The Alpha's Forgotten Mate

Chapter 12: The Alpha’s Shock

Killian’s POV

The scent hit me first.

Familiar. Faint traces of wildflowers and stormy winds, a scent I hadn’t breathed in for five years.

It was impossible, unreal—a ghost come back to haunt me. My muscles tensed as I turned, my breath locking in my throat.

Lena.

She stood just beyond the clearing, her hood pushed back, revealing the face that had been seared into my memory.

Her dark hair was pulled into a loose braid, wisps escaping to frame her sharp features.

But she wasn’t the same Lena I had left behind. The softness in her eyes had been replaced by something harder, something untamed.

She was no longer a girl scorned. She was a warrior, forged in fire.

My pulse pounded in my ears, my wolf pushing to the surface, howling in recognition.

My mate.

And yet, she didn’t look at me with longing or pain. She looked at me as if I were a stranger.

A low growl rumbled in my chest, but before I could speak, a small figure stepped out from behind her, clutching the edge of her cloak.

A child.

A boy.

His hair was dark, like Lena’s, but his eyes—gods, his eyes were mine.

Storm-gray, full of quiet intensity.

The world tilted beneath my feet as realization slammed into me with the force of a hurricane.

My wolf roared, demanding answers, demanding to claim what was his.

My gaze snapped to Lena, fire burning beneath my skin.

"Lena," I said, my voice a low growl. "What have you done?"

Lena’s POV

Killian looked like he had been struck by lightning. His entire body had gone rigid, his jaw clenched so tightly I could hear the grind of his teeth.

I had prepared for this moment. I had told myself over and over again that I owed him nothing.

That he had no right to know. But standing here, under the weight of his piercing gaze, I felt a strange mixture of triumph and fear.

I squared my shoulders. "I did what I had to do."

His eyes darkened with something dangerous, his fists flexing at his sides. "You hid him from me."

Noah shifted beside me, his small fingers tightening around my cloak. I placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"I protected him."

Killian took a step forward, and instinct kicked in. I stepped back, my wolf rising in defense.

"You had no right," he said, voice raw, laced with barely restrained fury. "He is mine."

My lips curled into a humorless smile.

"You rejected me, remember? You cast me aside. Did you think I would come crawling back, begging for your acceptance? He is my son."

"Our son!" he snapped, his power rippling through the air like a storm on the horizon.

"And you kept him from me!"

Noah flinched slightly at the force of his words, and my instincts flared.

I moved between them, my body a shield.

"You don’t get to raise your voice at him. You lost that right the day you rejected me."

For a moment, silence stretched between us, thick with emotions too tangled to name.

Killian’s chest heaved, his gaze darting towards Noah, softening for just a fraction of a second before hardening once more.

"How old is he?"

I hesitated, but Noah spoke before I could.

"I just turned five."

Killian’s throat worked, his hands curling into fists before releasing again. "Lena…"

His voice was rough now, almost pleading.

"You should have told me."

"And what would you have done? Claimed us? Brought us back to Shadowfang as an afterthought?" My voice sharpened.

"You rejected me, Killian. You made your choice."

Regret flickered across his features, but he buried it quickly.

"That was a mistake."

A bitter laugh escaped me.

"A mistake? You broke me, and now you think you can just take it back?"

Killian exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair.

"This isn’t just about us anymore, Lena. He’s my son, and I won’t let him grow up without knowing who he is."

Noah tugged on my cloak again, looking up at me with wide, curious eyes. "Mom?"

I swallowed hard, my resolve wavering. I had fought so hard to keep him safe, to build a life away from the pain of my past.

But I knew, deep down, that this moment had always been inevitable.

Killian Blackwood was Noah’s father. And no matter how much I wanted to erase him from our lives, I couldn’t change that.

I lifted my chin. "I won’t let you take him from me."

Something shifted in Killian’s expression, something unreadable.

"I’m not trying to take him from you, Lena. But you can’t keep him from me anymore. I won’t allow it."

The weight of his words settled over me like a heavy chain.

For five years, I had built a life in the shadows. Now, the past had caught up with me.

And I had no choice but to face it.