Their Reunion
Williams’ POV
Just as I was about to close the distance between us, the sound of footsteps behind Cleopatra pulled my attention. A man emerged from the shadows, his face barely visible in the fading light. My instincts sharpened, a surge of rage and jealousy coursing through me like wildfire.
Had she run away to be with a human man? And now, she was holding his child? But is that even possible? She’s carrying my child inside her! Did they adopt, so they can be one big family? Am I even making sense right now?
A hundred questions fought for dominance in my mind, twisting the scenario in ways that made no sense, but the thought alone was enough to ignite a fire in my chest. I took a step forward, every muscle tensed, ready to confront whoever had dared to take my place.
Whoever that had dared touch my mate!
But before I could move closer, another figure appeared. A woman stepped into the clearing, laughing softly as though she’d just heard something amusing. She held the hand of a young girl, who gazed up at me with a shy, adoring smile.
My heart faltered, the intensity of my rage mingling with confusion as I took in the scene. The group of people looked back at me, surprise evident in their expressions. And then the man’s face shifted from surprise to something akin to recognition.
"Mr. Williams?" he called out, his voice filled with a surprising amount of warmth. His tone was almost…excited.
I blinked, the realization hitting me with the force of a sledgehammer. "Mr. Alex?" The word slipped out before I could catch myself. This was Alex, my former lawyer—the one who had vanished after he’d promised to reveal something critical, a truth that I never had the chance to hear.
The man stepped closer, his face breaking into a grin. “Yes, it’s me! I can’t believe this. It’s been so long. But why…are you here?”
“I’m here for her,” I replied boldly, surprising myself.
“You mean Cleopatra?” he asked, a hint of surprise in his voice. Stunned, I could only manage a nod, glancing back and forth between Cleopatra and Alex. My mind raced, trying to piece together why they were here, together, and what exactly it all meant. And if they were together…could this child actually be his?
But then, as if sensing the thoughts gnawing at me, Cleopatra shifted, pulling her gaze from me and resting it protectively on the woman and child beside her. There was a softness in her expression, a quiet tenderness, that made something inside me loosen.
I remembered what Renee had mentioned about Cleopatra helping Mrs. Alex during the birth of their child. The child in her arms…wasn’t hers. Relief washed over me, tempering the surge of jealousy and suspicion. They weren’t trying to be one big family!
As though sensing my unease, Cleopatra handed the child to his mother with a soft sigh.
But however, she remained unreadable. Her eyes held a mixture of emotions, none of which I could decipher. For the first time since I’d spotted her in the clearing, she spoke.
“Why are you here?” she asked, her voice steady but guarded, cutting through the thick tension between us.
I hesitated, words catching in my throat as the weight of her question sank in. I wasn’t even sure how to answer, but before I could gather my thoughts, Alex seemed to understand the shift in the air. He looked between us, his expression softening.
“We’ll give you two some space,” he said, gesturing to his family. His gaze lingered on me with a look of reassurance before he led them inside, leaving Cleopatra and me alone in the quiet clearing.
The moment they were gone, all restraint slipped away. I couldn’t hold myself back anymore, my need to touch her overwhelming. In a flash, I crossed the remaining space between us, pulling her into my arms in an embrace so fierce that it felt as though I was trying to fuse her to me. Cleopatra’s body tensed, and she pushed lightly against my chest, murmuring, “Can’t…breathe.”
I loosened my grip just enough for her to draw a breath, but my lips found her face, brushing across her cheeks, her forehead, across her nose, her ears and finally resting on the mark at her neck that I had left there not so long ago. My touch was filled with a desperation I couldn’t control, and as I held her, I let the words slip out in a low growl.
“How could you bear to stay away from me, mate?”
Her body stiffened against me, and when I pulled back to look into her eyes, a distant, haunted look shadowed her gaze. She took a slow step back, pulling herself from my grasp, and for a moment, I felt as though she’d taken all the warmth with her.
“Williams, I can’t…” Her voice cracked, her words a mixture of regret and determination. “I can’t be with you. Not now. Not after everything my actions have cost your pack.”
I shook my head, a fierce need to erase her guilt sparking within me. She didn’t understand. We were bound in ways that went beyond anything that had happened, beyond anything that she could have done.
“Cleopatra,” I whispered, reaching out and clasping her hand in mine, feeling her pulse race under my touch. “Whatever burden you carry, it’s ours to bear together. Your pain, your fight…it’s my fight now. We’re bound, and nothing will change that.”
Her eyes softened momentarily, and I thought she might yield, but then her gaze hardened once more. She pulled her hand from mine and took another step back.
“I understand why you want me to come with you,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “But you don’t have to worry anymore…about your seed growing inside me.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. My breath caught in my throat, my entire body going cold with the implication of what she was saying. I looked at her, a dozen questions crashing into me all at once, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak, couldn’t bear to voice the fear clawing its way into my heart.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
Cleopatra’s eyes held mine, a flicker of sadness flashing across her face, but she didn’t say another word. The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. But when she spoke, it felt like someone knocked the air right out of my lungs.
“I had a miscarriage,”
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