Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lumina(Luna)

I joined them at the counter, sipping my own coffee as I watched them talking to each other both animated in the conversation that they were engrossed in. It was moments like these, especially how rare they were—that had kept me hoping in my previous life. 

But I know better now. These moments were small, soon to be covered completely by broken promises and empty chairs at dinner tables.

"Ollie, finish up," I said, checking the time. "We need to get you dressed for school."

"About that," Xenois said, setting down his coffee cup as he looked at me. "I thought I might take Ollie to school today."

I raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised by this offer. "You have time for that?"

"I moved some meetings around," he said, not quite meeting my eyes, "I thought it would be nice to spend some time with him."

I glanced at Ollie, who was looking between us with a slight frown on his face, clearly taken back at his father's words. Even at five, he was observant enough to sense that Xenois was acting weird.

"I want to go with Mom," he said quietly, looking at his plate.

Xenois tried to hide his disappointment, but I caught the flash of hurt in his eyes. "Oh. Well, maybe another day then."

"Or," I said, surprising myself with the offer, "we could both take you. If that's okay with you, Ollie?"

Our son's face brightened as he looked at me with hope in his eyes. "Both of you? Really?"

"If your father has time," I said, glancing at Xenois. After all it depended on him to make it break his heart this morning. He might backtrack now and said that he had a meeting. If he was going to do so, he better say so now so I can spend the entire drive comforting Ollie.

The last time that Ollie had gone to school with Xenois alone, Ollie came back quiet and said that he didn't want dad taking him to school again. And since then, we have not bothered him at all with that. So him stating this now was a shock.

He nodded quickly looking pleased with my words as he said. "I do. I'd like that."

As Ollie looked at me for permission, I nodded my head slowly as he grinned at me and raced upstairs to get dressed, leaving us alone in the kitchen, Xenois turned to me with a conflicted look on his face.

"Thank you," he said. "For suggesting that."

I shrugged my shoulders gathering the empty plates. "Ollie deserves to have both parents in his life. When they're actually present."

I could see the moment my words had made an effect on him; I could see him wince slightly.

"About last night," he began, but I cut him off.

"Not now, Xenois. Let's just focus on giving Ollie a good morning, okay?"

He nodded, looking a bit relieved that the conversation was being rescheduled.

"Okay."

We drove to school in separate cars—me with Ollie, Xenois following behind. I used the time to ask Ollie about his excitement for the field trip, about his friends, about anything that would keep his mind off the unusual situation of having both parents taking him to school.

In the school parking lot, Ollie unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his backpack, then paused, looking uncertain.

"Is Dad going to come in too?" he asked.

"Let's see," I said, watching Xenois park beside us. "Would you like that?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Jacob's dad always comes to school with him. And Mia has both her parents sometimes."

The simple longing in his voice broke my heart all over again. Such a basic desire—to have both parents present, to be like other children whose fathers made time for them.

Xenois joined us as we walked toward the school entrance, Ollie between us. At first, our son kept glancing nervously between us, as if afraid one of us might disappear. But as we approached his classroom, he grew more confident, even reaching out to hold both our hands.

"Mom, Dad, this is my classroom," he announced proudly, leading us inside. "And that's Ms. Henderson."

The teacher looked up from her desk, her surprise evident when she saw Xenois. "Alpha Mayor," she said, standing quickly. "What a pleasure to see you."

"I'm just Dad today," Xenois said, offering her a charming smile. "Ollie's dad."

As Ollie introduced his father to his friends, I stepped back, watching the scene with mixed emotions. The other children gathered around, clearly excited by the presence of the Alpha in their classroom. Xenois was good with them, answering their questions with patience, treating them with the same respect he'd give to any adult.

Ms. Henderson moved to stand beside me. "This is a nice surprise," she said softly. "Ollie's been talking about his dad coming to school for weeks."

I nodded, keeping my expression neutral. "Yes, well, the Alpha is a busy man."

"Of course," she agreed quickly. "But it's wonderful he could make time today. Ollie looks so happy."

And he did. My son was beaming, proudly showing off his father to his classmates, his entire body radiating joy. It was everything I'd wanted for him in our previous life—this simple acknowledgment, this belonging.

But I knew what came next. The canceled plans, the disappointment, the gradual realization that his father's presence was temporary, conditional on having nothing more important to do.

Not this time. This time, I would protect him from that pain.

"I should get going," I said to Ms. Henderson. "Early appointment."

"Of course," she smiled. "Thank you for coming in."

I crossed the room to where Ollie was still clutching Xenois's hand. "Ollie, I need to leave now. Have a wonderful day at school, okay?"

He threw his arms around my waist in a tight hug. "Bye, Mom! Will you pick me up after school?"

"Always," I promised, kissing the top of his head. "I'll be here."

I turned to Xenois, who was watching us with an expression I couldn't quite read. "I'll see you later," I said simply.

"Luna," he caught my arm as I turned to leave. "Thank you for this. For... letting me be part of his morning."

I looked at him steadily, seeing not just my husband but the man who had broken our family once before. The man who would do it again given the chance.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Xenois," I said quietly, so only he could hear. "Moments like these are rare. And getting rarer."

I left before he could respond, walking briskly through the school hallways toward the exit. Once in my car, I allowed myself a moment to breathe, to steady my hands on the steering wheel.

Today was just the beginning. I had a doctor's appointment to schedule, a lawyer to meet with, a future to plan. A future where my son would live, where he would thrive, where he would be protected from the heartbreak that had destroyed him once before.