Leo's Question

The pendant sat on Luna's dresser for three days.

She didn't wear it. She didn't throw it away. She just… looked at it. Every morning, every evening, every time she passed by.

Damian didn't mention it. He didn't have to. She could feel his tension through their bond—the jealousy, the fear, the desperate hope that she would choose him.

She hated that he felt that way. Hated that Xavier's presence in their lives had created this doubt.

But she couldn't deny the truth.

The bond was changing. Growing. And with it, her feelings were changing too.

Not love. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

But something. Something that scared her as much as it confused her.

---

On the fourth day, Leo asked the question.

They were sitting in the garden—Luna's favorite spot, the fountain where so much had happened. Leo was playing with a set of wooden wolves, making them chase each other through the grass.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Luna smiled, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. "You can ask me anything."

Leo looked up at her, his grey eyes—Xavier's eyes—filled with curiosity. "Is the grumpy man my daddy?"

Luna's heart stopped.

"What?"

"The grumpy man. Xavier." Leo pronounced the name carefully, like he'd been practicing. "He looks like me. And he said he knew you a long time ago. And Auntie Chloe said—" He stopped, his little brow furrowing. "She said he was my daddy. But she said it was a secret."

Luna closed her eyes, a wave of emotion washing over her. Chloe. Of course Chloe had told him. Chloe had never been good at keeping secrets from Leo.

"Leo," she said carefully, "what do you know about daddies?"

Leo shrugged. "Daddies take care of you. They play with you. They love you."

"That's right."

"And Damian is my daddy." Leo said it with absolute certainty. "He takes care of me. He plays with me. He loves me."

"He does."

"But Xavier…" Leo paused, his small face scrunching up. "Xavier is also my daddy? Like, a different kind of daddy?"

Luna took a breath. This was it. The conversation she'd been dreading.

"Yes, baby. Xavier is your biological father. That means he helped make you. He's part of you—your eyes, your hair, your smile."

Leo processed this, his wooden wolves forgotten. "But he wasn't there when I was born."

"No."

"He wasn't there when I took my first steps."

"No."

"He wasn't there when I said my first word."

Luna's eyes filled with tears. "No, baby. He wasn't."

"Why?"

The question was simple. Innocent. And it broke Luna's heart.

"Because I didn't tell him about you," she admitted. "Because I was scared. Because I was hurt. Because I thought it was better if he didn't know."

Leo frowned. "Were you mad at him?"

"Yes. Very mad."

"Because he hurt you?"

"Yes."

Leo was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "But he's not mad at you anymore."

Luna blinked. "What?"

"Xavier. He's not mad at you. He's sad." Leo looked at her with those too-wise eyes. "He looks at you like he's lost something."

Luna's breath caught. "You see that?"

"I see a lot of things, Mommy." Leo picked up his wooden wolves, his small hands gentle. "I see that Damian loves you. I see that Xavier loves you too. And I see that you're sad."

"I'm not sad, baby."

"You are." Leo climbed into her lap, wrapping his arms around her neck. "But it's okay. I'm sad sometimes too. Daddy says it's okay to be sad."

"Which daddy?"

"Both of them."

Luna held him tight, tears streaming down her face. "I love you, Leo. More than anything in the world."

"I know." He pulled back, his grey eyes serious. "Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"I think you should talk to Xavier."

Luna stared at him. "What?"

"He's sad. And you're sad. And I think talking would help." Leo smiled—a small, hopeful smile. "That's what Daddy says. When you're sad, you should talk about it."

Luna's heart ached. Her son—her beautiful, wise, impossible son—was more perceptive than she'd ever imagined.

"I'll think about it," she promised.

"Good." Leo kissed her cheek. "Can I have a cookie now?"

Luna laughed despite herself. "Yes. You can have a cookie."

---

That night, Luna found Xavier in the garden.

He was sitting by the fountain, as he always did, staring at the moon. He looked tired—exhausted, even. The dark circles under his eyes had deepened, and his shoulders were slumped with the weight of everything that had happened.

"Xavier."

He looked up, his grey eyes widening. "Luna."

"Can I sit?"

"Of course."

She sat beside him, the fountain bubbling softly between them. The bond pulsed—warm, steady, alive.

"Leo asked about you today," she said.

Xavier's breath caught. "What did he say?"

"He asked if you were his daddy."

Xavier closed his eyes, pain flickering across his face. "What did you tell him?"

"The truth." Luna's voice was steady. "I told him you were his biological father. That you helped make him. That you weren't there when he was born because I was scared and hurt."

"I'm sorry."

"I know." Luna looked at him—really looked at him. "He told me I should talk to you."

Xavier's eyes widened. "He did?"

"He's perceptive. More than I realized." Luna smiled softly. "He said you look at me like you've lost something."

"I have." Xavier's voice was rough. "I lost you. I lost Leo. I lost everything."

"You lost me because you threw me away."

"I know."

"You lost Leo because I didn't tell you about him."

"I know."

"But—" Luna took a breath. "But maybe we can find a way forward. Not as mates. Not as lovers. But as parents. As allies. As two people who made a terrible mistake and want to do better."

Xavier stared at her, hope flickering in his eyes. "You mean it?"

"I mean it." Luna reached out, her hand resting on his. "I'm not promising forgiveness. I'm not promising anything except this—I'm willing to try. For Leo. For the pack. For the future."

Xavier's hand trembled beneath hers. "That's more than I deserve."

"I know." Luna smiled. "But the Goddess seems to think you deserve a second chance. And Leo seems to think you deserve a second chance. Maybe—maybe I should listen to them."

Xavier's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you, Luna."

"Don't thank me yet." She pulled her hand away, but the warmth lingered. "We have a long way to go."

"I know."

"And Damian—"

"I know." Xavier's jaw tightened. "He's your mate. Your love. Your future. I won't interfere."

"Good." Luna stood, brushing off her dress. "Because if you do—if you try to come between us—I will end you."

Xavier laughed—a real laugh, the first she'd heard from him in years. "I don't doubt it."

Luna turned to leave, but paused at the edge of the garden.

"Xavier?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. For the pendant. It's beautiful."

Xavier's eyes softened. "You're welcome."

And as Luna walked back toward the packhouse, the bond pulsed between them—warm, steady, alive.

Growing stronger.

For the first time in three years, she didn't want to push it away.