Chapter 3

Valerie:

“You’ve been in this room for the past hour.” I said, entering the office where I knew Elias was choosing to hide himself from the responsibilities that I knew he would now carry on his shoulders.

“If I can trust anyone in this world to find me when I am hiding somewhere, it is going to be you, sorella.” He said, making me smile as I walked deeper inside the office.

“Well, you don’t try to make it creative wherever it is that you’re hiding, do you?” I asked, teasing him. “Are you okay?”

He stood tall, the perfect image of an alpha, but I saw through everything that he was holding onto. It was Father that died, and he was closer to him than I was. And I knew that this tore him inside, to be standing here, knowing that he was taking his place when he was dead.

Elias forced a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He wouldn’t let me see the pain, he never had. “I should be asking you that. You're the one here, and I know for a fact that you don't want to be.”

He stepped closer, cupping my face with his hands. His touch was warm, grounding me in a way I desperately needed. This was the way the two of us have been always when we grow older. We were close and we always stood by one another side, despite everything that could be told to us, despite everyone telling us not to be as close. I placed my hand over his, a silent reassurance for both of us. Bringing my hands to his lips, he kissed my knuckles, the familiar gesture making me smile as I knew that it showed that he was going to be there for me.

“You came here for me,” he murmured. “I know how much this place haunts you. And I know how much you don't want to be in this place. I know the pain that it reminds you of.”

“As much as I hate to say this…” I swallowed the lump in my throat, my voice trembling with restrained emotion. But I knew that it was the right thing. I had to do what was right. It should have been done a long time ago, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, not at the time. “It’s time he finds out about Adrian. I can’t keep running. My son deserves to meet his father, even if it’s just once. Whether Caspian chooses to be in his life or not, Adrian deserves the chance. But if that man hurts him…”

Elias’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. “As long as I’m breathing, no one will hurt you or Adrian. I promise you that, Valerie.”

The warmth of his words steadied me, but the moment shattered when I noticed her. My mother stood in the doorway, glaring at us. And if looks could kill, I would have been long dead.

“She doesn’t need you to play her knight in shining armor, Elias,” she said coldly, stepping into the room. Her presence loomed over me, reminding me that I did not belong here, reminding me that she and my father did not want me here because I simply chose a life that I was forced to live through. “She stopped being part of this family the moment she walked away. Isn’t that what you wanted, Valerie? To be free from us?”

Her voice dripped with venom, and for a moment, the room felt colder. I dropped my gaze to the floor, the weight of her judgment heavy on my shoulders.

“You can say what you want,” I said quietly, my voice trembling with suppressed anger. “But Adrian doesn’t deserve to hear it.”

Her lips curled into a bitter smile. “Adrian?” she sneered. “The boy you’ve kept hidden all these years? The boy whose father you never gave a choice? You’ve put us all in a compromising position, Valerie. Do you have any idea what your choices have done to this family?”

“I wasn’t going to fight for a man who betrayed me!” I snapped, my voice rising with each word. “Caspian had a child with another woman while he was betrothed to me. What was I supposed to do, Mother? Beg for scraps of his affection? Humiliate myself further?”

“You were his wife!” she spat, her voice cutting like a whip. “Your duty was to stand by him, to secure your place, and your child’s. Instead, you chose to run. You chose to hide the truth and leave us to deal with the fallout.”

“That’s enough!” Elias growled, stepping between us.

But her smirk only grew sharper. “Am I wrong, Elias? Did she not betray this family just as much as he betrayed her?”

“Mother, stop,” Elias warned, his voice low and dangerous.

“No, let her speak,” I said, lifting my chin. My voice was steady now, the fire in my chest burning away the fear. “She’s been holding this in for years. Let her say her piece. Let her get it out of her chest, maybe it is going to help her sleep better at night.”

My mother’s eyes narrowed, and she stepped closer, her words dripping with malice. “You will leave this pack the moment the ceremony ends. You don’t belong here, Valerie. You never did. And I don’t want you around the ruin the order that we’ve built the second that you chose to walk out. You betrayed your part by choosing this divorce, you should be thankful that we managed to hold our alliances without you around.”

“Mother!” Elias snapped, his tone sharper now.

“Your father disowned you for a reason. You made your choices, Valerie, and now you’ll live with the consequences.” She said, ignoring my brother whose heart was racing. This wasn’t something that he deserved to hear, not on his day.

“If my choices meant saving my son, then I’d make them a thousand times over,” I said, my voice icy. I cleared my throat, knowing that this wasn’t something that I was here for. I needed to stand strong. I wasn’t here to fight.

Turning toward the window, I spotted Adrian in the garden. He crouched on the grass, his tiny hands reaching for a butterfly. My chest tightened, the sight of him a reminder of everything I’d fought for. Everything that I was more than willing to give up to keep him safe.

“That boy out there is your grandson,” I said, my voice sharp and unwavering. “He’s no bastard for you to treat like one. If you can respect Eva’s son, the product of infidelity, then you damn well better respect mine. At least he was a child of a marriage. Whether or not it lasted.”

Her expression darkened. “Eva is his wife. That child is legitimate.”

I turned back to her, fury burning in my eyes. “And I was his fiancée when he got her pregnant! I was the one wearing his ring when he chose her over me. So don’t you dare lecture me on legitimacy.”

“You didn’t do enough to keep him,” she said coldly.

Her words cut deeper than I cared to admit, but I refused to let her see me falter. I straightened my spine, my voice steady and laced with finality. “Why am I even wasting my breath? Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll leave the pack, the city, and your life if that’s what you want. But I’ll leave you with this: Today is the first time Adrian has met you. Make it count. Because you never know, it might be the last.”