Chapter 133
Chloe's POV
Second floor of the fight gym.
I stood before the mirror, my fingers fumbling clumsily with the unfamiliar tie at Ivan's collar, the silk slipping between my fingertips no matter how hard I tried to form a proper knot.
"Hold still," I murmured, feeling his shoulders tense beneath the charcoal-gray suit.
Ivan stood ramrod straight, yet he looked like a man facing execution. His eyes fixed on something outside the window, refusing to meet his own reflection. The tailored suit made him look like a stranger—no longer the scarred rogue who sweated in the gym, but someone who belonged in the main manor's halls.
"It feels wrong," he finally said, his voice low. "Like I'm wearing someone else's skin."
I looked up, seeing the rigid line of his jaw. "You're not wearing someone else's skin," I said softly, pressing my palm against his chest, feeling the thunder of his heartbeat. "You're just... becoming who you were always meant to be."
"Who I was meant to be?" He gave a bitter smile. "A tool Alpha Tyler spotted and wants to groom as his heir?"
"No." I said firmly, finally managing to tie the knot. "A warrior who commands the lightning and can protect those he loves."
His gaze finally fell on me. I wore a flowing gown, beige silk fabric cleverly pleated at the waist, perfectly concealing my slightly rounded belly. The hem shimmered softly in the morning light, like moonlight on a lake.
"You're beautiful," he murmured, reaching to touch my cheek but stopping mid-air, staring at his rough palm with hesitation.
I caught his hand and guided it to my face. "These hands have protected me, saved my life. Why shouldn't they touch me?"
His thumb gently traced my cheekbone, complex emotions flickering in his eyes. "Sometimes I still feel like this is all a dream. You, the baby, this ceremony..." He paused. "I'm afraid I'll wake up and find myself still lying on that broken gym floor, covered in blood, with nothing."
I rose on my toes and pressed a light kiss to his lips. "This isn't a dream. Look—" I pulled his hand to my belly. "Our child is here. Kane is here."
At that name, Ivan's eyes instantly reddened. He dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead against my abdomen, his shoulders trembling slightly. "I swear," he said hoarsely, "I'll give him a different life. He won't grow up in the gutter like I did, treated like trash."
"I know," I said, stroking his dark hair. "We'll do it together."
Anxious footsteps sounded from downstairs. Frank was pacing back and forth in the small parlor. Through the gaps in the floorboards, I could hear his heavy breathing and the creak of leather armor.
"I'll go check on him," I said.
When I descended the stairs, Frank spun around. He still wore that battered leather armor, covered with the marks of time, the left shoulder buckle hanging loose to reveal a patched linen shirt beneath.
His face was written with unease.
"Miss Chloe," he said urgently, "I've been thinking... perhaps I shouldn't go. A rogue, appearing at the main manor's ceremony..."
"You're Ivan's father," I interrupted, retrieving a carefully wrapped box from a chair. "Of course you're going."
I opened the box and removed a deep gray suit.
I had this specially made for Frank—tailored, using fine wool blend fabric, the color understated yet dignified.
"This..." Frank stepped back as if seeing something dangerous. "I can't accept this. Clothes like these aren't for someone like me."
"What do you mean, 'someone like you'?" I moved closer. "You're a survivor of Thunder Canyon, a warrior who lived through the Blood River Pack's massacre, a father who raised his son alone." I pressed the suit into his hands. "You have every right to wear any clothes, go anywhere."
Frank looked down at the suit in his hands, his rough fingers trembling as they traced the fabric. "These hands..." he mumbled, "are only fit for holding swords, hammers. Wearing this, I wouldn't know where to put them."
"Put them where they belong," I said firmly. "Today we're going to witness Ivan's glory. As his father, you must be there." I paused, my voice becoming more solemn. "The days of hiding in shadows are over."
He looked up, tears glistening in his eyes. After a long silence, he finally nodded and turned toward the back room to change.
