“What's wrong, bubba?” I ask with a frown. “Was school not good today?”
He shakes his head slowly, staring at a crack in the wooden table. “Not school.” He lifts his head and meets my eyes with sadness lurking in his, and he pouts. “Why we leave Tyler house?”
“Oh, Noah-kins…” I sigh as I set down the knife. “It was time to leave. We couldn't stay there forever. We have a home of our own.”
Noah nods slowly, but his eyes remain on me when he says, “But Tyler, my daddy, ain't he?”
My jaw drops, and my heart sinks as I widen my eyes at my son. “Wh—what did you say, bubba?”
Noah shrugs and lowers his head with a heavy sigh. “Tyler, my daddy,” he repeats, and I instantly rush to his side, crouching to look up into his eyes.
“H—how do you know that, Noah? Did someone say something?” I ask, wondering if the secret got out and the pack has heard that their alpha is already a father with an almost-four-year-old. But Noah shakes his head, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout as he points to his chest.
“I know, Mama. I feel here he my daddy.” Noah lifts pleading eyes at me. “I right?”
I nod slowly, realizing it must be Noah's inner wolf that is stirring at this ripe age, and he must have sensed the paternal link with Tyler. Of course, he would. He's so sensitive, and yet, so strong for his age.
He's my special boy, and my heart aches as I pull him into my arms, my chest tightening as I hold him close.
“Oh, honey…he is your father…you would know, because you're just like me…you're just like us…a werewolf,” I sigh.
“I gonna get big, hm?” Noah perks up, and I giggle nervously.
“Yes…one day, you'll get to do what you saw Mama do before we got here. But you have to promise not to tell anyone about Tyler. Can you do that for me? Can you keep it a secret?”
Noah nods fervently and draws back so I can see his grin.
“Yes, Mama! I know from day one, but I say nothing,” he giggles nervously, and I stare fondly at my little pup, who doesn't stop surprising me, even if I'm faced with a new dilemma.
How am I going to explain to him that his father probably doesn't want to be a dad? Dumping the news on Tyler the other night seemed to have scared him off, and we haven't seen him since.
He's hasn’t shown any interest in Noah being his son, and now his son knows. It almost feels like just like he'd rejected me, he'd reject his son. My heart breaks for my child as I soothe his little body, wondering how he's going to grow up knowing his father is the alpha of this pack and won't acknowledge him.
When Noah seems to change the subject by asking what's for dinner, I go back to the stove, continuing to prepare our meal while my mind races.
It's not how I expected things to go, but truthfully, I had no idea how they would once Tyler found out about Noah. There's a part of me that longs for his acceptance and his understanding that I did what I thought was right, but it's probably asking for too much.
Noah and I have dinner while he tells me about his day, his speech improving drastically since he joined the localnursery school. In the end, coming back to Portland wasn't so bad, after all.
Apart from the looming threat of the mutated rogue wolf who's after Noah, things aren't so bad, after all. My reason for coming back to Portland might have been to keep us safe, but Noah is adapting well, proving that the environment is good for him. It's a bonus, since we’ll always be protected here instead of out there, like in Salem. Moonshine won't allow harm to come to any of their wolves, and we're safer here than anywhere else.
Especially now that I know why the rogue wants Noah.
After putting Noah to bed, I'm about to settle into my bed for the night, when I have the sudden thought to astral travel and see where Tyler is.
It's not impossible, but it's probably immoral, intruding on his privacy just to quench my curiosity.
No.
It doesn't matter what he's doing. He doesn't care about us, and that should be enough reason to keep me from spying on him.
Shaking off my silly idea with a nervous chuckle, I climb into bed, about to throw my head on the pillow, when I'm gripped by a vision.
Thatvision again.
The same vision I had before, but this time, it's clearer, with James's motives instilling fear in my chest.
Only this time, I'm not the one running, but the one chasing through the woods, in search of my son.
