Chapter 27

Iris

By dinnertime, Miles is bouncing with energy from his nap. We take our seats at the dinner table, digging into a saucy pasta dish with glistening chicken breast and vibrant vegetables. Miles happily twirls his pasta around on his fork, his tongue stuck out in concentration.

For a few moments, we just enjoy the quiet, listening to the faint sound of classical music playing on the radio and the city bustling below.

It feels like we never left home in Bo’Arrocan, although it’s much quieter there. The coastal community where I raised Miles is more peaceful, the scent of seaweed and salt drifting through the air. It was a nice change from the hustle of Ordan.

But even after five years in Bo’Arrocan, I missed the noise of Ordan. Now, sitting here at our dining table, I feel more content than I have in some time.

Even if Arthur is out there with his plastic smile plastered across every billboard and magazine cover.

Miles is still clutching his stuffed shark in his lap. It already has tomato sauce splattered on it, but that doesn’t seem to bother him. I watch him slurp his pasta with a smirk on my face, knowing fully well that that shark is going to last all of three weeks before it looks like it’s been run through a garbage disposal.

Suddenly, Miles looks up at me with that glint in his eyes that tells me that he has a bombshell to drop. I suppress a sigh as he says, “When can we see Daddy again?”

I’m not sure what to say. I’ve already lied and told him that Arthur isn’t his father, and no amount of trying to rationalize it by telling myself that Arthur isn’t really Miles’ father, at least not in the way that counts, will change that. Nothing will convince Miles, either.

“Do you really want to see him again?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

Miles nods vehemently. “I had so much fun today! He’s so tall, too. When he gave me a piggyback ride, I felt like I was flying.”

I set my fork down and reach for my glass of red wine, suddenly feeling like I need the alcohol to dull my frayed nerves. Taking a sip, I reply, “He made quite the impression on you, huh?”

Miles nods, shoveling another messy forkful of pasta into his mouth and staining his cheeks red with the sauce. It’s strange, seeing him click so quickly with someone he barely knows.

When I hired his babysitter, it was an extremely rough start. He seemed to hate her, often kicking and screaming whenever I would leave or even going completely nonverbal at times. It took over a year to get him to the point where he is now with her, and it was such a struggle that I’m almost considering flying her out here to Ordan just to babysit whenever I need to go out without Miles.

And then there’s Brian, Liam, and the twins. Miles has grown up so far with the twins, so they’re pretty much siblings to him. And Brian and Liam are like his adoptive fathers, and have always doted on him since birth.

But with Arthur, it’s… different.

Even human children, of course, have innate affection for their parents. It’s hardwired into our brains, an ancient survival instinct to be able to tell safety from strangers.

Werewolves are different, though. When they scent their kin, it’s like they imprint on them. Miles is only half-werewolf, so it isn’t as pronounced as it might be with a full-blooded child, but it’s still there.

I hope, for everyone’s sake, that he hasn’t immediately latched onto Arthur. But it is clear that Arthur has impacted Miles very quickly, and now it’s going to be trouble trying to convince Miles that we don’t actually need to spend that much time together.

Still, I manage to say, “I’ll consider it,” and that seems to satisfy Miles for now.

As I kiss Miles and tuck him into bed later, though, I feel my heart wrench with regret all over again. I want him to have a relationship with his father, truly.

It’s just… There are so many factors to consider, so many horrible things that have happened, that I’m not sure if I can bring myself to say yes.

Maybe that’s selfish of me, but I can’t help it.

The next morning, after a sleepless night of tossing and turning and mulling over what to do regarding Miles and Arthur, I get dressed to go to Marsiel Gallery. I have a meeting today to finally sign my patronage contract, which is a welcome distraction from everything else. Miles will be spending the day with Brian and his family.

However, as I’m pulling on my yellow sweater and a pair of jeans, my phone rings. It’s an unknown caller ID, and I ignore it instinctively, assuming it’s a scam caller. But when they call a second time immediately after, I finally pick up.

“Hello?”

“Iris?”

“Who is this?”

“This is Alpha Arthur’s Beta, Ezra,” the voice replies, and I suppress a groan. “Alpha Arthur has asked me to call you to ask if you’ll meet him for dinner tonight, just the two of you. I can pick you up at eight.”

My eyes narrow suspiciously. “Why does he want to go out for dinner?” I ask.

Ezra hesitates for a moment before replying, “He just wants to talk.”

Talk. Right. He’s probably just going to try to offer me more money, or maybe tell me that I’m not doing a good enough job raising Miles, or—

“Mommy, are you going out with Daddy tonight?” Miles suddenly asks.

I whirl to see Miles standing in his bedroom doorway, rubbing his sleepy eyes, still in his pajamas with that stuffed shark clutched to his chest. He looks… hopeful. And the sight breaks my heart.

“No, honey, I—”

“I think you should go, Mommy,” he says, meeting my gaze sternly—Goddess, he really looks like his father when he does that. “You don’t smile as much as you do when you’re with him.”

Miles’ words make my heart pause in my chest. I clutch the phone a little tighter, hardly daring to believe it. Yesterday, I thought I was rather sullen, and yet…

“Please?” Miles asks.

I sigh, passing my hand over my face. The Beta is silent on the other end of the phone, waiting for my response.

It’s not that I want to go out to dinner with Arthur, not one bit, but I can’t help but wonder if he has something important to tell me. And if he wants to go out to a nice restaurant, just the two of us, then maybe…

What if I get an apology? A sincere one, with a promise to make everything right?

I still hate him for what he did; and I won’t get over it for a long, long time. But if he apologized, truly apologized, then maybe… Maybe we could co-parent Miles, at the very least. I want that for my son, truly. More than anything, I want him to have a father who loves him, even if I can’t bring myself to get back together with Arthur.

It feels a little too hopeful to assume that that’s why Arthur’s inviting me out, but I accept the invitation before I can think better of it.

A little while later, I’m at the art gallery, signing my contract. The patron is still anonymous, but it doesn’t matter; I’m just happy to be moving forward in my art career, and looking forward to the next exhibition.

The curator informs me that the gallery will be holding an event in the coming weeks, where she’d like me to give a short speech and mingle as ‘Flora’. I happily accept, and am genuinely excited to attend.

This feels like a big step in my career. A huge one. And I can’t wait to see what this year has in store for me.

However, when eight o’clock rolls around, my excitement turns into nervous anticipation. The Beta, Ezra, picks me up right on time and takes me to the restaurant. I’m surprised, or perhaps not that surprised at all, to find that it’s hardly more than a dive bar on the south end of the city.

Suddenly, as I step into the smoky atmosphere of the dimly lit restaurant, I feel overdressed in my sleek black dress and heels.

Why would he pick a place like this?

And why, most of all, did I assume that he would do anything more?

I’m almost considering turning around and leaving when I spot him sitting at a table in the corner, wearing that damn disguise again.