Chapter 0021
Agnes
The phone felt like ice in my hand as I stood in the secluded clearing, my heart hammering against my chest. The words from the
DNA testing center still echoed in my ears, but they didn’t make any sense.
Thea isn’t your child. There is no biological connection between you.
I wanted to scream. To deny it. How could that be true?
I had believed in my bones that Thea was mine. I had been so certain. The instinctual bond I felt with her was too strong to be
false, wasn’t it?
And yet, science didn’t lie. I had no connection to the little girl I loved as my o
OWTI.
My legs buckled, and I reached out to steady myself against a tree. The world around me felt surreal, as though everything had shifted in an instant. How could my love for Thea–my fierce, protective love despite only having just met her–be based on
nothing?
I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm the panic surging inside me.
Before I could make sense of the storm raging in my mind, a shrill laugh and a slow, mocking clap interrupted my thoughts.
Clara.
I turned to see her leaning against a tree nearby, a smug, satisfied look plastered across her face. She must have overheard the
conversation.
“You poor, pathetic girl,” Clara sneered, taking slow steps toward me. “Did you really believe that Thea could be your
wolfless disgrace like you?”
She laughed, a cruel sound that grated against my already frayed nerves.
“You already know what happened to your baby but refuse to accept it.”
I clenched my fists, my teeth grinding together.
“What do you know, Clara? Stay out of this.”
child? A
“Oh, Agnes,” she continued, her voice dripping with condescension, “Luna Olivia is Thea’s real mother. Just like I’m your father’s fated mate. You can’t fight fate. No one can. And you? You’ll end up exactly like your mother–rejected, broken, and
forgotten.”
The mention of my mother made my blood boil. She had been fragile and kind, her heart shattered by my father’s betrayal Clara
had no right to even bring her up.
“You don’t get to talk about my mother,” I hissed through gritted teeth.
1/3
+15 BONUS
Clara just smiled wider, feeding off my anger.
“Oh, but it’s true, isn’t it? You’re just following in her footsteps. A useless, wolfless girl chasing after a man who will never truly be yours. Elijah may tolerate you, but we both know where his heart belongs. With Olivia.”
My vision blurred with unshed tears, but I refused to let them fall in front of Clara. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
Just as I was about to retort, Thea came running toward us, her face bright with excitement. She threw her arms around my waist, her joyful giggles cutting through the tension like a knife. I forced a smile for her sake, though my heart felt like it was shattering.
“Agnes! The tent is ready, and it’s so awesome! Come see!” Thea said, her enthusiasm contagious.
She tugged at my hand, eager to show me the campsite.
Clara’s smirk never left her face as she sauntered off, victorious. But I wouldn’t let her words break me. I couldn’t.
Not in front of Thea.
That night, as we lay in the tent, I held Thea close, her small body curled up against mine. I stared up at the fabric ceiling, my
mind spinning in circles. Could I let her go?
Could I keep pretending? The weight of the truth pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe
I had to protect her.
No matter what.
Elijah
I watched Agnes out of the corner of my eye as she returned to the camp, her face pale and her eyes hollow. She thought I didn’t
know why she had gone to the DNA testing center, but I had known for a while. She believed that Thea was her daughter–the
child she had lost years ago.
past during one of my investigations. Four
I sighed, tom between empathy and a growing frustration. I had learned about Agnes years ago, her missing newborn had been recorded as deceased after two years of searching
But she had never stopped searching, never stopped believing that her baby had been taken from her.
I couldn’t fault her for clinging to hope. Anyone would have done the same in her shoes. But it made things…complicated.
Thea was my daughter. Olivia and I had been loving, fated mates once, and Thea had been the result of that bond. A part of me had wanted the DNA test results to show something else, but they hadn’t. Thea was undeniably mine, and Olivia’s.
I’d even had similar doubts when I first found out about Thea after my one night stand with Olivia, but I had also had my DNA tested against Thea’s, and it was confirmed that I was Thea’s father. I should have told Agnes that I’d already had the test done
and knew Thea was mine and Olivia’s, but despite everything, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her.
The look on her face when she was with Thea–how could I be the one to take that from her?
2/3
+15 BONUS
As we settled into the tent for the night, I stayed awake, watching Agnes as she clung to Thea like she was the only thing keeping her tethered to this world. The part of me that was attracted to her stirred inside me, urging me to comfort her, to reach out and
reassure her, but I held back. If I touched her now, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop.
I wasn’t sure I’d want to stop.
For a brief moment, I wondered what life would have been like if Agnes had been my fated mate instead of Olivia. Would things have been simpler? Would I have been happier?
There was a quiet strength in Agnes, something I admired.
But those thoughts were dangerous. Olivia was my mate, and nothing could change that
We awoke early the next morning. It was the last day of the Family Running trip and I’d begun to pack everything up.
Agnes seemed lighter, her smile returning as Thea’s joy carried her through the day. I hoped that the DNA test wouldn’t break her
spirit completely.
But as we returned to the alpha house, my heart sank,
Olivia was waiting for us.
Her eyes blazed with fury as she stormed up to me, ignoring Agnes entirely.
“How dare you take a stranger to the Family Running event instead of me? I am Thea’s mother, Elijah! I should have been there!”
1 clenched my jaw, trying to keep my wolf under control.
“You’re not allowed to see Thea until she’s ready to accept you,” I said, my voice cold and final.
But Olivia wasn’t done. She stepped closer, her voice softening, manipulating,
“We’re fated mates, Elijah. You can’t keep pushing me away. Come to the charity gala with me. You owe me that much”
I felt the pull of our mate bond, so strong, my wolf stirring restlessly inside me.
Olivia was right–we were destined to be together. My wolf wanted her, even though my mind resisted.
Before I could respond, she moved even closer, wrapping her arms around me. The bond tightened its hold, and I felt myself leaning into her. And then, she kissed me.
And I kissed her back.
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