A Child With His Father's Eyes
1621 Words
Chapter 8:
Three days later...
Damon sat behind his desk reviewing reports when Ethan suddenly burst into the office.
The Beta looked unusually excited.
"We found something."
Damon immediately stood.
"What is it?"
Ethan placed a folder on the desk.
"For the first time in four years, we have a credible lead."
Damon's heart unexpectedly skipped a beat.
His wolf instantly became alert.
"Talk."
Ethan opened the folder.
"A woman matching Aria's description has been working at a hospital in Silverhaven."
Damon froze.
Silverhaven.
The name meant nothing to most people.
But to Damon, it suddenly felt like the most important place in the world.
"How certain are we?"
"Ninety percent."
Damon stared at the photograph clipped to the report.
The image wasn't clear.
Taken from a distance.
But even through the grainy quality, he recognized her.
The same dark hair.
The same graceful posture.
The same woman he had spent years pretending not to miss.
Aria.
For several seconds, Damon couldn't speak.
She looked different.
Stronger.
More confident.
Happier.
And somehow more beautiful than he remembered.
Ethan watched him carefully.
"I'll arrange a visit."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
The Beta frowned.
"No?"
Damon shook his head.
"If this is really Aria, I don't want her running before we confirm it."
Ethan nodded slowly.
A reasonable decision.
But Damon knew the truth.
He wasn't ready.
Because for the first time in years, he was about to face the consequences of his own choices.
---
Meanwhile, in Silverhaven...
Leo was causing trouble again.
Not serious trouble.
Just the kind that left teachers confused.
"Leo."
His teacher crouched beside him.
"How did you know the answer?"
The little boy blinked innocently.
"What answer?"
"The one about tomorrow's weather."
Leo pointed toward the window.
"The birds told me."
The teacher sighed.
Children had wild imaginations.
Yet this wasn't the first strange thing Leo had said.
Last week he predicted a storm.
The storm arrived exactly when he said it would.
Two days ago, he claimed a classmate would fall during recess.
The child had fallen less than an hour later.
Now this.
The teacher rubbed her forehead.
Maybe she was overthinking things.
Maybe.
Across the classroom, Leo smiled quietly.
He really had heard the birds.
They talked all the time.
Most people simply couldn't understand them.
---
That evening, Aria picked Leo up from school.
His teacher approached immediately.
"We need to talk."
Aria's heart sank.
Had Leo been fighting?
Breaking rules?
Drawing on walls?
Instead, the teacher gave an awkward smile.
"It's difficult to explain."
Five minutes later, Aria sat listening while the teacher described Leo's unusual behavior.
The more she listened, the more worried she became.
Because none of it sounded normal.
And deep down, she knew why.
Leo wasn't normal.
He never had been.
Ever since birth, strange things had happened around him.
Animals loved him.
Plants seemed to grow faster near him.
Even injured creatures often recovered unusually quickly after he touched them.
At first, Aria dismissed it as coincidence.
Now she wasn't so sure.
That night, after putting Leo to bed, she called the only person she trusted with secrets like these.
Her grandmother.
Elara Nightshade.
The elderly woman answered after several rings.
"Aria?"
"Grandma."
Immediately, Elara sensed the concern in her voice.
"What's wrong?"
Aria hesitated.
Then she told her everything.
The dreams.
The predictions.
The strange connection with animals.
The silence on the other end grew heavier with every passing second.
Finally, Elara spoke.
Her voice sounded unusually serious.
"Aria..."
A chill ran down her spine.
"What is it?"
"You need to watch that child carefully."
Aria's grip tightened around the phone.
"Why?"
Elara hesitated.
Then she whispered words that would change everything.
"Because Leo may be far more important than either of us realized."
Aria's heart pounded against her chest.
The apartment suddenly felt too quiet.
Too small.
Too tense.
She tightened her grip on the phone.
"Grandma... what do you mean?"
On the other end, Elara released a long sigh.
"There are things I never told you."
Aria frowned.
"What things?"
The elderly woman hesitated.
For years she had kept certain secrets buried.
Secrets she hoped would never become relevant.
But now the signs were appearing.
And she could no longer ignore them.
"When you were born, the Moon Seer visited our home."
Aria blinked.
The Moon Seer was one of the oldest and most respected spiritual guides among werewolves.
"They said something unusual about you."
"What?"
Elara's voice lowered.
"They said your bloodline carried an ancient blessing."
Aria felt confused.
"A blessing?"
"Not just any blessing."
Silence.
Then—
"They called it the Blood of the First Luna."
A chill ran through Aria's body.
The title sounded familiar.
Like an old legend she had heard as a child.
"The First Luna isn't real."
Elara laughed softly.
"Many people believe that."
"And you don't?"
"No."
The old woman sounded certain.
