Chapter 32

Miranda

Evan walks out of the guest bedroom, the long blanket trailing behind him. I smile when he approaches us in the kitchen. I grab a nearby bowl and fill it up with soup for him. He sits in a chair beside Ella and weakly grabs a spoon. I place the bowl in front of him and smile, patting his back.

“Eat up, Evan, you need to get your strength back,” I coo. He nods and begins to slowly eat the soup in front of him. Ella pushes her chair closer to Evan and she pulls up her bowl and spoon as well. She grabs a bread roll and rips a piece off, handing it to Evan.

“I like to dip it in,” she says. He takes the piece and dips it in, eating it. A smile spreads across his face and I set the basket of rolls in front of him.

“Noah has some warm pajamas for you to wear! They’re in his bedroom, so feel free to get changed whenever you want,” I say while cleaning up the mess in the kitchen.

“Thank you,” Evan says between his slurps. He quickly finishes his bowl and walks off with the other two, leaving me behind in the kitchen. I sigh and put their bowls into the dishwasher. I kick it closed and press the start button when there’s a knock at the door.

I rush to the corner and yell down the hall, “Noah! Stay inside your room! Do not come out until I tell you to!”

My feet quickly carry me down the hall as the knocks grow louder and more threatening. Shivers run down my spine as I slowly open the door.

Sebastian and his Beta stand outside. The backdrop of the thunderstorm matches the expression on Sebastian’s face. His eyes are even darker than before, his lips curled into a snarl, and his nostrils are flared.

“Where is he?” Sebastian’s growl fills my entire body with dread.

Do I play it dumb? Or do I immediately give in to his demands to lessen his anger and the inevitable destruction that is bound to happen?

“Evan is inside. He’s getting changed,” I open the door and step to the side. Sebastian huffs, storming inside. His Beta follows, bowing his head to me. I wave him away and close the door.

“What did you do to him?” Sebastian turns on his heel. He directs all of his attention and anger towards me. I can’t blame him, though, as I would act the same way if Ella or Noah were to show up to his house for help.

“I didn’t do anything to him,” I cross my arms over my chest, concealing an eye roll, “you need to calm down, Sebastian. Don’t do anything brash.”

“Brash?! You are the one who took my son from me! You’re the brash one here!” Sebastian points his finger at me, his voice’s volume rising. His eyes flicker behind me and his expression softens. I glance over my shoulder and see Evan, wearing a pair of Noah’s dinosaur pajamas, poke his head from around the corner. “Evan, get over here right now.”

“No!” Evan yells. He runs behind me and wraps his arms around my leg. I immediately place my hand on his back, gently rubbing it to try and calm him down. “I want to stay here with Mommy!”

My heart skips a beat. Mommy… I look down at him and smile, but that smile fades when my eyes meet Sebastian’s. He inches towards us. Evan pushes into my leg, his cheek resting against my lower back.

“She…she is not your mommy. Your mommy is someone who is kind and welcoming. She,” he points at me, “is driven by greed and revenge. To her, you’re a means to an end. You mean nothing to her, so she should mean nothing to you.” Sebastian spits out.

Evan winces at his father’s words. He looks up at me, unspilled tears making his purple eyes glossy. I gnaw the inside of my cheek and pull him out from behind me. I sigh and lean down, whispering into the boy’s ear, “It’s okay. You should go with your father. Be sure to take care of yourself, okay?”

Evan begins to cry and Sebastian grabs his arm, yanking the boy towards him. My heart breaks as Sebastian passes Evan off to his Beta, who then leads him out the door.

I hide my shaky hands from Sebastian and place them behind my back, my expression remaining stoic. I stare at him and sigh, shaking my head at him.

“I’m washing his dirty clothes. I’ll have Ella bring them to Evan at school.” I turn away from Sebastian, walking deeper into my home. “You can show yourself out.”

My feet slam against the wooden floor and I kick open my office door, shutting it behind me. I lock myself in and plop down into my office chair. I close my eyes and clench my fists.

A frustrated yell leaves my mouth and I stand from the chair, knocking it over in a fit of rage. I kick over a nearby trash can and crumpled-up paper scatters across the office floor. I glance to the side. My eyes land on a machine that emits a faint green light. I sigh and walk towards it.

A small piece of paper rolls out from the machine. On it are the results of the DNA test between Evan and I. I stare at the paper. The air leaves my lungs and my chest burns. I fold the paper in on itself, sitting on the floor beside my desk.

What if it’s true that I’m his mother? This changes everything!

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, gently unfolding the paper. It crinkles under my touch and my heart pounds inside my chest. I slowly open my eyes to see the result…

It’s a match.

I jump to my feet and clutch the paper to my chest.

My boy! He’s come back to me!

I skip out of the office and pocket the paper. I rush down the hall with a smile on my face. I can’t wait to tell my children the good news! How we can all be a family together! Evan can come home!

No…Sebastian won’t let Evan go. He’ll never do it.

My smile falters and I slow to a stop, my mind going quiet. That man will never let Evan go…Evan’s life holds too much power. Does he even know that he isn’t the father?

“Miranda! Are you okay? I saw Sebastian on my way back from the store,” Anna’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. I weakly smile at her and sit. She sets her bag down on the counter and an unopened bag of oyster crackers for the soup falls out. “Oh. You heard, didn’t you?”

“Heard what?” I ask.

“Your father is back from visiting the lower-class packs. He’s…” Anna hesitates. I raise my eyebrows and lean in. “He’s throwing a gala to celebrate his return…but I think we both know it’s him wanting to encourage Sebastian and Lily to get married.”

“So…he’s throwing an engagement party?” I ask, wanting confirmation of this. Anna nods, diverting her gaze away.

Of course. He always has his eye on the prize, doesn’t he? His daughter marrying Sebastian would be the best outcome for him, wouldn’t it?

I scoff and turn away from Anna. Seconds turn into minutes and all I can do is think about how much I hate my father, Lily, and Harper.

He deserves everything bad to happen to him. He doesn’t deserve to win in life after he’s ruined mine ever since he threw my mother out. He’s taken everything from me…so I will take everything from him in return.

What better place to get revenge on him than his precious engagement party?