The Moon Tower's conference room was already filled when he entered. Conversation died instantly and every head lowered in respect.

"Alpha." The pack elders echoed, standing up on their feet as he entered.

Leo gave a brief nod, taking his seat at the head of the long table.

"Let's get this over with." He announced, his eyes skimming over everyone present. He never liked to spend too much time in the presence of these people, if they weren't discussing pack matters, they would be on his neck about their next Luna, and that was a conversation he didn't like to have at all.

As if on cue with his thoughts, immediately after Elder Freya finished discussing the pack's healthcare system, she switched the topic.

From her expression, he already knew what was coming.

"Alpha," Elder Freya began carefully, her aged voice steady. "It has been three years since Luna Everly passed."

The room grew heavier immediately the previous Luna was mentioned.

Leo's expression hardened.

"We believe it is time..." the elder continued, "...time for the pack to crown a new Luna."

They had never spoken of a new Luna this directly before, usually they mentioned it stealthily, carefully even. It seemed they had grown desperate, this time speaking about it upfront without any indirect hints.

Another elder nodded in agreement, it seemed they had all planned beforehand to bring up this conversation, determined to coerce him into heeding their advice.

"Elder Freya is right, Alpha. A pack is incomplete without a Luna to stand beside its Alpha." Elder Gilbert said and they all murmured their agreements.

Luna.

The word echoed in his mind, and with it came that image again.

Her. That woman who had been in his suite that night...

On the bed, her long blonde hair scattered all around her, clothes disheveled from how he'd rumpled them, impatiently entering her because he was unable to continue controlling himself.

She was breathless, those same green eyes staring up at him.

Leo's hands clenched into fists.

Not again.

Not now.

A sharp crack echoed through the room as his fist slammed against the table.

The elders all flinched at once, though they had decided collectively to bring up this topic and push it to the alpha further, they had never expected him to have such a fierce reaction to it.

"Since when?" he said coldly, his voice dropping dangerously low, "Since when have you all taken it upon yourselves to manage my personal life?"

Silence, a thick, oppressive silence stretched. No one could dare to say a word, not with the alpha radiating this amount of rage. He never got this angry even when Luna Everly's name was mentioned in the past, why was he so furious now when they were only suggesting he crown another Luna for their pack?

"Blue Moon Pack is the strongest pack in the world," he continued, his alpha aura beginning to seep out. "We lack nothing."

The pressure in the room intensified.

Several elders lowered their heads immediately, unable to withstand it.

"If anyone dares bring up the topic of a Luna to me again..." His eyes darkened. "You won't like the consequences."

"Forgive us, Alpha," they quickly said in unison. "We have overstepped."

Having no choice, all the elders quietly retreated from the conversation.

The tension lingered for a moment longer before Leo stood abruptly.

"Meeting dismissed."

He didn't wait for a response as he stalked out of the room.

Timothy stared at his back, bewildered by his reaction.

'He has never gotten angry before when the elders talk about a new Luna, why is he so furious now?'

He stormed out of the conference room, irritation still simmering beneath the surface.

"Alpha Leo."

He stopped, Tim approached carefully. It seemed like there was a ticking time bomb around the alpha, he had to be careful if he didn't want that bomb to explode on him too.

"Grand Luna is waiting for you in your office."

Leo closed his eyes briefly, rubbing his temple.

His grandmother?

"Did she say why?" he asked flatly.

Tim hesitated. "No, Alpha."

Leo exhaled slowly. Somehow he already knew what the old woman wanted to talk to him about. Who else would be behind the elders constantly reminding him to crown a new Luna?

---

The moment he stepped into his office, she stood up from the sofa.

"Why were you so harsh to the elders today? They were just thinking about what's best for the pack." Grand Luna Yolanda began to scold immediately her grandson arrived.

Her gaze was sharp and assessing, calculating even but there was no warmth there.

Grand Luna Yolanda might be considered a sweet old woman by some, but to her grandson she was strict and harsh, always determined to get him married to some alpha's daughter she was trying to arrange for him. It was no surprise she already heard what happened at the meeting with the elders even though it had just happened, the woman had eyes and ears that would report everything to her live as it happened.

