Chapter 99
Gideon’s POV
I was a fool for agreeing to check the picture, but Leo had rekindled a kind of hope inside of me.
30
There was so much evidence to the contrary, but what if Raven really was Claire. If I could have her back and fix some of the mistakes of the past… Even if she was in love with Ivan now, if Leo could have his mother back…
Finding out for sure was worth a little foolishness.
Immediately, the kids decided on a plan. They would pull Ivan and Raven away from the office and I would sneak inside just long enough to check the photo before catching up.
My heart pounded against my ribcage. One way or another, I was going to find out the truth today. And maybe I was going to be reunited with my true mate once and for all.
If it were true, I would have so many questions, like why would she have kept it a secret all this time? But maybe I already knew the answer to that.
In the past, I hadn’t given her much cause to put her faith in me. It made sense if she doubted me now.
The plan was for me to pretend to be in the bathroom, while the kids took the others outside to play, so, I headed to the bathroom where I listened carefully. With my Alpha senses, I could hear all the way up the hallway, so I knew exactly when the kids arrived to the office.
“We want to play outside,” Leo said.
“I can take you,” Raven said. “Where’s Alpha Gideon?”
“He’s in the bathroom,” Nova said. “Uncle Ivan, you have to come too.”
“I have work,” Ivan said.
“Please,” Nova said, adding a hint of a whine to the word. It was a perfect inflection. With this kind of kid manipulation, Ivan didn’t stand a chance.
He sighed. “Fine. But only for a few minutes.”
“Yay!” Nova cheered.
“Let’s go!” Leo said impatiently.
I listened as their voices and footsteps disappeared down the hallway. Then I emerged from the bathroom and after glancing around, making sure no one was watching, I walked into Ivan’s office.
Moving toward the desk, I immediately saw the picture frame Nova must have meant. It was face down on the desktop. Quiet as the dead, I moved closer, close enough to touch the cool wooden frame and lift it.
Inside, my emotions were raging war with one another, and my herves prickled. I didn’t know what I wanted. Having Claire back would be wonderful, especially for Leo, but if she was in a relationship with Ivan, that complicated things. Plus my own jumbled feelings for Raven pulled me this way and that.
I couldn’t think clearly. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to until I knew the full truth.
I took a breath and held it, then turned the frame around to see the photo,
MON
16:41 Mon, Jan 19
Chapter 99
Fexhaled in a rush.”
37
Et in veuche
The woman in the photo looked very much like Claire. A similar face shape and similar red hair. But I knew at once that this was not Claire.
As Nova had said this was a picture of her mother, then this must have been Raven.
That meant that Raven, though someone who looked a lot like Claire, was simply not her.
This was the proof then, and I was sure of it this time. There would be no more confusion, no more misunderstandings or fool’s hope.
Raven was not Claire. That was definitive.
Relief and disappointment swirled within me, though disappointment was the most prominent. Worse, I had no idea how I was going to tell Leo. The news was certain to break his heart.
I left the office as quickly as I had arrived, and then stepped outside to meet the others. Leo, who had been watching for me, immediately ran over to me. The others were farther away, playing tag out in the field.
Leo’s hopeful eyes were so big and bright, I had to swallow down my rising urge to lie to him. My son deserved the truth in
this.
“I’m sorry, Leo. I saw the picture and it wasn’t her.”
The hope started to drain from Leo’s face, making him seem somewhat blank. “You are sure?”
“I am.”
“Really, really sure?”
“I’m sorry, Leo. I will never forget your mother’s face. Raven is similar, sure. But it’s just not her.”
Leo deflated like the air out of a balloon. His head went down, his shoulders slumped. He didn’t cry, but his bottom lip trembled until he worried it with his teeth.
I
gave him a moment before I lifted my hand and placed it on his shoulder. He didn’t seem like he wanted a hug. He must have known I would have easily given him one if he leaned forward.
Instead, he stayed where he was, unmoving like a tiny mountain. “I want to go home,” he said.
“I understand,” I said. “I’ll take you home. We should tell the others first, and you’ll need to pack.”
Leo nodded and turned. I kept my hand on his shoulder, trying to offer comfort, as we approached the others. When they saw Leo and his downtrodden posture, they paused their game and came closer.
“What happened?” Raven asked. “Is something wrong?”
“I want to go home,” Leo said again, with a bit more conviction this time.
Raven looked up at me in what felt like accusation. They must have all seen me talking to Leo, and known that was when his mood shifted. But if she wanted an explanation, she wasn’t going to get it.
It wasn’t Raven’s fault that she wasn’t Claire, but I still felt a measure of annoyance toward her. It was unfair to her, for me to feel this way, but that didn’t change my feeling. If she had been Claire, then my son wouldn’t be so disappointed right now.
And neither would I.
“I’m going to take him home as soon as possible. We will go pack his things at once,” I said.
16:42 Mon, Jan 19
Chapter 99
Ivan merely watched me. His silence indicated that he wouldn’t get in my way.
“I will come with you,” Raven said. “I will continue to guard Leo as I’ve always done.”
Leo spoke up this time, “You don’t have to.”
Claire’s POV
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£1.55 vouchers
I was once again grateful that my mask hid my entire face because Leo’s words shattered my heart so much, I couldn’t control my features.
He was saying I didn’t have to. Did that mean he didn’t want me to? He didn’t want me around anymore?
We had been so close, even earlier today. What had changed in such a short amount of time for him to want to push me away?
In the end, though it devastated me personally, it didn’t change my resolve. Leo needed my protection, and I was going to give it, whether he understood it was because of his mother’s love or not.
“I insist,” I said. This time, I looked at Gideon. “I am coming with you.”
“I won’t stop you,” Gideon said. “Leo will still need protection.”
An hour later, Gideon, Leo, Nova, and I were in the back of Gideon’s luxury car, one of his guards behind the wheel. The two backseats were facing each other, so Nova and I were riding backwards, facing Gideon and Leo.
The trip was quiet so far, which was unusual for the children.
Maybe it was in my mind, but I had the distinct feeling like Gideon and Leo were ignoring me. Gideon stared out the window the entire time. Leo would look at me and then quickly away, frowning.
About halfway home, Leo turned to his father and said, “Dad, I think I want a new mom. Can you try to find one for us?”
AD
