Chapter 64
Chapter 64
CHARLOTTE’S POV
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Opening a branch of my hospital in the United States was a decision I made with a clear heart. I wanted to reach people who truly needed help, people whose conditions went beyond what medicine alone could fix. The Moon Goddess blessed me with the rare gift to heal, and I believed it would be wrong not to use it. Saving lives was my only focus. I never planned for anything else to come with it.
I never expected to cross paths with the green–eyed, most dangerous and powerful Alpha, the one whispered about as the Alpha of all Alphas. I didn’t even know such a title could exist. He was a man cursed by the Moon Goddess for his own mistakes, yet still feared and respected by all. He stormed into my life and my son’s life without warning, turning everything upside down. He went from cold arrogance to overwhelming care, showering us with attention I never thought someone like him could give. He touched my heart in a way no one ever had, made me feel wanted. And just as suddenly as he appeared, he carved himself into our lives and walked away.
Listening to Moon talk about how Ace chose her over his mate, and how he chose her again was humiliating in a way I can’t fully explain. It hurt more than I wanted to admit. It was only after her visit that the truth finally settled in. I was his secret, his woman on the side, and that was exactly how he wanted it. I had been foolish, playing my role perfectly while believing every lie he fed me, convincing myself that what we had meant something more.
We got into London in the early hours of the morning, and I went straight to a hotel with Liam. I couldn’t go home looking like this. Dad would ask too many questions that I wasn’t ready to answer yet.
Weeks in America had turned my life upside down. Too much drama, coming out at once. First, there was Ace, then Gavin, who appeared out of nowhere and somehow knew things about my past I had never remembered. I had always wanted answers. I wanted to know who I was more than anything, I wanted to know who Liam’s father was. I wanted my son to grow up with both parents in his life. We didn’t have to be mates or even married. We could co–parent. That was enough for me.
The flashbacks that came in those weeks showed me how hard my life must have been before I lost my memories. Then Gavin made it worse by playing that voice recording. Hearing my supposed mate talk about me like I was nothing hurt more than I expected. He didn’t want me. He rejected me and his own son. Hearing it out loud made everything painfully clear. That day, I decided to stop searching. I was done hoping for a man who had already walked away. I needed to focus on being both mother and father to Liam, with Ethan’s help, at least until he found his own mate.
Just when I thought the madness couldn’t get worse, Gavin asked me to marry him. I don’t think I had ever been that shocked in my life. Standing there in my office, I thought it was a joke at first. But the look on his face told me he was serious.
I checked my phone on the nightstand and saw several missed calls and messages. Les had texted, asking if I arrived safely and if I was already at the Brimstone pack house. Kathryn had called a few times too. Then there was Ace. He had left countless missed calls and messages, asking where I had disappeared to like he had lost his mind.
He had some nerve. He had just signed a contract to be with Moon forever, he would mark her in the presence of many Alphas at the Moon Ascension festival, and sleep with her right after. All of that happened after the promises he made to me the day before. He was a liar. As if that wasn’t enough, he gave her a hickey.
9:03 Wed, Feb 11
Chapter 64
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The same kind he gave me that night he found me at the gym. When I remembered it, my heart hurt.
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I pushed the thoughts away, freshened up, and took Liam to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. As we ate, I noticed he wasn’t his usual self. He barely touched his food and kept quiet. I had thought he would be excited to be back home after weeks away, but instead, he looked distant, and that worried me.
He kept pushing his food around the plate and only took a few bites.
“Liam, why aren’t you eating? Don’t you like the food? Do you want to order something else?” My voice came out more worried than I meant it to.
He shook his head slowly. “It’s not the food. I just want to go home.”
“Baby, but we are home,” I said gently. “I know we haven’t gone to the pack house yet. We’ll go there tomorrow, okay? You’ll see Grandpa soon.” I tried to sound cheerful, hoping it would lift his mood.
Instead, his lips pushed out into a small pout.
“I’m not talking about the pack house or Grandpa, I know Grandpa.” Then he hesitated, like he was thinking hard about his words. “I want to go back home to America.” My body stilled for a second. “With Uncle Ace,” he added.
My heart sank straight into my stomach. This was what I had been afraid of all along. Ace had become too much a part of our lives, especially Liam’s. So much that America felt like home to him now. So much that Ace felt like home too.
“Baby, we’ve talked about this. Uncle Ace is only a friend, and he won’t be in our lives forever.”