"I don't plan on taking another Luna, Grandma. The sooner you accept that, the easier things will be for us all."

Ever since he lost Everly, Leo had sworn to himself that he would never have another woman by his side ever again, and he had never desired anyone until...

He immediately shut down the thought before he could remember that woman from that night again.

"A week ago," Grand Luna Yolanda began without preamble, "you had a woman in your suite."

Leo's expression didn't change but his shoulders stiffened slightly. He wasn't surprised she came to know about that, his grandmother knew absolutely everything that happened within the pack.

"Are you finally deciding to remarry?" She asked excitedly, like a child who was hoping to be given a truckload of ice cream.

He suppressed the urge to sigh.

"Who told you?" he asked instead, his tone cool even though he already knew how she must have come about the information.

Her lips curved faintly. "I have my ways."

Of course she did.

Leo shot a brief glance toward the door.

Tim was definitely going to hear about this later, from what he knew, his beta might be among one of his grandmother's sources.

"I'm not getting married," he said flatly, dashing the old woman's hopes even before she could begin to cook up weird plans.

Her eyes narrowed. "Then who was she?"

Leo stiffened, the question lingered in the air but he said no words to answer.

Who was she?

Her face surfaced again like a dream that refused to end, her tears, the fear he'd clearly seen on that gorgeous face.

And something else...

Something that twisted that strange ache in his chest even tighter.

"I don't know," he said finally, his voice quieter than before.

That wasn't entirely a lie, he didn't know her name. Didn't know where she came from even though his late father's beta had called her his daughter. He'd never even seen her before that night, though he didn't pay attention to every single member of his pack, a face that beautiful, that charming it stuck to his mind, if he'd seen her, he would never forget.

He didn't even know why she affected him the way she did, but he knew one thing...

He hadn't been able to forget her, not for a single day.

His grandmother watched him closely, studying every expression as it flickered on his face.

"Find her Leo, clearly she has occupied your mind."

Leo's gaze snapped back to hers.

"What?" he didn't think his emotions showed on his face. He was so accustomed to binding every feeling behind an indifferent expression and no one would see it.

"If a woman can linger in your mind this long," his grandmother said sharply, "then she is not ordinary. Have you thought that she might just be your fated mate?"

His jaw tightened.

"She is not," he replied coldly. "She is just a mistake that will never happen again."

But even as he said it, that ache in his chest flared again, stronger and sharper this time, like his heart was rejecting the lie he was trying to tell himself.

His grandmother didn't miss that expression which fleeted past his silver orbs. Her eyes gleamed faintly.

"You can lie to me, Leo" she said calmly. "But you cannot lie to your wolf."

Those words hit him hard and his hands tightened into strong fists.

'No Leo, she is not your mate...she can't be...' he told himself repeatedly so it wouldn't become a fact that would settle deep into his heart yet at the thought of her, something in his wolf melted and warmed up.

Two Years Later

The soft patter of tiny feet echoed across the small apartment.

"That's it, baby... good job!" Sarina laughed softly, her arms stretched out in encouragement.

A little boy wobbled toward her, his steps unsteady but determined. His grey eyes sparkled with excitement, his tiny hands reaching for her but before he could fully get to her, he fell forward into her embrace.

Sarina caught him instantly, pulling him close as her heart melted.

"My big boy," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his soft hair.

Asher giggled, his tiny fingers clutching her sweater.

She held him tighter than necessary, because every time she looked at him...

She always remembered.

'You disgust me. I never want to see your face again.'

Her smile faltered slightly, those words echoed in her mind as if they had been said to her just yesterday. But she quickly retrained her expression smiling down at Asher who was now looking up at her face with his head tilted as if he was trying to decipher why she had such a look in her eyes.

He was just a year and two months old but he was already very smart for his age. He would read her eyes and decipher her mood. Whenever she was happy, he would smile and laugh happily with her, but if he sensed her sadness, tears would well up in his eyes too. It almost felt like he could smell every emotion on her even from afar, which made her very careful how she reacted in front of him. She never wanted him disheartened in any way.

