Chapter 151
DEREK
I’d never felt more nervous about knocking on
a door in my life.
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And that included negotiating with rival Alphas and walking into rogue territory with a barely–functioning truce.
This was worse.
Because this was Aiden.
Because I’d let him down.
Elena opened the front door of the Moonstone estate before had a chance to knock twice. She looked like she hadn’t slept in a few days, but she was holding herself steady–shoulders squared, mouth neutral.
No warmth, no bite. Just controlled coolness.
“Hey,” I said.
She stepped aside. “He’s in the sunroom.”
H
I started to thank her, but her hand lightly touched my arm. I looked down to find her eyes locked on mine.
“You better fix it.”
I nodded. No excuses.
At the door of the room was a childishly written sign that said ‘NO ALPHAS ALLOWED.”
I winced. And stepped inside.
Aiden was sitting cross–legged on the floor with crayons spread around him like a sunburst, scribbling on a folded piece of construction paper. He didn’t look up when I came in.
“Hey, buddy,” I said, kneeling down a few feet away. “That for someone special?”
He shrugged, still coloring.
My chest tightened.
The last time I saw him–at the restaurant–I’d walked out mid–meatball to run to Cassandra. Left him blinking across the table with a napkin in his lap and marinara on his chin.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” I asked gently. “Just you and me?”
He didn’t answer right away.
Then he stood up slowly, set the crayon down, and gave a quiet, “Okay.”
Not eager. Not angry. Just… hesitant.
But it was a start.
Elena met us at the door with sunscreen, a hat, and a thermos of water. She knelt down, adjusting Aiden’s collar like she was resisting the urge to say more.
“I’ll be careful,” I said.
Chapter 15
“I know,” she replied, but her eyes didn’t soften. “But be good.”
Ive her a small nod. “I will.”
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We walked in silence for a while, heading down the slope behind the estate toward the training fields. I kept my hands in my pockets, waiting.
“Wanna show me around?” I asked after a minute. “I don’t know the grounds very well.”
He kicked at a pebble. “You’ve been here before.”
“Not with a tour guide as cool as you.”
That earned me a side–eye. Barely. But again–progress.
He pointed toward the east. “That’s my treehouse.”
I smiled. “Did you build it?”
“No. Mason and Logan did. But I picked where it goes. Mom said it was a good “defensible location.”
“Smart”
“Yeah. It has a rope ladder. And a trapdoor for supplies. And a walkie–talkie in case I see a bear or something.”
“See a
“See any yet?”
He shook his head. “Just a raccoon that tried to steal my sandwich.”
“Trash pandas will get you every time.”
A tiny smile tugged at the edge of his mouth.
He led me past the stables, which smelled exactly like I remembered–hay, leather, and horse sweat–and then out toward the garden trails that wound through the back half of the estate.
“You have a favorite place?” I asked. “Somewhere you go when you want to be alone?”
He hesitated, then nodded and changed direction. I followed him down a narrow trail I hadn’t noticed before, hidden behind a dense patch of honeysuckle. The path opened into a clearing that edged onto a small, quiet lake smooth as glass, rimmed with reeds and willow trees.
A wooden dock stretched into the water.
Aiden padded down to the edge and sat, dangling his feet over the side.
I followed and sat beside him.
The water was cool on my ankles. A breeze rustled the trees around us, gentle and warm.
“I’m really sorry,” I said finally.
He didn’t answer.
“I shouldn’t have left you
at the restaurant. I know that was our time. You were excited. And I messed it up.”
Chapter 15
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Chapter 152
