I stopped walking and set Arian down. I crouched to meet his eyes. For a moment, I almost told him the truth, but reason stopped me. "Arian, listen to me. Your mommy has never disliked you. Even though she can't be with you right now, she loves you very, very much."
"How do you know?"
"Because..." My voice caught. I took a breath before continuing. "Because every mother in this world loves her child."
He nodded, not quite understanding. Then he asked carefully, "So you can't be my mommy?"
"No." I stroked his hair. "But I can play with you anytime, as long as you don't tell your daddy about me."
"Why?"
"Because this is our secret." I put on a mysterious expression. "Secrets between good friends can't be told to parents, right?"
Arian took the bait. No child could resist having their own little secret. He nodded excitedly and covered his mouth with his small hands. "Okay! I'll keep the secret!"
I smiled and stood, taking his hand again. I started thinking about how to get Arian safely back to Vernal territory while still being able to visit him secretly in the future.
Just then, the roar of car engines came in the distance.
Before I could react, a convoy of black SUVs suddenly appeared from all directions. The moment they stopped, countless well-trained wolf warriors jumped out and surrounded Arian and me. Without thinking, I pulled Arian into my arms to shield him.
They parted to create an opening, allowing one final stretch limousine to drive into the circle.
I held Arian, frozen in shock at this sudden turn of events. I watched helplessly as the car door opened and a man slowly stepped out.
"It's Daddy!" Arian saw him and cheered.
But I felt like I had been plunged into ice water.
Elias. I never imagined that after four years apart, this was how we'd meet again.
Four years had passed, enough time to heal many old wounds. Now, seeing him, my first reaction was shock at how thin he had become. But the weight loss hadn't diminished his looks. If anything, it had sharpened his cheekbones, giving him a severity he hadn't possessed before.
"Serenity?"
While I studied him, Elias stood frozen in place. He stared at me with eyes full of disbelief and…joy?
Just as I wondered if I was seeing things, Elias rushed toward me. He threw his arms around both me and Arian, holding us so tightly it hurt.
"Serenity! It's really you. You're not dead… I knew you wouldn't die!"
"You've got the wrong person!"
I cut him off in panic and struggled against his grip. "I'm not the Serenity you're talking about! Sir, please keep your hands to yourself!"
Elias looked at me, sorrow flickering in his eyes. But my denial didn't deter him. "You can't fool me, Serenity. Have you forgotten? We're fated mates. I can tell if it's really you just by looking."
I bit my lip and said nothing.
How ridiculous. I was hearing "fated mates" from Elias's own mouth. Four years ago, I had tried countless times to prove my love for him, to prove I had never betrayed him. But he'd called it nothing but instinct, said it was all pretense and lies.
This situation made me want answers. Why couldn't he ever give me what I wanted? Why wouldn't he leave me alone?
We stood face-to-face, an indescribable tension flowing between us.
Arian looked up at me, then turned to look at Elias. His little face was full of confusion. "What are you talking about? Do you know her?"
"Of course." Elias sighed softly. "She's your mommy, Arian."
