I quickly sent a message to Owen. “Bad uncle made Mom mad again today! I don’t want a daddy who makes Mommy mad!” He messaged me back right away. “He’s moody today. It’s Sophia’s fault. She’s the bad mom,” Owen said. I could tell he was upset, too. But then he said something that made me stop. “
Alexander It was hard to focus on Sophia with the low hum of tension filling the air from the two little bodies next to me. My eyes slithered to them, like two puffed up puppies as soon as Sphia appeared. I almost smirked. They had the same furrowed face. “What bring you here, love,” I said, try
Abigail’s voice broke through my thoughts, as she chatted with Owen. “No, seriously, this is the best birthday I’ve ever had!” She grinning, her excitement genuine, her eyes sparkling with something I hadn’t expected. I raised an eyebrow, “It’s your birthday today?” She blinked, clearly taken ab
Lauren I had just gotten Abigail into the car when the weight of what she’d said hit me. The moment I saw Alexander’s face, something inside me snapped. I knew I’d have to answer questions, navigate the tension, and shield my daughter from the chaos unraveling around us. I mumbled a lame excuse
Owen’s small, trembling voice broke the silence. “I’m sorry. Don’t blame Abigail.” His words left like the small hand on my sleeve. This tiny boy, already trying to shoulder blame he didn’t deserve, carried a weight no child should bear. My heart ached for him. Taking a steadying breath, I leane
Lauren The lights flickered, then went out, plunging the elevator into darkness. The sudden silence felt suffocating, broken only by the groan of the stalled elevator. I gasped, my hands instinctively reaching for balance as the space seemed to shrink around me. “Are you okay?” Alexander’s voice
His steady gaze sent irritation—and something else—creeping up my neck. “I’m just Owen’s doctor,” I reminded him coldly. “You don’t need to waste your time on me.” Instead, he leaned back, infuriatingly casual, one arm draped over the chair. His lips curved—not quite a smile, but something sharper
Lauren I was back on my feet soon after being discharged, the hospital buzzing as always with hurried footsteps and beeping machines. But today, the air felt heavier, thick with tension I couldn’t shake. Every glance, every whisper seemed aimed at me, and the weight of their judgment pressed hard
I stepped closer, closing the distance between us, my voice dropping to a low, rough whisper. “And what about me? You drop all this on me—that Abigail is mine, that Owen is ours—after years of believing you were dead. And now you expect me to just… let you all go?”My gaze locked onto hers, unflinch
Alexander I leaned back in my office chair, arms crossed, my gaze fixed on Lauren. She stood in the center of the room, her posture rigid, her defiance radiating off her in waves. Her eyes, sharp and unyielding, seemed determined to cut through what little composure I had left.Even now, with her f
“You’re done, Sophia.” His tone was final, each word a death knell. “You’re no longer part of this pack. You’re no longer part of my life. From this moment on, you are nothing. You’re a rogue.” The word slammed into me, a sentence more brutal than any blow. Rogue. Cast out. Forsaken. Stripped of ev
Sophia I was pacing in Owen’s room, my nerves fraying with every tick of the clock. The faint hum of the home me did little to mask the sound of my own heartbeat thundering in my ears. Where was Alexander? What was taking him so long? He’d left so quick…for Lauren. The door creaked open, and there
More silence. The air was thick with it, pressing in on us from every side. The seconds stretched into eternity. Finally, he spoke. His voice was strained, barely audible, as if the words were tearing themselves from him. “Lauren…” His breath hitched. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, his voice
Lauren I stared at the medical chart, my eyes scanning the numbers again, hoping they would somehow make sense. It couldn’t be right. It just couldn’t. I had my suspicions, sure. The kids, we all seemed to feel this... offness. But this? This was impossible. I ran my fingers over the chart, my
“Come on,” she pulled with a smile. We took off, Owen’s weight was heavier than it should’ve been, his steps sluggish and uncoordinated as we half-carried him to the car. He must have been hurting more then he let on. I could feel the bile rising in my throat as I glanced at him, buckling him int
Lauren I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins as I gripped Abigail’s hand tighter, both of us running through the airport crowd, scanning the rows of bustling people, hoping to find Owen. This feeling was familiar, yet it never felt more wrong. Not after what almost happened to Abig
“I’m sure,” the Beta replied. “We’ve checked everywhere. It’s like he vanished into thin air.” I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m on my way back. I’ll—” “No,” the Beta interrupted. “Don’t come back. It’s too dangerous. Stay where you are, he was going to the airport so keep an