10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Aria

I step in front of Elias, my arms instinctively spreading out as if I can shield him from the storm brewing in Bane's eyes. My heart thunders in my chest so loudly I can barely think, let alone breathe.

“Aria.” His voice is low, deadly. A predator’s growl just before the kill. “What is going on?”

I don’t answer right away. My throat feels like it’s closing up, panic clawing at the edges of my mind. Deny it. Deny it, Aria.

“He’s…” My voice falters, and I clear my throat, willing the words to come out steady. “He’s my son.”

Bane’s eyes darken, narrowing in on me like twin storm clouds. “I’m not blind. That’s not what I’m asking.”

“I don’t owe you an explanation.” My voice sounds stronger than I feel, but even as the words leave my mouth, I know they’re the wrong ones.

His jaw tightens, his nostrils flaring. “Don’t you dare play games with me right now, Aria.” He takes a step closer, towering over me, his presence overwhelming. “Whose boy is he?”

“He’s mine,” I snap, holding my ground.

“That’s not what I asked,” Bane growls, his voice a dangerous rumble that sends a shiver down my spine. His gaze flickers to Elias, who is staring at us with wide, curious eyes, and then back to me. “Say it, Aria. Say it out loud.”

I can’t. I won’t.

“He’s not—”

“Don’t lie to me!” His voice cracks like thunder, and Elias flinches behind me. I whip around to crouch down, brushing my hands over Elias’s little shoulders.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” I whisper, forcing calm into my tone. “Go to your room, okay? Mommy’s fine.”

Elias looks between us, his small brow furrowing. “But, Mommy—”

“Now,” I insist gently, turning him toward the hallway. He hesitates before walking away, and I wait until I hear the soft click of his door shutting.

The moment he’s gone, Bane’s presence looms over me again.

“Aria.” His voice is quieter now, but no less dangerous. “You’re going to tell me the truth, or I’ll—”

“Or you’ll what?” I snap, standing to face him. “Hurt me? Scare me? Guess what, Bane? You’ve already done that.”

He flinches like I slapped him, but his expression hardens again almost immediately.

“Don’t turn this around on me,” he snarls. “That boy has my eyes, Aria. My blood.”

I press my lips together, refusing to confirm it.

But Bane’s too sharp for his own good. His gaze burns into me, searching, demanding. “How old is he?”

“Five,” I whisper before I can stop myself.

His breath leaves him in a sharp exhale, his hand dragging down his face as he takes a step back. “Five,” he echoes, the word dripping with disbelief. His head snaps up, his eyes locking with mine. “So, what? You were pregnant? And you didn’t think to tell me?”

“I didn’t have a choice,” I fire back.

“Bullshit!” His voice rises again, and I take a step back, feeling the wall press against my spine.

His chest heaves, and for a moment, I see the raw pain in his eyes. But then it’s gone, replaced by fury. “You had no right to keep this from me. No right to keep him from me.”

I cross my arms over my chest, desperate to hold myself together. “You rejected me, Bane. You sent me away like I was nothing. What did you expect me to do? Stay and grovel? Beg you to love me?”

His steps eat up the distance between us until he’s right in front of me, so close I can feel the heat radiating off him. “Don’t you dare twist this, Aria. Don’t you—” He cuts himself off, his eyes flashing with something wild. “You should’ve told me. He’s my son.”

“You don’t get to claim him now,” I hiss, jabbing a finger into his chest. “You don’t get to walk into my house and act like you’re the wounded party here.”

Bane grabs my wrist, not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to hold me still. His voice drops, low and guttural. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? What have you taken from me?”

“I did what I had to do to protect him,” I spit back, yanking my arm free.

“And you think I wouldn’t have protected him?” He snarls.

I laugh bitterly, the sound cutting through the tension like a blade. “You couldn’t even protect me. How the hell would you have protected a child?”

His eyes darken even further, and I feel the weight of his fury like a physical force pressing down on me. “Careful, Aria,” he murmurs, his voice like gravel.

“Or what?” I challenge, my heart hammering in my chest. “You’ll huff and puff and blow my house down?”

The corner of his mouth twitches, but there’s no humor in it. He leans in closer, his hand braced against the wall beside my head, caging me in. His voice drops to a low, dangerous whisper. “Are you calling me a dog, princess?”

I swallow hard, the sarcastic retort dying on my tongue.

“That’s what I thought,” he says, his eyes burning into mine. “You don’t get to insult me, Aria. Not after what you’ve done.”

I can feel the heat radiating off him, the sheer power that’s always made him so terrifying. But it’s not fear that’s making my knees weak. It’s something else, something I hate myself for feeling.

“Bane…” I whisper, my voice shaky.

“What?” His voice is low, almost a growl.

“Leave,” I say, trying to sound firm, but it comes out as more of a plea.

“Not a chance,” he mutters, his fingers brushing along my jaw. “Not until I get answers.”

But before I can respond, a small voice cuts through the air again.

“Mom? I'm hungry.”

I freeze, my heart plummeting as Elias steps back into the room.

Bane turns slowly, his body going rigid as his gaze locks onto the boy.

And then, in a voice that’s barely more than a whisper, he says the words I’ve been dreading for five years.

“That’s my son.”

Bane’s stance is unyielding, his broad shoulders filling the space in my small kitchen like a storm cloud ready to strike. His eyes, still locked on Elias, flicker with a strange mix of anger and something far more dangerous: possession.

“We’re leaving,” he states flatly, as if his word is law.

I cross my arms, placing myself squarely between him and Elias. “The hell we are.”

His eyes snap to mine, sharp as a blade. “He’s my son, Aria. He needs to be with me.”

