Chapter 4

Aria POV:

The soft knock I had expected never came.

Instead the door handle turned with quiet authority and swung open.

Kael Thorne stepped into the room.

My heart slammed so hard against my ribs I was certain he could hear it. Leo, who had been sitting on the edge of the enormous bed swinging his small legs, froze. The moment those golden eyes swept the room, my son slid off the mattress like water and disappeared into the far corner behind the heavy curtains, both hands clamped over his mouth.

I stayed rooted where I stood, spine straight, hands folded in front of me the way I had been taught to stand during hospital rounds. Afraid. Very afraid. I stared at the man who now held our future in his hands and tried not to let the fear show on my face.

Kael walked slowly into the center of the room. His presence filled the space the way smoke fills a closed chamber quietly, completely. He moved without hurry, golden eyes half-lidded, nostrils flaring almost imperceptibly as he turned in a slow circle.

The scent is faint,he thought, gaze sliding toward the window, toward the exact direction where a small body trembled behind thick velvet. It seems to be coming from outside.

He stopped near the tall glass, looked out at the darkening forest for a long moment, then turned and walked back toward the door without another glance at me. The door closed behind him with a soft, final click.

I didn’t move until the sound of his footsteps faded down the hallway.

Outside, Kael met one of his personal bodyguards at the top of the staircase. The man bowed immediately.

“Send someone to investigate,” Kael said, voice low. “There is a stray cub nearby.”

The bodyguard’s eyes widened a fraction.

“Wolf cubs are so precious,” Kael continued, almost to himself. “It has been over ten years since a new cub was born in the pack. Tonight is the full moon… and a cub is wandering outside.”

The bodyguard hesitated, then cleared his throat carefully. “My lord… Miss Aria. I am worried she lacks experience. Should we find a few more senior doctors to assist her?”

Kael’s answer was immediate and absolute.

“No. I only want her.”

The bodyguard’s mind reeled.

To think Miss Aria is the human who was marked by the Lord… the human who marked our Lord. You really can’t

Kael cut through the unspoken thoughts with a single pointed finger.

“Make the arrangements. Aria’s daily necessities must be prepared according to the standard of the Wolf Queen. There must be no negligence.”

“Yes, my lord.” The bodyguard bowed deeply and retreated.

Inside the bedroom I waited another full minute before I dared to move. Then I crossed the room on quiet feet and gently pulled the curtain aside.

Leo looked up at me with wide, terrified eyes, both hands still pressed over his mouth. I gathered him into my arms without a word and carried him to the center of the huge bed. He clung to my neck like he used to when he was smaller, face buried against my shoulder.

“Leo, don’t be afraid,” I whispered into his hair. “This job pays one hundred thousand a month, with room and board included. From now on you won’t have to suffer with Mommy anymore. As for your illness… Mommy can finally get you proper treatment. Everything will be fine.”

His small body trembled.

As long as I’m with Mommy, I feel happy,he thought, tears already slipping down his cheeks. I’m the one dragging Mommy down. If Mommy didn’t give birth to me, she wouldn’t have to work so hard…

The tears came for both of us then quiet, helpless, and full of years of exhaustion. I held him tighter and rocked us both, the luxurious silk sheets beneath us a surreal contrast to the damp basement mattress we had left behind only hours ago.

A memory surfaced without warning, sharp and clear.

Flashback

The hospital room had been too white, too quiet. I woke to the soft beep of a monitor and the smell of antiseptic. My head ached. My heart ached worse. The doctor stood at the foot of the bed with a clipboard and a carefully gentle expression.

“You fainted from excessive grief at your mother’s funeral,” he said. “You’re fine now. But you still need to pay attention to managing your emotions… after all, you are pregnant.”

My hand had gone to my still-flat stomach of its own accord. And despite the funeral, despite the empty future stretching in front of me, I smiled.

End flashback

I pulled back just enough to look at my son’s face. I brushed the tears from his cheeks with my thumbs.

“Leo,” I said softly, “the luckiest thing in Mommy’s life is bringing you into this world. Mommy has no family left. You are my everything.”

He sniffed and nodded, pressing his forehead against mine.

But inside my own mind the questions that never slept stirred again.

Who was that man back then? Why has Leo had such a strange illness since birth?

We were still holding each other when a hard, authoritative knock sounded at the door.

Both of us froze.

“Leo, hide,” I whispered.

He nodded once, slipped off the bed, and disappeared behind the curtains again. I smoothed my hair, wiped my face, and opened the door.

The same bodyguard stood there. He bowed politely.

“I am under orders from the Lord to bring you your work uniform.”

I nodded and managed a small smile.

The door was pushed wider. Two women in neat black uniforms rolled in a long scrolling hanger heavy with garments. Dresses in deep jewel tones and soft pastels. Silk blouses. Tailored trousers. Coats that looked softer than clouds. And hanging among them, glittering under the bedroom lights, were pieces of jewelry, delicate necklaces, earrings, a bracelet set with stones the color of moonlight.

I stepped closer, almost without meaning to, and touched the sleeve of a dove-gray dress. The fabric whispered against my fingertips like water.

Behind the curtain, a small silver-tipped tail flicked into view for half a second before it was yanked back out of sight.

I turned toward the bodyguard, genuine confusion cutting through the haze of emotion.

“Is this… a work uniform?”