Kaius let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Still better than someone who sleeps with a man and runs off, leaving their kid to grow up without a father."
Austin felt something tighten in her chest. She couldn't blame him for being bitter. After all, she was the one who didn't have the guts to tell him the truth.
"Alpha Kaius," she asked carefully, "do you hate her?"
"Hate her?" His golden eyes darkened as he looked away. "If she had stayed, she could've delivered Eliot safely at the Blair estate. He wouldn't have had to grow up alone."
Austin's hands curled slightly at her sides. That hit harder than she expected. But she kept pushing.
"What if she came back one day? What would you do?"
Kaius didn't blink. His eyes narrowed slightly, the fury simmering beneath his calm voi
