I couldn't move from where I was positioned; I stiffened like a stump and all the veins in my body went cold, while my heart couldn't manage the burning feeling that it seemed to know the man behind me very well.
"Alpha Jaxon, you've returned!"
I wouldn't have been able to return to my consciousness if it hadn't been for the voice that called. I took a deep breath to restore control, then rose from my squat in front of Morgan.
"When did you get back? You should've told us, so we could've made a preparation and celebration!" Betty said, a little frustrated that what she wanted didn't happen.
"I just landed, and a celebration isn't always necessary; how did you arrange for the Moonlight Festival?"
"I told the other pack that you can attend the gathering, and the flow of events will be seamless if the girl you selected to be with doesn't disrupt it."
Even though I was cognizant that Gamma was alluding to me, I chose to ignore her. I simply restored my attention to Morgan and stopped paying attention to their discussion.
"Let's go, sweetie. You smell sweat already and you need to take a bath," I prompted Morgan enthusiastically, but my smile faded as I noticed his gaze was not on me.
Perhaps he was thinking about various things. What and who was the man standing behind me now? I didn't want to answer those questions because I knew "he's your father" was impossible to say because I didn't remember Jaxon acting like a father to him.
He had became a father in shadow for a longest time.
I grasped both of his cheeks again and forced them to face me in order to regain his attention.
"Let's go?" I suggested for the second time, and fortunately, he returned his gaze to me, and nodded in agreement.
I grabbed his little hand and we were ready to step away from them when a muscular arm abruptly stopped me by wrapping it around my waist.
I quickly turned my head to ask Jaxon what he thought he was doing but I was stopped by the fact that he didn't seem to care. He was still facing Betty and continuing to have a conversation with her.
Here he was again, doing his own ways without thinking the other. In the end, I couldn't do anything but let out a long sigh and steady myself.
We were there for a while before I overheard Betty saying farewell. Nonetheless, Jaxon continued to hold onto my waist long after they had finished chatting, so I was unable to restrain myself from speaking.
"I still need to take care of a few things, so could you just let me go?" I annoyingly spat.
To be frank, I initially believed he would quarrel with me, but later on, I felt his hold on my waist relax.
It shocked me. He used to be really aggressive. Whenever he wanted to obtain anything he desired, he would pushed it until he would get it. Luckily, when I refused to give him what he wanted in the past, he never troubled me again.
At the time, I even came to the conclusion that he was faking it, but I didn't anticipate it would take him more than a year to demonstrate his guilt— or perhaps it's not really a guilt but rather me, stepping into his ego.
He freed his arm entirely and along with that movement was his question, "How are you?"
I looked at him with a stunned expression on my face as if I couldn't believe it. However, rather than being grateful that he asked, it felt as though the resentment and myriad of concerns in my chest were much more lifted.
'Why only now?'
'How have you spent the last year and month?'
'Where did you go?'
'How come you didn't come inside the room where is Morgan and me?'
Still, I didn't dare to ask him those questions since I know that no matter how much I look back, yesterday would never come back.
I didn't respond to his query to me; rather, I turned fully away and took Morgan in my arms. Before I could completely disappear in his sight, I heard him softly shouted my name, yet I didn't turn around.
"Veronica!"
"Veronica, come back!"
I decided to act like I didn't hear him and simply accelerated every step I took to prevent him from catching up to us.
It didn't take long before we reached the room. And as soon as the door shut, I hurriedly leaned against it and set Morgan down. My heart continued to beat quickly, and it didn't appear that it had any planned to slow down.
When I stared directly at my son, he was sincerely gazing at me, unaware of what was happening.
"Mommy, are you all right?"
"..." I couldn't answer it, so I chose to zip my mouth. I was at a loss for words. I didn't want to cover up how I really feel. The reality was that I was relieved to know that Jaxon didn't despise me in some way.
"I just felt weak, so don't worry about Mommy; let's take a shower so you can eat afterward." I smiled at him and got to my feet.
