THE HAUNTING PAST

Aurelia's point of view

The harsh white light of the pack hospital felt like it was burning my eyes as I slowly blinked awake. My head throbbed, every breath a reminder of the pain that lingered deep inside me. For a moment, the sterile smell and humming quietness confused me, where was I? The fear, the trial, the branding. They all danced at the edges of my memory, sharp and cruel.

A soft voice cut through the haze. “Ms. Aurelia, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

I turned my head slowly, every movement sending a sharp pang through my ribs. A woman in a healer’s robe stood by my bedside, eyes gentle but lined with concern.

“Kael and Sera… are they safe?” I whispered, my throat raw and brittle.

“They’re fine,” she replied with a faint smile. “And Lilian is safe too. She’s been helping us look after the little ones.”

Relief rushed through me like a crashing tide, stealing my breath and replacing it with tears I hadn’t expected. My fingers twitched, desperate to reach for my children.

I tried to sit up, urgency pounding in my chest, but firm hands pressed gently against my shoulder.

“Please don’t move yet,” the healer said, her tone soft but firm. “Your body needs rest. The birth was difficult, especially without your mate. But more importantly... one of the twins, your son, Kael, is unwell.”

My heart clenched. “What do you mean unwell? What happened?”

“He has a rare condition, common in pups born without the stabilizing presence of their father’s energy. It’s not life-threatening yet, but if the paternal aura doesn’t stabilize him soon... it could become serious. The bond between fated mates can help heal and align a newborn’s energy. Without that, his wolf side may never fully emerge.”

I blinked at her, stunned. “There has to be something else we can do. Potions, medicines, anything.”

She shook her head. “This isn’t something we can treat with herbs or spells. He needs his father’s presence. It’s the only way to restore balance in him.”

I turned my face away. The ache in my heart sharpened. My mate. Silas.

No. I couldn’t think of him. Not now.

The air shifted, humming with an energy I recognized before my eyes even found him. A current that unsettled and calmed me all at once.

He was there.

Silas.

He stepped into the room, tall and broad-shouldered, the commanding presence of an alpha cloaking every movement. His eyes, storm-grey and unreadable, locked onto mine. Gone was the warm gaze I remembered from a lifetime ago. What I saw now was caution. Resentment. And something beneath it all that he hadn’t managed to bury yet.

Without a word, he moved closer, pausing at my bedside. The tension in his jaw was unmistakable.

“He’s… he’s not well,” I said, forcing the words out. “Kael needs, he needs you.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “That’s what the healer said.” His tone was clipped, emotionless, as if speaking to a stranger. “So I stayed.”

I looked away, shame burning through me. “You didn’t have to. I would’ve figured something out.”

“You clearly didn’t.” He folded his arms. “So here I am.”

I flinched, not from the bite in his voice, but from the truth in it. This wasn’t a reunion. This wasn’t love. This was necessity, and I was powerless to refuse it.

Silas stepped closer to Kael’s bed beside my bed. As he placed his palm gently on our son’s tiny chest, the reaction was instant.

A soft pulse of warmth shimmered in the air. Kael stirred, no longer restless, the tension in his tiny frame releasing all at once. He let out a faint, peaceful sigh.

The healer smiled in astonishment. “That’s exactly what he needed. His vitals are stabilizing already.”

I couldn’t look away. The image burned into my soul. Silas, so effortlessly steady, and Kael, responding to him like a moth to flame. The bond between father and son... unshakable. And yet the space between Silas and me had never felt wider.

“Now that he’s stable,” I said quietly, “you can go.”

He turned his head slowly, eyes narrowing again. “You think I’d just leave after that? I’m not heartless, Aurelia. I’m taking both of them with me.”

My body froze. “What?”

“You’re not in a state to care for two toddlers, especially not with what you’ve been through. You’ll come with them, of course,” he added, as if it were an afterthought. “The pack has the resources. You don’t.”

The decision wasn’t framed as a choice.

I clenched the bedsheets in my fists. “You want me to come back to your pack? After everything?”

His jaw tightened. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for them. Don’t confuse the two.”

“I don’t need your pity,” I spat back, the bitterness rising in my throat.

Silas didn’t flinch. “And I don’t owe you compassion.”

I looked away, my eyes burning. “Then why are you here?”

He was silent for a long moment before speaking again. “Because one of them looks exactly like me.”

His voice was low, and it cut through my chest like glass. I turned to him, struggling to breathe. So he had seen it too. The undeniable truth that Kael was his.

“You think I lied to you?” I whispered, voice shaking.

“I think you kept secrets,” he replied coldly. “And I want answers.”

“I already told you… it’s not what you think.”

“Then explain it.” His tone was harsh, but his gaze flickered.

I shook my head, exhausted. “I can’t. Not now.”

He didn’t push further. Perhaps he knew I was on the edge of breaking again. Perhaps he didn’t care. Either way, he stepped back.

“You’ll be discharged soon. I’ve already arranged for transport. You’re coming back to Blackfang pack whether you like it or not.”

I closed my eyes, helpless against the tears that slipped down my cheeks. For my children, I had no choice.

He left without another word, leaving the door open behind him.

I turned my head toward the bed and watched my son sleeping peacefully, unaware of the war raging between his parents.

For him, I would return.

Even if it meant walking straight into the shadows I had once barely escaped.