All Chapters of The Alpha’s Mistake: Lila’s Rise from Rejection: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

LILA6 YEARS LATER"Mommy, your phone’s ringing!" Gavin squealed, snapping me out of my reverie, before his tiny feet bounded across the room and towards the stairs in full speed. "Be careful so you don't fall." I called out, smiling, but he didn't listen. He never did.It had been six years since that day- the day my heart shattered into a million pieces. But I was no longer the fragile, quiet girl who was always seen as the weaker twin. After I fled from Crescent Moon Pack and came here, I hid, thinking my father would come looking for me. But surprisingly, he never did. As much as it hurt to admit, my escape must have been good riddance for them, and that just made something inside me snap. I got a job at a healing shop- using my healing skills my mother had taught me. It wasn't long before people began to notice how good I was. They came to me for every little thing. A fever. A wound. A year later, I opened my wellness center called "Midas Touch." It started small, but at t

LILAWhen I finally walked into the ICU, after being granted access to see Gavin, my heart shattered. His skin was pale like paper, dark circles shadowed his closed eyes and his lips had lost their pink color. Wires and machines surrounded him, beeping, blinking- reminding me every second that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. The doctors were still working on his diagnosis. Nobody knew the reason for this sudden mysterious illness and even with my gift, I couldn't see the answer. I was born with the power to feel into people's energy, to see hidden wounds inside. And since the inception of my career as a healer, I'd seen things people couldn't describe. But Gavin... I couldn't see what was hurting him. "Why is this happening?" My voice was shaking like a leaf caught in a wild wind. It was like standing in front of a thick, dark, wall. A fog. Every time I tried to reach inside him, something pushed me away. And it terrified me. I was his mother. I should know. I should feel.

LILAThe doors to the Blackwood mansion loomed before me; tall, carved of obsidian wood with the crescent wolf insignia scorched into the center like a brand.I turned back for a moment, only a moment, and found Jackson still standing by the car. His jaw was tight, but his eyes, gods, his eyes were breaking. Like he was memorizing me, just in case I didn’t come back the same.“Come here,” I whispered, my voice already trembling.He stepped forward without hesitation and pulled me into his arms.For a few seconds, we just stood there, wrapped around each other in silence. His chin rested on top of my head, and my face pressed into his chest. I breathed in his scent, trying to commit it to memory before it faded behind marble walls and memories I never wanted to relive.“You still have time,” he murmured against my hair. “We can leave right now. We can find another seer. Another way.”I pulled back just enough to look at him. “We both know there isn’t another way.”He didn’t argue. He k

LILAThe machines were quieter today.For the first time since he collapsed, the frantic beeping and harsh alarms had been replaced by something steadier and calmer. The monitors blinked in soft rhythm, like a lullaby I hadn’t dared hope to hear.I hadn’t left his side all night.A guard stood just outside the door by Tyler’s orders. I hadn’t asked him to do that, but I also hadn’t told him to stop.Gavin’s tiny chest rose and fell beneath the thin blanket. His skin was less pale now, his cheeks tinted faint pink.He looked peaceful.Like the worst was over.I reached forward, brushing my fingers across his curls, then cupped his small hand in both of mine.“You’re safe, baby,” I whispered. “You’re going to be okay. I’m right here.”A moment passed. Then another.And then, his fingers twitched.I froze.His eyelids fluttered once, twice… and then slowly, slowly, opened.Emerald green, glassy with exhaustion but alive.I gasped, tears springing to my eyes. “Gavin! oh my god. Baby, can