The Beta’s Regret

Mom was the first to finish breakfast, she took her plates away and came back to the room. Then she sat a few feet away from us, giving us space.

Lord Shevek was still as impeccable and polished as when he came. Meanwhile, my mother’s posture was rigid as she placed her hand on her lap. She was overly cautious, as if she were trying to assess the kind of man Lord Shevek had become over the years.

Suddenly, her gaze flicked to me, and she smiled. But the uncertainty was still clear in her eyes. And I understood that…

“Thank you.” I called out to mom as I finished eating and set the fork down on the plate.

I leaned back, wiping my lips with a napkin. Lord Shevek did the same, his fork clattered on the plate as he pushed the empty dishes to the side.

“That was a lovely meal, Rose.” He said, “I haven’t had such a nice meal in a while.” His voice had a wistful edge to it as he smiled.

Mother didn’t respond immediately, she just nodded, and I stood up to clear the dishes, but she beat me to it.

“I got this Eden.” She said softly.

I didn’t argue.

The tension in the room grew, and I wasn’t sure why, but we were all strangers once again. My mind was plagued with thoughts of what Lord Shevek had said earlier….

“Rose, I would like to take Eden back with me to the coven.” Lord Shevek asked my mother, who was walking towards the kitchen, and my eyes widened in surprise too.

I hadn’t accepted to be his heir, yet, talk more to follow him back to his coven.

The statement had made her to halt in her movements. She gave Lord Shevek a sharp look, and then looked at me. Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

I blinked, my stomach twisted. What do I say to all of this?

Mom’s lips was pressed into a thin line, and her eyes narrowed.

“I can promise you she will be well taken care of.” Lord Shevek begged, “I will make sure of that. Please, Rose. I want to spend time with my daughter.”

Those words made my heart flutter.

My mom sighed, and for a moment I was sure she would refuse, but then her shoulders fell in defeat as she spoke.

“Of course, she’s your daughter.” then she lifted her chin higher. “But I’ll be going with her too.”

“Mom!” I gasped in disbelief.

I wasn’t sure what surprised me more, the fact that she would let me go or that she wanted to tag along.

“Did you really think I would send you off with someone you barely know? You are my child; I have to make sure you are fine.” She raised a brow.

Lord Shevek sighed. “I will make sure she is well.”

“No. It’s either you take me along or nothing. I have no reason to believe you are not here to take her away from me too. I won’t lose my daughter a second time to an absent father.”

There was a prolonged silence. Lord Shevek Jaw ticked, and for a moment I thought I saw regret, but it was gone as fast as it came. He straightened his posture and narrowed his gaze on my mother, who refused to back down.

“You’ve grown tough.” He whispered.

“What would you know?” My mother sneered.

“Fine!” Lord Shevek finally backed down. “As you wish, you can come along.”

I swallowed hard. It made no sense that I should go with Lord Shevek, but I couldn’t refuse.

As if he sensed my confusion, Lord Shevek looked at me.

“Eden, I promise you will have a great time. The vampire world is old, and its ways are ancient. You will learn our ways and cultures and experience things that you never imagined.”

I was excited and also scared. Part of me wanted to learn more about the vampire world, but another part of me was terrified. I didn’t want to dive

3:34 PM

into something I wouldn’t be able to handle.

I suddenly remembered Tiara’s words of assurance earlier, and I felt a sudden surge of confidence.

“I can’t wait.” I said.

“Good!” Mom exclaimed. “We’ll leave as soon as you are ready.” She looked at Lord Shevek, then back at me. “Eden, you should get ready while I clean up.”

“Yes mom.”

My fear had given way to excitement; my heart raced as I stood up and left the room. I couldn’t wait to see what I would discover.

I immediately thought about Eros. I still hadn’t heard from him all day.

He should be back by now, or at least he should have called me.

I thought about what he would think my father. I couldn’t wait to tell him about it, and so I pulled out my phone and dialed his number.

The phone rang once, twice.

I groaned. “Come on, pick up.”

By the fifth ring, someone answered.

“Hello?” A voice said. I frowned; it sounded very familiar. It was a voice I never imagined I would hear.

It sounded just like Sussie.