When Frank reappeared, I barely recognized him. The deep gray suit revealed his upright posture, and the lines carved into his face by years and battles added a weathered dignity. He tugged uncomfortably at his collar, but froze when he saw Ivan descending from upstairs.
Father and son faced each other, both in formal wear, both with the same deep eyes, the same straight spines.
"You..." Frank's voice choked. "You look like a true Alpha."
Ivan walked to his father, his eyes also reddening. "You taught me how to stand straight, how to fight."
Frank suddenly reached into his suit's inner pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. The paper had yellowed, its edges badly worn, but the writing remained clear.
I recognized what it was—the note Ivan had left before his desperate rush into Thunder Canyon.
"Take care of Chloe for me."
Just a few words, yet heavy as mountains.
Frank's hands trembled as he smoothed the note and solemnly handed it to Ivan. "That night," his voice shook, "when I saw this note, I thought I'd lost my son." Tears streamed down his weathered cheeks. "But I never imagined you'd actually do it. You came back alive, with her, with your child."
Ivan took the note, his hands also trembling.
"When you left this for me," Frank continued, his tone becoming serious and tender, "you were trying to dump the responsibility on me. But now I'm giving it back to you." He grasped Ivan's hand, then pulled mine, layering our hands together. "Ivan, taking care of Chloe is no longer just my responsibility, nor your dying wish, but something we'll do together."
His palm was warm and rough, enveloping our young hands.
"Next time," Frank looked into his son's eyes, "no more playing the absent landlord. No more going off alone to die." His voice broke. "Because we're a family. We'll watch this child be born together, grow up, become a good person."
I couldn't hold back anymore—tears burst forth. Ivan pulled both his father and me into his embrace, the three of us holding each other tight.
I felt Ivan's shoulders shaking, heard his suppressed sobs—this man who had faced thunder without flinching now cried like a child.
And I, in this embrace, felt a sense of safety I'd never known before.
After what seemed like an eternity, we finally released each other. Frank roughly wiped his face, Ivan took a deep breath to steady himself, and I straightened my dress and makeup.
The morning light grew brighter. The ceremony would begin soon.
"Let's go," Frank said, his voice calm once more. "We shouldn't keep the Alpha waiting."
We stepped out of the gym. An ornately decorated carriage already waited at the entrance, sent by the main manor, its black body painted with the Thunder Wolf Pack's emblem.
Before boarding, I glanced back at the fight gym. The dilapidated building looked so small in the morning light—the cracks in the walls, the faded sign, that second-floor window that never closed properly... This place had been our refuge, witness to our struggles, our love, our despair and hope.
Now we were leaving it behind, heading toward a wider and more dangerous world.
"What are you looking at?" Ivan asked softly, taking my hand.
"Memorizing how it looks," I said. "Someday we'll bring Kane back here and tell him his parents once fought side by side in this place."
Ivan smiled and kissed my forehead. "We will. I promise."
The carriage started moving, wheels crunching over the gravel road in a steady rhythm. I leaned against Ivan's shoulder, watching the scenery fly past outside. The sky was crystal blue, a few white clouds drifting lazily, birds singing in the branches.
Everything seemed so beautiful, so full of hope.
But as the carriage turned the corner, I glimpsed an unusual color on the horizon—not storm clouds, but a strange dark purple mist, spreading across the skyline like congealed blood.
I blinked, trying to see more clearly, but the carriage had already moved on and the mist was blocked by buildings. Perhaps just morning fog? Perhaps I'd imagined it?
"What's wrong?" Ivan noticed my unease.
"Nothing," I shook my head, pushing down that fleeting anxiety. "Maybe I'm just nervous."
He pulled me closer. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Frank sat across from us, watching with loving eyes. "You'll be fine," he said softly. "This is your new beginning."
I nodded, forcing a smile. Yes, a new beginning. We were so close to happiness, close enough that I could almost reach out and touch it.
The carriage rolled through forest paths, sunlight filtering through leaves in dappled patterns. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, etching this moment's warmth and peace deep into my memory.
That was the moment we were closest to happiness.
Close enough that I thought I could grasp eternity.