CHAPTER 37

CATRIONA

A sound escaped me before I could stop it—half laugh, half sob. It startled even me. My fingers trembled as they smoothed a loose strand of hair from Abriel’s sleeping face.

“At first,” I began softly, my voice breaking, “when I was pregnant, it crossed my mind that she might be yours.” My eyes flicked up to Gabriel’s but dropped quickly. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. It drove me insane. Every moment—your scent, your touch, your voice—it haunted me. I wanted to see you. Smell you. Make love to you again. It wasn’t like me… it was like something in me kept reaching for you.”

My throat tightened. “But when I gave birth, all those thoughts disappeared. I told myself it was just one of those cravings women get when they’re pregnant. A phase.” I paused, drawing in a long breath that shook. “But thinking about it now…” My hand tightened over my son’s small fingers. “It was true.”

I lowered my eyes, trying to gather myself before the tears spilled over. My heart pounded against my ribs like it wanted to break free. “I lost her,” I whispered, voice cracking. “I lost our daughter.”

Gabriel’s head tilted slightly, his jaw clenching so hard I could hear the faint grind of his teeth. He didn’t speak right away, his gaze fixed somewhere beyond me as if swallowing the weight of what I’d just confessed. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and rough, like gravel underfoot.

“Though it’s late,” he said, “though I didn’t get the chance to see her… how she looked…” He stopped, swallowed, then added with a short exhale, “Thank you. For telling me the truth.”

Silence descended, thick and fragile. Only Abriel’s quiet breathing filled the clearing.

I stared down at my son, my heart aching so fiercely it felt like my chest might split open. “The pain of losing three children,” I whispered, my fingers tightening protectively around Abriel. “It nearly killed me. I wanted to… end it all. I thought there was nothing left. But then…” I turned my head slightly to look at the boy curled into me, wiping away a tear with my thumb. “…he came into my life. Like a miracle. Like an angel. He saved me.”

The words lingered between us, raw and unhidden.

Gabriel’s lips parted, but he didn’t speak. His eyes flickered from me to Abriel, something unreadable in them—a quiet storm he wasn’t ready to release.

I glanced sideways at him, the question slipping out before I could stop it. “How have you been, Gabriel?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared at me for a heartbeat, then let out a soft laugh, giving a glimpse of his dimple. The sound was warm, carrying a shadow of the man I remembered.

“Well,” he said, leaning back slightly, “are you asking me about what I’ve been through?”

“No,” I cut him off quickly, shaking my head. “Not that. I mean… It's been over three years. And when we met again—it wasn’t good. Not bad exactly, but… we weren’t the people we used to be. We knew each other in a kind way, but now it feels like…”

“I’ve been good,” he interrupted softly, but there was a bite of irony in his tone. “Doing all kinds of shitty things a man does to forget the woman he loved sincerely.”

My throat went tight. “I thought you found your mate,” I said carefully.

“I thought I did,” Gabriel murmured, his eyes flicking toward the trees. “But she wasn’t the mate destined from the Moon Goddess. It was your guardians’ doing—pushing me to leave you. It looked like they wanted you with Jayden, not me.”

The words hit me like a stone in my chest. My breath caught. “Gabriel… I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

He gave a faint shrug that didn’t hide the weight behind it.

“So… what are your plans now?” I asked quietly. “You don’t plan on coming back into my life?”

He turned to me then, smiling in a way that was both soft and wounding. “Should I?” he asked. “You know I can. Well—even if that’s what I wanted, I can’t. Not now. Not with your guardians returned—they wouldn’t allow it. And on the other hand…” His gaze shifted to where Abriel lay sleeping between us. “…there’s Jayden. And your son. He needs you both. What we had was good, Catriona. It gave me life when I had none. But things can’t go back to how they were. So, let’s just… be friends.”

He paused, then added lightly, “And as for the mate—I have no idea where I’ll find her. Maybe the Moon Goddess has better plans. Like, stumbling at a woman on the road waving at passing cars.”

