Aria’s POV
“It was most definitely Logan,” Denderick repeated.
The words sent a shockwave through me, leaving me momentarily speechless. Logan? It couldn’t be… But then, as I let the thought sink in, it made perfect sense.
Logan had always been vindictive, always looking for ways to get revenge, to push others into impossible positions. My heart pounded as I recalled the way he had treated me, the way he had manipulated and used everyone around him.
Yes, Logan was more than capable of something so heinous.
“But why?” I finally asked. “Why would he do this?”
Denderick’s eyes hardened as he answered. “Revenge. Logan would do anything to see me fail, to see me brought down. And if implicating me in something like this could achieve that, he wouldn’t hesitate. You were valuable to him too, and you left to be with me. Consider it two of his biggest threats teaming up against him.”
I swallowed hard, feeling a cold dread wash over me. I hated that it made sense. Logan was ruthless, a man driven by his twisted sense of justice. And if Denderick was right, then Logan had already set his sights on destroying us, and anyone else who got in his way.
Denderick took a deep breath as if trying to steady himself. “Can I see my son?” he asked.
I nodded, stepping aside to let him further into the room. He walked over to Edward’s crib. The lines of tension in his face softened as he looked down at his son. The sight of him standing there, so gentle and tender, made my heart swell with emotions I couldn’t quite name.
He wasn’t just the Alpha at that moment. He was a father.
Denderick reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bracelet, simple and elegant, with beautiful designs burned into the silver. He carefully placed it around Edward’s tiny wrist, the metal glinting in the soft light of the room.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s something for Edward to remember me by,” Denderick replied.
His voice was so sad and heartbreaking. Fear gripped me, and I couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out. “Why are you talking like that, like you’re going to die tomorrow?”
Denderick’s eyes met mine, and I saw the deep sorrow in them, a sorrow that twisted my heart in ways I wasn’t prepared for. “Because, Aria, if everything goes wrong… if Logan succeeds in turning everyone against me… I’ll be dethroned as Alpha. I’ll have to leave this pack forever. I’ll become a rogue wolf, and I might never see our son again.”
The weight of his words crushed me. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, but I blinked them back, refusing to let them fall. I couldn’t let myself break down now.
“No,” I whispered, my voice trembling as I stepped closer to him. “No, that can’t happen. You can’t just leave. Edward needs you. I… I need you.”
Denderick looked at me with a mixture of surprise and pain. “Aria…” he began, but his voice faltered, unable to continue.
I couldn’t hold back anymore. I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around him, yanking him into a tight embrace. I felt his body stiffen at first, but then he relaxed, his arms encircling me in return. The warmth of his embrace, the strength of his presence-it was everything I needed in that moment.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured against his chest, my voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt. “I’m so sorry for everything. For doubting you, for accusing you… I just can’t lose you, Denderick. Not like this. I cannot.”
He didn’t say anything at first, just held me tighter, as if he was afraid to let go. When he finally spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. “Aria, I would never leave you or Edward by choice. But if it comes to that… if I have to leave… I need you to promise me something.”
I pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at him, my eyes searching his. “What is it?”
“Promise me that you’ll take care of Edward. Promise me that you’ll raise him to be strong. That you will raise him to be brave, to be everything I can’t be if I’m gone.”
I closed my eyes, leaning into his touch. “Of course, Denderick.”
For a long moment, we just stood there, holding onto each other as if we could somehow keep the world at bay through sheer will alone. But eventually, reality intruded, and I knew we couldn’t stay like this forever.
Denderick gently pulled away, his eyes staying on me for a moment before he turned back to Edward’s crib. He bent down and kissed his son’s forehead, his lips lingering as if trying to imprint the memory into his heart.
“I love you, son,” he whispered, his voice so soft I almost didn’t hear it.
He straightened up, and the brusque Alpha expression was back on his face. “Take care of him, Aria,” he said, and there was a finality in his tone that made my heart clench.
“I will,” I promised.
With one last, burning look, Denderick turned and walked toward the door. I watched him go, every step feeling like a knife twisting in my chest.
He paused at the threshold, his hand resting on the doorframe as if he was struggling to leave. Then, without looking back, he stepped out.
And just like that, he was gone.
The room felt unbearably empty without him, and I was left standing there, the silence pressing in on me like a physical weight. I walked over to Edward’s crib, looking down at him as he slept peacefully, unaware of what was going on around him.
I reached out and touched the bracelet on his wrist. Denderick had given him this to remember him by, and the thought broke something inside me. What was Denderick planning to do, that broke him so much?
I sank to my knees beside the crib, the tears finally spilling over in a torrent that I couldn’t stop. I buried my face in my hands, and the sobs wracked my body.
Denderick might not come back.
And I wasn’t sure how I was going to survive if he didn’t.