CHAPTER FIFTEEN
1192 Words
TYLER
Kat and I sat in silence inside my car as I awaited what she wanted to say.
The sound of our breathing was the only thing filling the air at that moment.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The way her fingers trembled as she caressed my cheek with her thumb.
The way she looked at me was like she was holding back a river of emotions.
My heart beat hard in my chest. She was so close. Just sitting beside her again after all these years made it feel like the world was finally shifting back into place.
This was the moment I had been waiting for. The chance to fix everything. To bring her and my son home. To start over.
She retracted her hands from my cheeks and then she slowly reached out her hands again, and she cupped my cheeks gently.
Her palms were warm and soft. My skin tingled at her touch and my throat tightened.
I wanted to lean into her hands, close my eyes, and stay like that forever.
Kathrine didn’t speak. I thought maybe she was too emotional to talk. I thought maybe she was about to say she forgave me and that we’d go back to my pack together with our son.
That we’d finally be the family we were meant to be. The one I’d dreamed about for the last four years.
But then… she pulled her hands away.
And with eyes that shimmered with tears, she whispered, “I’m sorry, Tyler. But I want you to go.”
Her words sliced through my chest like a blade. My jaw tightened as I stared at her, not wanting to believe what I just heard. “What? Kat, please…”
“I said I’m sorry,” she repeated, blinking fast as a tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it quickly and grabbed the car handle. “Please, just go.”
“No, Kat, wait.” My voice cracked as I reached for her hand, but she was already opening the door. “Please, just listen to me. Don’t do this…”
She didn’t look back. She stepped out of the car, closed the door gently, and walked away. I sat frozen for a second, stunned.
The seat beside me felt cold and more empty without her in it.
My hand was still stretched toward the door, trembling slightly.
Everything in me screamed to go after her and to grab her hand then beg her not to walk away again.
But then I looked outside and saw Rex sitting a little ways off, playing with his shoelaces and kicking a small pebble.
He looked up with a wide smile and waved at me.
My throat tightened again. I couldn’t cause a scene in front of him. I didn’t want him to see anything or feel confused.
I didn’t want him to worry. So I waited. I waited a few painful seconds for my heart to calm down before I stepped out of the car.
I walked slowly toward Rex and waved at him. His little face lit up.
“Goodbye, Alpha Tyler!” he chirped happily.
I forced a small smile. “Bye, buddy.”
But that didn't mean I was giving up.
No.
I had waited too long and searched too hard. I had even hurt too much. I wasn't just going to walk away now.
I knew I’d hurt Kat. I knew it would take time for her to forgive me, and I understood that. But I wasn’t about to let her marry Julian. No way.
Kat was mine. She was my mate. And Rex was my son.
Julian didn’t belong in that picture. There was something about that guy that didn’t sit right with me.
The way he looked at Kat… the way he stood too close. And how conveniently he’d shown up to be the “perfect guy” right after I was gone. I didn’t trust him. Not one bit.
And then Rex tugged on Kat’s hand and looked up at me.
“I hope you come again, Alpha Tyler,” he said, his little voice so pure and sweet it hit me straight in the chest.
Before I could answer him, Kat crouched beside him and ran her fingers through his hair.
“Rex, baby,” she said softly. “Tyler has to travel back to his pack, okay? It might take a long time before you see him again.”
My heart nearly gave out.
Rex’s small face dropped. “Oh…” he mumbled.
I quickly bent down so we were at eye level.
“Don’t worry, buddy,” I said, putting on a soft smile. “I’ll talk to you from time to time, okay? You’ll still hear from me.”
His face lit up again. “Really?”
“Really,” I said, ruffling his hair gently.
His laughter was so warm. He was such a beautiful little boy. Smart. Kind. He had Kat’s gentle nature but had my chin and my build.
And the way he talked… he was too sharp for his age. I was so proud of him already, even though I barely knew him.
He was mine.
He was my son.
And I longed for the day that I would hear him call me daddy.
I stood up again and turned to Julian, who had been standing off to the side, watching everything like he was analyzing every moment.
“We have a meeting, remember?” I said firmly. “I’m already behind schedule.”
Julian nodded. “Yes, of course.”
Then he leaned toward Kat and whispered something in her ear. She didn’t respond out loud, but I saw her lips press into a tight line. Her eyes stayed on the ground.
What did he say?
Something about that whisper made my chest tighten again.
Julian smiled at me, too politely, and headed toward his car.
I turned to wave one last time to Rex. He waved both hands back with so much energy it made me smile despite everything.
And then I got back into my car, started the engine, and began driving toward the hotel for the meeting.
But even as the road stretched ahead of me, my mind stayed behind.
Something didn’t feel right.
Why would Julian choose to work with me? Me of all people. When he knew I was Kat’s ex-mate? Scratch that— when he knew I was still Kat’s mate. We hadn’t officially rejected each other. We weren’t divorced. The bond was still there. I could feel it as strong as ever.
Kat still belonged to me.
And yet Julian was moving in like it was his place. Like she belonged to him.
Was this some kind of game to him?
Was he doing this on purpose?
Or was there something he was hiding?
And then there was what Rex wanted to tell me earlier. I remembered how he hesitated when he mentioned Julian. How he looked uncomfortable.
Why didn’t he want Julian to be his daddy?
What did that little boy know that he couldn’t say out loud?
- Writer
