The Beta's Broken Mate (Book 3 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 7

Ragnar nodded. It felt like much longer because so much had happened in such a short amount of time. "I'll take her a plate."

"You think that's a good idea?" Charlotte asked, her blue eyes full of concern. Caleb had informed her that morning of the situation between Ragnar and Talia.

"No, but she has to eat. I just can't push her so much that she wants nothing to do with me." Taking a plate of food to her would give him an excuse to see her again. He desperately wanted to make sure she was okay.

'She's not okay. We need to comfort her,' Rollo spoke up. He'd been pacing in Ragnar's mind since they'd met her, hating the amount of pain she was in. His wolf had barely slept last night.

Caleb nodded. "Having Matthew is a good thing for her. He'll hopefully keep her from giving up. Make her a plate, and we'll head up."

Fifteen minutes later, Ragnar stood outside Talia's door, holding a plate full of food. He breathed in her scent deeply. He'd forgotten how completely all-consuming it was. If only he could bottle it up and bathe in it daily.. He steeled himself and knocked lightly on her door, wondering if she would even answer.

Surprisingly, she opened it and looked up at him. Her hair was a mess, her eyes swollen from crying, but he still found her beautiful. His heart broke as he took in her appearance. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, but he couldn't do so without her permission. Rollo howled sorrowfully in his head.

"You're here."

It wasn't a question but a statement, and he heard the relief in her voice. She stepped back, allowing him entrance. The bed was unmade, and he saw that she was still wearing the same thing she had been yesterday.

"I brought you breakfast," he said quietly, sitting down in a chair.

"I'm not hungry," she murmured, looking away from him.

"I know you're not, but you still have to eat. You have a growing boy out there that you need to be able to feed." He handed her a fork with eggs on it.

She sighed and took it from him. "Where is he?" She asked a moment later after she was done chewing.

"Charlotte has him." He watched her eyes glow blue. "Do you want me to bring him to you?"

She sighed, eyeing the plate in his hands. "Not yet. I'll eat first."

He handed her the plate, and she settled down on the bed with it in her lap. She ate slowly, her gaze darting back and forth between him and the food on her plate.

Talia couldn't explain why, but having Ragnar near her eased the horrible pain she was experiencing from James's loss. She didn't like it, but at the same time, him being around made it easier to breathe. She hadn't slept well, and at times, she felt like she was suffocating with sorrow.

'Is this wrong?' she asked Lila. 'Do you hate me for wanting to be around another man?'

Lila had become more alert the moment they'd smelled him outside of the door. He was the only thing that had pulled her out of bed this morning. She'd been aware of Charlotte coming and going, but she just couldn't find it within her to care.

'I don't understand why we feel drawn to him or why we feel calmer around him. It's almost like he's our mate, but we both know that's not possible. Plus, there are no tingles when we touch, and I don't recognize him as our mate. I don't hate you for wanting to be near him to ease the ache of losing Mate. We have to keep going for our pup. We can't just give up. And you and I both know that Mate was the most selfless person we knew. He would still want us to live a full life,' Lila said quietly, occasionally looking out at the blond giant of a man. 'We have to stay strong for Matthew. We will do what we must to keep going. For him.'

Talia felt like she should be intimidated around such a powerful wolf, but she wasn't. His intense blue eyes drew her in. She dropped her gaze again to her plate, realizing she'd eaten everything on it.

"Do you want me to bring you Matthew now?" Ragnar asked her softly.

No, I don't want you to leave me. "Yes. He's probably hungry." She felt guilty for barely paying attention to her son today.

He stood and left the room, returning a few moments later with Matthew in his arms. He looked so incredibly sexy like that, and she could easily visualize him with no...she stopped that thought in its tracks, shocked that her mind had gone there. What was wrong with her? She was appalled at her train of thought.

He handed Matthew to her. "I'll see you later, Talia."

She liked the way he said her name with that accent of his. She nodded and took her son from him. "Thank you for everything."

He looked at her for a long moment, almost seeming reluctant to leave, then nodded and walked out of her room, closing the door softly behind him.

The heaviness of loss settled back over Talia, making it difficult for her to breathe. She almost called out for him to stay, but she needed to feed Matthew, and she didn't want to make the both of them uncomfortable.

She cuddled her pup close. "I'm so glad you're too young to know what's going on."