Chapter 2 Daddy？Ran into His Hidden Son

Elara’s POV

After I hung up with Maya, I stayed in the garden for a while before going back inside.

My mind was somewhere else when I reached for the glass on the table. I barely noticed my fingers brushing against it until it slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor.

The crash seemed deafening in the quiet room.

I stared blankly at the broken glass scattered across the floor.

“Elara?”

Damon appeared almost immediately. His eyes moved from the broken glass to my face, and concern flashed across his expression as he hurried toward me.

“Don't move, sweetheart. You might step on something.” He gently guided me away from the mess before crouching to pick up the larger pieces himself.

“Damon, I can do it.”

I reached toward him, but he shook his head and gave me a reassuring smile.

He quickly cleaned up the broken glass, then came back and sat beside me.

“What's wrong?” Taking my hand between his, he asked me with a worried frown. “You've been awfully quiet tonight. Are you feeling okay?”

“I'm fine.” I tried to smile, but even I could tell how unconvincing it looked.

Damon studied my face, clearly unconvinced.

He was still so gentle with me, just like he'd always been. And somehow, that only made it hurt more.

“Honey, talk to me. You’ve been off all night.” He leaned closer, his brows drawing together as he searched my face. “Are you feeling sick?”

Looking at the concern in his eyes, I felt as though someone had pushed a knife straight through my chest.

How could a man be this gentle with me and still betray me?

I once believed Damon was the one person who would never hurt me.

My father had been the Beta of Blackwood Pack, and my mother one of its strongest warriors. They had both died protecting the former Alpha.

After losing them, I had learned early that even the people you thought would always be there could disappear overnight.

Then Damon came into my life. I still remembered the day he took my hand and made me a promise.

He'd held my hand so carefully, looking into my eyes with a seriousness that made me believe every word he said. “I know I can never give you your parents back. But if you stay with me, Elara, I swear I'll never let you down.”

I believed him.

For years, he kept that promise and gave me the best life he could.

When he became Alpha, he made me his Luna and placed me beside him in front of the entire Blackwood Pack.He never made me feel like the orphaned daughter of a dead Beta and warrior.

To Damon, I was simply Elara—his mate, his Luna, and most importantly, his family.

When I lost our first baby, Damon had been the one holding me together. He stayed by my side, comforted me, and held me every night until I fell asleep.

I knew he was even more devastated than I was. He just never let me see it.

But some nights, I would wake to find him sitting alone in the dark, quietly grieving the child we had both wanted so badly.

That was the Damon I knew. The man who promised never to fail me, who gave me everything and grieved our child with me.

And somehow, that same man had another woman and a son old enough to call him Dad.

“Elara?”

Damon's voice pulled me back to the present.

“You did it again.”

“Did what?”

“Went somewhere else.” He reached out and brushed his thumb beneath my eye, wiping away a tear I hadn't even realized had fallen. “Something happened?”

“No.” I quickly lowered my gaze, hoping he wouldn't notice the tears threatening to spill over.

“Then why are you crying?”

“I said I'm fine.” I pulled my hand away and wiped my cheek.

Damon went quiet. For a few seconds, he simply looked at me.

Then, as though suddenly remembering something, “Wait here.” He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before disappearing from the room.

A minute later, he came back carrying a small cake. I recognized it immediately, it was my favorite carrot cake from Maple & Rye Bakery.

Damon set it in front of me with an almost hopeful tone.

“I picked it up for you earlier. I thought you might like a little treat tonight.”

Normally, I would have smiled the second I saw it. Damon knew whenever I was upset, he brought me something sweet.

He cut a small piece and pushed the plate toward me. His expression softened as he encouraged me to eat: “Try it.”

I took one bite. The sweetness spread across my tongue, but something about it tasted different.

The cake I'd loved for years suddenly seemed almost unbearably sweet.

I slowly set down my fork, staring at the half-eaten slice with a strange ache in my chest.

“It's too sweet,” I murmured.

Damon paused, the hopeful smile fading from his face as he glanced between me and the cake. “Too sweet? But sweetheart, you've always loved this cake.”

I looked at him for a moment, remembering how many times he'd brought me this exact cake to cheer me up. I'd always thought it was perfect, just like the man sitting beside me.

“Maybe it's not the same as it used to be.”

A flicker of unease crossed Damon's face. For a moment, he seemed unsure how to respond, but then he smiled again, as though nothing had changed.

“Then we'll find you something else.” Damon reached for my hand, “how about we go out tomorrow?”

“For what?”

“Our bonding anniversary is coming up.” His thumb moved over the back of my hand, “let me buy you something.”

I said nothing. There was too much going through my head to answer.

The next morning, Damon took me shopping. He kept my hand in his as we walked through the luxury shopping district, as though nothing between us had changed.

Maybe for him, nothing had.

We stopped at a jewelry boutique we'd visited before, and the staff recognized us immediately.

“Alpha Blackwood. Luna Blackwood.” One of the associates hurried over, her face lighting up with a welcoming smile. “It's so good to see you both again.”

Damon glanced at me, his expression softening as he slipped an arm around my waist. “Our bonding anniversary is coming up, and I want to get my Luna something special.”

The woman's smile widened. “Of course, Alpha Blackwood. We have some beautiful new pieces I think you'll both love.”

She led us toward the private display area, where another associate brought over several trays of jewelry.

Damon barely glanced at them. Instead, he turned to me with an indulgent smile and said: “Whatever Elara likes.”

The associate nodded before turning to me with an admiring look. “Luna Blackwood, you're very lucky. The Alpha always makes sure everything is exactly to your taste.”

Lucky.

I almost laughed.

“Am I?”

“Absolutely.” She glanced at Damon. “The Alpha never seems to spare any effort when it comes to you.”

Damon smiled and squeezed my hand.

To everyone in the pack, Damon was the perfect Alpha and the perfect mate. I used to believe that too. Now I knew he was just the perfect liar.

The associates kept talking about how good the Alpha was to me and how obvious it was that Damon Blackwood adored his Luna.

I listened quietly.

If they knew this devoted Alpha had spent the past four years hiding another woman and his child from me, would they still think he was perfect?

Before I could finish the thought, the boutique door opened, a woman walked in, holding a little boy’s hand.

I recognized the boy immediately, he was Damon’s hidden son.

Then my eyes moved to the other side of the woman, where a little girl stood holding her other hand.

A little girl?

Before I could make sense of what I was seeing, I felt Damon tense beside me.

The two children spotted him, their faces lighting up. They pulled free from the woman’s hands and ran straight toward him.

“Dad!”

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