"Some legends exist because they're true."
Aria rubbed her forehead.
This was becoming ridiculous.
Ancient bloodlines.
Blessings.
Prophecies.
It sounded like a fairy tale.
Yet something deep inside her told her to listen.
"How does this relate to Leo?"
Another pause.
"Because the prophecy said your child would inherit more than your blood."
Aria's breathing slowed.
"The prophecy spoke about a child born from rejection."
The words hit her like lightning.
A child born from rejection.
Leo.
"The child would unite strength and compassion."
Elara continued.
"He would be loved by nature."
Aria remembered the birds.
The animals.
The strange incidents.
"The child would also attract both allies and enemies."
A knot formed in Aria's stomach.
"What enemies?"
"Those who fear power."
The answer offered little comfort.
Aria looked toward Leo's room.
Her sleeping son had no idea his name was being discussed alongside ancient prophecies.
He was just a little boy.
A cheerful child who loved cookies and cartoons.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
At least that's what she wanted to believe.
---
Several miles away, the man who had been watching Aria entered an abandoned warehouse.
The building sat on the outskirts of Silverhaven.
Dark.
Silent.
Hidden.
A hooded figure waited inside.
"Report."
The observer bowed his head.
"The woman is definitely Aria Nightshade."
"And the child?"
The man nodded.
"He exists."
The hooded figure slowly smiled.
"Interesting."
"The child appears ordinary."
"Appearances can be deceiving."
The hooded figure stepped forward.
Moonlight briefly illuminated sharp silver eyes.
Eyes filled with calculation.
"And the Alpha?"
"He still hasn't arrived."
A low chuckle echoed through the warehouse.
"He will."
The stranger seemed absolutely certain.
"Men like Damon Blackwood never let go of their regrets."
---
Back in Moonfang territory...
Damon couldn't sleep.
Again.
For four years, he had convinced himself Aria was part of his past.
Now a single photograph had destroyed that illusion.
He sat alone in his office.
The image remained on his desk.
His eyes drifted toward it repeatedly.
The door suddenly opened.
Ethan entered carrying another report.
"You should probably see this."
Damon accepted the folder.
"What now?"
"The hospital confirmed her employment records."
His pulse quickened.
"It's definitely her?"
"Yes."
For a moment, neither man spoke.
Then Damon asked the question he had been avoiding.
"How has she been?"
Ethan smiled faintly.
"Successful."
Damon looked up.
"Successful?"
"Very."
The Beta sat down.
"According to the records, she's one of the most respected surgeons in Silverhaven."
Damon stared at him.
A surgeon.
Aria.
The same woman who once followed him around carrying books bigger than herself.
The same woman who blushed whenever he complimented her.
Now she was saving lives.
Building a career.
Creating a future.
Without him.
The realization hurt more than he expected.
Ethan noticed.
"You should be happy."
Damon gave a bitter laugh.
"I am."
But part of him wasn't.
Because Aria had proven she never needed him.
She had survived.
Thrived.
Grown stronger.
And he had no place in that success.
For the first time, Damon wondered whether she would even want to see him again.
---
The next afternoon, Leo sat in a park feeding birds.
Dozens surrounded him.
Some perched on nearby benches.
Others rested at his feet.
Most children would have been excited.
Leo simply treated it as normal.
A small white bird landed on his shoulder.
The child giggled.
"Hello."
The bird chirped rapidly.
Leo's smile disappeared.
"What?"
The bird chirped again.
Then flew away.
Leo immediately stood.
His small face had become unusually serious.
The birds rarely sounded frightened.
This one had.
Very frightened.
A few minutes later, Aria arrived.
"Ready to go home?"
Leo nodded.
But he remained quiet during the walk.
Aria eventually noticed.
"What's wrong?"
The little boy looked up.
"The birds said bad people are coming."
Aria stopped walking.
A strange unease settled over her.
"What bad people?"
Leo shrugged.
"They don't know."
The answer should have sounded childish.
Instead, it terrified her.
Because every instinct she possessed suddenly screamed that danger was getting closer.
Much closer.
That night, after putting Leo to bed, Aria stood at the apartment window.
The city lights stretched endlessly before her.
Everything looked peaceful.
Normal.
Safe.
Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching.
She pulled the curtains closed.
For the first time in years, fear crept into her heart.
And she had no idea that her instincts were correct.
Far below, across the street, a black SUV sat parked in darkness.
A man inside lowered his binoculars.
Then he picked up his phone.
"Target confirmed."
The voice on the other end answered immediately.
"Maintain surveillance."
The man nodded.
His eyes returned to Aria's apartment.
The hunt had begun.
And somewhere beyond Silverhaven's borders, Damon Blackwood was already preparing for a journey that would change all of their lives forever.
- Writer