“Oh, so now you’re suddenly Father of the Year?” I snarl, my voice rising despite my efforts to stay calm. “You’ve been in his life for all of five minutes, Bane. You don’t get to swoop in and start making demands.”

His jaw tightens, the muscle ticking in frustration. “You don’t understand what’s at stake here.”

“I understand just fine,” I shoot back. “I’ve been the one raising him, protecting him, keeping him safe from people who would hurt him—”

“From people like your father,” he cuts in, his voice slicing through mine. “You think I don’t know what you were running from? You think I don’t understand why you left? But this is bigger than you or me, Aria. Elias isn’t just any kid. He’s mine.”

“And that makes him what?” I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “The heir to your pack? A pawn in whatever war you’re planning to fight next?”

Bane takes a step closer, his sheer presence suffocating. “That makes him a wolf, Aria. A wolf who needs to learn what it means to be part of a pack.”

“He’s five years old,” I hiss, refusing to back down. “He doesn’t need a pack. He needs stability. A normal life.”

Bane laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “A normal life? You think he’s going to grow up normal when he’s already showing signs of shifting? When he’s stronger than the other kids? What happens when he loses control, huh? What happens when someone gets hurt?”

My stomach twists, his words cutting too close to the truth.

Bane steps even closer, his voice lowering, becoming more dangerous. “He needs guidance. He needs to know who he is and where he comes from.”

“And dragging him into your world is the answer?” I challenge. “The same world that nearly destroyed us both?”

He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t even blink. “I think letting him grow up without knowing who he is will destroy him faster.”

“I won’t let you take him,” I say, my voice trembling slightly but no less firm.

Bane’s eyes darken, his tone turning icy. “I’m not giving you a choice.”

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the fire building in my chest. “You think you can just march in here, claim him, and haul us off to your territory like we’re your property? Newsflash, Bane: you don’t own me, and you sure as hell don’t own Elias.”

His nostrils flare, and I can see the struggle in his expression, the war between his wolf and his humanity. “You’re right,” he says after a long pause, his voice quiet but no less intense. “I don’t own you. But I’m his father, and I won’t let you keep him from me.”

“And I won’t let you take him away from everything he knows!” I snap. “We’ve built a life here. He’s happy. He’s safe.”

“Safe?” Bane repeats, his voice rising. “You think he’s safe out here, unprotected, with no pack to back him up? You’re delusional if you think your father won’t eventually find you. And when he does, what then? What will you do when you can’t protect him anymore?”

I flinch, his words hitting a nerve I didn’t want to acknowledge.

Bane presses on, his voice softer now but no less urgent. “Aria, I get it. You were scared. You wanted to keep him away from all of it. But running isn’t the answer. It never was.”

“I wasn’t just running,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “I was surviving.”

“And so was I,” he says, his tone softer but still firm. “Do you have any idea what it’s been like these past five years? Searching for you, knowing you were out there but not knowing where, not knowing if you were okay?”

I meet his gaze, the raw emotion in his eyes almost too much to bear. “You rejected me, Bane,” I say quietly. “You made it very clear that you didn’t want me.”

His jaw tightens, and he looks away for a moment before meeting my gaze again. “I made a mistake. A big one. But this isn’t about us, Aria. This is about Elias.”

“Exactly,” I say, straightening my spine. “And I’m not going to let you uproot his entire life just because you suddenly decided you want to play daddy.”

His eyes narrow, his patience clearly wearing thin. “This isn’t up for debate, Aria. He needs to come with me.”

“To your territory?” I laugh bitterly. “Where your pack will look at him like he’s some bastard child because we’re not mated? Where they’ll resent me because of who my father is?”

“My pack will respect him because he’s my son,” Bane growls. “And as for you… they’ll respect you because I’ll make damn sure of it.”

I shake my head, frustration bubbling over. “You can’t just fix everything by barking orders, Bane. That’s not how this works.”

“Then how does it work, Aria?” he snaps. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re making this a hell of a lot harder than it needs to be.”

“Harder?” I laugh, the sound hollow. “This is hard for you? Try raising a child on your own while constantly looking over your shoulder, wondering if today’s the day someone finds you. Try lying to him every day about who he is and why he can’t be like the other kids.”

Bane’s expression softens, just for a moment, but the anger returns just as quickly. “I’m not saying it was easy for you, Aria. I’m saying it doesn’t have to be this way anymore.”

I shake my head, tears stinging my eyes. “You don’t get it. You don’t know what it’s like to be constantly afraid, to feel like no matter what you do, it’s not enough.”

“Then let me help,” he says, his voice almost pleading now. “Let me protect you. Both of you.”

“And what happens when it all falls apart?” I ask, my voice trembling. “What happens when the past catches up to us, Bane? What happens when you decide you don’t want us anymore?”

“That’s not going to happen,” he says firmly.

“You don’t know that,” I whisper, the weight of everything pressing down on me.

“I do,” he insists, stepping closer. “Because I’m not letting you go again. Either of you.”

I take a shaky breath, my heart torn between the fear of staying and the fear of leaving.

“Aria,” he says softly, his hand reaching out to cup my cheek. “Come back with me. Let me prove to you that things can be different.”

I close my eyes, his touch sending a wave of warmth through me. But when I open them, the reality of what he’s asking crashes over me like a tidal wave.

“If I go back,” I whisper, “it means facing everything I’ve been running from. Everything I tried to leave behind.”

Bane’s eyes soften, his voice quiet but unwavering. “I know. And I’ll be right there with you. “

I want to believe him. God, I want to believe him. But as I look into his eyes, I can’t shake the feeling that going back means more than just facing the past. It means risking everything all over again.

And I’m not sure I can.

Then he leans in, his voice dropping low, almost a whisper. “Aria, if you don’t come back, they’ll come for you anyway. And this time, I won’t be able to stop them.”