Chapter 88

Carol’s POV

My heart felt like it weighed a thousand pounds hearing this story and my breathing was constricted.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered. “Who was that woman?”

“We aren’t sure,” my mother admits. “But she was terrified and all she asked was for us to take you and care for you like you were her own. She said this baby had no name and no real identity. She needs to stay protected at all costs and to please love her and care for her with your whole heart.”

“And you did…” I whispered, blinking away the tears in my eyes. “You did care and protect me with your whole heart. You never stopped loving me…”

My mother nodded with a fond smile on her lips.

“You were the miracle we needed,” my mother whispers. “We immediately ripped up the divorce papers and took you into our home. As far as that woman goes… we have no idea who she was, but we thank God every day for sending her to us.”

“Why did she choose you out of everybody in this world?” I asked, confused. “Not that I’m not grateful. But why you?”

“We aren’t sure about that either,” my father admits. “I wanted to ask; there were a lot of questions that we had. We even took you to the police station to see if there were any reports of missing children, just in case she stole you from somewhere. But there was nothing.”

“We also took you to the doctors to make sure you were healthy and to try for a DNA test, but records of your birth parents have been wiped clean completely,” my mother continues. “It was like they didn’t want to be found. We didn’t try much further after that. We got your adoption paperwork done and a few days later you were officially a Miller.”

My heart swelled hearing how I was the reason they didn’t go through with their divorce.

“I stopped drinking immediately after and your mother and I talked a lot about our past traumas,” my father further explains. “She even dragged me to couples counseling for a few years and we really worked on our marriage so we could be the best parents for you.”

I felt relaxed listening to this tale, but I was also sad hearing about how close they came to getting divorced.

“I’m so sorry you went through all that,” I whisper, shaking my head at the thought.

“Don’t apologize, Carol. You are our miracle, and we will forever be grateful to you and whoever the woman was,” my mother assures me. “We love you so much and we never thought of you as anything less than our daughter.”

“Even if you aren’t our blood, you are still our daughter,” my father assures me.

“So, that’s the big secret?” I ask, looking between the two of them. “I’m adopted?”

They both nodded and I could see how worried they were about my reaction. I just smile and I rush to my mother to hug her, opening my other arm for my father to join us. He does. We hug tightly and we cry together. Aiden just watches with a fond smile on his lips.

“I love you both so much. I don’t care who my biological parents are. You will always be my parents,” I assure them both.

“I’m so relieved to hear you say that,” my mother whispers as she hugs me tighter.

We talked for a little while longer before Aiden and I left. On the way back home, Aiden glances at me from the driver’s seat.

“Do you wonder who your biological parents are?” Aiden asks.

I raise my brows.

“I guess I’m a little curious. But if they don’t want to be found, then I guess I shouldn’t stress too much about it.”

Aiden shrugs.

“I don’t know; I mean they looked a long time ago, maybe things are different now,” he says.

“Maybe,” I admit. “But I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“We could start with a DNA test,” he suggests.

I nod.

“Okay,” I agree. “Let’s try. But maybe after the championships. It’s coming up soon. We only have another week before then and we should really focus on practice.”

“I agree.”

The next several days go by as a blur. Practice is intense as always and I spent a lot of time in the office managing the ledger and processing ticket sales. There haven’t been any more incidents where someone has been following me and there hasn’t been any word on those men who stalked me and my family, thankfully. D

It’s the last practice of the year and I can tell that everybody is extremely nervous. They are playing against the capital with the most elite team in the world. I can’t blame them for being nervous. Aiden didn’t seem as nervous about this as everybody else and I think that’s because he’s prepared for what to expect.

“You should say something to him,” he tells me the morning of the last practice.

“What should I say that I haven’t already?” I ask, cocking my head to the side as I look at him.

“Anything,” he tells me. “They are a nervous bunch, and they can’t go out there nervous on game day.”

I nodded and then peeked over his shoulder at the guys in the locker room. They were getting ready for practice, and they were all completely silent.

I sigh and then I nod at Aiden as I step around him to join the rest of the team.

“Okay guys,” I say, clapping my hands together to get their attention. “This is it. The last practice before the championship. This is what we’ve been working so hard for. I’m so proud of each and every one of you, honestly, I am. You all have been so amazing, and you worked impossible to get to his point. It’ll all mean nothing, though, if you don’t believe in yourselves. You are just as good, if not better than the capital team and you have to believe that you can kick their asses. We wouldn’t be making it into the championship if that wasn’t true.”

They all looked at one another, still appearing nervous, but they nodded in agreement and recognition.

“You all each have strengths and weaknesses. I’ve been working hard with each of you to highlight those strengths and weaknesses and as long as you keep those in mind, you have got this in the bag. Use this time to really nail your gameplays. Make this practice count!”

They all clapped in unison, and I could see the confidence rising in unison.

“Carol is right,” Coach Bower says as he steps into the locker room. “We really need to make our last official practice count. You are not shit if you don’t believe in yourselves, so I don’t want to see you down before we even get to the game. Understood?”

“Yes, Coach!” They all chanted.

“Good; now let’s get out there and prove to me that we aren’t a bunch of losers!”

They all clapped in unison again as they stood and made their way to the rink. Coach Bower smiles at me and puts his hand on my shoulder.

“Nice speech, Miller,” he praises. “I hope you’ll stick around after the championship. We could really use you on the team permanently.”

I smile at him, but the smile doesn’t reach my eyes. Honestly, I’m not sure where I’m going after the championship. Aiden made a promise to return to his pack after the game so he could resume his role as Alpha. I’m expected to return with him if I want to go through with this mating ceremony and be his luna. As much as the thought terrifies me, I can’t lose him.

I had so much to think about.

Aiden catches my eye just before he leaves with the team, and I know he can see the worry and confusion hidden in my expression.

Could I really be having second thoughts about this whole thing?