Ready or nah???
“Ashley, are these your children?” Simon asked. I raised a brow questioningly at him, not finding the tone of his voice respectful or polite in any way.
“Yes, and so?” Both Simon and Lucas had the same expression on their faces, so I knew questions would start rolling in at any moment.
“Excuse me,” I said, holding both my sons as I attempted to walk away and avoid speaking with them.
“Hold on a minute.”
“Just wait right there,” they both said at the same time, Simon holding my arm to keep me from moving away.
“You do realize you have a lot of explaining to do right now,” Simon continued.
“And why is that? I owe neither of you any explanation because I don’t understand what relationship we share that would require me to tell you about my business.”
“But you do realize that if what I’m thinking about these children is true, then you definitely have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Well, I’m sure what you’re thinking is definitely not true, so just leave me alone. By the way, why are you two even disturbing me right now? Shouldn’t you both be with your lovely wife, Veronica?” The moment I mentioned Veronica’s name, a frown instantly settled on both of their faces. I didn’t have time to think about it, or perhaps I didn’t even bother, as all I could focus on was how to escape this situation.
“Well, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go now. I have better things to do with my time and more important people to talk to,” I said. Lucas’s face held a look of shock, while Simon’s expression was filled with various emotions.
“What do you think of yourself, Ashley? You seem to forget you’re standing in front of the Kings of the entire lycanthrope realm,” Lucas said.
“Oh, my bad then. I apologize for my bad behavior, your highnesses. But as I mentioned before, I have very important people to attend to right now, so I’d like to take my leave, if you don’t mind,” I said with a nonchalant tone, though I could feel the confidence I had at the beginning slowly fading away. With every passing moment in their presence, fragments of the past came rushing back, and despite hating myself for it, I felt my resolve weakening.
“But who’s responsible for these children? Are they ours?” Lucas asked, finally addressing the question I had been avoiding.
“If you don’t mind, I have to go now. I wouldn’t want to be seen with the two of you like this-it wouldn’t look good for me.” As I attempted to leave, Simon grabbed my arm, which was holding Luke. The moment his hand touched mine, my wolf instantly reacted, and the past six years flashed through my mind.
“Simon, let go of me,” I said, using the last bit of strength I had left.
“No, you have a lot of explaining to do, young lady.”
“Leave my mommy alone!” Luke shouted, interrupting both Simon and me before we could say anything further.
“Simon, just leave me alone. My kids aren’t comfortable around you, so please let us be.”
“But you need to answer us now.” I struggled to free my hand from his grip, but he wouldn’t budge. My wolf was getting weaker with each passing moment, and I was about to lose all composure when I heard a voice from behind.
“I believe you heard the lady when she asked you to leave her alone.” Turning back, I saw George, and I felt a wave of relief. Only the moon goddess knew what might have happened had he not come.
“Daddy!” the boys yelled in unison, letting go of my hands as they ran toward him. Without taking his gaze off Simon and Lucas, George patted both boys to acknowledge them, then asked them to wait by the side.
He walked closer to us and instantly peeled Simon’s hand off mine, maintaining direct eye contact as he did so.
“Greetings, your highnesses. I hope you’ve both had a good day,” he said, gently pushing me behind him as he spoke.
“I see you’ve both met my dear wife and children. What an honor it is for our family to meet the Kings. Right, darling?” he said, turning to face me. I was a bit confused at first, but I soon nodded in agreement.
“It’s funny how you always said you’d love to meet the Kings one day, and here we are standing in front of them, babe,” I said, walking closer and tightly grabbing George’s arm.
“Exactly! I’m really so happy to see you both in person, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t touch my wife. She doesn’t like strangers doing that, and I must admit, I’m a bit protective of her as well,” George said, chuckling as he rubbed my hand on his arm. Lucas and Simon remained silent, but one could easily tell they were fuming, on the verge of losing their composure, as they watched George and me acting lovingly toward each other.
“I’m sorry, but this moment must come to an end. There are so many interviewers waiting to speak with Ashley, especially after she received the award for the most successful estate owner of the year. We hope to see you both again soon. Have a nice day,” George concluded, grabbing my waist as we turned to where the boys stood. The boys smiled and waved at Lucas and Simon, who still appeared taken aback by everything that had unfolded in front of them.
I didn’t give much thought to Luke and Simeon smiling at Lucas and Simon, since they obviously didn’t understand what was happening-at least, I hoped so. Either way, I was just relieved to finally leave their presence. Had George not come when he did, I might have confessed everything to Lucas and Simon because I was so weak at that point.
“Thank you,” I whispered to George, and he nodded in response. I held Simeon’s hand while George held Lucas’s. We returned to the event hall, and I answered as many questions as I could until the boys finally got tired and wanted to go home.
