18. What are you?

Ethan Greenwood

The only certainty I had that night was that I would feel like a piece of shit if I failed to rescue the pup.

"I need you to stay here," I ordered Mia, who was completely silent.

She just nodded. Her eyes were wide, distant, as if she had seen a ghost—or something worse.

I watched her. Her utterly angelic features could drive any being insane. Her light hair, contrasted with her sweet eyes, would make any wolf forget his responsibilities.

I couldn’t understand why. Never had a human attracted me this way, and now I had a child with one. There was something extremely familiar about this woman. I just didn’t know what.

I followed the tracks on the earth, still wet from last night’s rain. The night was dragging on, and so far, the bastards hadn’t shown up.

My men were ahead of me until we spotted a small cabin in the middle of nowhere. In the forest, it was easy to hide—if you had the skill. And these kidnappers did.

I sniffed as much as I could. It was their scent—I knew it.

"They're here, sir," Nick whispered.

"We take them by surprise. Kill only if absolutely necessary—I need information before I end anyone’s life."

My heart faltered in my chest. I had never been this nervous. But something told me this time was different.

I was a father. I had an heir.

The pack had always pushed me toward mating. I couldn’t blame them—they needed a Luna.

A Luna’s role in a pack was different from an Alpha’s. She brought organization, peace—everything they needed. But I had never been able to find my mate. I had lost hope that it would ever happen.

Besides, I was the last of the Greenwood Alpha lineage. If I died, other wolves would fight among themselves to claim my position.

But what even I didn’t know was that Lorenzo already existed. He was a hybrid.

I had a son with a human, and I didn’t know how my pack would react to such news.

A signal. I just needed to give the signal, and we would storm the cabin.

The moment I gave the signal, the night erupted into chaos.

My men, swift and experienced, moved with lethal precision. The sound of bodies clashing echoed through the forest, mixed with growls and the snapping of breaking bones. Adrenaline surged through my veins, every instinct on high alert as I charged forward, determined to rescue my son.

Mia, as ordered, remained hidden in a safe spot, away from the fight. But her terrified gaze never left my mind for a second. I had to protect Lorenzo, but I also knew that Mia was part of this puzzle I didn’t fully understand yet.

When I burst into the cabin, my eyes immediately searched for him.

And then, I saw him.

A blond-haired boy with eyes that mirrored mine was curled up in the corner of the room. He looked so small, so fragile. His eyes—identical to mine—were wide with fear. The delicate face of a two-year-old child was marked by the terror he had endured.

In that moment, something inside me changed. A feeling I had never imagined experiencing—something deep and primal. It was as if my heart, which I had long believed to be hardened, had been ripped from my chest and thrown at his feet.

I knew, with a certainty that burned in my gut, that I would do anything to protect that pup.

He was mine—my own flesh and blood.

Without hesitation, I closed the distance between us and lifted him into my arms. Lorenzo shrank against me, his small body trembling, but he didn’t resist. I felt his fragility against my chest, and for the first time in years, a wave of pure emotion hit me.

It wasn’t just anger or the instinct to protect.

It was something deeper—something I couldn’t name.

"I’m here, little one," I murmured, soothing him. "You’re safe now."

But before I could savor the relief, the battle around me yanked me back to reality. One of the wolves guarding the boy tried to escape. Nick, always fast and deadly, intercepted him. But another remained behind—probably the leader of this group.

I knew we needed information. This wasn’t just a random kidnapping. We had to find out who was behind it—and why.

As one of my men restrained the remaining wolf, I kept Lorenzo securely in my arms, feeling him gradually relax. But my mind was torn. The rescue might be nearly over, but the real fight was just beginning.

My gaze locked onto the captured wolf. I had no intention of showing mercy—not when it came to the safety of my pack and my son.

"Talk," I growled, my voice dripping with menace. "Tell me who ordered my son’s kidnapping, and maybe you walk out of here alive."

But before I could get an answer, the wolf glared at me defiantly.

"I won’t say a damn thing, Alpha. I’d rather die than be a traitor."

"Don’t be stupid," I snapped.

"If I tell you why the boy was taken, and you let me live, my employers will kill me anyway. The reason is bigger than you think. This doesn’t end here!" he spat, hatred seething in his voice.

With Lorenzo still safe in my arms, I realized this fight was far from over.

"Kill this bastard. He won’t talk," I ordered.

With Lorenzo secure in my arms, I left the wrecked cabin, the bodies of my enemies lying behind me. My heart was still hammering from what had just happened. I walked toward where Mia was hiding, trying to keep calm despite the storm of emotions raging inside me.

As I approached, Mia’s eyes widened. She ran toward me, her steps quick and desperate. Before I could say anything, she reached out to take Lorenzo.

I hesitated for a second, feeling the warmth of his small body against mine. But then, I handed the boy to her.

The moment Lorenzo was in Mia’s arms, a sigh of relief escaped her lips. She held him tightly, her eyes brimming with tears as she stroked his blond hair. The little one clung to her, sobbing, but gradually calming down in his mother’s embrace.

The sight of them together, safe, stirred something in me that I wasn’t prepared for.

"Shhh, my love, it’s okay now. Mommy’s here," she whispered, kissing the top of his head. Lorenzo, still sniffling, buried his face in her neck, seeking comfort.

I stood there, watching, a mixture of relief and confusion washing over me.

I had rescued my son—but what did this mean?

Mia was nothing to me—just a human who had crossed my path one night. We were complete strangers.

And yet… there was something.

Something that bound me to them in a way I couldn’t explain.

What the hell was happening to me?

I, who had always been so sure of my decisions, was now lost—vulnerable in a way I had never imagined.

Mia lifted her gaze to me, still clutching Lorenzo tightly. Her eyes, filled with gratitude—and something else—locked onto mine.

"Ethan..." she began, her voice shaky but determined. "What are you, Ethan Greenwood?"

The question hung in the air, heavy with everything I couldn’t—or wouldn’t—explain.

For a moment, I was silent, staring at her, battling against the truth she was beginning to uncover.

I could lie—keep up the charade.

But something in me hesitated.

Maybe it was the weight of the night, the look in her eyes, or the fact that she deserved to know the truth.

Finally, I exhaled.

"Mia, you wouldn’t understand."

"I saw... I mean, I don’t know what I saw. A man turning into a—" she couldn’t even say the words. "I just need an explanation."

"Mia."

She stepped closer, still holding Lorenzo, her gaze unyielding. "Make me understand. After everything that happened, I need to know. I saw things—things I can’t explain. You’re... something beyond what I know. And you can’t keep pretending that isn’t true."

I stared at her for a long moment, weighing my options. But the determination in her eyes left no room for evasion.

"The truth," I began slowly, "is that I am much more than you imagine."

"And Lorenzo... he is too."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Mia didn’t speak, but her eyes begged for more—begged for an explanation.

I knew I was about to change her life forever.

Just as my own had already changed.