I don’t like this.

Despite being a sexual assault survivor, I have long fought to surpass the fear and the trauma that comes with it. I went to therapy, I worked through it, I even regained control over my own sexuality.

I am not a scared teenager anymore, I shouldn’t be living in fear. I thought I was past this.

What I could never have counted on is that I would have to move my son and me away from our pack because the Alpha suddenly decided that his child is finally good enough to be his successor. I mean, he is the only viable successor short of adoption and that is not possible for Alphas.

Not to say that they cannot adopt children, of course they can. But Alphas are born, not raised. You cannot teach a Beta to use their command because they never will be capable of doing so. It’s more than a skill, it’s an innate ability.

That means no matter what Richard does, if he can’t produce another heir to the pack, my son will be his. Like I said before, it’s like monarchy. You have to be born into it. Children of Alphas become the next Alpha. There is no circumventing that rule.

Before I was forced to leave my pack abruptly, I heard it through the grapevine that Richard’s mate lost yet another IVF pregnancy. She was devastated. These kinds of treatments are expensive, so that was probably her last attempt, her last shot for a pregnancy.

I do feel bad for her. She is blameless in her mate’s doing and consequential punishment. She doesn’t deserve to be prevented from having children, so I genuinely feel bad for her.

On Sunday, I was surprised to see so many families inside the pack house for their children’s blessing by the Alpha. Usually, each pack reserves the last Sunday of every month for these events and Regency Falls is no different.

What was daunting to me is the enormous amount of children to be blessed. There must have been two dozen families crowding the pack house who brought their kids to be anointed by Alpha Phillip. It’s a curious experience, one known only to werewolves.

It is a very blessed day indeed when you are welcomed into the pack officially. Like Stephano told my son, it is the only way for people to be able to mindlink other pack members. You have to be linked to the Alpha to do so and that can only be done with a blessing where you have to shift into a wolf in front of him.

In ancient times, you presented yourself naked to the Alpha, ready to shift into a wolf in front of him. Nowadays, children use old clothes that can be ripped apart during the shifting. Once they are a fully realized wolf, the Alpha gives his blessing and leaves the room to give the child privacy to shift back into a human.

Only the kid’s parents are allowed inside the room when that happens and they have a robe ready to cover them, then they get dressed and leave the house feeling like a proud member of the pack.

Once Charlie was told of all this, he insisted that he wanted to be blessed as well. The fact that his classmate Clarissa was there too just added fuel to the fire. I did not have the heart to deny my boy, especially since he should have been blessed by Richard back in our old pack.

Yeah, do I really need to explain to you why I didn’t take my son to him?

I didn’t think so, thanks. It’s not like an eleven year old needs to be able to mindlink… most of Charlie’s classmates haven’t even shifted yet.

When Iris cautioned me that being blessed by Alpha Phillip was the only way for me to sever my ties with the Dark Moon pack, I took her meaning right away. I knew what she meant by that. Technically speaking, I was still under Richard’s command.

He could still be able to mindlink me and Goddess only knows how badly I want to distance myself from him. The further the better. With that being said, the power to mindlink has a certain range to it. Meaning you can’t mindlink someone from another town let alone another state. There are exceptions if the towns are neighbors, but it varies depending on the geography.

Even if he cannot mindlink me, I do not want to be at his command. Not at all. Not ever.

I felt frightened, so I had no other choice than to join my son in the blessing. The two of us got blessed by Phillip who looked happy to welcome us into his pack. After we were done, it was already lunch time and all the other families had departed from the pack house.

“Your story is so relatable to me, it’s eerie. Truth is I was not Phillip’s choice either. I am four years younger than him, so we had no relationship other than our parents being best friends.” Stephano was telling me about how the path to his ascension as Beta was a tricky one.

It’s Sunday afternoon. We are comfortably sitting on the couch inside the living room while Charlie is cooped up in the playroom, addicted to the PlayStation. We were sipping some wine he brought with him while we talked. Apparently, I am mated to a wine enthusiast. Not that I have any complaints about it. I love wine, but my taste is much simpler than his.

“I can imagine. How did you convince him?” I asked him, inquisitively.

