THE NIGHT GEORGINA returned to the pack was the night my world began to unravel.

I had been sitting by the fire in the Alpha’s mansion, relishing the quiet evening, when Alpha Damon came in, his arm around her shoulders. She looked fragile and lost. There was a haunted look in her eyes, a reflection of the pain I knew must have brought her back.

But I didn’t see it as a reason for Alpha Damon’s sudden and all-consuming care.

“Kierra,” Alpha Damon’s deep voice broke through my thoughts, “Georgina needs a place to stay. It’s… only for a while. She’s lost everything.”

Lost everything. The words struck me, but not in the way he meant them. I felt the heat of jealousy rising, fierce and overwhelming.

I forced a smile, nodding stiffly. “Of course, Alpha Damon. Whatever you think is best.”

But as I said the words, a part of me already knew that “temporary” would become something else, something worse. Every time I saw him by Georgina’s side, helping her settle into her new space, giving her the kind of attention, I felt like an outsider.

My days became filled with painful glances, stifled sobs in empty hallways, and nights lying awake, wondering what Alpha Damon saw in her. I didn’t want to feel this way. I knew she’d suffered, and I wanted to have empathy, but my jealousy was stronger.

One day, after another evening of watching Alpha Damon’s concern for Georgina, I couldn’t keep my silence any longer. My heart pounded as I approached him, cornering him in the library.

“Alpha Damon, why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why is she so important?”

He looked at me with surprise, a slight frown creasing his forehead. “Kierra, what are you talking about?”

“She’s… she’s just here, taking up all of your time, your attention,” I stammered, feeling foolish but unable to stop. “Do you even see what this is doing to…u-us?”

Alpha Damon sighed, stepping closer and taking my hands in his. “Kierra, Georgina has been through more than you could know. She doesn’t have anyone else, and right now, she needs support. This isn’t about you or me. It’s about doing what’s right.”

But his words didn’t comfort me. Instead, they stoked my resentment further. “I’m here, Alpha Damon. I need you too… We ne” My voice trembled, but he just shook his head gently.

“Kierra,” he said softly, “it’s not the same. She’s just a friend.”

Those words echoed in my mind, a bitter refrain that wouldn’t go away. He didn’t understand how deeply I felt, how much his attention to her tore at me. I wanted to believe him, to feel secure, but every time I saw them together, the pain came rushing back.

And then one night, I couldn’t take it anymore. It was late, and the mansion had gone quiet. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling as if I were suffocating under the weight of my own emotions. I had tried to be patient, to understand, but the ache in my heart was unbearable.

“Maybe it's time…” I whispered.

Without thinking, I got up, packed a few things, and slipped out of the house. The darkness wrapped around me as I left the mansion, left the pack, and walked away from the life I had known. I was carrying Alpha Damon’s child, his heir, but I couldn’t stay any longer… not when staying felt like I was losing myself piece by piece.

I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. Not even my father. I simply disappeared into the night, determined to start a new life, away from the pain and jealousy that had consumed me.

“I can do this,” I told myself with a bitter smile on my lips before looking down on my bulging stomach. “I have you, baby. We can do this without your… d-dad.” My voice cracked a bit but I still smiled despite my heart aching.

For five years, I lived in hiding, raising my son alone. Aaron was a bright child, full of laughter and life, with eyes that reminded me of Alpha Damon every time I looked at him. He was my world, my reason for getting up every day, and he made the ache of the past a little easier to bear.

But some nights, I would lie awake, haunted by memories of his father. I had tried to let go of the past, but the pain lingered, a dull ache in the background of my quiet life.

One day, as I was preparing dinner, Aaron tugged on my sleeve, his young face scrunched up with curiosity.

“Mommy,” he said in that innocent tone, “where is my daddy? Why isn’t he with us?”

My heart skipped a beat. I had known this question would come eventually, but I hadn’t prepared for it. I knelt down, forcing a gentle smile, even as my heart ached with the weight of what I was about to say.

“Your daddy… he’s not with us anymore,” I whispered, hoping that would be enough to satisfy him.

Aaron looked at me, his young face full of quiet wisdom, as if he could sense the truth beneath my words. “What do you mean, mommy? Most of my friends have their dads. They pick them up in our school. Maybe what Trevor told me was right,” he said, pertaining to his classmate.

I smiled bitterly and caressed his face that resembled his dad's so much. “You will understand everything soon, honey.”

“Why, mommy? I don't… really have a dad, right? Is it true? Maybe I'm just… adopted,” Aaron said bitterly.

I immediately shook my head. “No, you're not an adopted, okay? Don't listen to him, okay?”

“Yes, but… I want to know where my dad is, mom.”

I gulped the lump in my throat as I stared longer at his eyes. I didn't know how I would explain everything to him. I didn't know how I would tell him that… I left his dad for him to be happy with the woman he truly loves… that I just did the right thing.

I don't want to tell a lie on my son's face saying that his dad will be back soon. Because there's no guarantee. And I don't want him to hold onto something that there's no possibility that will happen.

