THREE

"Ava, it's me. Grayson yelled "Open the door!" when there was no answer to his knocking on the door.

It's possible that he should have given himself some time to consider what he wanted to say, but instead, he was overcome with an urgent desire to go after her.

He was aware of the need for what it was, which was the need to lay claim to her. Mark her. Turn her. Make her his mate.

But, he was unable to.

It was his responsibility to his pack to mate in the manner that was ordered by his Alpha.

During his childhood, he was always aware of his role, but it was never a hardship for him until just at this particular moment. If he was supposed to be with her, why didn't he feel the need to lay claim to her before now?

The response teased him with the information that was percolating in the recesses of his mind, which was something he didn't want to know.

That was due to the fact that the youngster who he had referred to as an awful little cretin was actually his own son.

The understanding struck him as correct, and the information lodged itself in his mind; still, he needed to hear her speak it in order to really comprehend it.

And he needed to find out whether he had changed in any way. If he hadn't told me, we would be having a very strange discussion right now. It seemed impossible for it to be a coincidence that she had found herself at Blue Willow.

"Ava, we really do need to speak about this." His gut twisted at the thought of her terror. It appeared as though his wolf was going to defend her, but he had to force it back down. "I'm not going to hurt you," He said.

The door was ajar, and his natural inclination was to force it open, rush in, and—he had to squash those ideas with the same brutality he had with his wolf, or else his wolf and his natural instincts would both triumph over his humanity.

He smiled at her in what he believed was a soothing manner, and the door gradually began to open more.

Goddess, but she was stunning to look at. Even more so once he learned that she had given birth to his kid and that her supple, voluptuous figure had cared for his offspring. His feelings were as turbulent as a raging storm. All the things he'd been blind to, even his own birth. His initial statements. His first giggle at the joke. Grayson failed to provide for him and cannot guarantee his safety as a result.

Keeping her protected.

His throat began to close up. If only he could find a reason to be furious with her, things would go so much more smoothly. But, he was not. Even if she had made an effort to locate him, he had not disclosed his true identity to her. Graham Phillips was the name she knew him by, not Grayson Redwood.

"Would you swear to me that you won't cause me any harm?" The tone of her words was kind, but the glance she gave him was as incisive as a blade.

"I swear, Ava."

"Well, if that's the case, I guess you ought to come in." She took a step back, and he observed that her pink t-shirt was covered in numerous little chocolate handprints. She had been eating chocolate.

Those cute tiny designs, along with the aromas wafting around the home, caused him to grin. It was saturated with her signature scent. About apples and honey, as well as a young adult male wolf. His youngster.

Grayson was completely at a loss for where to start. "It's great to have you back!"

That was the case. Every fiber of his being yearned for her company. Her aroma was instantly more essential than the air that carried it, and the whole area where she was in the world had taken on a sacred significance for him.

He was in such a pickle.

She pulled her lips together and glanced at the ground below her. "I had no idea that we'd run into each other again."

"I suppose it would be appropriate for me to raise the question." He made a hesitant move to lift her chin so that she would have no choice but to look at him. "Is he related to me?"

Her eyes were large and brightly lit. He looked down into the depths of the waves around Santorini. He desired to purchase the hotel where they were staying, acquire that stretch of beach, and remain there permanently. He didn't want to give any thought to the responsibility he had to his brethren and to his pack.

Only her.

as well as his son.

"Yeah," she admitted with a deep sigh on her cheek. “Yes.”

The disinterest in life that he perceived in her demeanor and the stoop in her shoulders tore at him. He extended his hand and pulled her in closer to him. She arrived cheerfully but with some trepidation. As soon as he wrapped his arms around her, everything in the universe seemed to turn back to normal.

As she finally let go of her tension against him and returned his hug, it was as if someone had turned on the light when he hadn't been aware that it had been turned off.

"I am sorry."

"Why are you so sorry?" She murmured something into his shirt as she did so.

"That you had to go through with it by yourself. But all of it is behind us now."

“Graham—” Her words were spoken with a muted note of caution.

"It is not necessary for you to be with me. This has nothing to do with us in any way, shape, or form. I'm not going to attempt to hurt you or dominate you; I simply want to make sure that my baby has all he needs."

