Chapter 17
Alison
I first noticed the changes in Leo three nights ago. He'd been restless, unable to sleep, drawn to the window where he'd stare at the moon for hours. I assumed it was just a phase—children go through those, right? But tonight was different.
"Leo, honey, it's bedtime," I called, walking into his room to find him standing by the window again, bathed in moonlight.
When he turned to face me, I gasped. His eyes, normally a warm brown just like his father's, were glowing gold, reflecting the moonlight like a cat's. And when he raised his hands to rub them, I saw his fingernails had lengthened into points that looked almost like... claws.
"Mommy, I feel funny," he whispered, his voice trembling. "My skin feels too tight."
My heart pounded against my ribs as I approached him, kneeling beside my four-year-old son. "What do you mean, sweetheart?"
"Like something wants to come out," he said, his small face serious in a way no child's should be. "And I can hear things. From far away. And smell... everything."
I touched his forehead—no fever. But this wasn't normal. None of this was normal. I'd researched every childhood illness, every developmental milestone since discovering I was pregnant. Nothing mentioned glowing eyes or elongated nails.
Or an overwhelming fascination with the moon.
My hands shook as I tucked Leo back into bed, promising him everything would be okay. Once he'd drifted off to sleep, I retreated to my room and stared at my phone. I dialed Lucas's number before I could talk myself out of it. He answered on the second ring.
"Alison?" His voice was a deep rumble that sent an unwelcome shiver down my spine.
"I need to talk to you," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "It's about Leo."
A pause. "What about him?"
I took a deep breath. "Something is wrong."
Another silence, longer this time.
"I'm coming over," he said finally, and hung up.
I paced the floor of my bedroom in the Black mansion for forty-five minutes before a soft knock came at my door. When I opened it, Lucas stood there, as imposing and handsome as ever, his amber eyes burning with an intensity that made me step back.
"Where is he?" Lucas demanded, skipping any pretense of a greeting.
"Sleeping," I said, folding my arms tightly over my chest. "But let's get something straight. This doesn't change anything between us. I only called because something's happening to him, and I don't know what it means. I'm scared, Lucas."
His jaw tightened. "What's been happening?"
"His eyes glow… gold in the moonlight. His nails, they're sharper, almost claw-like. He's... drawn to the moon. He says he can hear things I can't, smell things from far away." My voice faltered as I looked away. "I don't know what's happening to my son."
Lucas's eyes didn't waver. "Our son," he corrected quietly. "And it's not what's happening—it's who he is. Leo is becoming who he was born to be."
A chill prickled down my spine. "What the hell are you talking about?"
He exhaled slowly, brushing a hand through his hair, his features strained but calm. "I'm a werewolf, Alison. The Alpha of the Moonshadow Pack. And Leo has my blood in him. He's approaching his first shift."
For a moment, the world just stopped.
I stared at him, waiting for a smirk, a wink, or some sign that he was joking. But there was none. Just Lucas, serious and utterly still. And then I laughed, sharp and unhinged. "You're insane. Do you even hear yourself?"
"I can show you," he said softly.
Before I could stop him, his eyes flickered to that same glowing gold I had seen in Leo's. His canines elongated. The air around him seemed to thicken, ripple with something… unnatural. I stumbled back, my shoulder slamming into the wall.
"No. No, this-this isn't real!" I gasped, my heart hammering in my chest. "This can't be real."
"It is," he said gently, his features shifting back to normal as he took a cautious step forward. "Alison, I know it's a lot. I know how impossible it sounds. But you've seen it with your own eyes. You've seen it in him."
I backed away further, shaking my head, bile rising in my throat. "He's just a boy. He's my little boy. I—this isn't supposed to be his life!"
Lucas didn't move. He just stood there, arms loose at his sides, voice calm but firm.
"It's not a curse, Alison. It's not a nightmare.
It's a part of who he is. A powerful, beautiful part.
But if he doesn't get guidance, if no one is there to help him through this... it could hurt him. It could break him."
I slid down onto the edge of the bed, my hands trembling. My thoughts were a chaotic mess of denial and fear. A werewolf. My son was part werewolf. And yet... the evidence was seared into my mind. Leo's eyes. His strength. His instincts.
Lucas knelt in front of me, his voice barely above a whisper now. "He needs you, Alison. And he'll need me, too. We owe it to him to give him the tools to survive this. To embrace it, not fear it."
I lifted my eyes to his—those same gold-flecked eyes that now held no threat, only quiet determination and a plea I hadn't expected.
"What do we do?" I whispered, because despite everything, I wanted to protect Leo more than I wanted to understand the impossible.
"Let me help him," Lucas said, his expression softening. "Let me teach him what he is, how to control it. It's his birthright, Alison. You're right. This isn't about us. It's about him and what's best for him. This is best for him."
Part of me wanted to find another solution. But the rational part knew there was no other solution. If Lucas was telling the truth—and those glowing eyes were hard to deny—then Leo needed his father.
When Leo gets his father, how long will it take for me to dissolve the wall I had ensured to build around me when it came to matters regarding Lucas?
This isn't about us. It's about him, Lucas had said, and he was right.
"Fine," I conceded. "You can help him.
Lucas nodded, then hesitated. "Thank you, Alison. I know this was a tough choice for you to make."
The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard.
This wasn't the cold, calculating businessman who'd thrown me out of his hotel room five years ago.
This was... someone else entirely. Maybe he's changed.
