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Chapter 206
Ethan’s POV
“Didn’t you want us?
Lecus i innocent yet devastating question hit me like a physical blow, crushing my chest with an unexpected weight. The accusation in those familiar green na–m nyn–made me feel like the villain I’d feared I was: a man who had violated and abandoned his mate and child, leaving them to face the world alone while I’d lived in comfort and privilege.
Aria was right. For an Alpha with my supposed intelligence, I could be remarkably dense sometimes..
My son’s small face remained serious, brows furrowed, waiting for the truth. I wanted to tell him I hadnt abandoned them, that I loved them both beyond measure, but the memory of that night six years ago still cast a shadow over my conscience. The words caught in my throat, strangled by guilt.
Arias hand moved then, reaching across the hospital bed to rest gently on Lucas’s shoulder. Her voice, still slightly raspy from her ordeal, was impossibly
tender.
neretheart. We weren 1 abandoned by anyone,” she said, her eyes meeting mine over his head, offering forgiveness I wasn 1 sure I deserved. “What happened was past a temble misunderstanding. We were all victims of that misunderstanding.” She squeezed his shoulder lightly. T ve always been grateful
you came into my life, and I know than feels the same way. All three of us love each other deeply. I know this revelation is coming a bit late, but can you forge this silly misunderstanding and accept that you have a father now?”
ai
lump in my throat grew almost painful as I watched her. Aris was nothing short of miraculous–still healing from a near–fatal poisoning, yet somehow finding the strength to mend our family with such grace. I knelt down beside the bed, bringing myself to Lucas’s eye level, my heart hammering against my
“Your mom right, buddy,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. I’m so sorry I didn’t find you both sooner. But if you ll have me, I’d like to make up for Jost time.” I extended my hand toward him, palm up in offering. “What do you say? Will you let me join your protection squad? We can guard your mom and sisters together,”
Lucas‘ bottom lip jutted out as he considered my proposal, his small brow furrowed in concentration. The seconds stretched into an awkward silence as his – young mind deliberated, and I found myself holding my breath, oddly nervous about this small boy’s verdict on my worthiness.
When his contemplation continued, I shifted my weight uncomfortably, feeling an unfamiliar anxiety creeping up my spine. I was practically squirming under the scrutiny of a six–year–old.
Aria couldn’t contain herself any longer and hunt into laughter, the sound bright and melodious in the sterile hospital room.
““Lucas, sweetie,” she said between chuckles, “please put him out of his misery and say yes. You’re about to make this tough Alpha cry with all this deliberation.”
Her teating broke the tension, and Lucas’s serious expression finally cracked into a site. With exaggerated ceremony, he reached out and patted my shoulder with solemn authority.
“Wed” be declared, his voice carrying the grave importance, “I heard Grandpa saying he was making you his heir. So I guess I can make you a warrior in my
The tension broke. Aria’s laughter–a sound I’d begun to fear I might never hear again–filled the sterile hospital room like music. I couldn’t help joining her, relief washing through me in waves as I reached out to ruffle Laces’s hair.
“Thank you, non sander.” I said with mock seriosiness, giving him a slight bow. “III serve your army with bonor.”
Laras beamed, the last traces of doubt vanishing from his experssion as he launched himself of me with such force that I nearly toppled backward. His small arms wrapped around my neck, his face burrowing into my shoulder with complete trud. The scent of him–that perfect blend of Aria’s sweetness and my online–filled my senses, and something primal within me roared in reignition. My son. My rub. My flesh and blood
I gathered him against my chest, one arm seruring him while the other reached for Aria. She leaned into my touch, her amber–flecked eyes shining with
hed tears. The three of us stayed like that, connected and whole, family pieced together after years of separation
unted was to stop them both up and take them straight to the mansion on Shadow Fang territory a place that had never felt like. wow. I could almost picture them there: Ana curled up in the window seat of the master bedroom that overlocked the forest, with boundless energy, their laughter Filling rouma that had known only silence for too long. I craved the simple
in the indoor pool, falling asleep with my mate in my
ther than this cramped.
cet starting to make me trary. Every beep of these damn machines was a erminder of how close I’d come to losing her. I
- het into my SUV, and drive us all home where I could guard them properly
any plans swirling in my head. A proper wedding ceremony under the full moon with Aria radiant in white and gold. A formal pack ceremony
Chapter 206
where I’d proudly announce Lucas as my son and heir. Family dinners and weekend trips and all the mundane, precious moments most people took for granted but we’d been robbed of for six long years.
But even as my chest swelled with this newfound happiness, something darker and colder slithered through my thoughts.
Emma was still in the wind. That conniving, manipulative bitch.
I felt my jaw tightening until my teeth ached. David’s team had been tracking Emma for days now. up her scent at a motel outside the city limits, but then… nothing. It was like she’d vanished into thin air. How the hell had a wounded she wolf managed to They’d found her car abandoned at a bus terminal, picked evade my best trackers?