“But he promised he would always stay with us and never leave,” Liam said. His fork slipped from his hand and hit the plate softly. His eyes were shiny, like he was holding back tears. “He was always there, even when you pushed him away.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“When he made you angry and couldn’t come to the house, he still came to see me at school,” he said quietly. “Other times, he sent me cards. He wrote them himself and gave them to Mr. Stephen, the bodyguard, to bring to me.”
I was surprised to hear that. I hadn’t known any of this. I had been so caught up in my own mess that I never noticed Ace still finding ways to be there for Liam, even when he was meant to stay away from us. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked softly.
“Whenever I asked him to come home with me so he could see you, he always said no,” Liam continued. “He said he did something really bad that hurt you, and that you didn’t want to see him. He said he would fix it one day, no matter how long it took.”
He unzipped the small waist bag he had recently started carrying around, pulled out several cards, and laid them carefully on the table. My breath caught the moment I saw them. It was Ace’s unique handwriting. I would know it anywhere, very neat.
Most of the cards were for Liam. He told him how strong he was, reminded him to be a good boy, and to always listen to me.
9:03 Wed, Feb 11
Chapter 64
Then one card made my fingers pause.
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“I wish I could tell your mother how much she means to me, but I did something very bad. So if you go home tonight, give mummy a big kiss on the cheek for me, and tell her you love her every day.”
The date stared back at me. It was written around the same time I had seen a side of Ace I never wanted near my son, back at the arena.
Could that be the reason Liam had been so vocal about how much he cared about me? He told me he loved me all the time, but during those days, he said it differently, almost like he was singing it with a huge smile on his face. Back then, I truly believed he was doing fine even though Ace wasn’t around. I thought he had adjusted. I had no idea what was really happening behind my back.
I picked up another card. “I’ve made so many mistakes in the past, mistakes that hurt people, including your mother. But I promise I’m going to make things right. I really hope one day your mummy will give me a chance to prove that I can be better.”
My heart flipped painfully in my chest. Ace had always been good with words, the kind that sneaks past your walls before you even realize it.
Then there was another card. “Your mummy is the strongest person I know. She walks into a room and everything feels steadier, like things will be okay just because she’s there. If you grow up to protect people the way she does, I’ll know I didn’t fail you.”
My throat tightened as I read it. At the bottom of the bag were pictures. Ace holding Liam in his arms, Liam’s head thrown back in laughter, his small hands gripping Ace’s shirt like he belonged there. Ace was smiling too, not the guarded one he showed the world, but the soft one he rarely let out. The sight of them together made something twist deep inside me.
I gently put all the cards and pictures back into his little bag. “Liam, how much do you love Uncle Ace?” I asked softly.
His eyes lit up at my question, his lips stretched into a full. “So much that I want him to become my daddy,” he said without hesitation. Then he looked at me, his little brow furrowed as if he needed to clarify something. “I know you don’t like that and he’s not really my father, but I heard from a very wise woman that being a real parent isn’t always about giving birth. It’s about taking care of the child, nurturing them, and being there for their life and growth.”
Was he… using my own words against me? I had said that to a friend a while ago, and Liam had been listening. I hadn’t realized he picked it up, hadn’t realized he remembered.
“Uncle Ace is always there for me,” Liam continued, his voice full of pride. “He comes to my school like a real dad would. My friends all love him too.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice like it was a secret. “He promised that once he gets your permission, he’ll take me to his training ground and teach me how to fight, so I can defend myself whenever I’m in trouble.” Then he smiled, soft and serious at the same time. “I’ll take care of you too.”
The look on his face, pure trust, pure admiration, made my heart sink. I knew it right there, getting Liam to forget about Ace would be the hardest thing I’d ever try to do.
“Liam,” I said quietly, “I don’t even know what to say.”
9:03 Wed, Feb 11
Chapter 64
ACAD
55 Jouchers
“Just say you’ll give him a chance,” he replied quickly, like he’d been waiting for that opening. “He said he would work very hard to make sure he doesn’t hurt you again. And you said everyone deserves at least seven chances.”
I stared at him, my mouth falling open in disbelief, eyes wide like I’d just been caught red–handed. “Seven chances?” I repeated, half shocked, half amused. Then I shook my head slowly. “I never said seven chances. I said a second chance.”
He squinted his eyes playful and I knew he was aware of what he was doing. “I thought you said seven chances, like you forgive your friends seventy times seven?” He took a bite of his food, looking away.
“Liam…”
“I know, mum, but Uncle Ace really loves you.”
As I thought of how to respond to his overly smart boy, I never expected what would happen.
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
