Chapter 98

Nathan POV

Andy bounced in his seat with excitement as our car drove us through the main city of the Royal pack.

“I can’t believe we’re actually here! I’ve wanted to see the Royal court for forever!”

I smiled at his energy, but I was also worried.

What was going to happen when Andy saw Claire again??

We were heading to the Royal court for the official announcement of the presidential candidates.

It was time for the realm to officially “meet” the candidates during the televised announcement. There would be a brief discussion or debate afterwards as well.

And every candidate was expected to bring their families with them.

So it would have been odd if I didn’t bring my son along for the evening.

I was glad Claire and I had the chance to briefly discuss the matter, agreeing that it was only right Andy came.

She had assured me she could arrange for a private meeting before events began, so Andy could see her and speak without us worrying about anyone overhearing what he might blurt out.

I was the one who asked for the private meeting, to keep certain information safe.

Claire had agreed, but if I wasn’t mistaken there had been a brief expression of sadness on her face. Something almost like grief.

The moment had replayed in my mind several times since I saw it.

What had I said that could have made her so sad?

She’d be getting the chance to see our son again.

Didn’t that make her happy??

“Andy, I want you to be on your best behavior tonight, do you understand?”

He sat back down in his seat, nodding.

“I remember, Dad. Tonight is special.”

“Yes, special. It’s a very important night for my campaign.”

“And for me!” he said, face filled with delight. “I get to see Nanny!”

I winced at the term, hoping he wouldn’t say it in connection with Claire later.

“Andy, look at me. I told you we can’t call her that anymore, right? She has a new job now.

“We have to use her proper title.”

He agreed, but I could see that he still didn’t understand.

How could I explain to a child the complexities here?

The answer was that I couldn’t.

I could only hope we were doing the right thing, and that it would all work out.

We arrived at the Royal court, and were escorted into a private sitting room, where Claire already stood waiting for us.

She looked beautiful.

My breath caught in my chest at the sight of her.

Andy ran to her, jumping up into her arms.

“Nanny! I haven’t seen you in so long!” he cried.

He hugged her tightly, then pulled back to look at her.

“Where have you been??” he demanded. “And why are you dressed even fancier than me and Dad?”

The joy on Claire’s face that bloomed when she saw our son dimmed for a moment as soon as he called her “Nanny.”

And for the first time I didn’t think about all the time she had to spend with Andy over the years.

Instead, I thought about everything else she’d had to put up with. As a wolfless, and as an Omega.

“Oh Andy, I’ve missed you so much!” she said, pulling him to her and squeezing him tight.

Then she set him down and crouched in front of him.

“Look at you in your suit and tie. You’ve grown so tall!

“I know you have a lot of questions, but so do I! I want to hear all about school, and sports, and your friends. Tell me absolutely everything I’ve missed.”

Seeing the genuine curiosity on her face, while the emotions still swirled in her eyes, I decided to give them time to catch up.

Taking a seat, I sat and simply watched. It was a pleasure to see my family together again.

But things were far from perfect.

Andy chatted to Claire excitedly about things going on in his life, but he kept coming back to the questions that were so obviously filling him with overwhelming curiosity.

“Claire, you look like a princess. But that’s not possible. Omega’s can’t be princesses.

“Are you playing dress-up?”

The question hurt. I saw it land, saw the look of pain on Claire’s face.

And I was suddenly overcome with a deep sympathy for what my mate had been through and had to deal with all of these years.

Life as a wolfless and an Omega could be lonely and harsh.

Hadn’t I kept our bond hidden exactly because I knew how people would respond?

And even now, it was a past I’d rather keep secret.

An Alpha and an Omega simply couldn’t be together.

It went against everything our society knew and accepted as the way of the world.

While I knew that was true, I was also suddenly swamped with sympathy for what kind of life that meant Claire had before her true identity was discovered.

And realized that hiding her identity from her son had been just one more cruelty she’d been forced to endure.

How much suffering had I caused her over the years as a result of my need to hide her status, just to protect my own??

Entirely too much, judging by the look on her face at that moment.

It was something I needed to make right.

While I couldn’t change the world overnight, getting people to accept that a person’s status in the pack wasn’t the only thing that determined their worth and value, I could at least change this.

I could tell our son who his “nanny” really was.

I could give both of them that, at least.

Rising from the chair and walking over to join them, I put one hand on my son’s shoulder and one on Claire’s.

“Well, Andy, that’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about. There’s something you should know about Claire.

“She’s actually - ”

“A princess,” Claire interrupted me quickly.

I glanced over at her in surprise, and could tell that she knew what I was about to reveal wasn’t her true heritage, but the fact that she was Andy’s mother.

She could tell that’s what I was going to say, and she had stopped me deliberately.

And there was a pleading look on her face.

She didn’t want me to go on.

She didn’t want our son to know who she was to him.

“It’s true, Andy. I’m a member of the Royal family. I’m not an Omega.

“I never was. It was all a big mistake.”

Andy’s eyes were wide with wonder as he stared up at Claire.

“So you’re a real true princess?? Not a fake, like Sabrina was?”

Claire laughed, despite the pain still so clear in her eyes.

“I am a real true princess, yes. It’s true. So - you’ll have to call me Princess, not Nanny, from now on. Okay?”

He nodded, the surprise leaving him nearly speechless.

“Now, I have to go. We’re about to get started. I - I love you, you know that, right?”

Andy nodded. “Yes, Nan - Princess.”

She crouched down to hug him one more time, kissing his cheek.

And then she was gone, without a backward glance at me.

Without a single word of explanation.

I took my son’s hand and left the room as well, joining the other candidates and their families as we waited for the ceremony to start.

All while doing my best to hide my shock and confusion.

I had thought I was giving her exactly what she’d begged for so many times over the years.

Just to have her interrupt me, and keep the secret of her identity hidden.

Why??

Why didn’t Claire want Andy to know that she was his mother??