STACY I can barely taste the food in front of me because the moment Daniel said my father isn’t well and that he collapsed a few weeks ago, my world tilted sideways and my appetite vanished. Now I’m just pushing grilled chicken around my plate, pretending I’m still present. Across from me, Liam is smiling, already halfway through his meal. He’s telling Daniel all about some butterfly at the cabin, gesturing with greasy fingers and shining eyes. Daniel listens closely, laughing in the right places, ruffling Liam’s curls like he’s done it a thousand times. Liam naturally leans into the touch and then I suddenly see a father figure I tried so hard to keep at arm’s length from Liam's life. Daniel might be Liam's biological father but he is the one my son has needed all along. Daniel glances at me and I quickly look away too fast. But the damage is done. The butterflies I buried this morning with the last flower on Vivienne’s grave start to stir. What a day to come undone
DANIEL I can’t believe she’s standing in front of me after six years of silence, unanswered visits and six years of showing up at that damned forest cabin only to be told she wasn’t around… here she is. Same eyes. Same voice. Same beautiful woman I’ve been trying and failing to move on from. My chest feels too tight. Not from anger. Just… relief and a pinch of resentment I’ve buried for too long. She gives me a cautious little “hi,” like it hasn’t been six whole years. That word sticks in my ears like an insult. “Hi?” I repeat quietly, stepping forward while my packmates hesitantly disperse. “That’s all I get? After six years of avoidance?” Her lips part slightly and guilt flits through her expression, then something softer. “I haven't been avoiding you," she stutters nervously, " I told you it was okay to visit,” she says carefully. I huff, tilting my head. “Yeah. And every time I did, Vivienne told me you were either busy or weren’t there.” Stacy flinches sligh
STACY. “Liam,” I murmur with a soft chuckle, shaking my head at his boldness. “Where do you even get these ideas?” He shrugs in that casual, unbothered way of his. “From you and grandma since you are always talking about Alpha Daniel everytime she calls you on the phone. But you like Uncle Daniel, don’t you?” "What? No..." I shoot him a look with one eyebrow raised. A soft frown tugs at his lips, making him look unintentionally adorable. “Then why do you and grandma always talk about him.” I sigh deeply because I can't deflect from his never ending questions, “Well, that’s because he’s a good Alpha,” I say. “And he’s family to your grandparents in many ways. But that doesn’t mean I want to be anyone’s Luna.” “Why not?” Liam pouts. “It is not such a bad idea and—” “Liam,” I interrupt gently, keeping my voice calm. “Do you know how much trouble you already are? I don’t have space in my life for anyone else.” He laughs like I just told the best joke. “I’m not that much
STACY (Six Years Later...) I press the last of the soil down with my palm. It’s cold, and damp from last night’s rain, and it clings to my fingers like it’s not ready to let go. Neither am I. I sigh softly, my eyes fixed on the simple grave I managed to make with my own hands. It's just a flat patch of earth nestled beneath an old mulberry tree, marked only by a circle of smooth river stones. There’s no name carved into wood, and no traditional howling ceremony because I know she wouldn’t have wanted the fuss... So it's just Liam and me, standing in the quiet she left behind. I pull my black shawl tighter around my aching shoulders—sore from digging alone—then brush my knuckles across my cheekbone before Liam notices I’ve been crying again. He’s standing beside me, holding the little bunch of forget-me-nots he insisted on picking this morning. His curls are tousled, and his cheeks pink from the cold. He is six now, and already wiser than most adults I have met. “She’
STACY. I didn’t sleep much after Daniel left. How could I? He stood at my door, three in the morning still in his suit looking devastatingly handsome as I remember with his intoxicating scent stirring memories I’ve buried too deep for too long.... But I must admit that I hadn’t seen that look on his face since before the world fell apart between us. Desperate. Determined. Like he’d tear the world apart just to find me. And he did, obviously thanks to my mom I told about my whereabouts when she called the rogue healer whose name is Vivienne Hook. Daniel said he called off his mating ceremony to Natasha for me. And part of me wanted to believe every word and let the past dissolve like morning mist. But I can’t for three main reasons... 1. Not when my heart still bears Jason’s betrayal like a wound that never truly healed. 2. Not when I have a son who deserves peace more than another emotional war. And lastly not when I’m still wolfless—barely even myself. So I said no
JASON. “Which room have you placed Nicole?” I storm into the pack hospital, my heart pounding in my chest, barely able to contain the storm of rage building inside me as I ask one of the nurses at the entrance. She bows her head to show submissiveness, “She is in suite 03,” she responds immediately. I walk past her to the said room. The sterile smell of disinfectant does nothing to calm me as I head straight for Nicole’s room. She’s been manipulating me, feeding me that damn love potion, and now it’s time for her to face my wrath. I push the door open with more force than I intend, finding her sitting up in bed, looking as serene as ever. But I know better. "My love_" she starts to speak but I cut her off. “Nicole,” I growl, my voice low and dangerous, “we need to talk.” She glances up, her face painted with that fake innocence I’ve grown to hate. “My love? What’s wrong?” I step closer, the fury burning hot behind my eyes. “Don’t play dumb with me. I know about the