A blush crept across my cheeks before I could stop it. I knew exactly what he was referring to—the first day we met, when I’d been running from Jayden and his people, desperate and scared, and he’d found me standing by the roadside like a stray soul.

We both laughed quietly at the memory. The sound was bittersweet but real.

“I really hope the Moon Goddess sends you a perfect mate,” I said softly, meaning it.

Gabriel looked at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable, then gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

I drew a shaky breath, words tumbling out before I could swallow them back. “If you want… When we get back to the States, I can give you the picture. Of her. Our daughter. So you can see how she looked.”

Gabriel only gave me a faint nod at my last words, his expression unreadable in the gloom. I held onto that silence, heavy as it was, until a sudden voice broke through the woods—sharp and distant, yet clear.

“Can you hear me?”

Selena.

I startled, clutching Abriel closer against my chest. My throat tightened. “Yes! We hear you!” I shouted into the fog.

Her reply drifted like wind through the trees, strange and hollow. “I can’t hear you. But if you hear me, follow the light. It will guide you back to the outside world.”

As if summoned by her words, a pale blue glow shimmered through the fog, cutting a path between the twisted trunks. It pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat waiting to be followed.

I adjusted Abriel in my arms—still fast asleep—and rose. “Come on,” I whispered. Gabriel stood slowly beside me, his limp pronounced, but his eyes sharp with determination. Together, we stepped toward the light, one careful stride after another, until it swallowed us whole.

The fog tore away.

Before us stretched a clearing, the woods no longer suffocating but open, pale shafts of dawn breaking through tangled branches. The air was crisp, biting against my skin. My heart lurched when a familiar voice cut through the stillness.

“Catriona!”

I spun, my breath catching as Jayden barreled out from the treeline. His face was wild—eyes bloodshot, beard unshaven, desperation clinging to him like a second skin. Before I could move, he was on me, arms wrapping around me so tight I thought my ribs would snap.

“Gods, you’re here,” he rasped, burying his face against my neck. “You’re here.”

Tears pricked my eyes as I clung back. “Jayden…”

He pulled away suddenly, his hands frantic as they touched my face, my shoulders, then Abriel’s small frame in my arms. “Are you hurt? Did they touch you? Did they touch him?”

“We’re fine,” I said softly, shaking my head. “We’re fine. Only…” My eyes darted to Gabriel. “…only Gabriel is hurt.”

Jayden’s gaze followed mine. His whole body stiffened, eyes narrowing on Gabriel’s leg where my bra still cinched tight against the bleeding wound. His face changed in an instant—anger, suspicion, jealousy flickering like a storm across his features.

I leaned close, whispering quickly. “Nothing happened. That was the only thing I had to stop the blood.”

He froze, then exhaled sharply through his nose, forcing his shoulders to drop. For a moment, the tension drained.

“Well,” Selena’s voice cut through, cool as frost. She emerged from the shadows of the clearing, her eyes alight with something unreadable. “You all came out alive.”

Gabriel let out a humorless laugh, his voice rough. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

Her lips thinned. “You’re the reason I hate wolves so much.”

He stepped forward, eyes burning, and growled, “The fuck do I care?”

The witch’s glare turned lethal, a silent war sparking between them. The air itself seemed to tighten, ready to snap.

“Enough,” Jayden bit out, stepping between them. His voice was low but sharp, a leader’s command. “Can we leave now?”

Selena’s eyes slid to him, calculating. “Not until you pay the price for my help. I brought your precious family back. I expect what is owed.”

My stomach dropped. I turned sharply toward Jayden, my eyes wide. “Price?”

Jayden’s jaw clenched. “Can we do this later?”

Her voice cracked like a whip. “No, wolf. Now. It won’t take long.”

I looked between them, my pulse hammering. “What price?”

Her gaze locked on Jayden. "His right eye.”

The world stopped. My gasp tore through the clearing, loud enough to stir Abriel awake. He blinked sleepily, rubbing his eyes as I pulled him closer. “What?” I choked, my voice trembling. “Are you insane?”

Gabriel let out a dark, barking laugh. “I’m heading back to the city,” he muttered, already turning. “I’ve got promises to keep with your little police friend.”

