All Chapters of Alpha’s Homecoming : Chapter 11 - Chapter 17

Clair’s POV Working as a kitchen assistant in a local restaurant is a lifesaver for me and my mom, and thankfully Miss Rebecca has been nothing but understanding. She didn’t hesitate to give us a place to stay.“Settle your mum in the room and you can come help me in the kitchen,”she said, and I nodded, pretending her kindness didn’t almost bring tears to my eyes.I have met Miss Rebecca when I first arrived in Arkansas. I had been hunting for a job, drenched in disappointment, when a mud covered cat sat watching me. I picked the poor thing up, gently wiping the dirt off her tiny face. I later learned she belonged to Rebecca and she was her precious Surfy. Miss Rebecca had been so relieved and emotional that she’d offered me a job right then, but back then, I was stubbornly chasing something that paid more. “Thank you, Rebecca, for accepting me and my mum. You’re a lifesaver,”I murmured. She only laughed, brushing it off with a casual wave. Surfy the white furred cat recognized m

Clair’s POV "I wish I had a choice… but I don’t.”Miss Rebecca whispered the words with a tight expression, and I nodded, forcing a smile as I pushed my mum’s wheelchair forward. My fingers trembled when I accepted the two thousand dollars she handed me.“I’m sorry, Clair. I really am.”Her voice cracked as I walked away, the weight of hopelessness pressing on my chest. I had nowhere to go, no one left to ask for help.“Am I not trouble for you, Clair? My little gift “Mum’s voice broke into sobs. I wanted to tell her she wasn’t trouble, that she was in fact the only thing in this collapsing world that made sense to me. But the words jammed in my throat, choked by the pain I tried so hard to swallow. Instead, my facade shattered and I cried openly, letting the hot tears slip down my cheeks.Nora Whales used to work at the clubhouse with me. I remembered her once saying she lived alone. And If only she would just allow Mum to stay with her, it would be enough, more than enough.“Oh, C

Clair’s POV The rain came down harder the moment I stepped out of the hospital. It wasn’t a gentle rain, it was cold, heavy, the kind that soaked straight through skin and bone. My thin jacket clung to my arms like wet paper as I hugged myself, trying not to shiver.It had been a long day since the rain had been falling nonstop, a long week at the hospital, watching my mother recover.The nurses had been kind, at least the ones who didn’t stare too long at my pathetic face.They said Mom could stay until tomorrow morning and be discharged, but after that I had to find another place for us, another miracle.I pushed the hospital door open a little wider, preparing myself to walk out into the storm, hoping maybe help could be waiting right for me outside, but I wasn’t motivated since I have never received help from anyone before. But maybe, just maybe, I could be lucky.A sleek black car waited directly opposite the hospital entrance, and not just any car, but his car.Of course he wou

Clair’s POV Two long, exhausting, and breath stealing months. Every day felt like dragging my heart through a battlefield, working extra hours at the internship, taking night shifts at a restaurant when I could barely keep my eyes open, and keeping every dollar I earned in a small metal box I hid beneath my bed in the staff room.And finally, I had ten thousand dollars saved, that I earned with blistered hands, sleepless nights, and a stomach that had learned to survive on water and a few snacks.I remembered I had vowed to repay Sebastian with every penny I made, that very night he took my mother into his home.The way he had looked at me that night, like I was a puzzle he intended to solve.And even under his scrutinizing eyes, I made him the promise. And I intended to keep it.My phone buzzed suddenly while I was cleaning the supply closet at work. I didn’t expect to hear his voice. I hadn’t heard it since the night he drove away with my mother and told me, “I will keep her safe.