Alethea
As I rush out the door, Harvey notices my distress and quickly follows, his footsteps matching my hurried pace.
“Alethea, what’s wrong? You don’t look so good.”
I glance at him for a second, debating whether to let him in. But I can’t.
He was just a distraction, someone I used to get back at Asher. And yet, Harvey is starting to care. He’s taking this further than I ever intended.
I shake my head. “It’s a family emergency. I have to go.”
He studied me for a moment, his expression skeptical, but he didn’t push. Instead, he walks beside me-just like he did yesterday-until I manage to hail a cab.
Before closing the taxi door, he leans down slightly. “Call me once you get home safely.”
I’m too drained to argue. My emotions are a mess, my mind spinning with the words I threw at Asher. I know he’s struggling to believe what I said, but I can’t let him find out the truth. He can never know we have a son.
The moment I see our house in the distance, relief washes over me. As soon as the cab stops, I throw some money at the driver and bolt toward the door.
But the sight before me shatters my heart.
Selena is sitting on the couch, holding Declan close, whispering soft words into his ear.
His tiny face is flushed, and his breathing is uneven. His eyes remain closed as he weakly mutters the same word over and over.
“Dada… Dada… Dada…”
My breath catches in my throat.
Tears burn my eyes as I stand frozen in the doorway, my mind racing.
Even in his feverish state, my son is calling for the one person I have spent years trying to keep away from him.
Oh, how I wish I could see the nightmare haunting his mind-just for a moment-so I could fight it off and tell it to leave my son alone.
I step closer, my eyes locked on Declan as he stirs in Selena’s arms. Gently, I reach out and press my palm against his forehead. He’s burning up. My heart clenches with worry.
Selena still refuses to look at me. I know exactly what she’s thinking. She doesn’t understand why I have kept Asher in the dark, why I won’t let him know he has a son. But she doesn’t know the fear that lives inside me.
Asher could take Declan away, just like I was taken from Selena. I was thrown into years of suffering, with no one to fight for me. I won’t let that happen to my son.
I pull Declan into my arms, holding him close against my chest. My voice trembles as I whisper soothing words into his ear. “Dada is fine. Dada loves you. Everything will be okay.”
Selena shoots me a glare, her eyes filled with doubt. And I can’t blame her. I don’t even fully believe my own words.
Scooping him up, I carry him to my room, each step heavy with my fears. I settle onto the bed with him, his small body resting on my chest. My fingers trace gentle circles on his back as I hold him tightly.
I can’t lose him. He is the only good thing in my life. The only light in my darkness. I won’t let him go.
Declan stirs slightly, his tiny hand gripping my shirt. His tired eyes flutter open, gazing up at me.
“Mummy…” His small voice is barely a whisper, but it fills the room like a song. His bright eyes, shining like diamonds, meet mine.
My heart skips a beat, and despite everything, a smile breaks across my face. “I love you, my son.” I press a soft kiss against his forehead.
“Love you, Mama.” His voice is drowsy now, his little body relaxing against mine. “And Dada loves you too.”
My heart pounds loudly in my chest. Why is he suddenly so obsessed with his father? It’s something I can’t explain, something that unsettles me more than I want to admit.
I watch him as he finally drifts into a peaceful sleep. Once I’m sure he’s deep in slumber, I gently lay him down on the bed. My gaze lingers on him, taking in his peaceful face, memorizing every tiny detail of my baby boy.
With a deep breath, I step out of the room, my mind swirling with thoughts I wish I could silence.
I step into the hallway and spot Selena standing there. Her expression is unreadable, but I know she has a lot on her mind.
“Thank you for today,” I say softly. “How is the outreach going?”
She nods, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s going well. I gave him some antibiotics, which is probably why he fell asleep so quickly.”
Relief washes over me. “Thanks, Selena.” I walk beside her, with a heavy thought. After a moment, I turned to her. “I need you to answer something for me.”
That gets her attention. She stops walking and looks at me, waiting.
I take a deep breath before speaking, trying to find the right words. “Don’t you think it’s strange… how none of us are with our mates? It’s like fate is playing some cruel game with us. Look at you-you’re not with yours. And me? I’m not with mine either.”
My voice shakes slightly as I continue. “Imagine the pain I went through being taken from my real mother. I suffered through hell, Selena. I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on Declan. If Asher finds out about him, what if he takes him away from me? It would break me.”
Selena’s lips press into a thin line. She didn’t respond right away, and I know she’s weighing her words carefully.
I swallow hard, my voice dropping to a whisper. “I don’t know how you coped when my father took me away from you. I know it must have shattered you. And I can’t let the same fate befall my son.”
Selena exhales, crossing her arms. “I do understand, Ally. And it pains me, damn it, it does.”
“You know I’ve supported you all this time, but…” she pauses, looking at me with sad eyes. “Not until he started calling out for his dad.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Declan’s constant cries for his father-how can I ignore that?
“There has to be a reason for it, Ally.” She continues, her voice softer now. “And as for your other question…” She sighs, looking away for a moment before meeting my gaze again.
“None of us have ever truly been with our mates.”
A shadow crosses her face as she speaks. “My mother was taken away from her mate and forced to marry an alpha-someone she didn’t love. My greedy uncle did it, all for power and wealth. And he wanted to do the same to me.”
I frown, surprised. “What do you mean?”
Her voice drops lower, her fists clenching. “He tried to force me into marrying an alpha of his choosing. But I refused.” Her jaw tightens, and for the first time, I see raw anger in her eyes. “That alpha-the one he wanted me to marry-killed my father.”
My breath catches in my throat. “What?”
She nods, her voice bitter. “And no one believed me when I said it. I had no proof. No evidence. Just my word.”
I stare at her, stunned. Selena has never spoken about her past before. Never shared this pain. And now, for the first time, I realize that she’s been carrying a burden just as heavy as mine.
She holds my hand firmly, her warmth grounding me as her voice softens. “Ally, you are my child. I would never lead you astray.”
Her words hit something deep inside me, making my chest tighten.
“None of us have ever been able to reach the full potential of our powers because we were never with our true mates,” she continues, her eyes searching mine for understanding.
“And Asher… he has his battles. Not just as an Alpha, but within his family too. His world is far more complicated than you realize.”
I stare at her in awe. Selena always seems to know more than she lets on. She speaks as if she holds pieces of a puzzle I haven’t even begun to put together.
And then she says something that makes my entire body tense.
“Even the blind can see that Asher loves you so damn much, but something is holding him back.”
My mind spins, her words wrapping around me like a vice. Asher… loves me?
I snap my head up, my heart pounding. “What did you just say?”
A fresh demand surges through me, my voice sharper than I intended. She watches me with an unreasonable expression, but I see the truth in her eyes. She knows something I need to hear.