Home / Werewolf / My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian / Chapter 411 - Chapter 420

All Chapters of My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian : Chapter 411 - Chapter 420

581 Chapters

407 This Is Mine

Nadia"I can't do this anymore, Edran." Mama's words cut through the air, sharp as broken glass.Nobody said anything for a moment. Then Mama zipped the bag shut, picked it up off the bed, and walked past both of us, out of the bedroom. I fell into step behind her, and Father followed a beat later, close enough that I could hear his footsteps on the stairs behind mine. In the kitchen, Mama set the bag down by the door without a word and turned back to face us, Father standing near the table again like he'd never left it at all.I took a stumbling step forward, between them. My hands shook as I held them out, palms up, like I could catch the shards and make the pieces whole again. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words tangled in my throat. I tried again."Please, can we all sit down, talk about this like a family? There's no need for any of us to fight like this." My voice sounded thin and fragile, even to my own ears.Mama whirled on me. "Nadia!" Her tone was a knife's edge.I swa

408 Stop Lying To Me

NadiaNobody answered him. Instead Mama turned back to me, her eyes flat and certain, and reached for my arm."No." My voice cracked. "No, don't send me away. Please don't..." I looked between Mama and Father. "Mom, please wait, I..."I looked at my father. "You can't let this happen," I said. "This is your family. Say something."He didn't move toward me. His eyes dropped, and he turned slightly away, like he couldn't hold my gaze, like there was somewhere else in the room he needed to be looking instead.I stood there with my mouth open, nothing coming out. He wasn't going to stop this. He wasn't even going to try.Mama scoffed, a short, ugly sound. "He won't do anything," she said, not even looking at him, like he wasn't worth the effort of turning her head. "He knows better than to try."Father's jaw tightened. He gave her a look I'd never seen on him before, something scornful and raw at once, and then, finally, he crossed to me. His hands landed gently on my shoulders. "Baby," h

409 Just Watch Me Fix It

NadiaA long, vertical callus ran up my palm, the skin raised and thickened from holding a pen for hours on end. I stared at it, tracing the lines with my thumb, marveling at the way the crescent moon of my cuticle had grown out to meet it. It was an old habit, this fixation on minute details, and not the first time I'd lost myself in it. Mama called it distraction, Daddy called it a coping mechanism. I called it my sanity."You should have gone with them," he said.I glanced up reflexively, the sound of his voice cracking the spell. He stood as he ever did, rigid and straight, his hands clasped loosely in front of him. A thin line of blood had dried at the corner of his mouth. He didn't seem to notice it was still there.I sighed and turned to face him fully, taking in the haggard lines on his face, the tightness in his shoulders. He fell silent under my gaze, his eyes betraying none of what swirled beneath that impassive surface. I knew better than to take his lack of reaction for i

410 The Call

NadiaThe phone glowed on my bedside table the moment I sank into the mattress, its pale light cutting through the gloom. I was already on my feet, snatching it up almost instinctively. Lyra's name flared across the screen, and I froze. Speak of the devil.I stood there, watching the phone ring once, twice, before it finally stopped and Lyra's name faded to a missed call. I let the phone fall back onto the table and collapsed onto the bed.I loved Lyra, completely and utterly, but six days of silence had planted a seed of doubt in my mind. I'd begun to wonder if Lyra felt the same way about me. This last fight had been different, rawer than any before. We'd both said things we couldn't take back, things that laid bare the cracks in the facade we'd built around each other. And now the only way I knew she was still breathing was this call, missed because my hand had been too slow.I stared at her name until it blurred, my mind slipping back in time to another night. I'd been at Valdris

411 Tightening Around His Neck

NadiaWhy do I always have to be the target of your anger? Why can't you just tell me what's really going on instead of guilting me? But I kept those thoughts locked down tight, saying nothing."I... it's fine," I finally said, hearing the exhaustion in my own voice.Lyra went quiet for a long moment. "Thank you," she said softly.I sighed and rubbed my eyes. "You're welcome." The words felt strange on my tongue, forced.There was another long pause before Lyra spoke again. "Will I see you soon?"I nodded, as if she could see me. "I'll come by before work tomorrow morning.""Okay..."We hung in the silence a moment longer, neither of us sure how to close this call. Finally, Lyra took a breath. "Goodnight, cupcake," she said, her voice tender. "I love you."Something about it felt off, and for a moment I couldn't quite place why. I was quiet a beat too long before responding. "I love you too."It was the truth, no matter how bad things had gotten in my own family. I couldn't imagine no