“Y-You're… dad is… gone. He's gone, honey. He won't come back to us anymore,” I answered with my trembling lips.

I CLOSED MY EYES, the weight of my own words still fresh in my mind. I’d seen the flash of hurt on my son’s face when I told him that his father was gone. I knew it was a lie, but I just wanted to end the questions, to stop the endless hope in his eyes for something I knew I couldn’t give him.

To me, Alpha Damon was as good as dead. Or so I thought.

Later that night, I couldn’t sleep. The memory of my son’s sad, confused expression replayed in my mind, filling me with guilt. The next morning, I tried to cheer him up.

“Honey, do you want to go outside? It’s Saturday. We can go to the park,” I said with a forced smile. Aaron loves to play with his friends. But today, he seems not really in the mood to do that. And I'm the only one who would be blamed for that.

“No, mommy. I'm fine here,” Aaron answered as he looked at the window.

I sighed, but still not giving up to make him happy. “Hmm, you told me the other day that you want a new toy. We can buy it now,” I said.

Aaron shook his head. “I don't want it anymore…” he answered, almost coming out as a whisper.

I blinked and bit my lower lip. I don't know what to do to cheer him up anymore. It was my fault! But I just want him to not get hurt.

“Then… What do you want, honey? Tell me so mommy can give it to you,” I told him.

He pouted. “I want my daddy,” he instantly answered as if he didn't think that much about it anymore.

I felt like my face had been splashed with cold water. I stiffened and stared at my son's face if he's telling the truth. But he is… and I'm afraid that I cannot give it to him.

Aaron stared at me longer before he shook his head. “Nevermind, mom. Don't mind me. I'll just go to my room…” he said and then stood up from his seat.

I nodded my head and forced myself again to smile. “O-Okay. Just call me if you need anything,” I said and watched him go to his room.

As soon as he's out of my sight, I lost it. The threatening tears from my eyes slowly streamed down on my face. Am I a bad mother for lying to my own son like this? Did I make the right decision? I don't know anymore!

I thought Aaron already forgot about his father. He went back to his usual self the next day. He became livelier again and I was so happy but at the back of my mind, I still couldn't help but to get worried.

“Mommy,” he whispered before bed, looking up at me with an expression that tugged at my heart.

“Yes, honey?” I asked as I caressed his smooth hair.

“Are you sure… he’s really gone? What was he like?”

My smile went frozen and didn't know what to say all of a sudden. He's pertaining to his dad. Here I thought he already forgot about it but he's asking about him again.

I forced a smile, tucking him into bed. “It’s… complicated, honey. Just… don’t think about it.”

“But…” He was about to say something but he was too sleepy to utter a word already. And seconds later, Aaron fell into a deep slumber.

That night, as I lay in the darkness, I couldn’t take it anymore. My love for my son was stronger than my pride. It was time to do something I had never wanted to do.

I reached for my phone, scrolling through old contacts until I found the number I’d once deleted, only to restore at the last moment. Alpha Damon. I hesitated, my fingers trembling over the screen.

He probably doesn’t use this number anymore, I thought. It’s been so long.

Yet I dialed, my heart pounding as I waited, almost praying he wouldn’t pick up. But on the fourth ring, he answered.

“K-Kierra? Is this really you?” His voice was deep, a bit raspy, as if he hadn’t expected to hear from me again.

I took a breath, struggling to keep my voice steady. “I’m not calling for myself,” I said, each word like a piece of broken glass. “I’m calling because our son needs you.”

There was a long pause. I could almost hear him processing the words, the years that had passed between us thick in the silence. Finally, he spoke, his voice barely a whisper. “Our son?”

My chest tightened. “Yes, Alpha Damon. Our son. He… he needs to know you’re alive.”

Another pause, then the line went silent as he hung up. I felt a bitter sting, my hand clenched around the phone. I should have expected as much. He was probably too far gone, too changed from the man I’d once known to come back for us.

But the next morning, as I was putting breakfast on the table, there was a knock at the door. My heart skipped a beat. I brushed my hair back, quickly tidying myself before opening the door.

There, on my doorstep, stood Damon.

He looked different. The wild, almost feral strength I remembered in him had softened. His eyes were red, as though he hadn’t slept, and there was an unmistakable vulnerability in his expression.

“A-Alpha Damon.” My voice was barely a whisper, both surprised and unsure of how to feel.

“Kierra.” He swallowed, his voice rough. “I… I’m here.”

“I… never knew that you would find us this fast,” I admitted.

“The moon goddess must've favored my side this time. I've been looking for you! You and our son… but I always failed. I felt like I was losing my own sanity when I woke up one day without seeing you,” he said, his eyes bloodshot as if he's stopping himself to cry.

I blinked before looking away. As much as I wanted to believe his words, I couldn't. Because I know that it was all just a lie. He shouldn't act like this!

When I was about to say something, I stiffened when I heard the familiar voice of my son.

At that moment, my son, still in his pajamas, came around the corner, his small face brightening with curiosity. “Mommy? Who’s that?”