Chapter 49

Cora

After the surgery, the huge bombshell discovery of my parentage, and the ongoing investigation regarding the unauthorized medication, I had thought there’d be peace. Gratitude. A return to normal. It had to settle down, right?

Instead, I’d come back to the office the day after the discovery of my father, only to be summoned to a conference room where I entered to see an array of various serious and authoritative-looking werewolves waiting for me.

“We called you in firstly to talk about the report of the unauthorized medical treatment your son has recently undertaken,” said a werewolf with a strict bob named May, getting straight to business before I had even sat down.

“We take such infractions very seriously, as the company’s reputation is of the utmost importance, especially with the Alpha King as our CEO,” May continued, her tone devoid of sympathy. “There are strict regulations regarding the treatment of hybrid children. Violations could result in termination… or worse.”

Worse. The word echoed inside me like a scream.

I hadn’t given Riley anything that wasn’t prescribed. But the doctors couldn’t explain what happened, and this supposed evidence was vague and nonsensical enough to at least raise eyebrows.

“I swear to you that any medical treatment my son has had was very much prescribed by a doctor. In fact, the man who saved my son’s life was Dr. Serrano.”

That made everyone in the room still. A few exchanged eye contact fleetingly.

“Oh,” May said. “We didn’t know Dr. Serrano was involved.”

“Yes,” I said. “Kingston recruited him when my son was being denied treatment because of my human status.”

I knew that by invoking Kingston, I was playing the Alpha King card. But I was also aware that it was exactly what he would have wanted me to do if he knew of these circumstances.

May cleared her throat. “I see. Well, we will make a mark of this and take it into consideration for our investigation.”

She shuffled around some papers and refocused herself.

“Additionally, Cora, it has come to our attention that you’ve been investigating your lineage,” she said.

For a moment, I was stunned speechless by the accusation. I had never expected the conversation to take this turn.

“How did you know?” I asked, unable to stop myself before the question slipped out.

“You raised some flags when you went into some particular databases and documents,” May admitted.

“Do you know what would happen if the press got wind of this?” the male to her left asked. “If they learned that Riley is the grandson of a traitorous wolf who nearly splintered the northern territories?”

My voice came out hoarse. “I didn’t choose who fathered me.”

“No,” May said evenly, “but you can choose to keep it quiet. For Kingston’s sake. And Riley’s.”

A beat of silence. Heavy. Dreadful.

“You want me to bury it,” I said.

May stepped forward, her voice softening with false sympathy. “We’re trying to protect the balance. Kingston’s standing is still fragile. The Alpha King position isn’t guaranteed to hold if scandal keeps surrounding him.”

“You mean if I keep surrounding him,” I snapped. I knew that, despite my best efforts, I was at the center of many of these recent dramas.

May didn’t deny it.

“This isn’t just about politics, Cora,” the third werewolf—an older woman with steel-colored hair—said. “It’s about war. Thorn’s name still carries weight in the rogue camps. If the wrong people think his bloodline survived, they’ll use it as a rallying cry.”

The implications hit me harder than anything else had. This wasn’t about shame. It was about power. About danger. Riley’s safety. Kingston’s future. All of it suddenly tied to the truth I had just unearthed.

“What happens if I say no?” I asked, quietly now.

May’s answer was simple. “You won’t. Because you love them.”

And damn her, she was right.

“If I agree to keep this quiet, you will leave my son and me alone then?” I asked. I had already decided to do as much, but I needed their confirmation to reassure me.

May slid a paper toward me and handed me a pen. “It’s in everyone’s best interest to keep this quiet.”

I knew there was truth to what she was saying. And for Riley, I would do anything.

I gripped the pen and signed away my newfound father’s legacy.

After they left, I stared at the door long enough that my legs went numb. My phone buzzed. A message from Riley’s school. Just a reminder that he needed to bring his skates tomorrow. Normalcy trying to wedge its way back in.

I should have told Kingston. I wanted to tell him. But how could I ask him to carry this weight too?

He’d fought for his place on that throne. Fought to survive being poisoned and shot at. Fought to protect me even when we were just barely more than strangers. And now he had to fight whispers in the council about his ability to lead.

Because of me

He didn’t need another secret dragging him down.

So I made my choice.

I burned my copy of the DNA results. Locked the rest in a hidden safe behind my dresser. And I went to work the next morning with my head held high, even as whispers started again. They always did.

“Morning, Cora,” Rock said, pausing at my desk with a fresh coffee. “You okay?”

I smiled. Lied. “Yeah. Just tired.”

He didn’t press, but I could see the worry plainly on his face.

When I caught my reflection in the dark glass of the hallway, I barely recognized the woman I saw. Older, maybe. Wearier. So many recent scandals had whittled me away, testing my nerve and patience.

But it hadn’t stopped me yet. And I had no intentions of surrendering, even if I had just agreed to keep my lineage a secret. It was a conclusion I had already come to without their guidance.

After work that day, I picked Riley up from school. He ran into my arms the moment he saw me, his skates swinging wildly from his shoulder.

“You should’ve seen me, Mom!” he beamed. “Coach said I’m already better than the big kids!”

I kissed his forehead, blinking back the sudden sting behind my eyes. “Of course you are. You’re my brave little buddy.”

He told me all about practice on the way home: how the ice wasn’t as scary anymore despite his recent fall, how he’d made a new friend named Milo, and how the coach promised to put him in a game in a few months. I nodded along, smiling, laughing when I was supposed to.

But part of me stayed distant. Haunted.

Riley’s blood held more than just potential. It held a legacy. Power. Lines of allegiance that had been buried for years, waiting to be unearthed.

When we got home, I made him dinner and helped with his homework. Then, once he was asleep, I poured myself a glass of wine and sat in the living room, staring at the documents I'd hidden in the safe earlier.

I hadn’t destroyed all of them. I couldn’t. Not yet.

Because a small, irrational part of me wanted answers.

Why had Erik abandoned me?

Why had my life started in secrecy, in silence?

I didn’t know if I was ready to find out. But I did know this: the truth, as dangerous as it was, would never stop whispering at the edges of my life. And if the day ever came when Riley needed that truth, I would be ready.

Until then, I would keep his world safe by whatever means necessary.