Chapter 2

Aurora's POV

I quietly closed Orion's bedroom door, making sure he was fast asleep.

Tonight's full moon ceremony had been too overwhelming for him. This child had always been sensitive to unfamiliar environments, let alone accidentally releasing Alpha dominance in front of so many people. I stroked his sleeping face, a fierce protectiveness surging through me.

No matter what, I would never let anyone hurt him.

Soft footsteps echoed in the hallway.

I immediately went on alert. At this hour, everyone in the pack should be in their rooms resting. Who would be lurking outside my door?

The footsteps stopped in front of my door, followed by a long silence.

I held my breath, peering through the crack to see a tall figure outside. Even just the silhouette, I recognized that familiar outline.

Caspian.

He just stood there, not knocking, not leaving—like he was fighting some internal battle.

After several minutes, a gentle knock finally came.

I took a deep breath and opened the door.

He stood in the moonlight, his handsome face etched with pain and longing. His eyes still held the shock from seeing Orion release that Alpha dominance in the hall, his voice trembling:

"Aurora... we need to talk."

"Not now. He just fell asleep." My tone was cold, hand gripping the doorknob, ready to slam it shut.

"About the child." His voice dropped lower, but I heard the determination in it. "That dominance he released in the hall... that was pure Alpha power."

My heart rate spiked. He'd figured it out.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I tried to deny it, but my voice betrayed my nervousness.

"Aurora, stop pretending." He stepped forward; I instinctively stepped back. "The purity and intensity of that dominance—even I can't match it. In the entire Silver Moon Pack, only my bloodline could produce that kind of power."

"So what?" I forced myself to stay calm. "There are plenty of powerful Alphas in the world."

"His eyes." Caspian's voice shook. "Those deep blue eyes, identical to mine. And his facial structure, his scent..."

I felt panic spreading through my chest. He'd observed too carefully.

"You're overthinking it."

"Five years ago you suddenly left..." His gaze sharpened. "What happened then? Aurora, tell me the truth!"

I clenched my jaw, refusing to answer.

"Let's talk on the balcony." I didn't want to have this conversation here—what if we woke Orion?

On the balcony, moonlight bathed us both. I turned away, not daring to meet his eyes.

"He's my son, isn't he?" He asked directly, his voice filled with desperate certainty. "Aurora, please tell me the truth."

Silence hung between us like lead.

"Yes." I finally spoke, my voice barely audible. "He's your son."

A pained gasp came from behind me.

I turned to see Caspian's face deathly pale, his whole body swaying.

"My son..." He trembled as he repeated the words. "I have a son... and I didn't even know..."

"Didn't know?" I felt rage igniting in my chest. "Of course you didn't know! Because you never cared about me!"

"If I had known you were pregnant..."

"Known? What difference would it have made? Would I have gotten your pity love?" I cut him off, five years of suppressed anger and pain finally exploding. "Do you know what happened that night? I waited for you until 2 AM, holding a pregnancy test, bursting with joy to tell you the good news!"

Caspian's face went even whiter.

"I practiced countless times how to say it, imagining how happy you'd be. But you came home drunk, didn't even glance at me!"

Tears began forming in my eyes, but I fought to keep them from falling.

"I said I had something important to tell you. Do you know what you said? 'Tomorrow. I'm exhausted.' Just like that, you went upstairs to sleep, leaving me alone in the living room until dawn."

"Aurora..." He tried to approach; I immediately backed away.

"The next day Evangeline called again. Said she needed you for her chemo, said she was scared, said she needed you. Then you left again."

The memories cut through my heart like blades.

"A whole week. An entire week you didn't come home. I wanted to tell you I was pregnant, but your phone was always busy. I went to the hospital for a checkup and saw you carefully taking care of her, peeling apples, chatting with her—a tenderness I'd never seen."

"That wasn't..."

"Wasn't what? Wasn't love?" I laughed bitterly. "But that's exactly what it looked like to me. That moment I realized, even carrying your child, I could never compare to her in your heart."

Caspian closed his eyes in pain.

"So I made a decision." My voice turned ice-cold. "I wouldn't tell you I was pregnant. Because I didn't want a man who came back out of duty. I wanted love—real love."

"I love you!" He suddenly opened his eyes, tears streaming down his face. "I've always loved you!"

"Love me?" I looked at him mockingly. "A man who loves me would abandon me for another woman? Would choose to leave when I needed him most?"

"Evangeline, she..."

"She what? She was sick? She needed you?" I felt sick. "What about me? Didn't I need you when I was carrying your child?"

"I didn't know..."

"You didn't know! Right, you knew nothing!" My voice began to shake. "You didn't know how terrified I was going to checkups alone, you didn't know how desperate I felt waking up in pain at night, you didn't know I almost died giving birth..."

I couldn't control it anymore—tears finally spilled over.

"You don't know how I've lived these five years! Raising a child alone, working alone, facing every difficulty alone! You know nothing!"

Caspian stood frozen, the pain on his face aging him ten years.

"Aurora... I'm sorry... I..."

I wiped away my tears, my voice regaining its coldness. "Five years, Caspian. It took you five years to learn you had a son. That's your so-called love."

Orion's voice came from the room: "Mommy?"

I rushed inside. Orion sat up in bed, his little face full of fear.

"What's wrong, baby?" I sat on the bed and hugged him.

"Someone was crying outside." He pointed toward the balcony. "Was it that uncle?"

I glanced back—Caspian still stood on the balcony, his figure looking incredibly lonely.

"It's okay, Mommy's here." I rubbed his back gently. "Go back to sleep."

"Mommy, why was that uncle crying?" Orion asked innocently.

I didn't know how to answer.

Caspian walked back in, looking at the child on the bed with complex emotions in his eyes.

"Aurora... I was wrong." His voice was choked. "I apologize to you."

"Not necessary." I said coldly. "We'll be leaving here soon."

"Don't go." He pleaded. "Please don't take him away."

"Give me one reason not to leave."

He opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

I settled Orion back to sleep, and when I looked up, Caspian was gone.

I walked to the window to draw the curtains.

Suddenly, I saw red dots moving in the distance.

Was that... an infrared scope?

Alarm bells went off in my head. This wasn't werewolf surveillance—this was human high-tech equipment.

Who was watching us?

Why use this kind of equipment?