Chapter 8: Pre–Conference

Aria's POV.

I didn’t sleep all night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Kyril’s face. I heard his voice saying “sign the papers” in that cold, emotionless tone. I remembered every moment of pain, every night I cried myself to sleep.

And now he was coming here.

He knew about the twins.

By 5 AM, I gave up on sleep and went to the kitchen to make coffee. My hands were still shaking as I poured the water into the machine.

What was I going to do? Run again? I had built a life here. The twins had friends, a school, stability. I couldn’t just uproot them because of him.

But what if he tried to take them?

He was an Alpha. He had power, resources, lawyers. I was nobody. Just a hybrid with a small business and a fake name.

"You’re up early."

I jumped and turned to see Maya standing in the doorway. She had a key to my apartment for emergencies.

"Jesus, Maya. You scared me."

"Sorry." She came in and saw my face. "Okay, what happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

I told her everything. About Marcus’s call. About Kyril knowing. About the conference.

Maya listened silently, her expression growing darker with each word.

When I finished, she said, "That bastard."

"Which one?"

"All of them. But mostly Kyril." She started pacing. "Okay. We need a plan. First, we’re moving up your meeting with Lucian Frost."

"What? Why?"

"Because if you’re officially working for Frostpeak Pack when Kyril shows up, you’ll have Alpha protection. Pack law says he can’t touch you without starting a diplomatic incident."

I blinked. "That’s… actually smart."

"I know. That’s why you keep me around." She pulled out her phone. "I’m calling Lucian right now. We’ll set up the meeting for today if possible."

"Maya, it’s 5 AM—"

"Alphas don’t sleep much. He’ll answer." She dialed and put it on speaker.

It rang three times before a sleepy voice answered. "This better be important."

"Mr. Frost, it’s Maya Heng from Lunar Designs. I’m sorry to call so early, but we need to move up the meeting. Today, if possible. It’s urgent."

There was a pause. "Is Aria alright?"

The concern in his voice surprised me.

"I’m fine," I said quickly. "It’s just… a complicated situation. I need to finalize our agreement quickly."

Another pause. "I can be there by noon. But Aria, if you’re in trouble—"

"I’m not. I just need to make some things official. For legal reasons."

"Alright. I’ll see you at noon."

He hung up, and Maya grinned at me. "See? Told you he likes you."

"This isn’t about him liking me. This is about protecting my children."

"Can’t it be both?" She winked, but then her expression turned serious. "Listen, Aria. You need to tell the twins something. They’re going to ask questions when all this comes out."

My stomach twisted. "I know. But what do I say? ‘Your father is a powerful Alpha who didn’t want us, but now he might come and disrupt everything’?"

"Maybe start with something simpler. Like, ‘Your father didn’t know about you, and things are complicated.’"

"They’re five, Maya."

"Five-year-olds are smarter than you think."

I knew she was right. But I wasn’t ready. I’d never be ready to see the hurt in their eyes when they realized their father threw us away.

By the time Lucian arrived at noon, I’d rehearsed what I was going to say a hundred times.

He walked in looking concerned, and it struck me again how different he was from Kyril. Where Kyril had been cold and distant, Lucian was warm and present. Where Kyril never asked how I was, Lucian made it his first question.

"Are you okay?" he asked as soon as he stepped through the door. "Your call this morning worried me."

"I’m fine. Thank you for coming on such short notice." I gestured to the meeting room. "Can we talk privately?"

He nodded, and we left Maya in the main office.

Once the door was closed, I took a deep breath.

"I need to be honest with you about something before we finalize any agreements."

"Okay." He sat and gave me his full attention.

"I’m not who my paperwork says I am. Well, I am now, but I wasn’t always." This was coming out wrong. "Five years ago, I left my pack. Changed my identity. Started over."

"Did you hurt someone?" he asked calmly.

"What? No!"

"Then whatever you’re running from, I don’t care about your past. I care about who you are now."

"My ex-husband is an Alpha. A powerful one. He’s coming to Silvermoon next week for a conference." I forced myself to meet his eyes. "He knows about my children now. His children. And I’m afraid he’s going to try to take them from me."

Lucian’s expression didn’t change, but something flashed in his ice-blue eyes.

"Does he have legal custody?"

"No. He signed away his rights when we divorced. He didn’t even know I was pregnant when I left."

"Then he has no claim. Not legally, and not by pack law."

"But he’s an Alpha—"

"So am I." Lucian leaned forward. "Aria, if you accept my offer and work for Frostpeak Pack, you’ll be under my protection. That means no other Alpha can touch you or your children without my permission. Not even…" He paused. "Who is he?"

I hesitated. But if I was trusting Lucian with this, I needed to tell him everything.

"Kyril Grant."

Lucian’s eyebrows rose. "The Grant Alpha? I know him. We’ve done business together."

My heart sank. "Then this is a conflict of interest. I understand if you want to withdraw your offer…"

"I’m not withdrawing anything." His voice was firm. "Kyril and I are business associates, not friends. And what he did—rejecting his pregnant mate—is dishonorable. If anything, this makes me more determined to help you."

"Why?" I asked softly. "Why would you risk a business relationship for someone you just met?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Because I lost my mate five years ago. To illness. I’d give anything to have her back, to have had children with her." His voice was rough with old pain. "And Kyril had that. He had you, had the chance at a family, and he threw it away. That kind of waste… it offends me."

There was genuine anger in his voice, and something else. Loneliness.

"I’m sorry about your mate," I said.

"Thank you." He cleared his throat. "So. Do we have a deal? You work for Frostpeak, I provide protection and support, and we both benefit professionally?"

"Yes. But I need to be clear—this is just business. I’m not looking for… anything else."

"Understood. Though I hope we can at least be friends?"

I smiled despite everything. "I’d like that."

We shook hands, and I felt a weight lift off my chest.

At least now I had an Alpha’s protection. That had to count for something.

Right?