Chapter 06

Chapter 06

CALISTA.

It'd been five years since I escaped the Pack.

I gave birth to my daughter alone after leaving. The birth was difficult, and during that period, my dormant wolf finally awakened, giving me my first shift.

My wolf's awakening transformed me completely. I was no longer the frail, sickly-looking Omega I had once been.

I was now stronger, healthier, strikingly beautiful, and carried myself with confidence.

The first few years were difficult because I had to raise an infant without anyone's help. My daughter had always been weaker than other children, and I had spent countless nights watching over her whenever she fell sick.

I endured those hardships for my daughter and gradually built a completely new life.

Five years.

Five years since I walked away from the only home I had ever known.

I had survived.

More importantly, my daughter survived.

I now lived under a different name and had built an entirely new life for myself.

I built a successful trading company connecting the human and werewolf worlds. Over the years, it has grown into one of the largest in the industry.

I was now its CEO.

I sat in my office, reviewing documents on my desk when a knock came at the door.

"Come in," I said without looking up.

My secretary walked in.

"The human suppliers are asking for another week before they can complete the shipment."

I barely looked up from the documents in front of me.

"Give them three days."

"Three days? They said they need at least a week."

"Then find another supplier."

She froze for a beat, realizing I was serious before leaving to handle it.

Soon enough, she was back in my office again.

"I'm not changing my mind about the shipment," I said before she could speak.

She shook her head. "No ma'am. They're here again."

My hand paused over the document.

"Who?"

"Representatives from Blackthorn Pack."

My expression cooled at once.

"Tell them I'm not interested," I said, my fingers curling.

My secretary, Annabelle, insisted. "They've brought another proposal. It's apparently a very large trade agreement."

"It doesn't matter."

"But this could be extremely profitable for the company."

I finally looked up.

"I said no."

Annabelle hesitated, confused by how strongly I always seemed to react to the name.

I never bothered to explain the real reason.

She didn't need to know. No one did.

I had spent five years keeping my new identity separate from Kieran and his pack. I didn't want revenge. I didn't want an apology. I didn't want his regret or his love.

I only wanted peace.

More importantly, I wanted my daughter to remain a secret.

I had finally built a life without Kieran. I wouldn't let him take that away from us

I watched Annabelle leave before finally releasing the sigh that sat at the tip of my tongue.

Memories I had tried really hard to bury for five years came flooding through and I could barely piece them together.

They came in head-splitting fragments.

I exhaled hard, dropping my hands on the desk and curling them together.

I was going to continue refusing every proposal from his pack.

I couldn't afford him finding out about us.

Just as I brushed the thoughts aside, my phone rang out.

My heart nearly stopped when I saw the caller's ID.

It was rarely good news whenever he called.

"Hello, Doctor. Is something wrong?" I asked, picking up the call at once.

There was a brief silence on the other end and I grew uneasy.

"You need to come to the hospital."

My expression tightened.

"What happened to my daughter?"

"Her fever has risen again. We need to run some additional tests."

I immediately stood.

"I'm on my way."

I walked out of my office without hesitation.

When I arrived at the hospital, my chest tightened uncomfortably.

My daughter lay weakly on the bed, burning with fever.

I rushed to her bedside, and pulled her into my arms.

She was conscious but exhausted.

I looked up at the doctor, visibly affected.

"What's wrong with her?"

Dr. Alaric, the doctor who cared for my daughter since we came to this new world, looked at the results again before answering.

"Your daughter has a rare werewolf illness."

My face paled.

"A werewolf illness?"

I had expected it to be another fever like the ones my daughter had suffered since birth.

This diagnosis was completely unexpected. It felt like a punch to the guy.

My breathing rose unsteadily.

"Yes. It's uncommon, and we still need more tests to understand exactly what is causing it."

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked, my voice unsteady with desperation.

Dr. Alaric hesitated.

"We're going to do everything we can. But we need to monitor her closely."

I looked down at my daughter, a strong urge to protect her more flaring in.

My fingers tightened as dreadful thoughts filled my head.

Because I knew...

The possibility that my daughter's condition could be connected to her parents made me think about him.

Kieran could never know about her.

Whatever happened to me was one thing. I would never risk my daughter.

I remained beside my daughter until her exhaustion wore thin.

She turned to me, voice thin. "Mom, I want ice cream," Elara whispered.

I sighed and brushed her hair gently away from her face.

"You cannot have ice cream, Elara. You're sick," I spoke gently, a contrast to the dreadful feeling that filled me at the thoughts that I couldn't get my daughter what she wanted.

Elara shook her head, insisting. "No, Mommy. I want ice cream," she whined, giving me a pair of weak puppy eyes. "Just a little."

The pleading look in her eyes weakened my resolve.

"Fine. I'll get you some."

She finally smiled.

"And next time, I want a bunny."

"A bunny?"

She nodded. "A stuffed bunny. A big one."

I smiled despite myself.

"All right. I'll get you one too," I said, patting down gently on her hair.

I eventually left the room to get the ice cream.

I entered the hospital elevator, thinking about my daughter and the promise I just made.

The elevator doors opened on another floor.

Someone stepped inside.

I didn't pay attention at first.

Then I looked up.

My breath caught.

Kieran.

My entire body froze.

After five years of making sure our paths would never cross again, the man I had spent years running from was suddenly standing right in front of me.