But then he was the offspring of an alpha, and they had extremely sharpened senses, it was no surprise Asher was like that. Looking at the small but adorable face of her son which looked exactly like every feature of Alpha Kane, a sharp pain tightened Sarina's heart.

"Don't worry, baby," she murmured softly, brushing her fingers across his cheek.

"I'll never let your father's anger touch you." His anger and hatred was only for her, she would never let him release that hatred on her son.

And if he ever came to know that the single night he considered a disgusting scheme made up by her ended up getting her pregnant...she couldn't imagine what he would do to her...or to her son.

"Mama..." Asher muttered the word incoherently, reaching a tiny chubby hand to touch her face which made her giggle. She playfully dropped kisses all over his face.

"Mama loves you so much Asher." He gave her a toothless grin as if he understood what she said.

In the past, she had a father and a sister whom she'd loved despite how harshly the latter treated her, she'd had a home and what she considered a family, and yet she had always felt alone.

Now however, it was just the two of them. Her and Asher and a few friends she'd made along the way and that felt like everything. Everything she'd ever needed and more...

"Asher is such a beautiful boy. I don't think I've ever seen a baby as cute as he is."

Sarina looked up as Hailey dropped down beside her on the floor, smiling warmly as she stared at Asher with stars in her eyes.

"He gets more handsome every day," Hailey added, gently tapping Asher's nose. "Honestly, he looks like someone famous, I just can't remember who but he definitely looks like someone I've seen on TV."

Sarina's heart skipped. Many human girls idolized the werewolf alphas like celebrity crushes. Werewolves weren't just supernatural, they were hot and wealthy too so the human communities definitely hyped them up a lot and they were very often showed online and on TV. Hailey must have seen alpha Kane once before.

Though she didn't want Hailey or anyone else finding out about her son's father, Sarina kept her face calm.

"You're overthinking it," she said lightly. "Asher looks a lot like me."

Hailey raised a brow.

"No offense girl, but he really doesn't. He doesn't have your green eyes, blonde hair or even your nose. I think he looks a lot more like his father,"

Hailey continued before suddenly freezing in realization when Sarina's expression stiffened. "Oh...I'm sorry,"

Hailey said quickly, guilt flashing across her face. "I know you don't like talking about him. I didn't mean to pry."

Hailey and Sarina had known each other for two years now as roommates having moved into a shared apartment to lower costs. They'd become really good friends, when Sarina had started falling sick just a few weeks after moving into this small apartment, Hailey had suggested she tried a pregnancy test, and lo and behold it had come out positive.

Hailey was very curious about Sarina's past, as a friend she wanted to know more about who Sarina was, but when they first met Sarina had been closed off, almost broken to the point of hardly opening up to someone else... Hailey had never tried to pry into a life that Sarina didn't willingly want to share.

Sarina exhaled softly.

"It's okay," she said after a moment, her voice gentler now. "The past is... the past. You didn't do anything wrong by bringing it up."

She looked down at her son, her gaze softening instantly.

"All that matters is giving my little angel a better future."

Hailey smiled.

"And you will," she said confidently. "Especially now that you're starting your new job today."

Sarina's eyes widened slightly.

Right.

Her job.

"You don't want to be late on your first day," Hailey added, already grabbing her bag as she stood. "I have to run too-if I'm late again, Dante will actually kill me."

Sarina laughed softly.

"Remember," Hailey called as she reached the door, "tell the daycare I recommended you! You'll get a discount."

"I will. Thank you, Hailey."

"Bye!"

The door shut behind her and silence returned to the warm apartment.

Sarina let out a small breath.

"Alright, Ash," she said, standing up with renewed determination. "Let's get you ready for daycare... and me ready for a fresh start."

---

The streets of South Rivers were already alive by the time she arrived.

Cars passed and people hurried along sidewalks.

It was normal, peaceful.

No whispers, no judgment. No one was looking at her like a freak, no one treated her like an outcast just because she never awakened a wolf like everyone else.

