Chapter 4: It can't be

Chapter 4

“Mom, please… just keep walking.”

My voice came out as a broken whisper, barely audible even to my own ears. Landon’s small hand felt impossibly fragile in mine, his fingers sticky from the dried blood on his knuckles. I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead, refusing to meet any of their gazes again, even though I could feel the weight of three alpha stares burning into my skin like brands.

For one terrifying second, none of them moved. The hallway seemed to shrink around us, the air thick with their combined scent, cedar, storm, and smoked whiskey, threatening to pull me under. My body betrayed me with a shiver that started at the base of my spine and traveled upward. The dormant mate bond thrummed painfully, like an old wound ripped open.

Ryker’s jaw tightened. Ronan’s usual smirk had vanished completely, replaced by something raw and dangerous. Rafe’s dark eyes flicked once more to Landon, narrowing with unspoken questions that made my stomach twist violently.

Then, miraculously, they stepped aside.

Not a word. Just three heavy, assessing glances that lingered too long on my face, on my son, on the way I shielded him with my body. Ryker gave the faintest nod to his brothers, and they continued down the hallway toward the principal’s office as if we were nothing more than a brief, inconvenient interruption.

I didn’t wait to test my luck. I pulled Landon forward, my legs moving on pure adrenaline. My heart hammered so hard I worried it might crack my ribs. Each step away from them felt like both victory and fresh agony. The bond screamed in protest, sending phantom aches through my chest and lower belly—memories of their hands, their bodies, their cruel rejection flooding back in vivid color.

“Mom, who were those big guys?” Landon asked again, trotting to keep up as we burst through the side exit into the afternoon sunlight. The parking lot smelled of damp earth and distant rain. “They looked really strong. Like warriors.”

“Nobody important,” I repeated, my voice shaking as I fumbled for my car keys. My hands trembled so badly I dropped them once before finally unlocking the door. “Get in, sweetheart. Quickly.”

He obeyed, climbing into his booster seat with a confused frown. I buckled him in with numb movements, my mind still trapped in that hallway. The way Rafe had stared at Landon. The subtle flare of Ryker’s nostrils as he scented the air. Ronan’s unsettled expression. They knew. Or at least, they suspected.

The drive home passed in a blur of gray skies and racing thoughts. I kept checking the rearview mirror, half-expecting a black SUV to be tailing us. By the time we pulled up to my grandmother’s cottage, the sky had opened up into a light drizzle. Raindrops pattered softly against the roof as we dashed inside.

Mom took one look at my face and Landon’s bruised cheek and sprang into action. She ushered us both to the kitchen table, already pulling out her healing kit with efficient, practiced movements.

“Goddess above, what happened at school?” she asked, gently tilting Landon’s face to examine the bruise. Her voice stayed calm for his sake, but I caught the flash of worry in her eyes when she glanced at me.

While she cleaned Landon’s knuckles and applied a numbing salve that smelled of arnica and lavender, I paced the small kitchen. The wooden floorboards creaked under my feet. Rain tapped insistently against the windows now, blurring the view of the forest beyond. The cottage felt smaller, suddenly vulnerable. Every shadow in the corners seemed to hide alpha eyes.

After Mom sent Landon upstairs with a warm mug of cocoa and strict instructions to rest, the dam inside me finally broke.

I collapsed into a chair and buried my face in my hands, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. “They were there, Mom. All three of them. Ryker, Ronan, Rafe. In the school hallway.”

Mom froze mid-motion, the dish towel in her hands twisting tightly. “Nightshade?”

I nodded, tears slipping between my fingers. “The principal mentioned an alliance meeting or something. We ran straight into them after I pulled Landon out of that horrible meeting with Alpha Kane.” A bitter laugh escaped me, edged with hysteria. “They looked at us. They saw him, Mom. They looked at Landon and I swear they knew. Or at least… they sensed something.”

Mom sank into the chair beside me, pulling me against her side. Her arm wrapped around my shoulders, warm and steady, but I could feel the tension in her body. “Did they say anything? Did they try to stop you?”

“No,” I whispered, the word cracking. “They just… stared. Then they let us go. But the way they looked at me—like I was something they’d lost and suddenly wanted back. It made my skin crawl. The bond…” I pressed a hand to my chest, where the ache had settled deep and throbbing. “It woke up the second I smelled them. After six years of silence, it just… came roaring back.”

Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. I wiped them away angrily, but more followed. “Why now? Why do those three disasters have to appear the exact moment I finally say yes to a date with Marcus? The moment Landon asks about his father and I start thinking maybe we can have something normal? It’s like the Goddess is punishing me for daring to move on.”

Mom stroked my hair, her touch infinitely gentle. The rain outside grew heavier, drumming a steady rhythm on the roof that matched the chaos in my heart. The scent of wet pine drifted through a cracked window, mixing with the herbal salve still lingering in the air.

“Maybe they’ve forgotten about you,” she said softly, though doubt colored her tone. “Six years is a long time. Powerful alphas like them probably have new women throwing themselves at their feet every week. And if they do come sniffing around again…” She straightened, her voice gaining steel. “We move. Again. Silverveil was supposed to be our fresh start, but there are other packs. Other neutral territories. I won’t let them destroy the life we’ve built here.”

I lifted my head, searching her face. Exhaustion and fierce love warred in her expression. She had given up so much for me—her position at the old clinic, friends, familiarity—all because I had come home broken that night six years ago.

“I’m sorry,” I choked out. “I keep dragging you into my mess. You deserve peace too.”

“Hush.” She cupped my face, thumbs brushing away tears. “You are my peace, Elara. You and Landon. Those boys had their chance and they threw it away like fools. They don’t get to waltz back in and demand anything.”

A small creak on the stairs made us both turn. Landon stood there in his favorite dinosaur pajamas, clutching a worn stuffed wolf to his chest. His eyes were wide, the bruise on his cheek standing out starkly against his pale skin.

“Why do we have to move again?” he asked quietly, voice small but steady. “I like it here. I like my school… mostly. And Grandma’s garden. And my fort in the woods.”

My heart shattered all over again. I opened my arms and he climbed straight into my lap, burying his face against my neck. He smelled like cocoa mom gave him and childhood and that faint trace of alpha blood that would one day make him strong.

“Nobody is moving, baby,” I promised, wrapping him tightly. My voice steadied as I spoke the words, drawing strength from his warmth. “Grandma and I were just talking about… old friends who might visit. But this is our home. We’re staying right here.”

He pulled back enough to look at me, his hazel eyes—so much like Ronan’s when he was being sincere—searching mine. “Those big guys in the hallway… were they the old friends?”

I hesitated. Lying felt wrong, but the truth was too heavy for a six-year-old. “They were people from our past. People who hurt Mommy a long time ago.”

Landon’s small brow furrowed. He touched the bruise on his own cheek thoughtfully, then reached up to brush a tear from mine. “Then I don’t like them. If they come here and try to hurt you again, I’ll protect you, Mom. I’m strong. I beat up Kit today even if he’s bigger.”

A watery laugh escaped me despite everything. I hugged him closer, pressing kisses to the top of his head. “My brave little wolf. You don’t have to fight my battles, okay? But thank you. Knowing you’re on my side makes me the strongest mom in the world.”

Mom watched us with soft eyes, a sad smile playing on her lips. She reached over and squeezed my shoulder. “We face this together. As a family.”

Landon nodded solemnly against my chest. “Yeah. Together. No matter what.”