All Chapters of Chasing the Riot: The Alpha's Second Chance: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

HELENAMy jaw should have snapped shut by now.But it didn’t.“A–Are you certain?” I whispered, voice cracking as my fingers trembled around the pregnancy test. Three years. Three years of sterile rooms, hormone shots, and silent nights crying in the shower while Brent grew more distant. Three years of hoping a baby might pull us back together.The doctor nodded, her eyes warm. “Positive, Ms. Vale. Congratulations.”A raw, disbelieving laugh tore from my throat, quickly dissolving into hot tears that streamed down my cheeks. I pressed my free hand to my stomach—still flat, still miraculous. There’s a life in here and it was ours. Joy crashed over me, bright and desperate, so fierce it hurt. Brent would lose his mind. He’d scoop me up and spin me around like he used to, back when his eyes still lit up at the sight of me.But the joy curdled almost instantly. He hadn’t looked at me that way in months. No kisses before practice. No random “I miss you” calls. No reaching for me in b

HELENAMy head was spinning as I stood outside the owner’s suite, the slammed door still echoing. The pregnancy test burned against my palm like a secret I wasn’t ready to weaponize yet.I needed to think. How could I salvage this?The originals. The thought cut through the chaos.Brent forged my signatures. What if there was some kind of proof? I could only contest the forgeries if I had the real documents with proper timestamps and metadata. And the fraud had happened internally. I was certain of it. Brent and Vanessa had used my office. My systems. The evidence had to be there.I hurried down the stairs, missing a step in my haste before colliding with Victor as he rushed toward me. His face was ashen, eyes wide with panic.“Helena, I—” His voice cracked. “Things are fucked. Everybody is calling me—sponsors, board members, even league reps. I don’t know what to do. The news is spreading like wildfire and—“I grabbed his arm, steadying both of us.“Lock it down, Victor. Right no

Helena The line instantly goes dead.I stared at the phone pressed against my ear, as a sudden, heavy wave of regret washed over me.Maybe calling Jarrett was a massive mistake.Maybe I should have just hung up and pieced everything together myself, the way I always do.My fingers dig into the rough hospital blanket.Just as I was about to lower the phone and end the call for good, his voice finally cuts through the static."With the truth."The words hit me like a physical blow, making my chest tighten.I let out a sharp, humorless laugh."The truth?" I repeated, the bitterness was evident in my throat. "Eight years too late for that, don't you think?""Helena, listen to me carefully. Do not leave that hospital."My brows furrowed at his words, "What?""Stay exactly where you are." He said, his tone becoming more stern. Whatever patience I had left had completely evaporated. "Why? Because Brent might try something else?"The silence on the other end stretched out a second too long

Helena My fingers tightened around the phone until my knuckles turned white.The photograph blurred for a second before I blinked hard and forced myself to look again. "No, this couldn't be." I mouthed to myself.The silver-haired man sat across from Brent with the calm confidence of someone who belonged there, someone who wasn’t afraid of being seen.A cold shiver crawled down my spine.I remembered him, I remembered his expensive suit at my parents' funeral especially. I remembered his hand on my shoulder while I cried. I remembered him telling me that grief could make people imagine things, that wolves weren’t real, and that what I remembered from that night was trauma, nothing more.My stomach twisted. Then slowly, I raised my eyes to Jarrett. He was staring at the image, looking genuinely shaken."Who is he?" My voice came out roughly. Jarrett didn’t answer."Who is he?" I repeated.His jaw tightened. "Where did that person get this?"The question immediately irritated me.

The words Victor had spoken kept replaying in my head. No. I didn't believe it, not for a second. Because I knew Brent. I knew the man better than anyone. Or at least I thought I did.Brent wasn't the type to vanish after winning. He wasn't the type to walk away from applause. He craved attention and validation. He wanted people watching him and he wanted them talking about him.If he had succeeded in destroying me, he would be standing on every news channel in the country enjoying it. He would be smiling while my reputation burned.Which meant one thing; Something had happened to Brent. The realization sat heavily in my chest as morning sunlight poured through the penthouse windows. I stood by the glass, staring out over the city.For the first time in years, I had absolutely no control over my own life. My company was slipping away. My marriage was over. My child was gone. And somehow, the only people around me were Victor and the man who had disappeared from my life eight year