Charles POV How did everything go to sh*t in the blink of an eye? How did I lose everything? I thought what we had was stronger than this, but I was very wrong. I put the bottle to my lips and take a long pull. I know I shouldn’t want to be numb, but I do. This house is so empty. I can’t stand the silence. I not only lost my wife but my kids are gone. My Oli girl looked destroyed the day that damn judge gave custody to Evelyn. I knew the outcome before we even got there. The b**ch was a wolf, but I couldn’t tell Oli that. We kept so much from her. Why didn’t we just tell her? I’ve hurt my daughter by trying to protect her. I thought we had time but we didn’t. I feel the alcohol as it settles in my veins. My mind wanders back to the day I met Evelyn. She was so beautiful. I had an appointment at the law office where she was a paralegal. The man that was her boss was a friend of mine in college. With my company starting to turn a profit, I needed to make sure that I had a lawyer on retainer, so Greg just made sense. The minute I saw her, I knew she was it for me. There was something in her eyes that just drew me in. The rest of that week I came up with reasons to visit Greg until I finally got up the nerve to ask her out. I felt amazing when she said yes. We dated for six months before she finally agreed to move in with me. We had our ups and downs, but Evelyn was always my better half. The day before we got married, she asked me to take a drive. I was never so nervous in my life. I thought she had changed her mind. When we pulled up to the walking trail outside of town, my heart started to race. This is where I asked her to marry me. Did she want to end it in the same place? We reached the same clearing where I had set up our picnic. She turned to face me and I could see the fear and apprehension in her eyes. “Charles, I have to show you something before we get married tomorrow,” she said. “So you still want to marry me?” She looked at me like I had grown ten heads. “Of course I do, but I have been keeping something from you. After you see what it is, you may not want to marry me,” she said. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her like she was the air I needed to breathe. “There is nothing that will make that happen,” I said and she took a step back. When she shifted into Jenna, I thought I was having a dream. Needless to say, I was shocked, but I was right and we were married the next day. We were married for a year when she got pregnant with Connor. That was when she told me about mates. She wanted me to know that if our kids had wolves they would have a mate chosen by the goddess. It was the only fight I remember us having that scared me. After she reassured me of how much she loved me, I buried that fear. When Oli was born, I was wrapped around her little finger. I love both my kids the same, but she was my Oli girl. I never thought that all those years of happiness could be destroyed in a single meeting. With the kids almost adults, Evelyn decided it was time to go back to work. Greg had lost his paralegal so it seemed like perfect timing. Now I wonder how much was the goddess’s doing. Why would she take them from me? Is it because I’m human, and she was never meant to be mine? Tears stream down my cheeks as I remember the day my world fell apart. The sound of the door opening has me stepping out of the kitchen. I move toward my beautiful wife, but she steps back before I can kiss her. “Evelyn, what’s wrong,” I ask, worried that something happened to her. Her eyes meet mine and I swear my heart stops beating. “Charles, I met my mate today,” she says. I immediately felt like the air was knocked out of my lungs. She wraps her arms around me and I let her even though in my heart I knew nothing would ever be the same. She tried to fight the bond, but three weeks later I could see the guilt on her face the minute she stepped through the door. “I’m so sorry, Charles. I tried” she said. I finish the bottle and it doesn’t take long for the numbness to replace the memories and pain. I’m surrounded by darkness, but at least there is no more pain. Two Weeks Later Olivia POV The sound of the phone on my nightstand ringing wakes me from a deep sleep. When I look at the display, I see it’s three in the morning. The number is one I’ve never seen before. I’m about to let it go to voicemail when something inside me has me answering. “Hello” I say. “Hello, is this Oli” a female voice asks. “Yes, who is this?” “My name is Miranda. I’m a nurse at Mercy Hospital. Are you related to Charles Crocker,” she asks, and my blood runs cold in my veins. “Yes, I’m his daughter. What’s going on?” “Maybe I should talk to your mother about what’s happening. Do you have a number for her,” she asks. “My parents are divorced. I am all the family my dad has left. Just tell me what’s going on.” “Your father was brought in earlier after a wellness check was done on him by the police. His employees were concerned he hadn’t been to work for days. When the police arrived, he was unconscious, and they weren’t sure how long he had been like that.” Tears stream down my cheeks. “Is he alright now?” “I’m afraid not. His blood alcohol level was severely elevated, and the doctor feels that he has alcohol poisoning. We have tried to treat the poisoning, but he hasn’t woken up yet. The doctor asked me to call you so you could be here in case something happens,” she says. I feel like I can’t breathe. Does she mean he might die? “Oli, are you still there,” she asks. “I am. I’m on my way. I should be there within the hour. Please don’t let my dad die” I say, not being able to hold back the sob. As soon as I hang up, I dial Rebecca’s number. She is the only person I trust in this place. “Oli, what’s wrong,” she asks, panic in her voice. I quickly explain everything to her. “Get dressed and meet me outside the front door” she says. My shoulders sag in relief before I throw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. I open the door, praying no one is awake. The hall is quiet, and I move quickly down the hall toward the stairs. Once I make it through the foyer, I push open the front door slowly hoping it’s not alarmed. Amazingly enough, nothing happens as I step out into the cold night air. “Oli” Rebecca says, scaring the sh*t out of me. I follow her down to an area of parked cars. “Your lucky my friend, is at the gate tonight, or we would have had to wake up the Alpha. I told him what’s happening, and he agreed to help us,” she says. I don’t want my mother or Connor to know what’s happening. They don’t deserve to know after what they have done. “Will he get in trouble?” “No, I told him to tell Xavier I lied about having permission. My uncle won’t punish me too harshly,” she says. I stop in my tracks. “Did you just say that Xavier is your uncle?” “Come on Oli. We don’t have time. I’ll answer your questions on the drive to the hospital.” A few minutes later we pull through the gate. My heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest. As we drive away from my prison, the tears begin to fall again. I can’t lose my dad. Rebecca tells me how her father and Xavier were brothers. When her parents died, Xavier took her in. I don’t have time to focus on that as we pull up to the front of the hospital. “I can’t tell you what this means to me, Rebecca. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything,” I say pulling her into a hug. “Oh no way am I leaving you here by yourself. I know we haven’t known each other long, Oli, but I consider you my sister. Let’s go check on your dad” she says. We make our way inside and the nurse tells us where my dad’s room is. We take the elevator and make our way to room 305. When I step inside, my knees nearly buckle at the sight of him. He is hooked up to machines and tubes surround him. My strong dad looks weak and frail. I say a silent prayer that he survives this. I’m not leaving him again. I don’t care what the damn judge says. Rebecca leads me over to the chair that’s next to his bed. She places her hand on my shoulder as I just stare at him. “Mr. Crocker, my name is Rebecca. I’m your son’s mate and your daughter’s best friend. I’m going to need you to wake up so I can meet you. Oli is here, and she needs you” she says. I don’t have time to ask her what the hell a mate is because it’s not important right now. She leans down and presses a kiss on his head and then mine. She takes a seat across the room and I take my dad’s hand into mine. “Daddy, please wake up. Don’t leave me.”