CHAPTER 6: WHAT WE SHARE

Fabian’s POV (Present)

“I’ve made contact.” 

Ford let out a strangled sound, then there was a pause, and all I could hear was background movement. 

A door slammed shut on the other line, then his voice came back, lower this time. “You’ve spoken to her?” He asked, his voice strained and desperate. “Tell me she’s safe.”

His voice was layered with a guilt so thick I could almost taste it across the line. 

I paced the narrow motel hallway, my boots thudding against the worn carpet. 

Outside the door to room 212, I could hear the faint, high-pitched laughter of a child and the low, rhythmic humming of the woman I had spent five years dreaming of.

“She’s in her room, Ford," I replied, keeping my voice calm. 

“In her room??” He queried, his tone sharp. “Why did you leave her alone? What if something happens to—”

“Ford, calm down.” I growled. “She’s safe. I’m right next door to her.” 

My hand tightened around the phone so hard the casing creaked.

Five years.

Five years of nothing but shadows and false leads and ghosts of a woman who knew exactly how to disappear.

And now—

He let out a loud breath, and I heard the sound of leather creaking as he took a seat. “Is... is the boy with her? He asked after a while, his voice a low whisper. 

“Yeah,” I said, leaning my head against the cool drywall, trying to steady the roar of my own wolf. 

"Wh… what did he look like?” 

I let out a soft exhale, almost like a laugh. “Like us,” I said. “Too much like us. He’s got your stubborn mouth and that look in his eyes like he’s already planning how to take over the world. He spent ten minutes trying to stare me down at the cafe.”

Ford let out a teary laugh. “He’s a Vale through and through.” He paused. “Is he okay?” He asked. Fear and need thick in his voice. “All these years… is he healthy? Did she… did she struggle? Did she have—”

“He’s perfectly healthy,” I cut in, more firmly now. “She took perfect care of him. I don’t think she’s as helpless as you thought she was,” I said, my voice dipping under a growl before I could stop myself. “You did a hell of a job toughening her up.”

“I know what I did,” Ford rasped, followed by the sound of glass shattering echoing in the background. “I’ve spent five years looking at that empty space in my bed. Every lead, every dead end…” he took a shaky breath. “You know it’s been a slow death for me.” He cleared his throat. “Goddess, when Irene told me about the child, I thought I’d lose my mind. I should have been— ”

“You should have done a lot of things,” I snapped, my anger finally boiling over. “You should have known the pack was maltreating her. You stayed silent to keep the elders happy, and now our mate has been living like a fugitive because of it!”

“How many times do I have to apologize?" Ford hissed, frustration rising in his voice. “I know I fucked up. You don’t have to keep pointing it out. And it's not like she's completely innocent too,” he added. "She betrayed me, remember?"

“She doesn't want to talk to us,” I said coldly. “Says she wants a divorce.”

A broken whimper sounded across the line. “I’m coming there,” Ford growled, the sound of a chair scraping back accompanying his words. “I’ll be at the airport in—"

“No,” I said, my tone final. “You stay where you are. You’ve done enough. If she sees your face right now, she’ll jump out that window, and we may lose her for another five years.” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “We cannot afford that risk with what is at stake now. I’ll handle this.”

The silence on the other end was heavy, filled with the strain of our brotherhood. We were the same blood, the same soul, but the rift between us was wide. Ford had the history, but I had the clean slate.

“Just... tell her I’m sorry,” Ford whispered before the line went dead.

I stared at the phone for a long second, my knuckles white. Then, I pocketed it and went next door. 

The door opened, and I looked down to see Maverick glaring up at me. 

“You,” he said. He was trying to sound threatening, but he just sounded adorable to me. “You are upsetting my mommy. I don’t like it.” 

"Let him through, Mavy," Keren's voice said.

I gave him a soft smile, but he just huffed and walked back inside.

The sight of Keren sitting on the edge of the bed made my skin prickle, that cold, electric pull tugging at my heart in a way that made me want to claim her right then and there.

She looked up, her hands locked between her knees, her eyes sharp and clinical as she cataloged my presence. "Did you bring the papers?"

I shook my head.

“Then why are you still here?” she snarled, her voice cutting through the room. “I’ve already told you what I wanted. Leave.”