I definitely wasn’t going to neglect my kids, so as soon as they asked to leave, I didn’t hesitate to agree-after making sure George was okay with it, of course.
The drive back home was tiring because of the heavy traffic, but we managed to make the best of it. We played with the boys to keep them entertained, but they soon fell asleep about 20 minutes into the ride. George looked at me with a worried expression, which I couldn’t help but notice.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, meeting his gaze.
“Ashley, be honest with me. Are you okay?” he asked. I shook my head in response. “Come here,” he said, holding out his arms. I leaned into his embrace. He didn’t say anything-he knew that all I needed in that moment was someone to hold me and give me comfort. I felt immense gratitude, knowing I would probably never be able to repay George for everything he had done for me. No matter how complicated the situation, he was always there to help, and I couldn’t be more thankful for his presence in my life.
We stayed like that for a long time until I finally felt calm. When we arrived home, I carried Simeon to bed while George carried Luke. We were careful not to wake them, as it was already close to their bedtime. Once the boys were tucked into bed, I took a deep breath and left their room, turning off the lights and quietly shutting the door behind me. I headed to my room to take a shower and refresh myself after such a long and exhausting day. Meeting new people, dancing, moving around in heels, and being surrounded by reporters and interviewers wasn’t what truly exhausted me-it was running into Lucas and Simon at the event. I recalled how I responded to everything they said with outward confidence, but inside, I was filled with nervousness. For six years, I had prepared myself for that moment, only to feel so weak in front of them. The only thing that saved me was George stepping in without hesitation to help.
As I thought about it, I sighed deeply and decided to step out onto the porch for some fresh air. When I got there, I found George standing quietly, staring at the sunset.
“George, how are you doing?” I asked. He turned around at the sound of my voice.
“Oh, Ashley, what are you doing here?” he asked.
“I just came out for some fresh air. What about you?”
“The same.”
“Oh, nice,” I said, walking closer to stand beside him. We remained silent for a while before I finally spoke. “Thank you. I just wanted to say thank you so much for today.”
“Thank me? What do you mean, Ashley? You know I’ll always be there for you.”
“But you have no idea just how much you helped me today. Honestly, I can’t emphasize it enough. You stepped in and put them in their place when I couldn’t do it myself.”
“You’re welcome! But really, talk to me-how do you feel now that everything we’ve been waiting for has finally happened?” George asked.
I sighed and looked at him as I began. “If I’m being completely honest, I feel so much lighter right now. The whole situation was overwhelming, but it’s nothing we haven’t faced before. I know it won’t take long for them to figure out everything we said was a lie. For now, I’m just going to enjoy watching them squirm, knowing they never expected me to have a good life and a family of my own. But what about you? I was so surprised at how you put them in their place without being rude. Oh my gosh, I absolutely loved it!”
George chuckled softly as he looked at my expression while I spoke. Looking at him smiling just gave me a sense of peace as we stood side by side on the porch, the fading sunlight casting soft shadows around us. His presence always made me feel grounded, like no matter what storms raged around us, we could face them together. But even with the comfort of his support, my mind kept wandering back to Lucas and Simon. They had shaken me far more than I wanted to admit.
“I hope this whole thing doesn’t get too messy,” I said, breaking the silence again. “Lucas and Simon aren’t the kind of people who give up easily, especially when they feel like they’ve been played.”
George nodded, his face thoughtful as he stared out into nothingness as he spoke. “Well, I know. That’s why we even need to be more careful henceforth. But whatever comes our way, we’ll handle it. Together.”
I smiled at that, appreciating his unwavering confidence. He always knew what to say to ease my worries, even when I felt like everything was crumbling around me, literally.
We stood in silence for a while, just watching the sky as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a deep orange glow over everything. I felt calmer now, the tension from the day slowly unwinding. But just as I was about to suggest we go inside, George spoke again.
“I have to ask, Ashley,” he said quietly, his voice more serious now. “Are you sure you are actually ready for whatever comes next? You and I both know this isn’t going to be easy. If Lucas and Simon suspect the truth, they won’t stop until they get answers.”
I swallowed, the weight of his words sinking in. I had known this moment was coming for years, but now that it was here, it felt overwhelming. Could I really keep the truth hidden? Could I protect my boys, myself, and this life I had built with George? Even in a situation where the truth all comes out, would I truly be ready for it? These and more were the respective questions that kept flooding my mind
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve kept this secret for so long, but now that Lucas and Simon are back, everything feels so… fragile. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to keep up this lie.”
George turned to face me fully, his hands gently resting on my shoulders. “You are strong, Ashley. You’ve been through so much, and you’ve come out the other side. But you don’t have to carry this burden alone. We’ll face this together, whatever happens.”
I nodded, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes. “I just don’t want to lose everything. I’ve fought so hard to build this life.”
“You won’t lose it,” he said firmly. “Not as long as I’m here.”