23. Past

I let out a long, controlled sigh as I watched Esther, my younger sister, arranging her bags in the room. Despite being siblings, there were moments when I forgot how relentless she could be, her temperament often mirroring my own.

"Did you have to make that scene?" I asked, crossing my arms and staring at her seriously.

"What scene, Ethan?" She turned around, raising an eyebrow with a hint of challenge.

"That thing you did in front of Mia," I replied, trying to keep my tone controlled, but unable to completely hide my irritation.

Esther looked at me with that analytical gaze that always made me feel like I was under a magnifying glass. "She's human. I just found it strange, Ethan. You never brought women into this house, which used to be our parents', let alone a human."

I knew she was right. This house was sacred to us, a place that carried memories of our family, and I had always kept it closed off, even to myself. Bringing Mia here, letting her into my life and the house where we grew up, was something I had never done before, with any woman. But I couldn’t find the right words to explain this to Esther.

"I know," I admitted, sighing deeply. "You could've told me you were coming."

"Don't change the subject, Ethan," she shot back, her gaze piercing mine with intensity. "Who is she? And what is she doing here?"

I ran my hands through my hair, feeling the weight of everything I was hiding, even from myself. "It's complicated, Esther. I don't even know where to begin..." The words came out as a whisper, as if speaking them aloud would make everything more real.

Esther continued to watch me, her eyes narrowing slightly as though she was trying to unravel what I was withholding. I knew that, as Alpha, I was supposed to be firm and decisive, and that even my own sister should show me respect. But the weight of the secret I was carrying was suffocating, and I still didn’t know how to tell her that, by fate’s hand, she now had a hybrid nephew, a child who not only shared my blood but was also part human.

I knew I would have to find the right moment to tell her, but the tension was building, and the idea of keeping this secret any longer was unbearable. So, I decided to just get it over with.

"Mia has my son," I blurted out, the words coming faster than I intended.

Esther’s eyes widened, staring at me as though I had just told her the most absurd and unexpected thing she had ever heard. It was as if I had dropped a bomb in the middle of our conversation.

"What do you mean? Is she pregnant?" Her voice came out incredulously, shock written all over her face.

"No," I sighed, feeling the weight of the revelation even more now that it was out in the open. "My son’s name is Lorenzo, and he’s two years old."

For a moment, Esther stood in silence, trying to process the information. When she finally spoke, her voice was filled with surprise and confusion.

"You have a two-year-old son and you never told me? Why, Ethan? Why did the Alpha of the pack keep this from me... from all of us?" She seemed deeply shaken, her posture rigid as she tried to understand how something so significant had been kept a secret. "I'm your sister, for crying out loud."

"And I am here as your Alpha. I demand respect."

I took a deep breath, knowing I needed to explain the situation clearly and directly.

"I didn’t know he existed until recently," I began, struggling to put into words something that still felt surreal. "Mia and I had... one night together, two years ago, at the bar I now own. She came to me for personal reasons, and we got involved. But after that, we went our separate ways. She went back to her life, and I went back to mine, not knowing Lorenzo had been born."

Esther was still processing everything, but continued to look at me with a mix of shock and confusion. "And how did you find out? Why didn’t she tell you before?"

"She didn’t know I was... different. That I was a wolf," I explained, each word heavy. "Mia was living her life, far from this world, until Lorenzo was kidnapped. That’s when she came to me, desperate for help, and that’s when I discovered the truth. Lorenzo is my son, and now we’re all involved in something much bigger."

She crossed her arms, trying to digest the situation. "And now? What are you going to do?"

"I’m going to protect them, Esther. Both of them," I replied, with a firmness that even surprised me. "No matter what happens, Lorenzo is my son, and Mia... Mia is now under my protection."

Esther stood in silence for a moment, processing this new reality. I knew it was a lot for her to take in, but I also knew she would understand the importance of it. I was the Alpha, and now I had a new role to play – that of a father, even though it was a responsibility I never imagined I would bear.

I should have known I was in deep trouble. But all of this was real, and there was no ignoring it.

Esther had always supported me. She was just a teenager when our parents died, and I had to deal with raising a sister, taking charge of a pack, and while my life was spinning out of control, I still found strength to try to be the father she had lost.

She went to study in New York, since she didn’t agree with the rules of our pack. A wolf was meant to mate, find a partner, and have pups. Esther didn’t want any of that, she was a free spirit.

"I want to meet my nephew," she said.

"Later. He’s sleeping, go rest."

She stared at me for a few seconds, and before I left the room, she said, "You screwed her, didn’t you?" She laughed.

"Show me some respect, girl," I threw a pillow at her.

"She was half-naked. With a shirt and her clothes in her hands. Don’t be a hypocrite."

"This won’t happen again. Mia is just the mother of my child, and I’ll keep her under my control until the danger that caused Lorenzo’s kidnapping is over."

I left Esther’s room, closing the door with a sigh. My mind was racing, trying to process everything that had happened in the last few hours. I could still smell her on my body.

When I approached the office, I stopped when I saw Mia inside, sitting in my chair, holding her phone. The tension between us was palpable, a mixture of unresolved desire and the pressure of what we were facing.

"I got a message," she said, getting straight to the point, showing me the screen of her phone.

I walked up, taking the device from her hands and reading the text. The words were direct and threatening: "This isn’t over. You may have gotten Lorenzo back, but you’re still in our game. You are the main piece."

My jaw tightened as I read those words. The message was clear, and the problem wasn’t just about me or being the Alpha. Mia was the target, and that made everything even more complicated.

"Who the hell sent this?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm, though I could feel my wolf stirring with the need to protect.

"I don’t know," she answered, confusion and fear evident in her eyes. "I thought everything was over, that Lorenzo was safe now, but..."

I looked at Mia, realizing that the real danger was tied to something she didn’t even understand. I needed to figure out what was going on, but above all, I needed to protect her and protect our baby.

"This isn’t just about Lorenzo," I said, handing her the phone back. "There’s something bigger going on here, and it involves you. We need to find out what it is before it’s too late."

Mia nodded, her gaze still fixed on me, as if she was looking for answers. The atmosphere between us was strange, charged with everything we hadn’t resolved, but we both knew we needed to put it all aside, at least for now.

"I’ll protect you, human," I said firmly, more to convince myself than to reassure her. "I’ll protect you and Lorenzo, no matter what happens."

She looked at me for a long moment, as if trying to understand just how far I was willing to go to keep my promise.

When she left the office, barely able to look me in the eye, I immediately dialed Nick.

"Nick, find out everything about Mia Miller’s past! Make it a priority."

I knew that if I wanted to get to the bottom of this, I needed to investigate.