Chapter 37

Sebastian

My Beta’s text burns into my eyes. Their text says that the results from the DNA test are ready. My heart pounds in my chest.

This whole situation, well, maybe just Miranda, has made me feel so weird. I’ve been doing things that are so uncharacteristic of me…like saving a woman who doesn’t need, or even want, my help. Miranda is so stubborn it drives me crazy!

Open the damn results already.

I flinch at my wolf’s voice. I sharply inhale and snatch my phone from the kitchen counter. The screen illuminates my face and my eyes fixate on the notification. It doesn’t give anything away, though, and I’ll have to open my phone to see what it says.

I turn the phone off and set it beside me. My heart pounds inside my chest and I can hear my heartbeats in my ear.

I distract my body by grabbing a glass from the cabinet, moving to the refrigerator to get Evan some water. My eyes focus on nothing and my body goes through the movements.

A part of me doesn’t want to see the results. Will removing the haze of confusion bring me clarity? Or will it leave me even more dazed and confused than before?

Do it! Do it right now! My wolf barks and bites the inside of my mind.

I grab my phone once again and unlock it, swiping to my Beta and I’s text message. I stare at the link he sent. My heart races. I click on it and my screen loads for a second.

When the page pops up, my eyes train themselves on the large letters that reveal the result of the DNA test.

It’s a match. Miranda is Evan’s biological mother.

My phone clatters against the kitchen counter. I stare at a glass of water that I got for Evan and sigh.

Relief floods through my body now that I know that Miranda is Evan’s mother. However, I am filled with the unmistakable feeling of dread.

Lily lied to me. She’s deceived me for the past five years. I bet her whole family was in on it too! They all lied to me about Evan!

Oh, Evan…and he knew this all along! I should have listened to him. I’m a bad father, aren’t I? I put my own needs above my son’s. Miranda wouldn’t act like this. She’s an angel who has been made out to be a devil.

These last five years have gone to waste and it’s all because of Lily. I can’t blame Evan for it, though, he was a pawn in a game that he never should have been a part of. Lily and her damn family…they’re scum! Every last one of them!

I carry the glass of water to Evan’s room, sneaking inside. His dinosaur nightlight emits a warm glow from the side of his bed. I wade through scattered toys and clothes, shaking my head at how dirty Evan can be, and set the glass on the bedside table.

The mattress dips under my weight and I sit beside him, rubbing my hand on his back. Evan stirs and rolls over, facing up. His eyes open and he reveals his purple eyes, glowing under the dim light.

He sleepily smiles at me and rolls back over, yawning. After a few seconds, his snores can be heard once again.

I hate Lily. I hate what she’s done to Evan and I. She’s ruined the past five years of our lives when we could have both been content and happy on our own. I hate to admit, though, that if it weren’t for Lily, there’s a chance I would have never even met Evan and had the joy of calling him my son.

In another life, Evan would have been reunited with Miranda and his sister.

Evan has a sister! She’s his age too, which is great! He deserves to have someone to be close with at their age.

Ella!

Does this mean that Ella is my daughter? Do they share the same birthday? Are they twins?

I walk out of Evan’s room. My mind feels dizzy from new revelations and unanswered questions. Miranda has the answers. She’s always been the North star in this chaotic situation we’ve found ourselves in.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so cruel to her. I should have remained neutral and treated her cordially. Maybe if I hadn’t pushed her so much about her child’s biological father, we could have come together and come to an agreement about our children.

Our children.

The thought of me having a daughter, alongside my son, warms my heart. With Miranda as their mother, they’re sure to end up as well rounded adults and will be able to prepare for what life will throw at them.

I aimlessly walk down the halls of my home, navigating through the twists and turns that it has to offer.

I longingly gaze at the empty living room. To think that it could have been filled with shared holidays together, filled with joyous laughter and warm memories. Instead, the room holds onto depressed memories of Lily and Evan arguing with me playing mediator.

If I had known about Miranda and Ella before, I would have made their lives better than they are now. I can clearly see that they are filled with pain and angst from the demons that haunted Miranda in her past life.

My wolf growls in a low tone. It’s threatening. Whenever my mind wanders to Lily, my wolf wants to lurch out of me and make her pay for her sins. She should pay for what she’s done to Miranda.

Miranda is my fated mate.

It makes the most sense; the way our bodies yearn for each other, how we can barely keep our hands off of each other when we share a heated kiss. My emotions are always so heightened around her. She drives me and my wolf crazy.

After all this time…my fated mate has finally come to me. My destiny, my future, my…love. Miranda will fill the hole in my chest, becoming the part of me that has been missing all of these years.

I laugh to myself, disbelief running through my body. Who would have known that the fiery woman who has been on my mind ever since I met her would be my fated mate?

I slide into bed and stare at the ceiling. I no longer feel nervous. Instead of feeling dread, I can think more positively about Miranda and our shared future. We will forever be linked, whether she likes it or not. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, allowing sleep to take over my body.

The Following Morning…

I watch as Evan climbs out of the backseat of our car. His backpack jingles from his keychains and I have to lean over to hand him his water bottle that fell out of his backpack’s pocket.

“Have a great day at school, Evan!” I call from behind him. He turns around and waves at me before scurrying away and towards the front doors of the school.

My Beta closes the door and hustles back to the driver’s side door, getting in. He pulls the car away from the sidewalk and heads in the direction of my office. I look out the window, watching as other parents help their children out of their cars.

“Please extend an invite to Miranda and her daughter, Ella. Evan and I would like to have dinner or lunch with them sometime soon. She may choose when and where,” I order from the backseat. My Beta nods and I look back out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Miranda and Ella before we leave.