Chapter 3

Foster’ POV

“Still going with the same kind of roses, Alpha Foster?”

The florist tied the bouquet with practiced ease, smiling as she teased,

“You and Luna Summer must really be in love.”

I smiled faintly and didn’t bother explaining.

After getting into the car, I turned on the radio. By chance, a light jazz tune was playing—an old classic with a modern twist, laid-back and breezy. I started the engine, fingers tapping the rhythm on the steering wheel, humming along without caring that I was off-key.

I glanced at the bouquet on the passenger seat, the banana muffins Moore loved sitting beside it, and then at the pair of limited-edition sneakers in the back seat—something I had pulled every string to get.

The corners of my mouth lifted again.

Today’s surprise—he’s going to love it.

We’d have dinner together later. I’d picked that little Italian bistro downtown—kind of dated, but authentic. Suzanna would like it.

Tomorrow, they’d officially move into the Alpha House.

Just the thought of it made me smile again, my fingertips tapping against the steering wheel.

Finally, I could bring them home—for real.

No more driving back and forth between Suzanna’s apartment and the Alpha House.

No more going to sleep every night with a heavy heart, wondering if they were safe, if Moore was having nightmares again.

Especially Moore…

He’s been through enough.

I still remember the way he curled up in the corner of the sofa, body trembling, crying in his sleep,

“Don’t hit me, please don’t hit me…”

He’s just a little kid. He shouldn’t have to know that kind of fear.

But now, things are going to get better.

—Until that voice crashed in.

“You really think this is fair to Summer?”

Aksher’s voice exploded in my head without warning—deep and cold, like a bucket of ice water dousing every piece of the dream I had just built.

My brows furrowed, irritation creeping into my voice.

“What now?”

“How could you—” Aksher’s voice suddenly spiked, his rage boiling from the depths of our shared consciousness.

“She’s our mate, Foster! How can you smile like nothing happened after everything you’ve done to her?!”

“I didn’t—” I gritted my teeth. “You heard what I said. I talked to her. She agreed.”

“Did she, though?”

Aksher let out a bitter laugh, his voice sharp as a blade.

“That wasn’t a conversation, that was an announcement. You didn’t even tell her—Suzanna and the kid already returned to the pack.”

My fingers stiffened, the tapping on the wheel coming to a halt.

The knuckles gripping the wheel turned white, and the air inside the car suddenly felt heavy—like something lodged in my chest, pressing down until I couldn’t breathe.

“I just… hadn’t found the right moment,” I said quietly, all the certainty from earlier drained from my voice.

“Or maybe you just didn’t have the guts to tell her?” Aksher shot back, merciless.

“Enough.”

I growled, eyes locked on the road ahead, the car beginning to slow without me realizing it.

Because I knew he was right.

I hadn’t told her.

Because I was afraid.

Because I knew—once Summer found out the truth, she might never look back at me again.

But—

“…I just feel like I owe Suzanna too much,” I muttered, my voice low and heavy.

If I hadn’t been such a useless Alpha back then…

If I had had the strength to protect her…

She wouldn’t have had to flee the country.

She wouldn’t have been forced to marry that bastard.

She wouldn’t have come back with a child who was half-blind.

What I owe her isn’t just an apology.

It’s an entire ruined life.

But Aksher Akshay sounded like he’d finally snapped. His voice roared in my mind, shaking with rage:

“And why the hell should Summer have to pay the price for your guilt?!

Because of you, our mate lost a kidney. Her wolf is dormant.

And Felix—

Felix being born as your pup is the worst damn luck of his life!”

I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt.

“That’s enough. Stop talking.”

I growled the words out, one by one, voice low and dangerous.

Then—I cut the mental link.

I sat in the driver’s seat, chest heaving, like I’d just been dragged out of deep water, lungs full of ice.

The wind blew through the half-open window, bitter cold, lashing against my face like a whip.

I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to my forehead, sucking in a deep breath, trying to shove all the chaos back where it came from.

Just then, my phone lit up.

Suzanna’s name glowed on the screen.

I stared at it for a few seconds, my fingertip trembling ever so slightly.

Then I answered, adjusting my voice to sound as calm as possible.

“Hello?”

Her voice came through, soft as always.

“Alpha Foster, are you almost here? We’re already waiting outside.”

My lips pulled into a smile—a practiced one—as if nothing had happened at all.

“Just around the corner.”

Suzanna and Moore…

They’re my real family.