirred awake.

Her eyes widened with surprise, then filled with joy when she saw me. The intensity of her reaction made me uncomfortable but I pushed it down.

"You came," she said, trying to sit up.

I quickly moved to her side, gently pushing her back down onto the pillows. "You should rest. The doctor said you need it after what happened."

Her face fell at my words, and I could see tears starting to form in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

I frowned, wondering why everyone seemed to be apologizing to me tonight when they weren't the ones who had done anything wrong.

"I know I'm weak and not as strong as Athena," she continued, and my eyebrows shot up.

How did she know about what Athena had been through? I'd never discussed Athena's past with Seraphine. I'd never discussed Athena with her at all, come to think of it.

"Athena?" I asked carefully.

Seraphine's eyes widened slightly, like she'd caught herself saying something she shouldn't have. "What I meant was, Athena is your mate and I know you chose her because she's strong and I'm not."

The way she said it made my wolf jerk in alert. There was something possessive and resentful in her tone that I didn't like at all.

"This isn't the time to talk about this, Seraphine. You need to rest, and we can discuss whatever's bothering you later when you're feeling better."

I started backing toward the door, suddenly desperate to get out of this room and Athena's arm, where I belong.

"You should get some sleep. I need to head home."

"Please don't leave," she said, and something in her voice made me stop.

I turned back slowly, dreading what she might say next.

"I can't sleep alone. Can you stay with me just a little longer?"

Of course that wasn't possible, I needed to be with Athena. Even though Athena wasn't waiting, I knew staying here would only encourage whatever misguided feelings Seraphine seemed to be developing.

"I'll call Max to stay with you," I said firmly. "Athena is waiting for me at home."

I walked away without looking back, though I could feel her stare boring into me as I left.

It shouldn't have surprised me that she still had feelings for me. She'd had a crush on me back in high school, constantly sending flowers and gifts and little notes that I'd tried to ignore.

I'd thought when she became friends with Jess that she'd finally gotten over her childish infatuation.

Apparently, I'd been wrong.

I found Max in the hospital corridor and pulled him aside. "I need you to stay with Seraphine tonight. She doesn't want to be alone."

Max's face lit up in a way that would have been amusing under different circumstances. He'd been in love with Seraphine for years, though she'd never seemed to notice.

Even when she'd gotten involved with that worthless mate of hers, Max had waited patiently in the background, hoping she'd eventually see what was right in front of her.

"You're leaving already?" Max asked, trying to hide his eagerness.

I gave him a look that made him straighten up immediately. "Look after her," I said simply, then walked away.

The ride back to Athena's apartment seemed to take forever. All I wanted was to get home to her, to hold her and forget about hospitals and suicide attempts and complicated pack dynamics. She was my peace, my center, the one thing in my life that made sense.

When I reached her building, I climbed the stairs, already reaching for my keys. Athena had given me a spare weeks ago, and I used it now to let myself in.

But when I tried to turn the key, the door wasn't locked.

A weird feeling shot through my veins. Athena always locked her door. Always. It was one of the habits she'd developed, and she'd never broken it even after moving out on her own.

I pushed the door open slowly, my heart hammering in my chest. "Athena?" I called out.

No answer.

The living room was empty, with no signs of struggle but also no signs that Athena had been there recently.

I moved quickly to her bedroom, but it was empty too. The bed was made, her clothes were put away, everything looked normal except for the most important thing - she wasn't there.

"Ath?" I called louder, my voice echoing loudly through the apartment.

Still nothing.

Panic was starting to rise in my throat. Where could she be? She was supposed to be here, waiting for me. And she never went anywhere at night alone.

I pulled out my phone and called her number, praying she'd answer and tell me she'd just run to the store or gone to visit Sarah even though it was already late.

But the sound that greeted me made my blood turn to ice.

Her phone was ringing somewhere inside the apartment.

I followed the sound, my hands shaking as I traced the familiar ringtone. I didn't always react this way, but the thought running through my mind was terrifying.

I couldn't smell her close, or hear heartbeat.

It was coming from the kitchen, and when I found it, my worst fears were confirmed.

Her phone was lying on the floor next to the kitchen table, the screen cracked like it had been dropped or thrown.

I knew immediately that my Ath has been taken