Chapter 8

Kingston

I watched Cora walk away, Riley’s small hand tucked in hers, the boy glancing back over his shoulder with a wide-eyed, trusting expression. Something in me pulled tight at the little boy’s look.

It was odd. I wasn’t the sentimental type. I didn’t get attached easily—especially not to children.

But lately, if I was being honest, I’d found myself softening. Perhaps it was the timing, or the sudden awareness that somewhere out there, a child of my own blood had been born without my knowledge.

After my sperm had gone missing, the idea of a child of my own was taking shape. A miniature version of myself made of all of my best parts. That kind of truth reorders a man’s priorities.

And Riley… he was different.

It was in the way he looked at Cora with unshakable love. There was something raw and real about him I hadn’t seen in a child before.

Maybe that’s why I found him so… familiar. After learning about our similar allergies, perhaps I had even seen a bit of myself in him,

The kid was resilient and funny. Adorable, even.

Not that I’d ever admit it aloud.

I shook my head as I stepped out of the restaurant and made the long walk back to my manor. When I returned home, heavy doors closed behind me with a soft thud. The grand halls of my estate stretched before me, cold and still.

My butler Hayden was waiting in the sitting room, posture crisp and eyes attentive.

“They’ve arrived, sir,” he said.

I nodded once. “Bring them in.”

Hayden disappeared, and a moment later, a woman with carefully curled hair and a soft pink dress walked in, gently guiding a boy by the shoulders.

The woman gave me a look that tried to be both demure and confident. The boy—Billy, from what I had been told—stared up at me with wide eyes and a calculated gleam, already taking in the splendor of the manor.

“Go on, sweetheart,” the woman whispered, nudging him forward. “Say hi to your father.”

I raised an eyebrow.

The boy stepped forward and said, “Hi, Dad.”

When he smiled, it seemed like a practiced effort. A performance.

Strangely, my wolf was still in the presence of my own child. It was silent, uninterested.

That thread I’d felt earlier with Riley? It was completely absent as I stood in front of Billy.

Still, I made myself take a step forward, telling myself that perhaps Billy had not inherited the werewolf bloodline. It had to be the reason why my own wolf hadn’t stirred in response.

I studied Billy’s features. Perhaps there was some resemblance if you squinted.

But there was no pull. No instinctive sense of kinship.

Nothing.

I looked back at the woman—Daisy, if I remembered right.

“Hayden,” I said quietly to the butler beside me, “show me the file.”

He stepped forward and handed me a thin folder.

Inside was the sperm report, the hospital’s seal faintly smudged in one corner. A few pages were missing, but the ID numbers matched.

My heart dropped. The dates lined up. The sample was mine.

I tried to hide my shock and, admittedly, my disappointment. A half-blood child would be a scandal to the Silverfang pack. They would not want me to claim Billy as my own, and I was already anticipating the in-fighting the news would cause.

I sighed as I closed the folder slowly. “So it’s confirmed.”

Daisy’s eyes filled with sudden tears. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I didn’t know... They must’ve made a mistake at the clinic.”

“You used the wrong sample,” I said flatly.

She nodded, wiping her cheeks. “I didn’t know. But once I got pregnant, I… I couldn’t bring myself to—” She stopped, voice trembling.

When she looked down at her son, her face flooded with fresh emotion. There was something about the agility of her expressions that made me wonder if they were a performance as well.

“Billy means everything to me,” she said. “He’s had such a hard life without a father.”

Billy, catching the cue, ducked his head and murmured, “It’s okay, Mom. I’m just happy to meet my dad.”

The words were well-rehearsed. They rang falsely around us, sounding like the lines of a play.

Still, I couldn’t ignore the instinctive sense of obligation that eclipsed all else.

For werewolves, children were precious. They were considered treasures of the bloodline, to be protected at all costs. Regardless of how he came into the world, Billy was still my responsibility now.

“Is there…. Is there maybe a mistress of the household that I should… that I should explain it all to? I really wouldn’t—” Daisy began, but I raised a hand to silence her.

“I’m not married,” I said abruptly, cutting her off.

Her eyes lit up. “Oh. I just assumed—”

“You assumed wrong.”

She smiled, sweet and hopeful. “Well… I know this is a lot, but maybe we could start over. You don’t have to feel pressured to do anything.”

“I don’t feel pressured,” I managed. “He is my son. He is my responsibility. And now he is my priority.”

Daisy brightened for a beat before she could catch herself. “Billy and I, we just want a place to belong. That’s all.”

I glanced at the boy. He was trying hard to appear meek, eyes darting from my face to the polished floor.

“Hayden,” I said without looking away, “have the paperwork drawn up. Billy will be registered with proper status. I’ll make sure he’s legally protected.”

Daisy gasped. “Oh, Kingston… that is so generous! Thank you.”

Her voice caught, and she leaned forward, brushing imaginary tears from her cheeks. “I never thought I’d be lucky enough for Billy to have a real father. And if… if you ever consider marriage—”

“Maybe marriage would...” I began, surprising even myself.

Perhaps it would solve this. Give the boy legitimacy, keep the scandal contained. I could keep control of the situation for everyone involved.

But before I could finish my thought, there was a sharp knock at the door.

Hayden returned, his face tense. “Sir. The police are here.”

“The police?” My brow furrowed. “Why?”

“They say someone reported a missing person. A family member called to search for a woman named Daisy.”

Daisy paled instantly.

I looked at her, arms slowly crossing over my chest. “You didn’t tell your family where you were?”

“I… We left in such a hurry when your butler called and… I just needed time!” she said quickly. “I didn’t want my sister to worry.”

Too late for that.

I turned to Hayden. “Send them in. Let her handle her family drama first.”

Daisy flinched, realizing how quickly the conversation had shifted. Just moments ago, she was on the brink of becoming the lady of the manor. Now she was steeling herself to talk to the police.

Hayden led the officers inside. One of them carried a tablet in the crook of his arm. I managed a glance at it as they passed.

Cora’s name on the tablet’s report.

Of course.

It had been Cora. I should have known.

I dismissed the officers politely but firmly, telling them Daisy was safe and would reach out to her family. Daisy practically begged them to leave, shrilly telling them over and over that all was well. I thought she might finally produce real tears this time in her desperation to send them away.

Once the police left, I excused myself and walked to the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

My thoughts churned like stormclouds.

Daisy’s timing had been too perfect. Her performance was too smooth. And Billy… the lack of any bond between us gnawed at me.

But what really lingered in my mind wasn’t the broken rhythm of the conversation. It was Riley’s voice. His honesty. His gentleness.

I compared it now with Billy’s false charm, the way he tried to please me.

It didn’t feel the same.

The pack would want this quiet when it was discovered. They wouldn’t want their Alpha tied to a scandal with a human woman and a half-blood child.

But I didn’t care about politics. I cared about the truth.

I turned away from the balcony, jaw tight.

Inside, Daisy’s jaw was also tight, and her fists were clenched at her sidees. She couldn’t believe the audacity of her sister. Cora had almost ruined everything!

But she hadn’t. Not yet. And Daisy would not give her another chance.

Enraged, Daisy was determined to confront Cora.