Chapter 8

“Mom?”
My son’s soft voice reaches my ears, and at the same time, I feel him lying on top of my blanket on the bed.
I have the blanket covering my face because I don’t want him to see me crying.
“What’s going on?” Az asks as he gently removes the blanket from my head and looks at me intently.
I hastily use both hands to wipe my tears away.
A full week has passed since I officially signed the divorce papers for Logan. A few days later, he reached out to me again with an additional set of documents that required my signature. The meeting with him was as delightful as it was with Chelsea.
“Why do you look so sad, Mom? Are you all right?” my angel stares down at me in concern.
Az’s wearing pale blue pajamas that are clearly too short for him as the pants barely reach his ankles and the top long-sleeves don’t quite reach his wrist—even though he’s so tiny for his age.
I glance at him. “Yeah, buddy. I’m fine! I’m just a little tired. Don’t worry, yeah?!”
I try to reassure him, but from the skeptical look he gives me, he clearly isn’t buying it.
I pull him close to me and hug him tightly, exactly as he hugs Elizabeth.
I told him that his father and I were no longer together.
Honestly, given all the things Logan had been filling his head with, I fully expected him to place the blame on me. However, I should have known better.
My son is too smart for his own good. Nine going on forty, he is always so worried. So serious.
His behavior pushes away any potential friends. But even so, I can see how pure and innocent my angel’s heart is.
Sometimes, I wished he was more like a carefree child and less like he thought he had to take care of me.
I plant a soft kiss on his hair while he affectionately caresses my arm around his belly, hugging him.
These past few days have been really tough for me, especially at school. Chelsea has made my life miserable, and everyone else there is against me. Also, she decided to cut down the number of classes I could take, and now I have fewer classes, which means less money.
I need to start looking for another job. I don’t know if I can handle staying there anymore.
It’s like a punch in the gut every time I have to hear her making fun of me or when she tells me what a great time she is having with Logan while I’m miserable. It’s suffocating.
I take a deep breath. “Come on, buddy. Out you go. Let’s get you to bathe. Then we can go to school.”
Az turns to me and grabs his doll from the other side of the bed. “Mom, I know you’re sad... Do you want to stay with Elizabeth today? She can stay with you when I’m not around.”
Fat tears well up in my eyes once more, and I find it increasingly difficult to breathe. Thank God for giving me such a good son!
Az says after I don’t answer him, “I’ll feel better if you’re with her.”
For a moment, I’m surprised because he’s never suggested this before. He’s very attached and jealous of Elizabeth. Maybe he’s growing up.
“Thank you, little one,” I say, holding back tears and picking up his doll. She’s a small doll that can easily fit in my purse. “Now let’s go! I think you seriously need to take a shower. You’re a bit smelly!” I lie, waving my free hand in front of my nose.
“Smelly?” Az’s mouth drops open, and his eyes widen in utter disbelief.
I take advantage of his distraction and start tickling him. “Mom, please!” Az begs, bursting into laughter. A wave of happiness washed over me. His contagious laughter had this comforting effect, making me feel lighter and less sad.
“Smelly, smelly, smelly, boy,” I sing, continuing to tickle him.
He rolls over on the bed, laughing hard, and his hands desperately try to put an end to my playful assault.
“Surrender yourself!” I tease, also laughing.
“Mom, please! I surrender!” I make him laugh some more before stopping. Tears come out of his eyes.
I lean in, and I give him a noisy, dramatic kiss on his forehead. “I love you, son,” I say, looking at his green eyes.
Both of us wipe away the tears streaming down our faces from laughing so hard. Az gives me a warm, comforting hug as if he can sense I need it. “I love you too, Mom! Now that Dad is no longer living with us, I gotta step up and protect you!”
I shake my head, but I can’t stop my smile. He’s so precious!
Little does my angel know that I was only ever protected by his father through the use of his last name, and Logan didn’t even know it.
Suddenly, I can’t help but wonder if he would still have proposed to me back then had he known the truth about my past.
Now that I know the real Logan, the answer would most likely be no.


🐺 🐺 🐺
***Violet***

Fuck. My. Life.
Two tires go flat at the same time.
How likely is this to happen?
Even more so with a car as expensive as this one!
‘Ian? Can you hear me? Are you there?’ I try to talk to my brother via mindlink.
But I couldn’t hear any response back. I’m not close enough to talk to him via mindlink, and I’m even further away from our territory to be able to ask for help.
I take my phone out of the car key holder and tap the screen. Ugh!
My phone is completely out of power!
I take a deep breath and toss my phone into my purse on the passenger seat.
This road where I am is entirely deserted.
The closest place to here, if I walk far enough, happens to be a dangerous neighborhood. Not that this’s a problem to me because I’m a she-wolf.
However, on the right side where I am, there is a little forest that is just a stone’s throw away from downtown. Maybe if I shift and get close enough to mindlink Ian or someone from Blackmoon, they can come here to help me. But of course, I have to stay sharp to avoid being seen.
I should’ve grabbed another cable for my phone to charge in the car, but I forgot Jordan snatched mine. Again.
It drives me nuts when my mate does this and doesn’t tell me. Now, for example, I could just wait for my phone to charge and ask Ian for help, but I can’t!
He’s at Moonlight, his nightclub.
I was just going to quickly swing by here in Summerville to get a glimpse of the new track. However, I didn’t want to say anything to my older brother until I was absolutely sure that it was something worthwhile.
I mutter a curse before starting to take off my watch and then my dress.
While I certainly don’t want to sound ungrateful, there are times when I find myself contemplating if it wouldn’t have been better if I had taken that damn curse like I was supposed to years ago.
I feel so guilty that my brother’s been suffering in my place all these years. He can’t love. He can’t find who his fated mate is.
And the worst part of this situation is that none of the things I had envisioned for my life with my fated mate unfolded as I had imagined.
I love Jordan, but... sometimes, I wonder if we’re really meant for each other. We are so different... and I don’t feel the super intense spark like I thought I would.
At first, he even said he’d try to do some things I wanted, but after we marked each other, he changed… so much.
Still, Ian could never know about that. I know he’s not Jordan’s number-one fan, and that’s one of the reasons I never vented to him about anything Jordan did that made me sad.
I know my brother, I know Ian would split Jordan and his wolf in two if he knew some of the things Jordan has done...
I can’t tell him. How will he want to find his fated mate if he finds out that my own fated bond has become like this? No! I simply can not tell him!
I have already accepted that this is my fate. My life.
Jordan is my fated mate, and the Moon Goddess wouldn’t have placed him in my life if he wasn’t the perfect match for me. If he wasn’t meant for me.
Jordan gave me Lily, my precious daughter! I shake my head. I’m complaining for no reason.
Just as I’m about to take off my bra, I hear a car approaching.
For Goddess’ sake! When I was dressed, no one came! Now that I’m almost naked, someone decides to stop by just in time!
But I don’t think the car will stop. So I’ll just ignore it.
I wait for the car to pass my car before completely taking off my bra. However, much to my surprise, the old vehicle stops next to my car.
I immediately start putting my clothes back on. Fuck!
Knock, knock, knock!
Someone knocks on the passenger window just as I quickly shove my dress back.
My hair is all messed up now. Argh!
I peek through the tinted car window and spot a woman giving me a quite concerned look as I hurriedly fix my hair in order to look presentable.
Her beautiful green eyes are visible even through my tinted glass window.
‘Something in her eyes makes me feel something I can’t explain,’ Roxy, my wolf, says in my mind. ‘Oddly familiar... They’re so beautiful!’
I press the button to roll down the passenger window, and even before we exchange a word, her scent hits me right away.
Human.