LOGINRhea's POV "I know I did. I know I don't deserve her forgiveness or her trust. But I'm not asking for either. I'm asking for time, a time to prove to my son that I can be the father he deserves, some time to prove to her that I've learned from my mistakes." Kael's hand found mine, squeezing gently. "If after that time she still wants to leave, I'll let her go, I'll give her resources, protection, everything she needs to build a life away from me. You have my word as alpha." "Your word means nothing to me," Rook said. "Then take mine." I squeezed Kael's hand back, then released it, stepping forward to face Rook directly. "I promise you, I'm doing this for Jax. Not for Kael or for some romantic fantasy. I'm doing it for my son and when I'm ready to leave, when Jax has what he needs from his father, I'll call you. I'll come back to the Serpents. But right now, I need you to trust me, simply believe I know what I'm doing." Rook stared at me for a long moment. Then he shook his head s
Rhea's POV "Then why are you still here?" Diesel asked. "Rook said the alpha was keeping you prisoner and you tried to leave and couldn't get past the locks." "That was true earlier, but things have changed." "Changed how?" Tank's eyes narrowed. "Did he threaten you or your kid? "Nobody threatened anyone." I walked forward, into the no man's land between the two groups. Kael stayed beside me, his presence a solid wall of protective alpha energy. "I'm staying because I choose to stay. Ultimately because my son needs time with his father, and I'm not ready to leave yet." The words landed like bombs. Rook's face went through a series of expressions: disbelief, hurt, anger, resignation. "You're serious. You're actually choosing to stay with the man who rejected you, who imprisoned you, who did all this to you?” "I'm not choosing anyone!" My voice rose, echoing off the compound walls. "I'm making a decision based on what my son needs right now. That's not the same as choosing Kae
Rhea's POV Before I could respond, the sound of motorcycles filled the air. With the sound I heard, they could be dozens in number or maybe more. The distinctive rumble of Steel Serpent bikes echoed through the compound, getting closer by the second. "Dammit." Rook looked toward the sound, then back at me. "That's Tank. He thinks I'm in trouble because I haven't signaled. He's bringing everyone in hot." "Call them off. Tell them I'm safe, you should tell them immediately.” "It's too late because they're already inside the perimeter." Rook started climbing up the rope, toward the roof. "Stay in here, lock the windows and whatever happens next, keep Jax away from it. Understood?” He disappeared over the edge, and I slammed the window shut, my hands shaking. This was very bad, we've the serpents here who were here to rescue me, and the Grim Howl wolves would see it as an attack. People were going to die because I'd hesitated and I couldn't make a clean choice. "Mom, what's happe
Rhea's POV "I need five minutes to think." Rook's expression were hard on my words. He hung there outside the window, rope cutting into his shoulders, waiting for an answer I couldn't provide. And I noticed Jax had climbed out of bed behind me, me, standing in his pajamas with confusion and fear written all over his small face. "Five minutes?" Rook's voice carried an edge I'd rarely heard from him. "Rhea, in five minutes this whole place is going to explode. The tank has C4 on the south wall. Diesel's got the escape route mapped. We have a narrow window before Kael's wolves figure out what's happening and people start dying. You don't have five minutes at all, but you only have now or never." "Then it's never." The words came out before I fully processed them. But the moment they left my mouth, I knew they were true, I didn't want to leave, and even if I want to, I didn't plan on leaving tonight or like this. The timing wasn't right at all when Jax had just spent the whole day b
Rhea's POV Then Jax's facial expression changed into something soft. He looked at his father with new eyes, seeing past the alpha to the man underneath. "I want to really know you, not just one day. Every day."Kael's breath caught. "I'd like that. More than anything.""Me too." Jax turned to me. "Is that okay, Mom?"What could I say? My son had just found his father, found a connection he'd been missing his whole life. How could I take that away from him, even if it meant my own heart got more tangled in the process?"It's okay, baby. Of course it's okay."Jax threw his arms around Kael, hugging him with all the enthusiasm of a child who'd just found a missing piece of himself. Kael hugged back, his eyes closing as he breathed in our son's scent. When he opened them again, they were bright with unshed tears.That night, after dinner and a bath and more stories about Jax's day with his father, I tucked my son into bed. He was exhausted but happy, the nightmares from the previous nigh
Rhea's POV It made me jealous. Jealous that Kael could give our son something I couldn't. Jealous that in one day, he might forge a connection it had taken me five years to build. They returned as the sun began to set. I heard the motorcycle before I saw it, the distinctive rumble of the engine announcing their arrival. I rushed to the window, relief flooding through me when I saw them both safe and whole. Jax was grinning, wider than I'd seen in days. He hopped off the bike with Kael's help and immediately started chattering, his words tumbling over each other in his excitement. The door to the suite opened, and they walked in together. Jax ran straight to me, throwing his arms around my waist. "Mom! It was amazing! Dad took me to this place out in the desert, and he taught me how to shift just my hands. Just my hands, not my whole body! And we ran, like we really ran, and he showed me how to track rabbits and, and everything!" "That sounds wonderful, baby." I smoothed his wil







