Chapter 12 Bentley , Duskfall and Lila were my life savers . They pulled me from the darkest corner of my life . They gave me the true understanding of what family meant . From randomly being invited to dinners , included in social events , asked to come over at houses , befriending almost everyone in the pack and freely spending my time at the garden without being judged . Duskfall was my sanctuary . A pack free from the honous tentacles of dramatics . It hurt to know that someday I would leave it all behind . That my time here was ticking . This privilege of living life to the fullest was limited . It was all in the hands of Landon . The mate who didnt want me . Of course we can . I looked up to Bentley who nodded at my silent question for approval Giving him one last smile . I leaned down to carry Lila against my chest before walking off to the flower garden . She locked her legs together , squeezing my waist between them as her arms hung around my neck . Lila squirmed in my hold , her small hand clutching onto the back of my shirt as she buried her face in the crook of my neck . I felt a small laugh escape me when she peered over my shoulder to look at Bentley before quickly ducking down when he caught her stare . The little pup was quite the cutie . We walked down the trail for about seven minutes of silence when she asked , Selly , are you going to leave ? I inched at the suddenness of her question . She never really asked about my stay until now . I stopped walking mid step to look down at her before continuing our way to the flower garden . She kept her head down , the crown of her head the only thing I could see . She was playing with a lock of my hair , her fingers combing through the strands at the ends . Lila knew I was only visiting for a while . Everyone in the pack knew that . They didnt know for what reason , though . Some would ask but I brushed it off saying it was some minor issue back home . I could only guess what kind of excuse Landon came up with . I highly doubt he would go on a limb to say that I was his rejected mate and he needed me to stay away so he can mark and mate my sister . I wasnt eager to receive looks of pity from them either if I told them the truth . I had my fill of that from Bentley- the only one I ever told . He was angry for me , but most of all I could see the sympathy under those bluish green eyes . His mate had passed on a few years back , but he was happy . He was content . He had the chance to love and cherish his mate til her very last breath . It was an honor , he said . An honor to have been the one to provide her with a lifetime full of love and affection . An honor to be her mate that she had blessed with a family of three . her and their son , Isaac . Issac was supposedly out of pack territory training to become the next Gamma at a training camp in the South . Gammas and Betas were chosen by the reigning Alpha . They werent passed down from generation to generation like Alphas were . After choosing the candidate , they were sent to train for the position . It was only after the completion of their extensive training Chapter 12 that they were given a ceremony to officially accept the title . There was a lot of requirements no pass the rattants . Bentley keeps close contact with his son . He writes him letter that he would receive a response to en with the way his eyes glimmer with pride when he speaks of him that his son was his biggest joy : Beng maddest and from his son , did make him feel quite lonely . So when Lila came into the picture he found a new sense of purpos He would take care of her with the remaining years he had left in him . Bentley often said he misses his mate . Marta , dearly . Sometimes still seeing her sitting in her euch with her legs propped up reading a romance novel . She may have aged , but shes still the romantic the always was when we first met at The warmth in his eyes as he said that tugged at my heart . In both good and bad ways . It was only then did realize I would have any of that . I wouldnt have anyone to just sit around and do nothing with . To just enjoy and revel in each others company . No one to memorize their little habits and mannerisms . I tried not thinking about it too mad when I could physically feel my bond with Landon weaken. Turns out what he said was tre The mate bond was slowly loosening and I felt every layer forcibly removed by his increasing emotional bond to Bena deep in my bones . Every time I felt it , a piece of me fell away . Suddenly , a sharp pain twisted in my gut . I hunched over , mouth open in a soundless scream when I fel cors the ground . managed to keep myself from falling face first because of the little girl still in my arms . She was the only thing racing through my mind . Lila squealed , startled from my wheezing . She squirmed in my hold until I let go but I couldnt breathe . My hands shakily clutched onto the fabric over my heart . My mind going hazy as my vision began to black cor Chapter 13 Chapter 13