You didn't even bother to request a paternity test, did you? She separated herself from him. "What gives you such confidence? If I had to guess, I'd say that the Elf King of Magar is the father."

"Are you familiar with the Elf King who rules over Magar?" He showed a hint of a brow lift.

It appeared as though the question caused her to stop. "I, well… no. Yet, you understood the general meaning behind the remark."

Grayson broke into a grin. "A paternity test is not necessary for me. I am certain that he is mine."

"If that's the case, why did you ask?"

"It was important for me to hear you say it." He let out a deep sigh, unsure of what steps to take next. The wolf inside of him desired to bring her and Elijah to Aphelion, the estate that belonged to his ancestors, and lock them up so that he could be sure they were secure. I had hoped that Mrs. Westwood would give the boy an excellent haircut...

But, being confined was no way to live, regardless of whether one was a man or a wolf, and Ava was not the type of lady who would give in to a caveman's knuckle-dragging demands.

"There's a good explanation for why you found yourself at Blue Willow. You are aware of the type of community that this is, aren't you?"

She scratched her chin nervously and gave a hesitant nod.

"I would want for you to relocate to Aphelion." He stopped her from continuing by raising his hand to silence her before she could argue. "We can make everything look nice and legal by declaring your rights, my rights, and what I'll provide for you and Elijah," you said.

Ava gave a little nod in response. "I cannot do that."

"I am aware that this is a lot of information to process. It is also a lot for me to take in. But there are rules to follow, Ava. We have laws that are meant to protect us from being found."  Because he didn't want to be too obvious, he tried to force her comprehension of the situation. That may come out as threatening, and he guessed that in some sense, it was. But, he was not the one who made the threatening statements.

Every human who found them for who they were had to be Turned or else they would be killed.

If they didn't change their strategy, they'd have to deal with additional hunters. There were exceptions, such as the people who lived in Blue Willow, but even so, they were humans who had contact with other superbeings and were not in danger of their presence being discovered or of being targeted by hunters.

"Who am I going to tell?" He noticed that she was clenching her fists and that she had a look of terror on her face.

Because the Redwoods were now engaged in a war, and the wolf countries were divided down the middle, there was an equal chance that the Great Council would vote to destroy Ava just as easily as they would vote to Convert her. It was important for him to protect her.

"I have no say in the matter, and the current atmosphere for amicable human interaction is—" He was unable to continue as a furry projectile that exploded in his stomach sent him tumbling to the ground. He had been cut off.

The cute ball of golden ferocity was growling and snapping its jaws at him while emitting a high-pitched sound that he was certain was intended to be a growl.

Ava gasped. "Elijah Phelan Harlowe!"

The little jaws clamped on his fingers, and enormous golden eyes peered out from behind the shaggy small face.

The avalanche of feelings that he was experiencing completely overwhelmed and uncontrolled him. My Goddess, please help him. He was awed and humbled by the adorable creature, and his heart was overflowing with love and complete devotion for it. The bowl haircut and everything.

He grabbed him up, and he dangled in the air with his teeth still clasped together. It reminded me of a cartoon in several ways. Grayson carefully removed his fingers from the little wolf's teeth, lifted him higher, and examined him before bringing the  closer to him and petting his head and back.

"I... that's something he does frequently." Ava greeted him by extending her hands toward him.

"What are you going to do when those teeth become sharper?" He proceeded to rub imh in a calming manner. "What are you going to do when he's sixteen?"

She made an effort to swallow. "I can't say for sure."

"Are you going to lock him up with chains? Put him in solitary confinement to prevent him from inflicting harm on innocent people and, in the process, causing irreparable harm to both his wolf and his soul."  The mere thought of it cut through his internal organs like a chainsaw.

She exploded and told him, "I told you, I don't know." After giving her face a quick scrape with her palm, Ava let out a deep breath. “I’ve just reached somewhere that seems like it’s safe.”

"But that's not the case. To be honest, no. On the other hand, Aphelion is about as risk-free as it is possible to get. Think it through. Our witch may bespell him so he only Transforms if his life is in danger. All of the Redwood children are exposed to their Change in stages so they can manage it. Hence, we may also dwell in the world inhabited by humans. You are free to hand that up to him.

