Chapter Three: Shadows of Her Eyes

Pax’s POV

"You're early."

My father's voice pulled me from the doorframe where I'd been standing for a few seconds, watching him buried in paperwork again. Always working. Always the Alpha.

I shrugged and walked into his office, the familiar scent of cedarwood and leather grounding me. “Finished my exam quicker than expected. Got a few hours before the next one.”

He finally looked up at me, and for a second, something flickered in his eyes. The kind of pain you don't mention aloud. I knew what it was. I had her eyes—my mother’s. His mate.

“Glad to hear it,” he said, setting his pen down. “We’re expecting a couple of humans for the summer. Forensic accountant and his son.”

I blinked. “Humans? In the pack?”

He nodded. “Strictly business. One of our primary partners had a breach last quarter, and I’m not taking chances. If someone slipped past our security once, others will try again. And when you’re sitting on the kind of wealth we are, caution becomes survival.”

I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed. “One of the joys of being an Alpha’s kid, huh? Everyone either wants to be you, be near you, or use you.”

He chuckled softly. “Exactly why I never took another Luna. After your mother... they didn’t see me. Just the title.”

“Have you ever thought of trying again?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral.

He paused, eyes distant. “Sometimes. But no one could ever replace her.”

“I don’t expect anyone to,” I said quietly. “But... I think she’d want you to be happy. I’m leaving soon. Alpha training starts next year. You won’t have me around forever, you know.”

A sad smile tugged at his lips. “When did you become the parent here?”

“Probably around the fifth time I found you asleep at your desk with a bottle of whiskey as your pillow,” I teased.

He smirked, but the edges of his face didn’t quite lighten. “I worry more about you, Pax. This responsibility... the weight of an entire pack. It’ll be on your shoulders soon.”

“I’ve been preparing for this my whole life. You made sure of that. But I’ll feel better leaving if I knew you weren’t sitting around here alone, pretending the ghosts don’t talk back.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “You mean Marek?”

“Yeah, well... even your wolf deserves better than endless board meetings and late-night regrets.”

“Watch it, pup,” he warned, though without heat.

“Just saying. Maybe it's time you get out there. Visit other packs. Maybe there’s someone out there you’re meant to meet.”

“And if I did?” he asked. “If I found someone... how would you feel about that?”

I didn’t hesitate. “I'd be glad you weren’t alone.”

He let out a long breath, running his fingers through his beard. “Damn. You really grew up on me, huh?”

“Not my fault you blinked and missed it.”

We shared a brief, bittersweet smile, and then he waved me off. “Go study before I make you earn your keep.”

“Yes, Alpha,” I mock-saluted, backing out of the room.

Kairos’s POV

The moment Pax’s footsteps faded, the office seemed colder.

I leaned back in my chair, letting my eyes settle on the quiet. My son was right. He always saw more than I gave him credit for.

“You should listen to him,” Marek said in my mind, his voice laced with something softer than usual. “He’s not wrong.”

I rubbed my temples. “It’s not that simple.”

“Lyra’s gone, Kairos. She would’ve wanted us to move forward. She died giving us our future. Don’t you think she’d want you to live it?”

My throat tightened.

“She didn’t tell me the truth,” I said bitterly. “She hid the risks of the pregnancy. Said she was strong enough. She made that choice without me.”

“She made it for you. For us.”

I stood abruptly, walking over to the window. The training grounds below were filled with warriors in motion. Powerful. Loyal. Built on blood, sweat, and sacrifice. All things I’d poured into them to avoid facing the emptiness in this room.

“She should’ve let us adopt. We talked about it once. I never would’ve let her take that chance.”

“You didn’t get to choose,” Marek whispered. “But you did get a son. And she’d want you to keep living, not just existing.”

I sighed, resting my forehead against the glass. Pax’s words echoed louder now that I was alone.

“I don’t want to see you as a lonely old man.”

I wanted to argue. Wanted to say I’d already had my love story, that no one else would ever measure up.

But maybe that wasn’t the point.

Maybe it wasn’t about finding someone new to replace Lyra.

Maybe it was about not dying with her.

“Kairos Aspen,” I murmured to my reflection in the glass. “Alpha. Father. Still human.”

I turned away from the window.

It was time to meet the humans who would be staying in my territory.

And something told me… one of them was going to turn my world upside down.