Chasing his Human Mate

Chapter 3

I forced a breath into my lungs, steadying the sudden storm rising inside me.

“Yes,” I answered, keeping my voice deliberately vague. “I used to work under his company… as a jewelry designer.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

Then Ethan’s voice came back, filled with unmistakable surprise. “Wait, really?”

“Yes,” I said simply.

Another pause, longer this time, heavier. I could almost hear the gears in his mind turning.

“You’re telling me,” he continued slowly, “that you worked for Collins Fine Jewelry… one of the most popular luxury brands in Forks… a billion-dollar company that’s been dominating the industry for years… and you never mentioned it?”

I gave a small, humorless smile, even though he couldn’t see me.

“There were a lot of things I never mentioned, Ethan.”

He let out a quiet breath, still clearly trying to process it. “That’s… unbelievable. And now I’m working with someone who used to design for them?” He let out a soft laugh of disbelief. “No wonder your work is on another level. I already knew you were good, Billie but this explains everything.”

I leaned lightly against the wall beside Travis’s door, my eyes drifting back to my sleeping son.

“I wasn’t just ‘good,’” I said calmly. “I was one of their best.”

“I believe that,” he said instantly, without hesitation.

And somehow… that simple trust in his voice made something in my chest ache.

Ethan let out a low whistle. “You’ve been hiding all of this from me?”

“I wasn’t hiding,” I said quietly. “I was… starting over.”

Silence settled between us again but this time it was different. Not curiosity but respect.

Then, gently, he asked the question I had been expecting.

“If that’s the case… why did you leave Collins Fine Jewelry?”

My fingers tightened slightly around the phone.

Here it was.

The line I had rehearsed in my mind for years.

“I got pregnant,” I said.

No hesitation. No emotion.

Just the truth… simplified.

Ethan didn’t speak immediately.

When he did, his voice was quieter. Careful.

“And… they didn’t allow that?”

I let out a faint breath. “Pregnancy was… prohibited for designers under contract. At least, for someone in my position.”

“That’s insane,” he muttered, clearly disapproving.

“I chose to leave,” I continued. “I moved to New York City. Started over. Raised my son. Built something new for myself.”

“And became even more successful,” he added softly.

I didn’t respond to that.

Because success… had never come without a price.

After a moment, he asked again, more thoughtfully this time, “Then why were you working there secretly? If you were that talented, why didn’t they put you in the spotlight?”

A small, almost nostalgic smile touched my lips.

“That part,” I admitted, “was my choice.”

“Your choice?”

“Yes,” I said. “Back then… I wasn’t like I am now. I hated cameras. I couldn’t stand speaking in front of people. I avoided attention as much as possible.”

I paused, glancing again at Travis.

“I was… weak.”

Ethan immediately spoke, firm but gentle. “No. You weren’t weak.”

“I was,” I insisted quietly. “But I grew. I stepped out of that comfort zone. I had to.”

My voice softened.

“Because I became a mother.”

The word lingered in the air between us.

“And now?” he asked.

“Now I’m not just a woman hiding behind designs,” I said. “I’m someone who wants to be known. Someone who wants to stand on her own name. Not in the shadows anymore.”

There was a long silence after that.

Then Ethan exhaled slowly.

“Billie…” he said, his tone filled with something deeper now—something warmer. “That’s… incredible. Everything you’ve been through… everything you’ve built… it’s honestly amazing.”

“Besides, you also played a big role in Winston Watch Company,” he added “You helped close major deals, brought in investors, designed pieces that sold hundreds of thousands in the market.”

I closed my eyes briefly.

“Thank you for your appreciation, Ethan"

“I mean it. You’re strong. Stronger than most people I know.” He said, smiling.

I didn’t know how to respond to that.

Because if he knew everything…

If he knew the truth about Travis…

About his father…

Would he still say that?

Or would he look at me differently?

“Anyway,” he said after a moment, his tone lightening again, “this meeting with Evan Collins… it could be huge. Fifty billion, Billie. That’s not just expansion, that’s empire-level.”

My chest tightened at the mention of his name.

Empire.

That was exactly what Evan had always wanted.

“And we’ll be ready,” I said, forcing steadiness into my voice.

“Of course we will,” Ethan replied confidently. “With you on my team? There’s nothing we can’t handle.”

I gave a small smile. If only he knew.

“Get some rest,” he added gently. “Big days ahead.”

“You too, Ethan.”

“Goodnight, Billie.”

“Goodnight.”

The call ended.

And just like that…

The silence returned.

I lowered the phone slowly, staring at the dark screen as my reflection faintly stared back at me.

Then I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside my chest.

Because the truth was I wasn’t afraid for myself. I was afraid for my child.

My gaze drifted back to Travis, sleeping peacefully, unaware of the world that threatened to reach him.

“I won’t let him find out,” I whispered under my breath.

I stepped fully into the room, closing the door softly behind me.

“He can’t know…”

My fingers trembled slightly as I brushed them through my hair.

“Never.”

Because how do you tell a child that his father is not human?

That the man who was supposed to love him…

Was a werewolf?

A bitter memory surged forward without warning.

“That man…” I whispered, my voice tightening. “He lost the right to be part of our lives the moment he chose to leave.”

But even as I said it…

Fear crept in. Because fate had a cruel way of circling back.

And now Evan Collins was coming.

Not just as a memory, not just as a past I buried. But as a man walking straight into my present.

Into my world. Into my son’s life.

I looked at Travis again, my expression softening instantly.

“No matter what happens,” I whispered, kneeling beside his bed, “I will protect you.”

My hand rested gently over his small one.

“Even if it means facing him again.”