"You said I could think about it, but you're acting as if you need a response right now," Ava replied. "I'm not going to think about it.  I don't know you, Graham. He doesn't know who you are."

"You knew me in Santorini, didn't you?"

“You didn’t even tell me your true name,” she charged.

"And if I had, if you knew I was Grayson Redwood, would you have given the time of day to someone who didn't know who I was?"

She responded to this by flashing him a brief smile. "No, if you wanted to buy the time of day, I would have thought it would be possible." There's no use in getting it from me."

"I have to ask; at that time, were you aware of the meaning behind the name "Redwood"? Beyond the Redwood Industry."

She made a pouting face and purred. “Yes.”

“How?”

"I'm not quite ready to tell you that," the speaker said. She posed for the camera with her arms crossed over her chest.

The fuck? What exactly was the intended interpretation of that? She was familiar with werewolves, right? It indicated that she had either been brought up in a friendly home or possessed a recessive kind of wolf genes...

Maybe there was a third alternative that was unimaginable.

She has a hunting background.

That Ava had been aware of who he was the entire time, was aware of exactly what she was doing, and that she was now present in Blue Willow as well halted his train of thought before he could continue it.

No.

That prevented him from even entertaining the possibility that she would deceive him.

"Will you kindly return him to me?"

The tone of terror in her voice twisted the knife, and when he glanced down, he found himself holding an unclothed kid who was five years old in his arms.

The young youngster looked up at him with a grin, his eyes becoming even wider. "Mom says I need to apologize for biting, but I didn't like that you terrified her," I said. "Mama says I need to say sorry for biting."

He couldn't fathom how his heart could possibly hold any more love, yet it did. Somehow. "It doesn't sit well with me either."

“Okay.” He nodded. You were with the woman who wore rainbow glitter when you went to the chocolate store.

“I was. You consumed every last one of my favorite truffles.

The young man showed no sign of being alarmed. Instead, the tip of his little nose began to quiver, almost in the manner of a rabbit. "You smell like me." He looked across at Ava and smiled. "Is he like me, Mama?"

Ava turned her head to look at him for guidance, but then she quickly straightened her back and squared her shoulders. "He's your daddy."

Elijah gave Grayson a grave nod as he turned his attention back to him. Because Mother isn't one of us, it's important that we don't frighten her. Understand? That is not acceptable."

His brows pressed together in concentration. "Neither putting all of the champagne truffles into your hair nor eating all of the champagne truffles is a good idea."

“Not. Nice.”

It would appear that Elijah had no intention of letting him off the hook. Already, he displayed characteristics of hyper-Alpha behavior. It would be intriguing to observe how the relationship would change if Randi and Kyle were to have children who were also born into the Alpha race.

"No, I promise I won't frighten your mama," he said.

"Now that's settled, could you please finish your bath? And no bare butts or furry time when other people are around."

"He's not other people, Mama. He's Daddy." The boy struggled to get down and then ran back to the bathroom down the hall.

Ava groaned.

"He's amazing, A." Grayson thought that if he were just a man instead of a wolf, this would be much more overwhelming, upsetting, or any number of other things. But his wolf knew it was his and it was easy for him to tell.

He owned the boy. His kid, his puppy, a member of his pack.

"I've often thought about what it would be like to see you again. "I'd tell you, if I were to tell you..."

She looked like she wanted to say more, so he waited for her to find the right words.

"This is nothing like I thought it would be. I'm both happy and scared at the same time." She walked a few steps toward the kitchen and then back while she talked. "I thought that his, uh, condition might have come from my genes. It wasn't, though, was it? It was you every time. What scares me is that. Where do you want me to go, Aphelion? They're all just like you, right? I'm a human. I'd be a sheep in a pack of wolves."

"But you came to Blue Willow. A place where witches, werewolves, and all kinds of other scary things walk around at night."

"There are just people here. Trying to get by in life. They can take care of their families and feel safe in Redwood's long shadow."

