{7.} I’m Back To Ruin Y’all.💀

RHYS’ POV.

“Grandma! Grandpa!”

I propped the phone against a stack of files on my desk as Remus grinned at the screen.

“Guess what! Dad’s new office looks so cool! There’s a big window and a soft chair and…” He gasped, leaning closer to the camera. “There’s a candy jar!”

Elara laughed through the speaker. “Just one piece, sweetheart. Don’t spoil your appetite.”

“I know.” Remus nodded eagerly. “Grandpa, guess what else. There’s a park right outside!”

“That’s good to know,” Riven said, his gruff voice softening.

“Enjoy yourself,” Elara added. “You won’t miss home too much.”

Remus’ smile faded slightly. “Can you visit us? I miss you guys already.”

“Of course we will,” Riven promised. “Soon.”

Remus brightened almost immediately. “Grandma, do you think Rowan would have liked the office too?”

The room fell silent.

Elara’s smile remained, but I noticed the sadness that briefly crossed her eyes.

“I think he would have loved the candy jar most of all,” she answered gently.

Remus nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

I reached for the phone. “Remus, say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa. We need to get ready before my first appointment.”

“Bye! Love you!”

“Love you too, sweetheart,” Elara replied.

I ended the call and placed the phone on the desk before looking at my son.

“Ready?”

He nodded.

I rose and turned on the air conditioner before catching my reflection in the mirror.

The man staring back at me looked nothing like the boy who had once been called Moonless.

My blue eyes were sharper now, my short blond curls carefully styled, and my shoulders were broader than they had been six years ago. I had gained a little weight, too, filling out the lean body I once had.

Moonless had spent years making himself small.

Rhys had learned to take up exactly as much space as he needed.

It had taken years to build this identity, and I intended to keep it.

I returned to my desk and glanced at the morning schedule. I flipped through the pages until I reached the second name.

Patient: Alpha King Brayden Draven.

Referred by: Dr. Ash, Royal Physician.

Transferred from: Dr. Agastya.

Session: Weekly—Mandated.

My pulse jumped.

Of all the patients I could have received on my first day, it had to be him.

I know returning to Crownfang would eventually put Brayden and me in the same place. That had been part of my plan from the beginning. I just hadn’t expected it to happen this quickly.

I slowly closed the folder and forced myself to breathe.

Brayden wouldn’t recognize me.

No one who knew Moonless would recognize Rhys.

I had made sure of that.

“Dr. Melbourne?”

A female voice called from outside.

I looked toward the door and saw a woman standing beyond the glass. I straightened my shirt and welcomed her inside.

“Come in.”

“Remus,” I whispered, “go sit at the reception. I need to see this patient privately.”

“Okay,” he said. “But can I take the ball?”

Very naughty boy.

He had forcefully brought the ball along to the office even when I didn’t.

I nodded my head in approval.

My first session lasted about thirty minutes. When it ended, I walked my patient to the reception before turning toward the chair where Remus was meant to be seated.

It was empty.

My heart dropped.

“Remus?”

I searched the reception area, then turned toward the receptionist.

“Have you seen my son?”

She looked around and immediately stood.

“He was right here.”

My stomach tightened.

“What about the washroom?”

“We should check.”

I rushed toward the men’s washroom and pushed the door open. Two men stood near the sinks, while another was using one of the urinals.

My eyes moved across the room.

Nothing.

“Has anyone seen my son?” I asked, my breathing becoming heavier. “Small, dark hair, icy-gray eyes. He might be carrying a ball.”

They both shook their heads.

Fuck. Where did he go?

A terrifying thought crossed my mind, and I froze.

No. No one knows I’m back under a new identity. Stop thinking what you’re thinking.

I immediately ran out.

The receptionist hurried toward me. “I’ve asked around, but nobody has seen him.”

“CCTV?”

Her face fell. “They’ve been under repair for five days.”

“Keep looking. I’m going outside.”

I didn’t wait for her response before rushing down the stairs and through the front doors.

The moment I stepped outside, my eyes found Remus. He was standing a short distance away with a man who had just returned his ball.

Relief washed over me, and I rushed toward my son, dropping to my knees as I pulled him into my arms.

“Oh, Goddess…” I held him tightly, my hands moving over him to make sure he wasn’t hurt. “You scared me half to death.”

“Sorry, Dad.” Remus hugged me back.

“Alpha. Your appointment.”

A female’s voice mentioned from behind me.

“Sure. Let’s head inside.”

The familiar voice struck me like a bullet.

My body went rigid.

I slowly turned my head, just in time to see the man walking away with the woman beside him.

Brayden.

My breath caught.

The forest flashed through my mind. The cliff. The arrow tearing into my shoulder. His hand reaching for mine as the ground disappeared beneath my feet.

Then the river.

My vision blurred as a sharp pain exploded behind my eyes. I staggered, pressing a hand against my temple while my chest tightened around a breath I couldn’t seem to draw.

Six years.

Six years, and hearing his voice was enough to drag everything back.

I watched Brayden disappear toward the clinic, unable to move as the memories crashed over me. I had spent years burying that night, forcing myself to live as Rhys, yet in a matter of seconds, Moonless was standing at the edge of that cliff all over again.

Then a loud engine roared nearby.

I barely had time to turn.

A van came speeding toward us.

My eyes widened.

“REMUS!”

My son looked up.

“Dad!”