As they drove back to the pack's territory, Alpha Damien glanced at his son, curious about his thoughts on the day's events. "What do you think?" he asked, his eyes on his son.Caleb turned to him, tilting his head in thought. "Think about what?""About everything," Alpha Damien clarified. "Meeting your grandfather, your sister, and your mother." He noticed Caleb's face light up with a smile at the mention of his mother."I think it's cool to have more family," Caleb said, grinning. "I love Mum, especially. She seems kind and very emotional. I've never seen anyone cry as much as she did.""She cried because she thought you were gone," Alpha Damien explained gently. "And seeing you for the first time was overwhelming for her."Caleb nodded thoughtfully. "You're right, Dad.""And what about your sister, Kayla? What do you think of her?"Caleb shrugged, a hint of uncertainty in his expression. "She seemed a bit mean, but I think she was just being protective of Mum. I feel like we'll get
Alpha Damien left the kitchen and made his way to his father's chamber, where Chris was still receiving treatment. The room was quiet, save for the soft hum of the medical equipment monitoring his condition. He sat down beside the bed, taking in the sight of his friend's still form. Chris's burn marks were healing, and his breathing had become less labored compared to the first days after the incident.He reached out, gently placing his hand over Chris's. “Hey friend," he began, his voice barely above a whisper, "I took Caleb to meet Stephanie today." He paused, searching for any sign of recognition on his face. "He also met his sister, Kayla."Damien chuckled softly, amusement and worry in his tone. "Kayla... she's got this fire in her, you know? Reminds me a lot of myself. I think she might hate me, though," he admitted, a rueful smile tugging at his lips. "But I plan to change that. Somehow."He sighed, feeling a bit emotional. "I miss you, Chris. There's so much happening, and I
Alpha Damien had requested that the birthday party for Caleb be held in the morning against the afternoon it was usually held. This was because they would be driving over to Stephanie for the joint party of their children. As usual, Chef Mark was put in charge, a task he did wholeheartedly every year, and this year's party was special. He spent most of the early hours of the morning in the kitchen, he did his work graciously from years of experience. Alpha Damien couldn't be there because he was busy handling the pack business. Some juveniles had broken pack rules, and it fell on him to deal with them as his beta Chris was indisposed. As much as he wanted to be at Caleb's party, responsibilities came first. He knew that Caleb would understand, and he would be there with him at the party his mother was organizing.The air was filled with the sweet aroma of baking pastries. Chef Mark had taken it upon himself to bake three cakes. The main one, a rich chocolate cake adorned with Caleb'
Alpha Damien did as he had promised and began the task of calling the parents of Caleb's friends. But it was not as easy as he had thought it would be, each of them was hesitant after all, the prospect of sending their children to a party in the city, hosted by someone they had never met, was understandably daunting.He knew that convincing the parents individually on the phone was a daunting task, had it not been a personal matter, he would have sent one of his assistants to do the job, so he invited the parents to come to his office for a meeting to clarify any concerns they might have.The room slowly filled as parents arrived, and took their seats. Alpha Damien chuckled within him, he only used to have such meetings to address diplomatic matters, security setups, pack events, and business meetings, never had he imagined he would invite parents to talk about a birthday party."Thank you all for coming,” He began. "I know you have concerns about the party in the city, and I want to
Stephanie stood at the doorway, she had been counting down the hours until she could see Caleb again. Their phone conversations over the past two days had been lovely, but nothing compared to the warmth of a physical embrace. The event planner she hired had transformed the venue beautifully, but Stephanie's involvement in the process had been hands-on. She wanted everything to be perfect, not just for Caleb, but for Kayla too.Kayla, however, has been difficult lately. Her tantrums had escalated, and she frequently accused Stephanie of loving Caleb more. "You just care about him because he's a boy and your precious son!" Kayla had shouted during one of their arguments. Stephanie had tried to soothe her, explaining that she loved them both equally, that they were her children, carried in her womb, and born from the same love.But Kayla remained unconvinced. She missed the simpler times when it was just her, her mother, Grandpa Hank, and occasionally Dr. Zita. The return of Caleb had di
When Alpha Damien reached Kayla's door, he paused, and took a deep breath, steadying himself before knocking. It felt like he was going to war and not visiting his 8-year-old daughter "Kayla, it’s Dad. Can I come in?" He saidThere was a long, heavy silence. No response came from the other side. After a moment, he turned the doorknob and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn to block out the afternoon sun. Kayla sat at the edge of her bed, clutching a teddy bear tightly to her chest, her face buried in its fur.Damien approached slowly. "Hey, sweetie," he began, trying to keep his voice gentle and soothing. "Are you okay?"Kayla didn't look up. Her voice was small, barely audible. "What do you want?" she asked."I just wanted to check on you. Everyone's waiting for you downstairs. We miss you."She finally looked up, her eyes red and swollen. "Everyone's waiting for Caleb," she retorted, her voice trembling with anger. "You don’t care about me. You never did. Yo
“Where is the birthday girl?” Dr. Zita said as she walked into the venue. She came in late due to work and most of the guests had already left, and Alpha Damien, along with Caleb and his friends, were making preparations to leave. Stephanie's face lit up upon seeing her old friend, and she quickly moved to greet her."Zita! I'm so glad you could make it," Stephanie exclaimed, embracing the doctor warmly.Dr. Zita returned the hug “So where is he, don't keep me in suspense.”Stephanie brings Caleb closer to her and Dr. Zita’s face broadens into a smile.“My! Caleb, you've grown so much!" She said, "I remember when you were just a tiny baby. Now you're almost as tall as I am!" She chuckled, ruffling his hair.Caleb grinned shyly, looking up at the woman who seemed so familiar yet was a stranger to him. Stephanie placed a hand on Caleb's shoulder and introduced them. "Caleb, this is Dr. Zita. She was there when you and Kayla were born. She helped bring you both into this world and saved
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," she said softly, her eyes full of understanding.But Dr. Zita took a deep breath, lifting her gaze to meet Stephanie's. "No, it's okay," she replied, her voice steady but sad. "Whatever happened between Chris and me was a long time ago. I think I'm finally ready to talk about it."She began to recount the early days of their relationship. "We started dating in high school," she began, a small, wistful smile tugging at her lips. "Everyone knew us back then because we were inseparable. We'd go to the cafeteria together, walk to classes together... We even rode to school on Chris's bike. I was terrified at first, but he always reassured me that I was safe with him. I trusted him completely."Stephanie listened intently, nodding along as Dr. Zita spoke. The memories seemed to bring a brief, bittersweet joy to her friend's face. But then, as the story progressed, Dr. Zita's expression darkened, her voice growing quieter."Things started to c