“I didn’t. Alpha Felix, his father, was the one who gave him an ultimatum. It was either me as Beta or he wouldn’t ascend at all.” He replied, widening his eyes.

“Our Alpha did the same, but Richard just refused to accept it.” I explained, feeling horrible about the outcome no one in their right mind could ever have predicted. I do not regret having my son, I just wish the circumstances could have been better. At least if it was an accident, I wouldn’t be left with all the trauma.

A tear threatened to leave my eye, I am emotional every time I talk about this. I hate reliving the worst time of my life, the moment where my future got derailed. At the same time, the more I avoid the issue, the more powerful it gets.

Stephano moved to kiss me and I basked in his warmth, getting entrapped in his soft, delicious lips. We made out for quite a while. I was so engrossed by his sweet scent and voluptuous body that I forgot where I was for a second.

“Excuse-me, Beta.” A warrior entered the living room, catching us making out. He looked embarrassed to be there, but my mate was not having it.

“I am on vacation, Jeff! The only Beta you should be disturbing is Iris!” He growled at the young man, furious for the unwanted interruption.

“I am well aware of that, Beta. I’m sorry to interrupt, but I heard the boy crying inside the playroom when I was doing my rounds.” He informed us and I jumped from the couch and ran after my son worriedly. Stephano followed behind.

When I arrived at the playroom, Charlie was looking distraught. It was clear to me that he had been crying, so I asked him what was wrong. He was reluctant to admit to me what was bothering him, which in turn only worried me more.

“Charlie, what is wrong? Why are you crying? Did someone say or do anything to upset you? What is going on, son?” I grilled him, worried by this. He was happy just a while ago, so what could possibly have happened?

After some time, he finally showed me his tablet. It turns out that Richard found out his email address and he has been emailing him. He has been trying to manipulate my son into telling him where he was. He went as far as writing that I wasn't his real father, he was.

What the fuck?

That is not all. He wrote to him that if he didn’t tell Richard where he was, he was going to come and kill me. That is why he was crying.

That fucking animal! *grunts rabidly*

Who the fuck threatens an eleven year old?

“This is why I didn’t want him to have any electronic device!” I turned to Stephano furious at this. He apologized by saying he couldn’t have known Richard would find his email address, but that is not exactly an apology.

“Can he trace us from this email? Can he trace the tablet back to us?” I asked my mate, mad at this whole thing.

“No, I disabled the location. He cannot trace anything, much less from an email.” He replied, while I was raging over this. I handed the tablet over to my mate then turned to a distraught looking boy.

“Listen to me very carefully, Charlie. I swear on everything that is sacred, I AM your real father. I carried you inside my belly for nine months and delivered the miracle called Charles Aragon in Saint Mary County Hospital.” I told my son in a very serious tone.

“There is no one on Earth that could ever separate you from me. Nobody can take you away from me and he certainly cannot kill me. This is just a ploy to kidnap you. But he is not worried about your well being, he only means to serve his own agenda and I am very sorry about that. Please know that I love you and I will always protect you. No matter what.” I reassured him, seeing how shaken he was from those emails.

Charlie and I hugged each other in a very emotional moment. Here I thought I was free of his grasp here. What the hell was that?

I take my time to stay with my son for a while, keeping him company until he feels better. In the meantime, Stephano was standing there looking guilty for having bought the tablet for Charlie.

“You can go now, mate. I’m staying here with him. See you tomorrow.” I dismissed him, still pissed off about the whole thing. I should never have allowed him to buy my son the tablet, but I really did not think Richard would go this far.

“I am so sorry for everything. You have to know that I only have his best interest at heart.” He apologized, feeling guilty about his part in this.

“No, I have his best interest at heart. I am his father!” I raised my voice, distraught about this. He said goodbye to Charlie, then left the playroom carrying the tablet with him.

“I am so sorry, son. I promise to always keep you safe from him.” I pledged, disturbed by this stunt. Richard will stop at nothing to track us down. I see that now. I just hope that wasn’t enough to find out where we are. I’d hate to leave this pack now that we are restarting our lives again.

I kept Charlie company until it was time for dinner, afterwards we went to our separate bedrooms. My son was rocked all through the rest of the day, feeling gloomy. It broke my heart that he had to suffer like this. If I had Richard in front of me today, it would be him or me.

