Chapter 14: Father and Son
750 Words
Lena’s POV
Noah stood behind me, his small fingers curled into the fabric of my cloak.
His wide amber eyes—so much like mine—flickered between me and the towering Alpha before us.
He was hesitant, unsure. And I couldn’t blame him.
Five years.
Five years of building a life where Killian Blackwood did not exist.
Where my son had no father, no ties to the man who had shattered me.
And now, in the space of a single heartbeat, that fragile reality was beginning to crack.
Killian had yet to move. He stood as if frozen, staring at Noah with something unreadable in his storm-gray eyes.
His expression was unreadable, but I saw the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers twitched at his sides, as if he wanted to reach out but didn’t dare.
“Noah,” I said softly, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright.”
He hesitated, his grip tightening. “Who is he?”
The question hit harder than I expected. I had never spoken of Killian to Noah—not his name, not his face, not his title.
My son knew that his father existed somewhere in the world, but I had never given him the details. Now, I had no choice.
“He’s…” I faltered, struggling to find the words. “He’s your father.”
Noah’s gaze snapped back at Killian, studying him with cautious skepticism.
He didn’t move closer, didn’t soften at the revelation.
Instead, he squared his little shoulders and met Killian’s gaze with the same defiant strength I had seen in him since he was old enough to stand on his own.
Killian inhaled sharply. “Noah.”
His voice was hoarse, as if the name was foreign on his tongue. “I didn’t know.”
Noah didn’t respond. He simply continued to stare, assessing, waiting.
It was the same look he gave strangers when he wasn’t sure whether they were friend or foe.
My heart clenched at the realization—Killian was a stranger to him. And I wasn’t sure how to change that.
Killian’s POV
My son.
The words rang through my mind like a thunderclap, repeating over and over until they were the only thing I could focus on.
The boy standing before me—small, fierce, unyielding—was mine.
My blood.
My heir.
And I had missed everything.
The first step. The first word. The sleepless nights. The laughter, the tears, the moments that made up an entire life.
I had been absent for all of it. And not by choice, but by ignorance.
I tore my gaze away from Noah and caught Lena’s eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her expression was unreadable, but I saw the flicker of pain there.
“Because you made it clear you didn’t want me. And I wouldn’t let you reject him either.”
Guilt struck deep. My own words, spoken in anger and duty all those years ago, came back to haunt me.
I had pushed her away, thinking it was for the best. And now I stood before the consequence of that choice—a son who didn’t know me, a mate who no longer trusted me.
I crouched down, bringing myself to Noah’s level.
“I know this is a lot,” I said, keeping my voice gentle. “But I want to know you. If you’ll let me.”
Noah’s expression didn’t waver. “You’re the Alpha.”
“I am.”
“You hurt my mom.”
The words were a knife to the gut. Honest, direct, undeniable.
I swallowed hard. “I did. And I regret it more than you know.”
Noah studied me for a long moment before finally asking, “Are you going to hurt her again?”
The question was spoken with the solemnity of someone far older than his five years, and it shook me to my core.
“No,” I swore. “Never.”
He seemed to consider that, then turned back to Lena. “Do we have to stay here?”
Lena brushed a strand of his dark hair back, her expression softening. “For now.”
Noah exhaled, clearly unhappy but willing to trust his mother’s judgment.
He turned back to me. “Okay.”
I wasn’t sure what that meant—if it was an acceptance or simply a temporary truce.
But it was something. A beginning.
And I would take it.
- Writer