“I can’t, Keren,” I said, closing the door and walking deeper into the room. “Leaving is not an option.” 

A thrill went through me as she glared at me. She was so not like the timid girl my twin had described. I love the fiery woman she has become.

“Don’t come any closer,” she growled.

I froze, stopping where I was. I held out my palms to show her I mean no harm. “This is far more than the squabble between you and my brother.” I looked at Maverick. “They know about Maverick.”

“And so?” she shouted, standing up, her body shielding Maverick instinctively. “He’s half-human. He doesn't belong in your world.”

“Whether you want to admit it or not, he is still a Vale heir,” I said, stepping closer, my green eyes burning as I watched her flinch. “That makes him valuable to a lot of people. And we have a lot of rivals in both the human and shifter worlds."

“He is not yours!” she yelled, the bitterness of five years of running spilling over. “He has never been yours! You weren't there! Ford wasn't there! I raised him in damp apartments and crowded buses while you two were busy being kings. What do you want? Just leave us alone!”

“I want you to understand the danger you’re in,” I rasped, my voice dropping into a pleading register. “The people after him now are the same people who set up the wolfbane incident.”

She drew back, blinking in confusion. “Set up?” she repeated. “I know what I saw.”

“It was a setup, Keren," I said softly. “The pack was dirty, yes, there were elders taking bribes, but Ford never knew. The Ashfords planted those records specifically for you to find. They used your pain as a weapon to dismantle the Silver Moon from the inside.”

I watched the color drain from her face and guilt rise in her eyes. Then her eyes shuttered. “I… I… it doesn't matter,” she whispered finally. “He still let them treat me like garbage and cheated. I’m not going back to that poisonous pack.”

“Cheated?” I asked, confused. “I know Ford has been a lot of things, Keren, but he’ll never be unfaithful to his mate.”

“Of course you’ll defend him!” She hissed, anger flashing in her eyes. “You weren’t there!”  

I stared into her eyes, my body vibrating with a pull I had waited a lifetime to feel.

We were running out of time, and I knew that if I didn't get them out of here now, the choice wouldn't be hers to make.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone," I said, walking closer to her. “I had to go represent our pack at an alpha trial that lasted a year, so I can’t tell you what you saw wasn’t real,” I continued carefully. “But I know my brother. That’s why I know there’s something wrong with that picture. You need to talk t—”

The look of raw pain on her face wrenched at my heart. I couldn’t bear to see it. I walked to her.

“Just get out!” She yelled. 

Before I could reach for her, Maverick stepped in between us defensively and let out a tiny growl I’m sure he thought was supposed to be threatening. “Stay away from my mommy.” 

I smiled down at him. “I’m not going to hurt—“

I went silent with shock.

His eyes flashed amber, and a low, rumbling growl erupted from his small chest, a sound that should have been impossible for a five-year-old child.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. “How?” I muttered, my heart hammering. I looked up at her. “He’s exhibiting his wolf already?” 

Could Ashford's paranoia be right? Was he more than just an heir?”

Keren grabbed her son’s shoulders, her face going pale. “Mavy,” she whispered urgently. “Indoor mode.” 

The gold faded from his eyes, leaving him blinking. 

I could see her resolve crumbling, replaced by the realization that she couldn't hide a predator in a world of sheep. 

She was thinking about going back; I could see it in the way she looked at the door, but the fear of the pack was still a wall between us.

“You think Ford is the only thing you have to worry about?” I said, stepping into her space until the scent of her skin, sweet and human, overwhelmed my senses. 

“I just want my son safe.” She whispered, her voice small and trembling. “Why do you care anyway?” She said, looking at me with pleading eyes. “You are also an alpha. You can still have your own pure-blooded heir.” 

I sighed, reaching out, my hand coming up to cup her jaw. “You’ve spent five years learning about our culture, Keren. Surely you’ve read about twin bonding. Have you ever considered that he isn't your only mate? That maybe the reason your heart is pounding the way it is when I’m near you, isn't just anger?”

She looked up at me, her breath hitching in a way that told me she felt the connection as clearly as I did. “What do you mean?”

“I’m saying you’re mine as much as his,” I whispered, my thumb tracing the curve of her lip. “And unlike my brother, I don't plan on letting you run ever again.”