Chapter 1

Ethan's hand stayed where Owen had left it, his fingers still curled around nothing. He hadn't expected those words from our son.

I'd spent six days teaching Owen to say Alpha Ethan instead of Dad. Each time I reminded him, he'd repeat it reluctantly.

Now, without looking at me for permission, he had.

He lifted his chin, all seven years of him, and spoke clearly.

Only the grip of his other hand gave him away; his fingers were digging into mine.

“Come on, Mom. Let's go inside.” He tugged me toward the turnstiles.

People were screaming on the roller coaster beyond the gates. Yesterday, he'd been too excited to sleep. Now he didn't even look up.

Ethan had planned this trip to make up for missing the school play.

Owen had waited backstage in his costume until the very last minute.

While his teacher straightened his collar, he'd asked whether they could start just two minutes late. His dad had promised he'd be there.

Ethan never came.

Brooke's new car had broken down on the highway, so he'd picked her and Mason up. Then he'd stayed to take them out to dinner.

Owen had kept these amusement park passes on his nightstand for two days. He'd checked them before bed, as if the date might change while he slept.

Looking at his tight little face now, I remembered the photograph that had finally made me stop making excuses.

Brooke had posted it that evening: a souvenir photograph taken inside a Ferris wheel cabin. She sat beside Ethan with Mason in her lap, and Ethan had an arm stretched across the boy. Mason wore a paper crown from the park. City lights filled the glass behind them. Anyone could've mistaken it for a family picture.

Underneath, she'd written:

[Some wishes just need the right person to make them come true.]

I'd asked Ethan to take me there more than once.

There was an old story in our pack that mates who kissed at the top would stay together forever.

I knew a Ferris wheel couldn't promise me anything. I'd still wanted to go with him.

“Claire, I don't have two hours to stand in line just to prove I love you,” he'd always said.

Apparently, he did have the time.

When Ethan walked in, I held out my phone with Brooke's post still on the screen.

He glanced at it and frowned before I'd said a word.

“What now? Mason's afraid of heights. Brooke couldn't hold him on her own. I went around with them once.”

He tossed his coat over a chair. “She lost her mate, Claire. I'm the Alpha. Looking after a fallen warrior's family is part of the job. Can you try to understand that for once?”

I glanced toward the doorway. Owen stood there holding his homework, his shoulders hunched. At Ethan's raised voice, he tightened his grip on the pages.

“Mom... is Dad angry with us?”

I set my phone down and crossed the room to him. “You haven't done anything wrong, sweetheart.”

Ethan opened his mouth, but his phone vibrated. He checked the screen and took the call into his study.

I didn't follow. Owen stayed stiff in my arms long after the door closed. His homework was trapped between us, the pages bending against my shoulder.

I loosened my hold enough to take it from him, but he wouldn't let go of my shirt. He was still waiting to find out if we'd fight.

I'd never believed Ethan was in love with Brooke.

He simply thought Owen and I had enough. We could give up a little more, wait a little longer. We weren't the ones who needed him right this second.

I rubbed Owen's back until he finally relaxed. I wasn't going to put him through this again.

That evening, I slipped the agreement to dissolve our mate bond into the stack of documents Ethan needed to sign. He was arranging a tow for Brooke's car when he reached the signature page.

“What's this one?”

“Living arrangements and custody. You should read it.”

“Whatever you think is best.” He held his phone between his ear and shoulder, signed, and pushed the pen back. “You handle things at home.”

The following day, I took the paperwork to Elder Graham. Ethan's consent for Owen to leave the pack with me was in there, too.

Graham checked the signatures twice before he looked up. “You have seven days to withdraw this. After that, I'll dissolve the bond as you've both agreed and approve your release from Cedar Ridge.”

“Please go ahead.”

He studied me for a moment, then closed the folder. He didn't ask me to give Ethan another chance.

Today was day six.

I'd thought I was ready, but Owen's hand was trembling in mine.

Watching my son give up on his father hurt worse than doing it myself.

“Wait.” Ethan caught up with us. “Owen, why did you just call me—”

His phone rang again. He answered, and Brooke's shaky voice carried clearly enough for both of us to hear.

“The doctor wants to keep him for observation. He keeps asking for you, Ethan. I can't get him to settle down.”

Ethan stopped two steps away from us. “I'm on my way.”

He ended the call, looked at Owen, and half reached for him. Then his hand dropped. “We'll talk tonight, okay, Claire?”

I hadn't answered before he turned toward the parking lot. Owen watched until the car disappeared, then finally lowered his head.

I crouched to wipe his cheeks. Before I could, he touched my face, trying to smile through his tears. “Don't be sad, Mom. I can look after you when he's not here.”

I pulled him against me and waited until I could trust my voice. “You don't have to look after me. You just get to be a kid, sweetheart. I'll take care of you.”