Chapter 1

Diya's POV

Leaving outright wouldn't work. Ryan Crowley and the pack would never let me take his pup away without a fight. I had to plan my next move carefully.

Ryan hadn't sent me a single message since the banquet. He didn't show up at our house until the following evening, looking worn out.

He slipped his arms around me with practiced ease and apologized, "Kian ate too much cake last night. He was restless all night and wouldn't go to sleep unless I stayed with him. I'm sorry I didn't come over."

Odile Sloan's scent hit me again, strong enough to fill my nose. At first, I had only caught a trace of it on his cuffs. Now, I could smell it all over him as he held me.

My stomach turned, and I clenched my jaw. I barely heard a word of his excuse.

"I see." I pressed a hand against his chest and quickly pushed him away.

Ryan stared at me for a moment, seemingly caught off guard by my reaction.

Knowing he was in the wrong, he smiled and shook the box. "Look! I brought your favorite honey cake. Come on, don't be mad, okay?"

He set the box down and reached for our pup, Hugh Crowley.

Hugh stepped behind me.

I looked at Ryan. "Hugh cried all night. Tell him it wasn't his fault that you made him call you Uncle Ryan yesterday."

His hand stopped in midair. "He's still little. He'll forget about it in a few days. There were so many people there. I had to think about the bigger picture."

I stood firm. "You just need to tell him it wasn't his fault."

Ryan reluctantly crouched down and held Hugh by the shoulders.

"Hugh, what happened yesterday wasn't your fault. But at events like that, you need to listen to me and remember to call me Uncle Ryan instead. Do you understand?"

Hugh nodded. "Okay, Uncle Ryan."

Ryan frowned. "You don't have to call me that at home."

Hugh looked up at me but didn't dare to call him anything else.

The way Hugh looked at Ryan so cautiously broke my heart.

Ryan ruffled Hugh's hair and said, "I told them I had to work late tonight, so I can stay for three hours. We can play whatever you like!"

Hugh's face lit up. He ran to his room and brought back his box of building blocks.

Ryan had barely sat down when his phone rang. After the call, he got up. "Kian's feeling sick again. I need to go check on him."

I pointed to the open box of building blocks. "Could you finish this little section with Hugh before you go?"

Ryan had already picked up his coat. "Don't make a fuss. I'll come back tomorrow."

Hugh hurried after him, clutching the box. "Can we finish it tomorrow, then?"

The only answer he got was the sound of the door closing.

He stood frozen at the door for a moment, then went back to the table and put the scattered blocks away, one by one.

I reached out to help and offered to play with him, but he held the lid shut. "It's okay, Mommy. Uncle Ryan is busy. Let's wait until he comes tomorrow."

Hugh forced a smile, trying to hide his hurt feelings. My eyes filled with tears.

"How about we watch your favorite cartoon together instead?" I asked.

He shook his head quietly. "Mommy, I'm going to bed. If I fall asleep early, tomorrow will come sooner. Then Uncle Ryan will be here."

I pulled him into my arms and held him tight. "Sweetheart, you don't have to wait for him."

Hugh deserved all the love his parents could give him. He shouldn't have to hide his hurt and act so grown-up at such a young age.

When I found out I was with pup, Ryan was so happy that he shifted into his wolf form and carried me on his back all around the forest.

But soon after, he told me he'd only just become Alpha and couldn't make our bond public yet. He asked me to wait, so I deleted the happy announcement I had planned to send to our friends and family.

Hugh was born the following year. I asked Ryan when he planned to acknowledge him as his pup.

He said Odile's father was the Alpha of an allied pack, and he couldn't risk losing his support. Ryan asked me to wait a little longer.

When Hugh was a few months old, I sent Ryan photos of him. Ryan replied with just one line.

"Don't let anyone else see this."

In the third year, Ryan told me his older brother, Mark Crowley, had died saving his life.

He couldn't abandon Odile while she had amnesia. He promised to acknowledge me and Hugh once she recovered her memories.

To help Odile recover her memory, I spent countless nights studying medicine and pushing the medical team to cure her.

I kept waiting until Hugh turned five years old.

I had waited long enough. Hugh shouldn't have to spend his childhood waiting for a promise that might never come, or hoping he could finally call his own father "Dad" in public one day.

After Hugh fell asleep, I called my dad, Albert Hartwell, the Frostfang pack's Alpha.

"Dad, I'm bringing your grandson home to meet you. We'll be going to a vacation island in a week. Please arrange for us to fake our deaths in an accident. Have a plane ready to pick us up."