Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Claire’s POV
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When we arrived at Ivan’s pack house, it was still dark. The kids were so exhausted from the stress and the journey that they had fallen asleep against me in the backseat of the car. When we arrived, I carried Leo while Ivan carried Nova. We took them to their bedrooms and tucked them in.
Leo sleepily tried to hold onto me. His eyes were closed, his mind lost to dreams.
“Don’t leave me… Mommy…” he mumbled in his sleep.
Gently, I brushed my fingers through his hair. “I would never,” I promised.
That seemed to calm him. He retracted his fingers and snuggled deeper under his blankets.
Leaving him to sleep, I stepped out into the hallway and carefully closed the door behind me. While I hated taking Leo away from his father and the only place he had ever known as home, I still couldn’t help but feel
some contentment.
Finally, I had my children in the place that felt like my home, safe and protected by my pack and those I trusted with not just my own life, but the lives of those I loved the most in this world.
Ivan met me in the hall, after leaving Nova’s room.
“You should get some rest,” Ivan said. “You can take the time for sleep here. I will protect the children.”
I already trusted the warriors here, but knowing Ivan himself was going to be keeping watch gave me even more comfort. With that knowledge and comfort, maybe I would be able to finally find some rest of my own.
“Thank you,” I told him.
He nodded once.
My own room was only two doors down, so I went there now. I had barely changed into my pajamas when the sheer exhaustion started to take over me. I crawled into bed and fell asleep at once.
During the day, when we were all awake again, Nova was the best at helping give Leo a tour and showing him around. She clutched his wrist and dragged him around, showing him all of her favorite spots. I followed behind a couple of yards back, wanting them to have time to bond, but also keeping a watchful eye.
They were safe here, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be protecting them. Not only had I given my word to Gideon, but it also calmed the nerves in my heart.
Two hundred million dollars was enough money to make desperate people act, and it would only take one lucky chance for me to lose everything.
I had to be diligent.
Though Leo had seemed okay during the day, when it came to be nighttime again, his unhappiness started to
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Chapter 85
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creep out. We had said goodnight to Nova, and I led Leo to his bedroom. Inside, out of nowhere, tears started to fall down his cheeks. He immediately covered his face like he was ashamed.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
My heart tore out of my chest. I lowered myself to my knees to face him on his level. “It’s okay, Leo. Talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“I’m trying to be b–brave,” Leo said, his voice breaking.
“You are brave,” I promised him. “It’s okay to be scared. You can be afraid and brave at the same time.”
He sniffed. “I miss my room, and I miss Dad.” His voice broke again. “I want to go h–home…”
I hugged him at once, but he continued to sob in my arms. For a moment, I felt utterly helpless. In trying to keep my son safe, I had given him this traumatic moment of separation.
Maybe… yes… if we could call Gideon…
“Why don’t we talk to Gideon on the phone?” I suggested. “Maybe hearing his voice would help.”
“O–okay…” Leo said.
Pulling back from him, I withdrew my phone from my pocket, found Gideon’s contact, and made the call, putting it on speakerphone.
He answered at once. “Raven?”
“Dad?”
“Leo?”
“It’s difficult to settle into a new bedroom, a new home, even if it is temporary,” I said. “We thought maybe hearing your voice could help.”
“Ah,” Gideon said, and some of the concern disappeared from his voice. “I’m happy to help. I missed you too. Both of you, and Nova.”
“I miss you, Dad,” Leo said.
“I’m so proud of you, Leo. What you are doing takes a tremendous amount of courage. You are going to be a great Alpha one day. You already are a wonderful son.”
Leo sniffled some but the waterworks dried up, especially after Gideon asked, “Tell me about your day today,” and Leo began talking about his tour with Nova.
I stayed nearby as father and son talked. Leo, feeling more relaxed now, was starting to yawn, his eyes drooping.
“I think I can sleep now,” he said, and passed me the phone. “Daddy wants to talk to you.”
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Chapter 85
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After saying goodnight to Leo, I stepped out of the room with the phone. I took the call off speakerphone and brought the phone to my car.
“I hope that was okay,” I said.
“It was,” he assured me. “It was good to hear his voice. And yours. Things weren’t quite the same without you here.”
If this was his way of telling me he missed me, I hated how effective it was. Truthfully, I missed him too, more than I wanted to admit to anyone, even myself.
“I’ve become accustomed to seeing you every day. Today, I felt your absence,” he said.
I closed my eyes, actively pushing back the feelings Gideon’s words were stirring within me. Ivan was right with his warnings. It was too easy to forget all the things that had happened in the past.
I needed to hold onto the anger I felt back then, as well as the fear and the hurt. That was the only way I would survive moments like these without giving in.
“I’m where I need to be,” I said.
“Right.” He paused a moment. “Oh, I should tell you about Darius.”
Quickly, he filled me in on his meeting with Darius. That Darius knew as much as he did was unnerving.
“I should go,” I said. “I need to inform Ivan of this.”
“Yes,” Damien replied.
Another silence filled the line, like neither of us wanted to end the call.
Swallowing thickly, I forced myself to say, “Goodnight, Gideon.”
“Goodnight, Raven.”
Hanging up the phone, I turned toward Ivan’s office. The door was open and the light was on, so I didn’t think twice about entering.
He was sitting at his desk, looking at a framed photograph. When I entered, he didn’t seem startled exactly, but he did still unnaturally. Then he lowered the frame, picture–side down.
“Claire… is everything alright?”
“Yes,” I said, about to tell him about Darius.
“You are still wearing your mask,” he said, before I could speak, startling me from my thoughts.
Reaching up, I touched it, still covering my face.
“You are safe here, Claire. There is no longer any reason to hide your face, One of the rules was that Gideon give notice of his arrival. You will have time to hide again before he comes.”
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I hadn’t thought about that. I’d been wearing the mask so much for so long now that it was second–nature to put it over my face.
But Ivan was right. This pack was my home. I didn’t need to hide here.
Lifting my hands up, I carefully removed it.
Leo’s POV
I closed my eyes as Raven left the room. Hearing her still talking in the hallway made me relax enough that I might have even drifted off for a moment or two.
But then I blinked my eyes awake. I couldn’t hear her anymore, and this room was so strange.
Maybe if I could talk to her for a minute, I would feel okay again.
She’d shown me which room was hers, so I got out of bed and then left my room to go to hers.
I knocked on her door but it wasn’t latched and my knock pushed it open. Raven didn’t seem to be here, but her light was on. Thinking she’d probably be back soon, I entered to wait for her.
She had a few pictures on the dresser, as well as a couple of birthday cards. One, handmade from Nova, and another that seemed to have a bunch of signatures on it. Maybe from the whole of the pack? But then I stopped, seeing a name that stood out.
It wasn’t a signature, but a name written clearly and carefully at the top.
To Claire.
That was my real mother’s name.
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