"Except they aren't. They are not as safe as they could be. All of them can protect themselves from those who want to hurt us. But not you. Elijah isn't quite big enough yet, but he'd try. He is already acting like an Alpha. He is the son of Redwood. Think about what this means. He and you are both in danger."

Her eyes got bigger.

"Are you scaring me to get what you want?"

"Of course I am." He had a soft laugh. "Because everything is true. I want you safe. I hope he stays safe."

She puckered her lips and looked up at the ceiling. "Remember when I told you about my ex-husband that night?"

He was glad that he had been able to hold back the Change before. Grayson wanted to rip the man's head off with his bare hands just by thinking about the jerk.

She went on, as if she didn't know about his inner conflict. "I will never let someone else take charge. Not even to feel safe. Because it isn't safety, it's a cage."

He let out a big breath. "Ava, I'd like you to think about that. Concerning what you just said."

"About a prison?" She spoke in a whisper, and her voice broke.

“Yeah. Consider that. Isn't it worth a big yard with a gold fence to make sure you never have to put your son in a cage?" He hoped that logic would win, but if it didn't, he'd go old school and drag her to Aphelion while she kicked and screamed.

"You jerk," she snarled.

"Am I a jerk because I'm honest, because you don't like what I have to say, or because it's true?" All of his questions were meant to be answered by themselves. Grayson was just trying to buy them both more time. He had to get in touch with his brother.

Grayson knew Kyle would welcome Elijah and Ava with open arms, but it would be hard to convince another powerful wolf pack to work together with his child and the mother of his child living there. But he wanted them to stay safe. Breslin, de la Luna, and Remus all could have agents anywhere.

Aphelion included.

As shown by the fact that Hector Luna broke into Redwood land and almost killed Randi the night before.

His wolf stood up, but he held the animal and his darker, more base side in check.

"I don't know how to make myself more clear. Either you're not paying attention or you don't care what I say. I am afraid of you, Graham. Does that stand out enough for you?"  Again, Ava had her arms crossed over her chest, as if she were giving herself a hug.

"Because of who I am?"

"Because you are a man. You want to rule and be in charge. You're already trying to use me to get what you want."

"Because it's best." He didn't know why she couldn't see how things made sense. She had a lot of knowledge. It made sense to move to Aphelion for safety. One plus one added up to two. In this case, there are three.

"Best for you. I don't think it's a good idea. Why do you get to decide?"

It started to make sense. She had to be afraid. Her ex-husband had used tricks, threats, and violence against her. When it came to men, she didn't trust her own judgment, so her first instinct was to run away. He didn't want her to feel like a rabbit stuck in a corner. She wasn't food; she was someone to honor, love, and care for.

He gave a careless shrug, hoping that it would make everyone feel better.

"Because I didn't have any say for the first five years. You really owe me a lot."

He spoke again when she didn't answer. "I didn't say it had to be tomorrow, so just let me know it's on the table."

"I really want to trust you. I want to think that you're only trying to do what's right and best. For Elijah. And maybe I would if you were Graham Phillips. But you're not. You're Grayson making out with Redwood. When a company gets in your way, you take them down and eat them. You take risks and move quickly with the jet set crowd—"

"I'm so sorry to have to tell you that, but it's all made up for the tabloids and to keep people talking about our scandals instead of the truth about who and what we are. When I was in Santorini, did you see harems of women? I wanted to do nothing but read and eat."

Her head tilted. "Don't try to convince me you're not a thief."

He couldn't help the way his lips curled into a smile. "Oh, I'm a predator for sure. But I'm not an Alpha. I'm just a normal second-string player."

“Bullshit.”

“Maybe.” He nodded. "But don't shut me out. He is also my son. I want to raise him. I'd like to be in his life." If he had assets, it would be easy for him to take her to court and get sole custody. But both man and wolf hated the idea so much that it wasn't even a choice.

"He's our son," he said again and again. "This is something we should do together."

"Can you give us some time?"

"Ava, I don't think we have it. I'll give you as much time as I can, though."

"What's that all about?"

"If you tell me how you knew about the Redwood Secret, I might be able to tell you." He knew that it was time to leave. Anything else at this point would miss the point. "I believe you won't run away from me. I believe you'll give me a fair chance."

"I also believe you won't kill me."