5. Trouble in Paradise.

Aurelia’s POV

Five years later.

The late afternoon sun stood high as I arrived back at the pack. I was drenched in sweat and dirt with the feeling of exhaustion crawling on my skin. I’d gone for a weekly hunt with a bunch of Delta guards who were dragging our game back to the pack. Being Alpha was more tedious than I imagined. There were a lot of pointless traditions you had to keep on and deer hunting was one of them in the Red Moon pack.

As I arrived at the royal house, he was waiting for me. My beta, Rune Carver. His short white hair glittered in the sun and so did his icy blue eyes. The sun bathed his pale skin making it white as snow. He was gorgeous, and he knew this.

After helping him rescue that little boy, he’d told me I was Alpha material but I never believed him. I’d thought the pack would never let a female rule over them, but I was wrong. They’d all seen how strong I was and so they agreed to give me the position after the last Alpha passed on. On that day, he’d been by my side just like he was now.

“You know you don’t have to wait for me,” I said, handing him my machete. He chuckled as he got the machete from me, displaying a perfect set of white teeth.

“It’s my duty to look after you, Alpha,” he reminded me.

“You don’t always have to do such miniature chores for me, Rune,” I pointed out. “You’re going to leave the maids with nothing to do.”

His icy blue eyes pierced through my soul and for a split second, my heart skipped a beat. I tore away from his stare.

“I choose to do this for you,” he said, heading towards the porch. Then, he turned back to me with a smile. “And there is a lot more to do here. So you don’t have to worry about the maids.”

I chuckled and shook my head in amusement. Rune always had a huge sense of humor.

“Is Asher home?” I asked, stepping into the house.

“He should be home soon,” Rune replied as he handed the machete to one of the maids. “Anthonia went to get him.”

I nodded. Asher was my son—the child of Kael. After giving birth to him, everything had blossomed. Life got better and better. My past and the rejection from Kael all seemed like a lifetime ago. I didn’t care anymore. My life felt whole here. This was my paradise.

But if there was one thing that was a constant reminder of Kael, that was Asher’s stubbornness. He was so hardened that the maids and most pack members feared him. The only one who knew how to tame him was Rune. And with his powers manifesting earlier than I expected, I feared he would go down the wrong path.

Rune turned to me and he recognized that look immediately. He walked up to me with a smile on his face.

“Don’t worry, Alpha. He’ll be fine,” he assured me with a slight pat on my shoulder.

I smiled and gave him a crooked smile.

“I told you to stop calling me, Alpha.”

“Alright, Alpha,” he said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes and my focus was stolen by the maid who just came down the stairs.

“My lady. Your bath is ready,” she said timidly.

I nodded and was about to head up the stairs when the sound of a car engine caught my ear. That should be Asher. He was back.

“Let me greet Asher first,” I said.

Rune rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

“It’s not like he’s running away,” he commented.

The door swung open before I could reach and Anthonia looked out of breath as she entered the room. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with shock and worry. Something was wrong.

“Anthonia. What is it? Where is Asher?” I asked, looking out the door. There was no sign of him.

“I’m sorry, Alpha. I can’t find him,” she replied, her voice trembling.

My heart dropped as the words echoed in my head.

“What?” I demanded.

She fell to her knees and held her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“He’s gone, Alpha. I went to pick him after school, and the teachers told me they hadn’t seen him all day.”

My heart thumped hard against my ribs in fright. No. This couldn’t be happening. My worst nightmare was coming to life. I’d dreamed of Asher being found by Kael. Knowing how ruthless Kael was, I knew he would never let Asher come back here.

“I accept the punishment of my incompetence,” Anthonia added.

My chest tightened and my vision became blurry. It was getting too hard to breathe. I clutched my throat and took a few steps backwards. There were sudden movements around me and I felt a pair of hands wrapped around me gently.

“Relax, Aurelia,” I heard Rune’s soft words in my ear. “We will find him, I promise.”

I knew that was a lie. They weren’t going to find him easily. At least not without knowing the truth of where he came from. I hadn’t told anybody who his father was. Not even Rune. It was dangerous, and so I kept it to myself. But it was time I told the truth. If Asher was missing, then there was only one person who had him.

“Rune,” I called softly as he made me sit on one of the couches. “There’s something you need to know about Asher.”

Rune’s brows furrowed as he held onto me.

“Save your strength, Aurelia. You’re exhausted,” he said, moving away from me. I tried to catch his hand to stop him before he got into trouble. But I was stopped by someone else. A maid rushed into the room.

“My lady. There’s a man outside who requests to see you,” she said. “He claims to have found Asher.”

I was startled by this. That was quicker than I expected. Rune paused and turned to me.

“She’s not okay to see him,” he said, his voice cold and his eyes. “I’ll handle this.”

“No,” I called weakly rising from the couch. “I’ll see him.”

Rune stared at me wanting to protest but quickly realized that it was pointless. He nodded and walked me out of the house.

When we arrived at the porch, a man stepped out of the black Cadillac that was parked in the driveway. Asher rushed out through the other door and ran towards me with a smile.

“Mommy!” He yelled in excitement as he hugged me. I grabbed him, hugging him tight, relief washing over me.

“Oh. Asher,” I whispered. “Thank the goddess you’re safe.”

“I am,” he said, pulling out of the hug. “Thanks to him.”

I looked up and the back door of the Cadillac opened, a male figure stepping out. He had tousled jet-black hair with a familiar pair of silver eyes and was dressed in an Italian suit.

Suddenly, there were sparks in the air as memories came back. My heart froze as I stared at him. The moment I dreaded most had come to life.

“No. This couldn’t be happening,” I told myself.

It was him.

“My lady, this is the man who brought Asher home,” the maid announced beside me. “The Alpha of the Silver Fang pack, Kael Riverstone.”