Sandra stepped forward quickly, sensing my panic, and took Abriel gently from my arms. I let him go reluctantly, my hands cold.

“Why his eye?” I demanded, rounding on Selena. “What do you want with his eye?”

But she ignored me, her focus on Jayden. “Step forward.”

Jayden’s hand brushed my arm, steadying me, his eyes softer than I’d seen in days. “I made a deal with her. To bring you and our son back. Don’t worry.” He gave me a tight smile. “She said it won’t hurt.”

I shook my head violently, voice rising. “I get it—but an eye? Jayden, you’ll be blind!”

His hand lingered on mine, warm and certain. “Even if it meant both eyes,” he said quietly, “I’d give them. Just to know you and our son are safe.”

My heart twisted, my breath catching in my throat.

I froze, my whole body rigid as I watched.

Selena didn’t even lift a hand. She only murmured in that language of hers, old and crackling with power. Jayden’s head tilted slightly as though pulled by invisible strings. And then—his right eye shifted, darkened, and with a sudden wrenching twist, it was gone.

No blood. No scream. No wince. Just absence, like it had never belonged to him at all.

My breath shuddered out.

Selena extended her hand, and in her palm appeared a small, black silk patch—the kind blind men wore to cover what had been taken. She pressed it into Jayden’s palm. “This will shield the wound.”

Jayden slid it over calmly, as if nothing had happened, then turned toward me and walked forward steady, unflinching.

My throat closed. My knees felt weak. He still carried himself like the Alpha he was, unbroken, but the sight of him—one eye where two had always been—split me in two. I let out a shaky, unbelieving chuckle.

“Well,” I whispered, my lips trembling, “you look hotter with one eye.”

Jayden’s brow quirked, the corner of his mouth tugging faintly. “Do I?”

“Yes,” I said, a laugh breaking through the tears in my chest. “And I don’t care if you have one eye, or none at all—you’re still my man, the father of my son. And I still love you.”

I stepped into him and hugged him tight, breathing him in, memorizing the solidness of his chest, the strength still there. “Though,” I murmured into him, “I am mad you had to offer your eye.”

He kissed the crown of my head before I pulled back.

“But you know,” I added softly, “the pack will wonder how it happened.”

His lone eye hardened, fierce. “I owe no one an explanation.”

Behind us, Selena’s voice rang sharp and final. “Now get the hell out of my property. And don’t let me ever see you again.”

Jayden didn’t spare her a glance. He strode to Sandra, took Abriel gently from her arms, and adjusted him against his shoulder like nothing had changed. My heart twisted at the sight—our Alpha, our protector, carrying our son with one eye but the same unshaken pride.

We left without another word.

By the time we reached the car, Gabriel was long gone.Time

The drive back to the hotel was quiet, heavy with exhaustion. We needed rest. to repair ourselves. Because soon, we’d have to return to the States.

---

The lobby smelled of polished marble and warm coffee when we stepped back into the hotel. The manager was already there, straightening his tie as though he’d been waiting for us.

“I came to the hospital last night,” he said quickly, voice gentle. “They told me you’d been discharged. I was worried about what happened to your little boy.”

Jayden’s voice was quiet but firm. “He’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

The manager nodded, but his eyes flicked—just once—to Jayden’s face. That single, unspoken question about his missing eye burned in the air between them. Jayden ignored it.

“Breakfast,” he said. “In our room, please.”

“Of course, sir.”

We walked past him but I could still feel the manager’s stare on us, a heavy, puzzled weight at the edge of my vision.

---

Upstairs, the elevator doors slid shut with a sigh. Jayden turned to Sandra, his voice soft but brooking no refusal. “Get some rest. You’ve been through too much yourself.”

Sandra nodded, the dark circles under her eyes deep as bruises.

“See you later, Sandra,” I said.

She gave me a small, tired smile before slipping into her room.

Our suite felt cavernous and strangely quiet when we entered. Abriel clung to me, still drowsy. I drew a warm bath for him, soothing him with gentle words until his small body relaxed. Jayden disappeared into the bigger bathroom, and I could hear the hiss of running water.