Sarina had never felt like she belonged anywhere, until here. Back at the pack, they used to tell her that she was no better than a human, having no wolf and no powers. Perhaps she was always meant to be human after all.

After quickly getting Asher dressed, she carried him into the daycare.

A cheerful sign at the entrance read:

'Little Angels House'

Inside, everything felt warm and safe, somewhat making Sarina feel reassured to leave Asher here for a whole day while she was at work.

Bright colors filled the space, along with soft laughter and gentle voices.

The owner was a woman who seemed to be in her early forties, she greeted Sarina kindly, guiding her through the registration process.

Sarina signed and filled up several forms and confirmed every detail.

When she was done...the reluctance and a slight ache in her chest made her hesitate to leave her son.

Sarina knelt down, holding Asher close.

"Be a good boy, okay?" she whispered, kissing his forehead. "Mommy will be back soon."

Asher blinked at her, then smiled. That beautiful type of smile she'd never seen on his father's face.

She hesitated for just a second before handing him over to the owner, Avery.

Her chest tightened but she forced herself to let go, handing him over to the woman she knew would take care of him.

Asher seemed to sense she might leave, he grabbed onto her hand tightly, looking up at her with questions in his silver orbs.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to reassure her son to be good and she would only be gone a few hours, a sudden announcement on TV caught her attention.

"...Billionaire Alpha of Blue Moon Pack will be visiting South Rivers soon-"

Sarina froze the moment she heard those words. The television had been playing in the background but she hadn't paid attention to what was being said until she heard the familiar name.

"...his search for a wife seems to have extended into human territory...women have been lining up at Moon Villa since last night and a reward of ten million dollars has been announced for any woman who can give the Alpha an heir..."

Her heart began to pound.

Alpha Kane...

Dread slowly crept into her heart. Why was alpha Kane here in the human territory? Though the fear of seeing him again made her momentarily panic, she assured herself by the reminder that there was no way she would ever see him again if she didn't go looking for him and no matter what, he should never come to know that she'd had his son.

Asher's voice broke through her thoughts in that moment, as he said one single word that made her blood run cold.

"Papa?"

"Papa! Papa! Papa!"

Asher's tiny voice rang out brightly, his little hand stretching insistently toward the television.

Sarina's heart nearly stopped.

"No, baby..." she said quickly, forcing a light laugh as she gently lowered his hand. "That's not your papa."

She was astonished at her son's reaction seeing the man's face on the television. He had never once addressed another man as his father before even if he saw them on TV or in real life. How could a child so young have been able to instantly identify his own father.

This was dangerous!

Sarina tried to pull his attention away from the television and explain to him that the man was not his father but Asher didn't understand.

"Papa!" he repeated, even more excited this time, his grey eyes locked onto the screen.

Avery, the owner of the daycare watched the boy's excitement, curiosity written all over her face.

"Papa?" Avery asked, glancing between the child and the television. "Is that your daddy, little one?"

"Oh no," Sarina said immediately, her smile tight but polite. "He's just... mixing things up. He calls everyone Papa, its a weird little habit of his."

Sarina knew nothing if the talks of Alpha Kane desperately wanting an heir was true or just plain rumors, but she couldn't have anyone linking her son to him.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she smoothed Asher's hair, the fear of meeting him again even by accident making her feel unsettled.

The human territory was huge and so was South Rivers City, he could be anywhere, even if he was in this city, it would be difficult to run into him.

'Stop worrying Sarina, you'll never see him again.'

"Be good, okay?" she whispered softly, pressing a kiss to Asher's forehead before straightening. "Mommy will be back soon."

At the moment she turned to leave, her eyes settled on the familiar face whose photograph still remained on the TV screen.

The man's face was rigidly handsome, the years had done nothing but made him look more breathtaking. Steel grey eyes seemed to look coldly into her soul and she held her breath, just for a moment. A strange anger welling up in her chest as she looked at him.

'Did you know that you broke my heart after taking my innocence? Did you know how much I cared about you? After your wife died, I stayed every night outside your house, every day I dropped notes outside your door...but all of that was a stupid little attraction that should never have existed.'