As we walking to the toward the bathroom, the door opened, presenting the gorgeous man, whose eyebrows were met, albeit his posture was more laidback than in previous years.
When he walked into the room, I instinctively straightened myself up while simultaneously taking a step back. I might not like what he would do next if I let him see that I was too tense by his return.
I raised an eyebrow at him and pretended to be upset by his abrupt appearance. Just then, he met my direct look.
How amusing... Even though this was his room, every time he would come in, I still get upset. I oscillated between laughing and other impulses.
I urged him, my eyes never leaving his face, "What do you need?"
He cast me a quick glance before focusing on Morgan, so he wasn't stunned by my rapid speech.
He beamed at Morgan, but it wasn't the smile of a father missing his son, more like, "I've heard that my son is about to take a bath, and I went here to join him. Is it all right, Morgan?"
My ears began to perk up at what he said because, to me, the term "my son" only applied to me as he never treated Morgan like a son!
"No, I'll assist him—"
"Yes, of course, dad!" Morgan responded energetically, swiftly moved away from me, and ran over to embrace Jaxon's legs.
Jaxon only shook his head before turning to face me. He didn't give me any facial expressions, but I could see some satisfaction in his eyes. I just calm down because I saw in Morgan a typical son who was thirsty for his father's attention. I didn't want to come off as a villain.
I sighed, "Alright. I'll get the bathtub ready so you can take a bath.
I turned my back from them and immediately rash into the bathroom to turn on the heater.
After a few minutes, as I was playing with the toy ducks while waiting for the bathtub to fill, I saw the door quietly open in my peripheral vision.
And since I was already accustomed with Jaxon's presence, I knew it was him and didn't pay attention anymore.
Jaxon's hand was in his pocket as he stood for a considerable amount of time with his back to the door. I could tell he was fixated on me because I could feel the way his eyes penetrating my back, and because I didn't like it, I couldn't stop criticizing him.
"If you won't quit staring at me, I would melt," I said without the slightest hint of humor in my voice. "What are you doing here? You can just wait and I'll come out as soon as I'm done here."
He didn't listen to what I said; instead, he broached the subject that I had been avoiding for a very long time: "Are you still angry?"
"What right do I have to be angry? You're an Alpha of this pack. We're just outsiders who live to have a roof over our heads," I told him full of bitterness and slightly raised the corner of my lips as if there was something funny in what I said.
"You're already part of this pack, Veronica. My son's home is your home," his voice this time was full of sympathy.
"This is not a home for us. It's just a house that we can sleep in because it's convenient for us. Thus, we are still rogue, without a house... without a pack."
"What do you mean by that?"
I stood up when I saw the bathtub was full. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and we just exchanged stares. No one budge not until I gave up.
"Jaxon, I am wolf-less and mate-less. I don't have a mate that I can identify as Morgan's father—"
Before I could finish what I was saying, he reverted to aggression by grasping my arm. "Are you going to introduce someone else other than me as Morgan's father?"
The hue of his eyes progressively shifted, and his jaw tensed. But I wouldn't let him make me dumbfounded.
"Everyone sees my son as an outcast! What do you think I should do?! You never showed your face in more than a year that he was growing up and you never cleared his name or what part he was in your life!"
After my series of screams, I finally caught my breath and pulled my arm away from him in anger.
I was about to pass him to leave when he suddenly stopped my hand that opening the door. He put his bulging manhood to my butt, began whispering softly, and firmly in my ear.
"Then, I'll introduce you and Morgan to everyone at Moonlight Festival. I'll let them know how important you both to me." His hand slipped down my shorts and crawled up my panties until he reached the cut between my legs before he continued, "And later, I will prepare the ceremony for you to become a full member of the Dark Blood Pack— and announce you as my Luna."
His Luna...
I kept my mouth shut but when he pinched my nipple, a moan escaped my mouth.
"Ahh...! S-Stop, Jaxon... Hmm."
"I promise you that, Veronica. After I became the Alpha King, you'll be the Luna who will accompany me to the sovereignty I'm planning."