On Monday, I drove my son to school and he looked much better than yesterday. For all the struggles he is facing on account of having to move into a new town, I am glad he made at least one new friend. For once, that makes him look forward to going to school and I am all for that.

As a parent, there is no other priority in my life than keeping my son safe. I didn’t think we would be here as refugees from a deranged Alpha, but that point is moot now. It was the road that drove me to find my mate, though I obviously would have preferred we met like everyone else. Out of danger.

Speaking of my mate, Stephano was waiting for me inside the pack house when I returned from the school. He was still looking guilty and he brought me a bouquet of roses to apologize.

“Good morning, Carlisle. I am sorry for everything. I promise to never buy Charlie anything without your expressed permission again.” He told me, handing me the beautifully ornate roses. Even his flowers look expensive.

“You didn't buy anything without my permission, it was on me too. I know you acted with the best intentions, it's just that we have to stay vigilant. One false move and my son could be in danger.” I spoke in a grim tone.

Stephano got wide-eyed at my remark.

“Trust me, mate. I am very vigilant. I have taken every precaution possible, but I can only apologize for my part in what happened.” He spoke in a serious tone, showing remorse.

“I forgive you.” I smiled at him, surrendering myself to the charming man standing by the door of the living room.

“Can I invite you to stay in my house for a while? I feel like we're hogging the living room.” He invited me with his charismatic grin.

“Actually, I was going to start looking for a job today. I am going to run out of money soon.” I told him, watching his face scowl.

“I see. I only have three more days left on my vacation. Can I please spend it with you? I promise that after Wednesday, I'll help you find a job.” He counter proposed.

Yeah, that was a hard offer to refuse if I am honest. It's not like it would be a sacrifice to spend time with my mate. I can certainly understand where he is coming from.

He was supposed to be in California for his vacation, not that he made me feel bad for not going, it was his choice to prioritize me and I thank him for it. This wouldn’t be the same without him.

“Sure. I can get down with that.” I said, playfully. He pulled me to his arms and laid a wet kiss on me that had my head spinning.

I spent an amazing day with my mate. In his house, there was privacy and nobody to fear bothering us. I am not going to lie, it is a very nice house and I can certainly see myself living here. It’s very hard to argue against a man willing to accommodate me in every way.

There is even a room ready for Charlie. It has a PlayStation bought especially for him and dozens of games. I could not have been mated to a more accepting man. He really was made for me. Though I am far from being a gold digger, I cannot exactly say that having money is bad.

I mean, I live in the real world and everything costs money.

After I brought my son home from school, Stephano was planted inside the pack house waiting for me by the door, looking mischievous.

“There is a little surprise for you both today.” He announced, catching my son and I’s attention.

“Oh really? What did you buy us now?” I feared in anticipation of his surprise. I don’t want him to feel like I need to be bought. I don’t want him to bribe my son either.

“I didn’t.” He declared, then my parents came out to meet us. Charlie sprinted into my dad’s arms who welcomed him with a wide smile and warm hug.

“Pops!” He was overjoyed at seeing his grandparents again. They were intrinsic in raising Charlie, I literally could not have done it without them.

I hugged my mom and dad, emotional for seeing them again.

“How did you bring my parents here? Our location was supposed to be kept a secret!” I asked my mate, happy to see them but worried about their arrival. Their absence will be noticed back at my old pack.

“He sent us a car. It was very hush, hush. He even had them renting a car in Oklahoma to throw off suspicion.” Mom was telling me about the covert operation like she was Mata Hari, sounding very excited.

“Oh my Goddess!” I gasped in shock at this.

“I will do everything to make you comfortable and improve your stay in our pack, including bringing your parents here. All I want is to make you happy, mate.” Stephano told me, bringing me to tears.

I cannot believe he pulled this off. I am so overwhelmed right now. I’m feeling so happy to see my parents again. They mean the world to me and my son. I feel like Stephano got the short end of the stick. He is an amazing man and I am flawed to a fault, with trauma and an antagonizing villain chasing after me.

He was having the time of his life seeing me happy and reunited with my parents. I really needed this. *swoons*