Chapter 1 #2
I managed a pained smile, though my chest ached. “He’s never coming back.”
His shoulders slumped, and I quickly reached for something—anything—to keep that smile of his from disappearing completely. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll talk to your principal, see if I can join in.”
“But you’ll be the only mom there.”
“And we make such a good team, don’t we? Imagine us out there, kicking all those dads’ butts.”
That earned a small, reluctant grin from him, and he gave a nod.
“What else did your principal say?” I asked, nudging the conversation somewhere lighter, hopefully.
“At the closing assembly, Principal West announced there’ll be an excursion to Palm Springs over spring break and Aunt Valerie put my name on the list!” Ollie’s mouth formed a pout. “Please, Mommy, can I go?”
“You know,” Valerie chimed in from the kitchen, a glass of water in her hand. “I heard there are giant dinosaur sculptures in Palm Springs.”
Ollie’s face lit up like the sunrise, filled with excitement. I forced a bright smile in return, even though a hollow ache started to press against my chest.
“Why don’t you take a bath and change into the clothes I laid out on your bed?” I said amidst a smile, running my fingers through his thick jet-black curls. “And when you come down for snacks, we can talk about that trip to Palm Springs, okay?”
He grinned. “Yes, Mom.”
“Don’t forget to wash behind your ears,” I called after him when he was halfway up the stairs. I heard a small grumble, his signature sound of resistance, and I laughed under my breath before turning back to Valerie, who had two fingers placed on her lips
“Shit,” she muttered, guilt clouding her eyes. “I shouldn’t have said anything about the sculptures in Palm Springs. I only got him more excited for something he may not—”
“He will,” I cut in. “He’ll go on that trip and see those giant sculptures. That may be the closest he ever comes to seeing a dinosaur outside of the pictures in a textbook.”
I let out a heavy breath, the kind that was supposed to at least lighten the weight on my chest, but all it did was shift it to the pit of my stomach. I moved back to the dining room and sank into a chair.
“How much is the trip?”
“It’s a special three-day excursion,” Valerie began, easing into the seat across from me.
“Normally kids Ollie’s age wouldn’t even be considered, but he’s shown higher abilities and physical strength than his peers.
And you know he’s an adventurous kid—always eager to try something new.
When he said he wanted to go, I went ahead and put in the application for him.
They approved it, but…” she gave a small shrug, “because he’s younger, the fee is higher than the other parents’.
They’ll be staying in one of the safest hotels in the area, with teachers and guides supervising.
There’s transportation, meals, tour tickets—the whole package. ”
I knew what she was doing. She was trying to make sense of the cost by listing all the benefits to justify it. And that only meant one thing. It was ridiculous.
“The school covers the basics, but families pay extra for the hands-on activities, photo packages, fossil kits, the premium snacks. All those extras push the cost to around twenty-five hundred.”
With everything going on right now, I could barely afford groceries, let alone that kind of money. But it would make Ollie happy, and I always wanted to make him happy. It was all I lived for.
He went to Kingsridge Academy in the Midlands of the Bronx, one of the few schools in the Bronx where wolf shifters and humans studied side by side.
The Midlands wasn’t just another neighborhood.
It was a pack-claimed territory, full of clean streets, overpriced cafes, and townhouses that looked like they belonged in a magazine.
Everything there cost more, like housing, groceries, and tuition.
But I didn’t want Ollie growing up feeling like the weird kid with sharp senses and a full moon curfew. I didn’t want him explaining why he healed faster or why, on some days, his instincts made him lash out.
So, I took the job as an event logistics coordinator, even when it meant hauling crates at midnight, long hours on my feet, and babysitters I couldn’t always afford.
I picked up weekend shifts. Sold off the few decent properties I'd scraped together over the years to keep up with my fathers debts and to cover tuition and everything in between.
I’d seen the excitement in his face, the pure joy when he mentioned the excursion. How could I crush that by telling him he couldn’t go because I couldn’t afford it?
I forced a smile for Valerie’s sake. But she blinked at me, her expression suddenly shifting from guilt as her eyes widened and her mouth parted into a small gasp.
My eyes narrowed. “What?”
“I just remembered something…a conversation I overheard between two parents at school.”
My brows pulled together as I wondered what a hallway conversation had to do with the financial disaster unraveling in my lap.
“They were talking about an event planning position for the wedding of Elena Moreau.”
I gave her a look. Unless she was talking about a different Elena Moreau, some distant cousin, maybe a barista with the same name, then she had to be joking. Because the Elena Moreau I knew was the self-proclaimed princess of the Bronx Pack. And the Alpha’s daughter.
Valerie’s smile faltered. “You don’t look excited.”
“Probably because I’m confused.”
“Confused about what?” she asked, eyebrows lifting.
“The part where this has anything to do with me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Leila, the Alpha’s daughter is getting married. She’s looking for an event planner. And you,” she pointed a finger at me dramatically, “are an event planner.”
“Partially,” I said. “Part-time. Part broke. There’s nuance.”
“Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “You are an event planner. And this is your chance to not only make good money, but also to become a name in this business. We’re talking about planning the most extravagant, over-the-top wedding the Bronx has ever seen.
What have you got to lose, besides another unpaid bill?
I chuckled dryly. “So not my niche.”
“Look, I’m just trying to be positive, Leila. Plus, you need to give yourself some credit here. You planned my boss’ niece’s birthday party—”
“A five-year-old child’s party,” I cut in. “Don’t forget that part.”
“And Mrs. Ronson’s daughter’s quinceanera,” she added, ignoring my comment.
“A fifteen-year-old’s party,” I muttered.
“Don’t forget the annual retreat for the school’s staff,” Valerie persisted. “Everyone wouldn’t stop talking about how amazing it was.”
Okay. That one was true. The retreat had been a hit, organized on a shoestring budget, but it had still managed to impress a bunch of overworked teachers. It was probably my only real claim to fame in the event planning world.
I exhaled. “Elena Moreau is never going to hire me. She’s definitely looking for something and someone extravagant. Something that suits her personality and designer heels. I’m not sure I can pull off a wedding of that magnitude.”
Valerie shrugged. “No harm in trying.”
After Valerie left, I spent the rest of the evening helping Ollie with his homework and making dinner.
I’d only just tucked him into bed when I heard my phone ringing from the living room.
At first, I thought it was Valerie. She’d mentioned she would get back to me on the other details about the excursion trip.
Particularly on the possibility of getting a discounted price.
But when I saw the caller ID flashing across the screen, I stopped cold.
Fear shot up my spine so fast it made my breath hitch.
Instinctively, my eyes darted around frantically—to the doors, to the windows, to every opening in the house—to ensure there was no one lurking near them.
I wouldn’t put it past him. When I was certain there was no one but Ollie and me in the house, I answered the phone.
“Hello?” I said, my voice barely steady.
For a second, there was silence. Then I heard his breathing. Shallow, uneven. Like someone barely restraining their rage.
“I’m not a very patient man, Leila,” he spoke, his voice low, dripping with a veiled threat. “You’re two days late on your payment. And I’d hate for something to happen to you.” He paused. “Or to that boy of yours.”
My heart plummeted. Ollie. He was threatening Ollie. The fear in my chest twisted into anger. “You stay the hell away from my son.”
He laughed, humorless and sinister. “We’ll see about that. I’ll be expecting that payment soon.”
And with that, the line went dead.
The echo of his threat hammered in my ears like a war drum, settling deep in my bones. He’d act on his word, I knew that. Ten thousand dollars. Five days.
Where in the hell was I supposed to get that kind of money?