412 He Took The Easy Way Out

NadiaThe smell of disinfectant and something bitter, like the burned popcorn the nurse station microwave always produced, hung in the air. I wanted to scrub it from my nostrils.I don't know how long I sat there, curled on the hard plastic chair, fingers pinched white from gripping the gurney rail. The metal made a soft complaint as I straightened my legs. Pins and needles prickled my thighs, biting like a swarm of wasps. I shifted, trying to shake them off, but they clung tenaciously.A sound, then: the squeak of wheels on a cart, somewhere behind me. One wheel needed oil, or a replacement, its protest rising and falling in an almost rhythmic melody.Then, as if some internal projector clicked on, I saw the room in full color. Gowned figures moved with precision, exchanging hushed words. My father's body, covered in a white sheet, lay still on the gurney. And there, one hand dangled from beneath the cover, its fingers curled gently.I stared at the hand, unmoving, transfixed. My fat

413 This Is All You

NadiaMama rushed to Father's side, shoving past the nurses and doctors in her way. Their voices faded, replaced by the sound of my mother's weeping. Two female nurses tried to restrain her, but Mama fought them, tearing at the sheet draped over Father's still body."Let me go!" she screamed, pulling with all her might. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry!"A nurse, tall with curly brown hair, tried to grip Mama's arms. "Please, ma'am," she said firmly. "You can't disturb the body."Mama didn't seem to hear her. She kept pulling, kept crying, that terrible, rending wail pouring out of her. I could barely comprehend the words. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I should have stayed, I should have stayed."The sheet finally gave way, sliding from Father's body to the floor. Mama collapsed on top of him, her arms around his lifeless frame. She pressed her face to his chest, her thin shoulders heaving. "I'm so sorry, I should have stayed," she sobbed.I watched, unmoving.Mama's cries left me cold. A

414 He Doesn't Know Yet

NadiaI slipped out of the hospital, no one paying me much attention. I started walking, no particular hurry, when a gleaming black car rolled up beside me. The window slid down, and Lord Aldous's face appeared, a warm smile creasing his weathered features."Nadia! Where are you headed?""The palace," I said. "I'm on my way to see Lyra.""Well, I'm headed the same way myself. Hop in."I climbed in and shut the door behind me. The interior smelled faintly of leather and pine."So how have you been, my girl?" he asked, pulling back into traffic."Busy," I said, and smiled. "You'd think working at the library would be quiet, but somehow it never is."He laughed. "Ah yes, the great peril of literacy. What is it this time, an uprising of overdue notices?""Worse. Someone tried to return a book with a sandwich pressed inside it as a bookmark."That drew a real laugh out of him, warm and easy. "A sandwich. Please tell me it was at least a good sandwich.""I have no idea. I was too busy tryin

415 A Little Under The Weather

LyraI woke abruptly, like I had been startled from a dream, but couldn't remember dreaming at all. Morning light streamed through the gaps in my curtains, painting the room in pale, diffused color. A soft knock came at the door."Princess?" Sela's voice called in. "Breakfast."I groaned and pushed myself up. "Entrez."The heavy door swung open and Sela slipped inside, a silver tray balanced on one hand. She was one of the few people allowed to enter my quarters unannounced, and for that, I was grateful. It's a small thing, but small things matter when you're stuck in this godforsaken palace."Morning, Sela," I said, dragging the covers off and planting my feet on the floor.Sela set the tray down on the small table by the window. "Morning, Princess. Tea?""Please."She nodded, pouring a steaming cup. I took it from her, wrapping my hands around the warm ceramic. The scent of bergamot and lemon filled the air, familiar and comforting. I took a sip, letting the heat soak into my bones.

416 Dinning

LyraI stepped into the dining room, expecting the usual tedious affair, my parents, myself, and a handful of sycophants vying for my father's attention. Instead, a dozen unfamiliar faces greeted me, all eyes trained on the doorway I had just entered through.Odile stood immediately, beaming. "Lyra!" she called, already crossing the room toward me.I stared, bewildered, as she closed the gap and pulled me into a fierce hug. My whole body went still for a beat before I caught myself and hugged her back. "What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice coming out more breathless than I meant it to."Oh!" Odile laughed, releasing me from her embrace. "My brothers and I decided to pay your father a visit. The boys have been dying to see him."I glanced toward the table, taking in the two men Odile referred to as her brothers. They were visibly older, their faces lined with maturity and experience. It didn't add up. Odile talked about them like they were still boys, but they looked like grown

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