Maybe I can let the tugging emotions I had been keeping in check blossom. No! I had to caution myself.
The next evening, Lucas arrived precisely on time, carrying a small gift-wrapped package. Leo, who'd been anxiously awaiting his arrival after I'd explained we had a special guest coming, nearly knocked him over with his enthusiasm.
"You're Mr. Lucas!" Leo exclaimed. "I remember you from the elevator!"
Lucas crouched down to Leo's level, his expression a mixture of awe and tenderness that made my heart twist painfully. "That's right, buddy. And I brought you something." He handed Leo the package.
Leo tore into it excitedly, revealing a small carved wooden wolf. "Wow! I love wolves!"
"I thought you might," Lucas said, sharing a meaningful glance with me over Leo's head.
Over dinner, Lucas charmed Leo completely, telling him stories and listening attentively to his preschool adventures. I watched them together, noting the similarities I'd been blind to before—the same thoughtful furrow of the brow, the same expressive hands, the same deep laugh.
After dinner, we sat Leo down together in the living room. My hands were clenched in my lap as I sat beside him, Lucas on the other side. The air was thick with something unspoken.
Lucas leaned in slightly, his brows furrowed. "Are you sure you want to do this now?" he asked, his voice low, meant only for me.
I glanced at Leo, who was swinging his feet against the couch. My heart swelled with the weight of everything unsaid. I nodded. "Yes. He deserves to know."
Lucas inhaled deeply, steadying himself.
"Leo," I began softly, "remember how I told you your daddy lives far away?"
Leo looked up at me, his dark eyes bright and questioning. He nodded slowly, then glanced at Lucas, as though sensing something was coming.
"Well… that wasn't exactly the truth," I continued, my throat tight. "Your daddy isn't far away. He's actually… right here."
Leo blinked. "Huh?"
I swallowed. "Lucas is your daddy."
There was a beat of stunned silence. Leo's mouth parted slightly as he looked at Lucas, then back at me, confusion clouding his features.
Lucas turned to Leo, "Hey, buddy," he said gently, voice a little thick. "I'm your dad."
Leo stared at him for a moment… then his face lit up like the sun rising after a long night.
"Really? I have a daddy now?" he said, breathlessly, like it was the greatest gift he'd ever received.
Lucas gave a small laugh, emotion flickering across his face. "You've always had a daddy," he said, leaning forward. "I just… I just didn't know how to find you. But I'm here now. And I want to be here for you. Especially with all the strange things you've been feeling lately."
"The moon feelings?" Leo asked, eyes wide.
Lucas nodded. "Yeah. The moon feelings. Because you're special, Leo. You're like me. We're..." He paused, glancing at me once more.
I gave him a quiet, encouraging nod.
"We're werewolves," he said gently. "That means you and I have a connection to the moon, to nature, and to something powerful inside us. And I want to help you understand that part of yourself."
Leo's jaw dropped. "I'm a WEREWOLF? That's the COOLEST THING EVER!"
Lucas chuckled, his shoulders relaxing for the first time all night. "Yeah, it kind of is."
As Leo threw his arms around him without hesitation, Lucas met my gaze over his son's shoulder, his expression raw and overwhelmed. I felt a lump rise in my throat.
Over the following weeks, Lucas visited regularly. He took Leo for "wolf lessons" in the estate's extensive grounds, teaching him about his senses, his strength, and the pack history. I kept my distance at first, still wary of getting too close to Lucas again.
But seeing them together was...transformative. Lucas was patient and kind with Leo, never pushing too hard but always encouraging him to embrace his heritage. And Leo blossomed under his father's attention, growing more confident in controlling his "wolf symptoms" as he called them.
One evening, after putting Leo to bed following a family dinner, Lucas walked me back to my room.
"He's extraordinary, Alison," Lucas said softly. "You've done an amazing job raising him."
"Thank you," I replied, surprised by the compliment. "He adores you."
We stopped outside my door, an awkward silence falling between us. I knew I should say goodnight, should maintain the careful distance I'd established. But something in Lucas's expression—open, vulnerable—made me hesitate.
"So, huh, I guess that's it then. See you next time?
" Lucas said, the hesitation between us so heavy I could reach out and touch it.
This wasn't a physical yearning that needed to be satiated.
There was a different pull between us now.
Something more spiritual, connecting us on a level beyond human understanding.
As we both stood there, neither of us really ready to leave, Lucas leaned in slowly, giving me every opportunity to pull away.
But I didn't. His lips met mine in a kiss so tender it made my heart ache—a stark contrast to our heated encounter at the café.
This wasn't passion or possession; this was something deeper, something that felt dangerously like forgiveness.
Lucas's palm cradled my cheek, warm and steady, grounding me in the chaos of everything I was feeling.
Then he kissed me again. This time, slower, deeper, but with a hunger that pulsed through his lips and sank straight into my skin.
It wasn't just a kiss; it was a claiming, a silent confession of everything he couldn't say out loud.
My body responded instinctively, drawn to his heat, his taste, the familiar electricity that always existed between us.
I leaned into him, helpless against the way my heart reached for his.
I wanted more. More of his mouth, more of his hands, more of this moment where nothing else existed but us.
A soft moan escaped me, swallowed by his kiss, and in that shared breath, we let ourselves fall—completely, unapologetically—into the fire we had kept at bay for far too long.
When we broke apart, my face was flushed, my breathing jagged and hard. I knew my defenses were crumbling. And for the first time in five years, I wondered if that might not be such a bad thing.