Chapter 133

DEREK

Nonna Lucia’s smelled exactly the way I remembered it—like garlic, fresh bread, and something slow-simmered and sacred. The kind of smell that belonged to memory more than to food.

Aiden was practically bouncing in the seat beside me, legs too short to sit still, eyes wide as he watched a server bring out a sizzling platter of meatballs to a nearby table.

“Those smell amazing,” he whispered.

“They’ll be here soon,” I said. “Best meatballs in three counties.”

“You always say that.”

“Because it’s true.”

Elena chuckled across the table, folding her napkin into her lap. She looked beautiful in the soft light, her hair up in a loose knot, wearing a navy dress with sleeves that slipped slightly off her shoulders every time she shifted.

Casual, but polished. A version of her I hadn’t ever taken the time to see. Hadn’t been able to see past my own prejudice.

This was the first time the three of us had gone out when Elena wasn’t just there as Aiden’s mom. This was a… a family date.

And it was going well.

Shockingly well.

Aiden was in his element—ordering his own lemonade with no pulp, asking the waiter if there were extra meatballs in case he got “super hungry,” and trying to talk Elena into letting him have dessert first.

“You can’t just reverse the rules of meals,” she said, half-laughing.

“Why not?” he asked. “Maybe the Moon Goddess wants us to.”

I nearly choked on my water.

Elena gave me a side glance like this was somehow my fault.

But even she couldn’t hide the small smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

The meatballs arrived with a flourish—steaming, perfectly browned, bathed in a sauce that smelled like home.

“Magic meatballs,” I said, passing the plate to Aiden. “Go easy.”

He dug in with enthusiasm. Sauce on his cheek before the first bite was down.

Across the table, Elena caught my eye and mouthed: Thank you.

I nodded. No words necessary.

For the first time in months, maybe longer, it felt like things were starting to settle. Like we might actually figure out how to do this—how to be together in a way that didn’t carry all the weight of everything we’d lost.

Then the front door opened.

And all that ease unraveled.

Cassandra.

Red lips. Black dress. Hair curled into deliberate waves. She walked in like she owned the place, followed closely by Caroline, who wore her standard expression of tight-lipped smugness.

My gut went cold.

I hadn’t told anyone we were coming here. I hadn’t put it on the books. This was a family meal. Private. Unscheduled.

So how the hell did she know?

She caught sight of us immediately. Her smile bloomed like poison. She touched Caroline’s arm and murmured something, then walked with slow, deliberate steps toward our table.

“Derek,” she said, voice sweet. “Elena. Aiden.”

I stood instinctively. Not out of courtesy—but readiness.

“Cassandra,” I said, keeping my tone polite. “Caroline.”

I gave my beta a long look. She shifted uncomfortably.

“I didn’t know you three would be here,” Cassandra breezed, all smiles and friendliness.

Like hell she didn’t know. Nonna Lucia’s wasn’t Cassandra’s kind of place. There’s no way she and Caroline had just dropped in for lunch.

Elena’s posture went stiff. She hadn’t moved since Cassandra spoke—just watched her with the kind of stillness that could turn sharp in a heartbeat.

Cassandra looked at Aiden. “I heard about your injury,” she said, warm and falsely maternal. “Living with an old silver wound can be tricky, but you’re so brave.”

Aiden blinked, unsure how to respond.

Elena’s hand slid from beneath the table, resting lightly on his back.

Cassandra turned to me again. “Mind if we join you?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Actually, yes. I do.”

Her smile flickered for a split second.

Then she laughed like I’d said something mildly charming. “Of course. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your family time.”

Caroline looked uncomfortable. I didn’t care.

Cassandra gave Aiden a soft smile. “You enjoy your dinner, sweetheart.”

He didn’t answer.

She turned, her heels clicking against the tile, and Caroline followed—but not before giving me a look I couldn’t quite read.

A mix of confusion and betrayal.

I sat slowly, letting my jaw unclench.

Elena stared at her plate.

“I didn’t tell anyone where we were going,” I said quietly.

She didn’t look up. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not.”

“She won’t stop,” she murmured. “You know that, right?”

I nodded. “She will. Eventually.”

But even as I said it, I wasn’t sure.

---

Back at Silverclaw, the glow of the evening had worn off.

I had dropped Aiden and Elena back off at Moonstone. Elena had been cold and distant the rest of the night and I wasn’t surprised when she just thanked me for the meal and pulled Aiden into the house behind her.

No kiss. No hug. Just a perfunctory goodbye.

I was in my office with Caroline and Joe standing across from me.

Caroline crossed her arms. “I just don’t understand, Derek. She came to lunch with me. She didn’t do anything wrong.”

“She showed up to our table,” I said, voice cool. “Uninvited. She addressed my son.”

“She was trying to be nice.”

“She was inserting herself,” I corrected. “Again.”

Caroline’s jaw tightened. “Can you blame her? You’re parading around that Moonstone—”

My growl cut her off.

Low. Deep. A warning pulled from somewhere ancient in my chest.

Joe flinched.

Caroline’s eyes widened—barely—but enough to show she hadn’t expected it. Hadn’t realized how close she was to crossing a line she shouldn’t touch.

I stepped forward.

Not fast.

Not aggressive.

But deliberate. Each step measured, slow, meant to remind her who I was—and what I wasn’t going to tolerate anymore.

“You will not speak about her that way,” I said, my voice calm and cold. “Not in this house. Not to me.”

On the mantle, the old clock ticked steadily.

Caroline glanced at Joe like she wanted backup, but he didn’t move. His jaw was set, his expression unreadable.

“It’s unkind, Derek,” she said, her voice quieter now, edged with something almost pleading. “You don’t know what Cassandra’s going through.”

I bared my teeth. “Don’t I?”

My voice was still low, but sharper now. Enough to make her flinch just a little.

Joe stayed silent. Still.

Caroline’s throat bobbed as she swallowed. “I just meant—”

“I know exactly what she’s done,” I said. “I was there. I lived it. And I’m done pretending she’s the victim.”

She faltered, her mouth pressing into a tight line.

I exhaled slowly. Let the tension bleed out of my shoulders, just enough to speak evenly again.

“I’m not asking you to like Elena,” I said. “I’m not even asking you to understand her. But I am telling you this—she is my fated mate. I’m going to try again with her. Slowly. Intentionally.”

I paused. Let the weight of it land.

“And if either of you can’t accept that…”

My eyes flicked to Joe. Then back to Caroline.

“…you’re free to leave.”

The silence that followed was thick and final.

Joe gave a small nod. Steady. Loyal.

Caroline looked like I’d slapped her across the face. Her mouth opened, closed again. No words came.

But her eyes said everything—shock, hurt, disbelief.

She didn’t speak.

And I didn’t let her.

I turned away, jaw tight, and moved behind my desk. My fingers curled against the edge, gripping the wood like it might anchor me there.

Cassandra had scorched every bridge.

She’d lied. Manipulated. Used grief as currency.

And now?

Now, she was done. Because I couldn’t love someone who saw my pain as leverage.

There was no coming back from that.

Not now.

Not ever.