'Don't let me ever see you again! God help you if I do!' She recalled the words he'd said to her and tears stung her eyes.

"I hope I never see you again too." She whispered, quiet anger laced in her voice as she walked away, leaving the daycare to head to work.

Behind her, Avery glanced back at the television, her eyes widening slightly. Something about the child she currently held in her arms looked strongly similar to the picture of the man on TV but she didn't take that too seriously.

One wouldn't possibly carry the child of a billionaire alpha and keep him secret, especially one who was willing to pay such a huge amount to get an heir.

"Ten million dollars... for a wife and a baby?" she murmured under her breath. "That's insane..."

---

Miles away, inside the grand halls of Moon Villa located in the most elite parts of South Rivers City, soft laughter echoed through a luxurious living room.

"Well," Grand Luna Yolanda said with clear satisfaction, adjusting her glasses, "this should teach that stubborn grandson of mine."

The television continued to play the announcement and her eyes gleamed with mischief.

The next second, sharp footsteps began to approach like a storm she had been expecting.

"Grandma," Alpha Kane's voice cut through the room, low and irritated, "please don't tell me you just put out an ad to attract every gold digger in the country."

The older woman smiled.

"Oh, I'm doing you a favor, Leo," she replied calmly. "You should be thanking me."

Leo dragged a hand through his hair, already feeling a headache forming.

"Until when are the elders going to beg you for a Luna? Get married while you're still young and handsome, before you become an unsightly old man." His grandmother scolded.

Leonard's jaw tightened.

"And let's not forget," she added pointedly, "you need an heir or the elders are going to vote you out as Alpha. Your brother Raymond would be more than happy to take your place."

Leo exhaled slowly, massaging his temple at the mention of this issue. The elders have been on his neck to produce a Luna and an heir otherwise he would be voted out of his position as Alpha of Blue Moon pack, and his estranged older brother would be voted in. And Raymond was more than eager to take the spot and have him dethroned.

Seeing him look stressed, Grand Luna Yolanda smiled. This little trick of hers might just work.

"That ad I placed already has a running website and hundreds of women are already signing up. Every girl wants to be the Cinderella chosen by the prince, just do what you must and pick a wife.

Leonard sighed exasperatedly hearing that she had even put up a website as well.

"What am I going to do with you..." he muttered under his breath.

Forget it, dealing with the old woman was no use.

"Tim!" he called loudly for his beta.

Tim appeared almost instantly, though the slight curve of his lips suggested he had already heard everything.

It wasn't every day the great Alpha was being publicly advertised for marriage, especially in the human world where the ladies would kill to have an alpha wolf for a husband. Human men just didn't seem to meet their standards anymore.

"Handle it," Leo said sharply. "Take down that story. Shut down the registration site. I don't want to hear another word about this again, is that understood?" Though his words were directed at his beta he kept his eyes firmly on his grandmother letting her know the words were meant for her too.

Tim nodded, though his eyes flickered briefly with amusement. "Yes, Alpha."

"Leo," his grandmother cut in, unfazed, "just take one look. I have eight hundred women lined up for you tonight."

Leo paused at the doorway.

For a moment, he almost turned back. He had worked really hard to gain this position as Alpha. He hadn't inherited it like others did, he had proven himself worthy and the whole pack had voted him in as alpha instead of his useless stepbrother. He couldn't afford to lose this spot...he could just pick a woman, any random one would do but then...

Someone he had long wanted to forget creeped back into his mind again, he shook his head to discard the thought.

"There's no point arguing with you," he said flatly, already walking away.

"Leo, I'm still talking to you!" his grandmother yelled after him.

"I'm busy, Grandma." His voice carried finality. He didn't even stop to listen anymore as the door closed behind him.

Grand Luna Yolanda huffed, crossing her arms.

"You're going to end up all alone!" she called after him. "All alone, do you hear me?!"

Silence answered her.

She leaned back in her seat with a frustrated sigh.

Stubborn boy.