Chapter 2 The Imminent Arrival of a Sister

Patrick's mother tried to calm him down, but Nelson remained silent, without attempting to defend himself. In fact, he had nothing to defend. It was something that had already happened. He was young, hadn't marked his partner, and had left her irresponsibly after impregnating her.

Nelson looked up at Patrick, taking a deep breath. "I did find her, but I never marked her."

Patrick's anger turned into surprise and confusion. "You didn't mark her? How could you not?"

He would never let such a thing happen. The first thing he did when meeting his partner was to cup her face and inject his scent into her bloodstream with his fangs.

"At that time, I was young and foolish," Nelson sighed, looking down at the table. "I am the only one in my wolf pack with the werewolf gene. I had been waiting for my wolf to appear so that I could be more than just a beta. But it never happened, and yet, I never stopped hoping for a miracle."

Nelson stopped speaking, his eyes filled with deep remorse, but Patrick didn't care how he felt. He just wanted to know why Nelson hadn't marked his partner.

"And then?" asked Patrick.

"Then I met my partner," Nelson continued. "We spent all our time together, and I promised her that I would mark her as soon as my wolf appeared. I wanted to give her the best, but even after we had a relationship, I still didn't mark her."

"You had a relationship, but you didn't mark her?" Patrick was completely unable to understand Nelson.

"Yes," Nelson said. "We were both uncertain at that time."

Patrick's eyebrows furrowed tighter. "But how could you mark my mother then?"

Nelson explained, "Chosen partners and second mates can also mark each other. Although this mark is not as powerful as the one given by a destined partner, it still holds significance."

"But you still have a mind link with her, don't you, Nelson?" Patrick's mother's voice carried a hint of resentment, her eyes filled with unwillingness. Nelson avoided her gaze.

Patrick didn't understand what she was talking about. How could a werewolf maintain a mind link with someone who wasn't marked?

"What do you mean?" Patrick asked.

"It's like this, exactly," mumbled Nelson.

"How is that possible?" Patrick felt as if he had fallen into a tongue twister trap. "How can there be a mind link without a mark?"

"The existence of her child, our child, established the bridge of communication between us," Nelson looked at Patrick. He didn't know if revealing this would make Patrick dislike him even more, but he had to say it. The child was now sixteen, and soon she would lose her mother. He needed to bring her to his side to take care of her.

"I didn't know she was pregnant, but later I wanted to bring our daughter to me. She didn't agree, and even refused to let me see my own daughter. It wasn't until recently that she contacted me again."

Today was truly eye-opening for Patrick, especially regarding Nelson. The little bit of goodwill he had accumulated toward Nelson for speaking up on his behalf had turned to ashes in an instant. How could anyone treat their fated partner so abysmally?

"I feel damn guilty. It's been sixteen years, and not a moment has passed when I didn't want to see my daughter. But now..." He stopped speaking, taking a deep breath.

"Your child with her?"

"Yes," Nelson nodded. "She's sixteen now. Her name is Emma."

"You just said that your previous partner, the girl's mother, is dying?" Patrick recalled his own father's death, which had brought him immense pain at the time. He hoped this girl would be spared such agony.

"Yes," Nelson said. "She has leukemia. That's why she reached out to me. Their relationship hasn't been good over the years. She feels guilty and wants me to provide a better life for her, to ensure she gets a good education."

"Bring her here, that's what you should do," Patrick said. If possible, he hoped the upcoming girl could consider this place home. He was willing to become family with her because she had experienced or was experiencing the pain of losing a loved one, just like him.

"I don't think that's a very good idea, Patrick. The girl might not be suitable for this pack. She's from a small place and might not adapt here," Jennifer's words sounded unreasonable to Patrick. He thought his mother might be concerned about Nelson's previous unmarked partner, but that shouldn't be a reason to oppose the girl.

"You can't leave your child alone," Patrick's gaze turned to Nelson. "Where is she now?"

"My old pack, the Blue Halo Pack," Nelson said. "It's about a hundred and fifty miles from here, perhaps you'veheard of it."

Of course, Patrick had heard of it. He and his father had driven past it and even stopped to admire the scenery.

"Don't make the same mistake again, Nelson," he said, standing up, his tone unwavering, ignoring Jennifer's displeased look. "You've already abandoned your child once. Don't do it again."

He left the kitchen, furious with both Nelson and his mother.

How could Nelson treat his destined partner like that, abandoning her to die alone? He was also uncomfortable with his mother. She hadn't even met the poor girl who was about to lose her mother, yet she was deliberately antagonistic towards her.

He thought, when she comes here, I will make sure she feels warmth, unlike Nelson's irresponsibility. I won't let a girl who is about to lose her mother be treated as coldly as I was.

The girl in Nelson's mouth was a stubborn, unruly, and quiet girl in Patrick's imagination. He had long stopped having any extra thoughts about family, as his parents hadn't given him another sibling. But now, he was about to have a sister.

He couldn't wait to meet her, to see the girl with whom he might have something in common.