We ate breakfast together in silence—eggs gone lukewarm, toast gone brittle—but it was enough. Abriel drifted back to sleep almost before we’d finished. Jayden stretched out beside him, exhaustion pulling at the lines of his face, and I lay down on the other side, curling around my son as the weight of everything pressed me down into the mattress.

Sleep came like a tide.

And in that tide, someone was waiting.

He stood in the middle of a sunlit glade—my guardian, the one whose presence had always brushed the edges of my dreams. His smile was gentle, his eyes carrying an ageless calm.

“Thank you,” he said. “For freeing us.”

I swallowed hard. “Is my son safe now? Will harm still come for him?”

“No harm will touch him,” he replied. “We took care of the one who threatened him. That part of his path is closed.”

Relief loosened something deep in my chest. “Thank you. My son will forever be safe because of you.”

But another question rose, sharp and trembling. “What he told me—was it real? Was I forged for sacrifice?”

His expression grew solemn. He stepped closer, light spilling from his palms like water. “Not forged. Chosen,” he said softly. “Not as a lamb to be offered, but as a key to open what was locked. Every scar you carry, every loss you endured—none were meant as punishment. They were meant to shape the heart that would free us. You were never a sacrifice, child. You were the door.”

Tears burned hot behind my eyes. I reached for him, but he was already fading, his voice echoing like bells struck at a distance.

“Live now,” he whispered. “Live for your boy. Live for yourself.”

I gasped and woke, fingers still reaching into the empty dark of our hotel room, my son’s small heartbeat warm against my palm.

---

Morning spilled through the curtains like a gentle hand pulling us back into the world. I woke up with Abriel pressed against my chest and Jayden’s arm draped protectively over both of us. For a heartbeat, I stayed there—listening to the rhythm of their breathing, the quiet hum of the city outside—and allowed myself to believe it was over.

When Abriel stirred, Jayden was already awake. He kissed my temple, his one eye warm, steady, unashamed. “We need rest, Catriona,” he murmured. “All of us. No rushing back to the States. Not yet.”

And for once, I didn’t argue.

---

Later that day, when the bruises of exhaustion eased a little, we stepped outside the hotel as a family. Vienna opened itself before us—not with threats or shadows, but with music and color. The streets smelled of roasted chestnuts, the air sharp with autumn. Abriel perched on Jayden’s shoulders, pointing at the horse-drawn carriages clattering over cobblestones.

Sandra joined us, her laughter lighter than it had been in days. Even Jayden, scarred and wearied, walked with a kind of calm I hadn’t seen in years.

For the first time, Austria was not a battlefield. It was simply beautiful.

We visited Schönbrunn Palace, its golden façade glowing under a pale sky. Abriel ran through its gardens, chasing pigeons while Jayden and I lingered by the fountain. He reached for my hand, and when I gave it, he squeezed as though anchoring both of us.

Another day, we wandered the narrow streets near St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Gabriel was not with us—he’d kept his word about the officer and disappeared back into the city or back in states, who knows—but I felt his shadow in the music of the cathedral’s bells. Painful, yes, but not bitter. Not anymore.

Abriel tugged us into a café where the scent of chocolate and fresh pastry wrapped around us like comfort itself. He grinned with whipped cream on his nose, and Jayden laughed—a full, unguarded laugh that made strangers smile back at him.

That night, as Abriel slept in the hotel bed between us, I watched Jayden in the lamplight. His profile was sharp, worn, and yet still impossibly strong. He caught me staring and arched a brow.

“What?”

I shook my head softly. “Nothing. Just… after everything, I didn’t think we’d be here. Like this. Together.”

He brushed his thumb across my knuckles. “We survived hell. And we’ll survive whatever comes next. As long as we’re together.”

Austria was no longer the place that had almost broken us. It became a memory of healing, of strange beginnings, of secrets unearthed and a love tested but unbroken.

And when we finally did return to the States, we would not be the same. We would be stronger.