Fractured Bond: Hiding the Alpha's heir のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 81 - チャプター 90

Layla POVI didn't have the ability to think about Travis or whatever he might be hiding at that moment. As much as I wanted to refuse Draven's suggestion, or at least hesitate long enough to think of a reasonable excuse, my son was standing right there, looking curiously between his father and me. There was something almost expectant in his expression, as though he was waiting to see what would happen next. And I suddenly realized that, in the six years of his life, this was probably the first time he'd ever seen a man linger around his mother like this.That realization made me pause.Not because I hadn't had opportunities.Saying I hadn't gone out with anyone in six years would be a lie. Men had come and gone from my life. Fellow students when I was still studying. Co-workers. Even patients who had occasionally made their interest painfully obvious. But I had been raising a child while building a career, and neither left me with much time or patience for entertaining men. More im

Layla POVI had his attention.He was listening to me like the only thing that mattered in his world were the words I was saying. That should have filled me with hope that he might actually be on my side.Instead, the dangerous air around him made me scared of what was coming next. Doubt twisted inside me.I didn't have concrete proof yet. Not enough to put in front of a tribunal and make them convict Gordon Voss and his family without question. All I had was what Savanna had told me. What Nina Buch had confirmed. I had my blood samples which would reveal traces of the herbs when I got it back. I had pieces of a story that made sense when put together, but pieces weren't the same as undeniable evidence.Would Draven believe me without that?The past was still too fresh in my mind.He hadn't believed me when I'd told him nothing happened between me and his then-best friend. What he thought he saw in that guest chamber had been more believable than the woman who was supposed to be his

Draven POVLayla flinched.It was only then that I remembered Aiden was sitting right there between us. I hadn't even realized I'd raised my voice until I saw the boy looking up at me from his plate of roasted turkey, his expression caught somewhere between curiosity and confusion.I forced myself to breathe.My hand reached for the wine bottle again. I emptied what remained into my glass, watching the dark liquid rise to barely half the glass before lifting it to my mouth. This time, I tried to drink slowly, forcing myself to swallow one measured mouthful after another.It didn't help.When I looked at Layla again, she seemed to have only just realized what she'd said too. She blinked several times, her lips parting as though she wanted to explain, but no words came.'What do you mean, Luna of LongClaws?' I asked through the mindlink. Her answer came hesitantly. 'I... I'm engaged.'I set the glass down gently so I don't accidentally crush it.'To George Hunt.'She didn't respond.T

Draven POVI didn't know who was more shocked. The warrior standing beside Carla Voss or Carla herself.They had both gone completely still. Their eyes moved between me and the boy sitting at our table, as if neither of them could quite make sense of what they were seeing. Aiden, completely oblivious to the tension he'd caused just by existing, had already noticed me approaching.Then he smiled. "Dad."My step faltered at the single word, uttered in his tender childlike voice.Not because the new arrivals may have heard him. But because the word hit somewhere deep in my chest, so unexpectedly that for a moment, I forgot about Carla, the warrior, the restaurant, even the kiss I'd just shared with Layla.Aiden didn't call me Alpha Darkwood. He'd just called me Dad.My son knew me. And he had accepted me.But the wrong person had seen him. I quickly forced my attention back to the problem in front of me and lifted a hand toward Aiden."Hold on a minute."He nodded and returned his atte

Draven POVOddly enough, I was far from worried that Carla and Gamma Foster had seen us. Even though I'd believed I wasn't ready for anyone to know about Layla and Aiden, I'd always known the truth wasn't going to remain hidden forever. There would come a point when the pack would have to learn that I had a son, and that his mother was the female who used to be Beta Gordon's ward. I simply hadn't expected the first person outside our little circle to discover it to be Carla.When I returned to the table, Layla was staring at me with an expression that told me she needed reassurance. For a moment, I was distracted by the way she looked at me, completely unblinking. There was something almost trusting in that look, something that made a strange warmth settle in my chest. As though I were the one male in the world who had all the answers to her worries.I could be. If she would just let me. I immediately pushed the thought aside and pulled out my chair."Don't worry," I told her as I