The Beta’s Regret

(Lord Shevek's Pov)

I stayed hidden in the crowd, as I watched Eden approach the tree stump where my beloved and Beauty sat on.

The minute Eden recognized her mother, her eyes widened in disbelief and they shared a small hug, with Eden's son comfortably held in Rose's arms. Eden looked very different from the last time I saw her.

From where I stood, I could see the fine lines on her face that showed she's been through an enormous measure of stress and pain in the past weeks. A baby cooed softly beside me. My eyes flicked to Adonis, who had another baby wrapped in his arms. A girl.

The desire to touch my own grandson and feel his smooth, tender skin beneath my palm with his mother right beside us engulfed me.

When Rose softly handed the baby wrapped in thick clothes to Eden, her face suddenly morphed into the glow of motherhood.

Torn by a feeling of longing to express my own joy in seeing her, I took a step forward and immediately stopped.

I couldn't.

Not when I was looking this way.

Unconsciously, I lifted one hand to my face and traced the line that ran from the left side of my forehead to the bottom of my right cheek.

An ugly scar. Something to constantly remind me of how I almost failed to save my mate.

Usually, vampires heal quickly. But Griffin attacking me with that dagger was strong enough to leave a deep scar.

I felt a deep sense of shame engulf me as I stepped back again. The last thing I wanted was for Eden to see me as a monster.

"Why did you stop?" Adonis asked, settling his gaze on me.

I shook my head.

"I'm not sure she wants to see me." I said.

on my shoulder. "Is it the

I watched Rose and Eden fawn over the little

right now; don't stop yourself." Adonis encouraged. With a slight push, he

few seconds to gather my

Eden, she was asking

was when

of surprise, as she

Eden said. Her eyes

to see me? What about

she

a sudden, the worries I had over my face faded. I opened my arms wide as my

a warm, comforting

with the emotion I

imagined that with all of our misunderstandings, I would one day affirm that I

I laughed.

and immediately brought her hand to my face. My instincts kicked in, and I turned

happened?" Eden said

ran a hand over the scar, and Eden frowned. I saw the anger flash in

this to

beloved, who stood beside Eden quietly. Rose burst into tears, suddenly overwhelmed by the events

my fault," Rose

my fault. I shouldn't have let your mother out of my sight in the

happened when I woke up in Alpha

and kept us in a room. At first, I thought I was dead,

thinking of how to say the

blurry at first;

when I did, the first figure I saw was the dagger