Chapter 5
1165 Words
ISABELLA'S POV
Wrapping Charles' tiny hand in a death grip, I took off from Kaden like my butt was on fire.
Don't look back. Don't look back.
My heart was pounding like a drum against my ribcage, my legs trembling on raw adrenaline. Although I'd known there was an actual possibility that I'd cross paths with him at some point, I mean, he was the Alpha of the damn pack, I still had hope, and prayed, that we might be able to exist in Silver Moon without ever laying eyes on each other. And for the first euphoric week, we'd managed to do just that.
I had actually even started to relax. Big mistake.
I'd been at the rear of the crowd in the pack meeting, strategically placed at the edge of the group, attempting to be as far out of Kaden's eyesight as far as possible. And then, ugh, the one in front of me just had to raise his hand.
And now we were here, racing through the bloody streets like a couple of fugitives. And Kaden now knew we were here.
Since I knew we were quite a distance away from him now, I slackened my pace, breathed in deep, and darted a wary glance over my shoulder. No Kaden.
Good.
I was safe. We were safe. From him. For the time being.
Charles, holding onto my hand, tugged gently. "Mom?"
I hummed in response to him, my thoughts still a bit mushy from fear.
"Who was that man?" he said, his small forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Do you know him? 'Cause I feel like I know him."
Well, s**t.
I caught my breath, and my head snapped towards him. Charles' eyes met mine, his large brown eyes, his father's eyes, wide with naive surprise.
Bending down so we were eye to eye, I gulped and made my face remain blank. "What are you saying, sweetheart?" I looked at his face, my heart racing.
Charles shrugged. "I dunno… he just seems… fam…faml…" He scrunched up his face, not quite able to say the word.
"Familiar?" I suggested softly.
His face brightened, and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! That word!"
I forced out a laugh, ruffling his dark curls. "You're just getting smarter every day, huh?"
Charles smiled at the compliment, but I could still feel my belly twisting into a knot of itself. How was I to tell him? The man he was talking about was his father.
I wasn't.
I couldn't.
I gulped hard, clinging to his shoulders. "Listen to me, okay? Stay away from that man."
Charles blinked. "Why?"
I hesitated too long. "Because…." I struggled to come up with a good reason, "because he's the Alpha. He's a very busy man, and we don't want to bother him."
Charles was not convinced. "But you looked really scared of him."
Well, this was just getting harder to explain.
I swallowed. "I just… wasn't expecting for him to be there. That's all."
He gave me a curious look. "So… I can't speak with him?"
"No," I said firmly. "But listen, if you ever find yourself in danger or need assistance and I'm not there, he's the one you go to first. Okay?"
Charles's nose wrinkled in puzzlement. "Wait… so I'm supposed to stay away from him, but go to him if I need something?"
I winced. Yeah, that was sort of contradictory.
I nudged him gently with a huff. "Just do what I say, okay?"
Charles theatrically sighed but finally nodded. "Okay, Mom."
"Good boy." I smiled, planting a kiss on his forehead and getting up once more. "Now, would you like to go get some sweet buns?"
His eyes lit up like the sun. "YES! Yes, yes, yes!"
I giggled and took his hand again, tugging him to the packed pack market. The mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked goods and roasting meat filled the air, grumbling my belly in hunger.
The market was always packed, even at night, with the vendors crying out bargains, the children playing with sticky hands, and pack members gossiping in groups as one big chaotic family.
We headed to a corner stall, one that I was familiar with, and it was old. A grey-haired woman, who was quite plump, waited behind tiers of golden-brown pastry. Her eyes bulged the moment she laid eyes on me.
"Isabella?"
I braced myself.
"Hello, Ms. Macy," I replied with a tiny, apprehensive smile.
She dusted her flour-dusted hands over her apron before gliding around the stall, pulling me into a hard, bone-cracking hug. "Oh, stars above, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me!" She stepped back, examining me from top to bottom. "You're back? After all these years?"
I nodded. "Yeah, um… just temporarily."
Her face relaxed and then darted down to the small boy sitting next to me. "And who is this handsome young man?"
Charles stood up a little straighter and smiled. "I'm Charles!"
Ms. Lorna chuckled. "Oh, he's got spunk, doesn't he?" And then her eyes snapped back up to me, an unspoken question there.
She didn't say it, but I could see it.
He looked like Kaden, to anyone who looked very closely and was very familiar.
I looked away from her quiet stare and coughed. "Can we have two sweet buns?"
She stared at me for a moment, then smiled warmly. "Of course, dear."
As she put the buns in a small paper bag, Charles bounced up and down on his heels, fighting to keep from bursting with excitement.
"Here, love," Ms. Lorna said, handing me the bag.
I patted my pocket, but before I could grab a coin, she shooed me away with her hand. "Ah, don't worry about that. It's a welcome-back gift."
I opened my mouth, ready to protest, but she simply shooed me away with a grin that let me know I should know better.
Charles wasted no time getting at his treat, stuffing his little cheeks full like a squirrel caching for winter.
I laughed, head shaking, as we made our way back towards our little rented cottage. The tension of before seemed to subside for one brief moment.
But the moment we entered and closed the door behind us, reality hit me hard.
I pressed my head on the wooden door, eyes shutting.
Kaden saw me. Saw us.
There was no undoing that.
I had spent five years keeping my son away from his father. Five years making sure that our lives were settled and secure.
Now, just one chance meeting had threatened everything.
I huffed and turned around, watching Charles happily munching away on his bun, none the wiser to the storm brewing in my head.
I clenched my fists. I didn't care what Kaden wanted. He didn’t have any right to me, to us. He made sure of that with his rejection.
My sole concern was protecting Charles.
And I would never allow anyone, not even his father, to stand in the way of that.
- Writer
