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My lip trembles, and I fight back the urge to wipe the wetness from my cheeks. I can feel the tears roll down of their own accord, but I do nothing to stop them. I take in a deep breath, trying to quell the panic that starts to bubble inside of me.

"I wasn't ready to tell you then."He's watching me, his eyes tugging at the mask of bravery I'm wearing."So, I missed out on five years of his life just because you weren't ready?" There's a hint of accusation in his tone.

"You made it all too obvious that I had no place in your life," I retort almost immediately.

"I was young!"

I let out a small, sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, right. Same excuse as always."

"For Goddess's sake, you're not entirely blameless yourself, Aurora!"

"I did what I thought was best for my son. You can't fault me for that," I say, keeping my tone calm despite my quivering lips."Our son," he corrects. "You decided without even letting me know!"A low chuckle escapes me, "Your father threatened me, in case you forgot. I left the pack long before I realized I had a child growing inside of me!"

I run my fingers through my already disheveled hair, "I didn't decide to do anything. You made your choice. You wanted nothing to do with me. What was I supposed to do? Stay back and have your child while you gallivant with your mate, and he is known as the bastard son of the half-blood?"He's silent now. His mouth is hanging open, but nothing is coming out of it. So, I continue. "I struggled with him for years as it was just the two of us, and the one time I gave you an opportunity to make it up to us, you mess it up." I'm crying now. Hot tears spill down my face, and I sniff uncontrollably.

"I didn't mess it up intentionally," he says, reaching out to offer me comfort, but I shrug him off.

"There's always an excuse, always. For once, just own up to your mistakes and then apologize!"

He lowers his gaze, but not before I catch a twinge of regret in his eyes.He starts to say something but decides against it, his eyes straying away from mine. Guilt, shame, and sadness are dancing on his features."You cannot pick or choose when you want to be in our lives, Lucien. I will not do that to my son!" I yell, finally losing control over the emotions that have been building since we entered the room.

The pain I feel is overwhelming. There is no way in hell I'll let him walk all over me again, not after everything. This has gone far enough."Aurora," he begins, his eyes softening slightly, "There's so much you don't know, so much."

"Maybe if you explained it all clearly to me, I wouldn't be so damn clueless," I reply, my voice cracking with the weight of my emotions. I have a feeling there's so much he's not telling me, but I have no desire to push the subject any further than I should.

He sighs, his shoulders slumping lightly, "It doesn't matter anymore."Typical Lucien, never giving the full story but expecting me to understand, regardless. I'm not moved by his antics.Turning to face him fully, I continue, "I'm not here for you. Don't nurse that thought. Ronan is sick." I feel my voice trail off at this point, so I pause, taking a minute to compose myself before I go on, "We're only here for as long as it takes for him to get better and not a day more."

I'm surprised to see his expression soften. He's hurt, but I don't seem to understand why. There's a lingering trace of an emotion I cannot fully comprehend.He nods slowly, "I'll make arrangements for a place you can both settle in for the duration of your stay."

"I'm not staying in your house if that's what you're offering," I say, almost defensively.

I feel stupid for saying it when I notice a smile playing at the corners of his lips, "It's not my house I'm offering. It's yours.



I trail behind him quietly as he leads the way to where Ronan is, pausing at intervals to let my eyes wander about his house.There are portraits lining the walls, from pictures of people to random paintings of the sunset."After you," he says, holding the door open and gesturing inside.

I nod curtly, walking past him, my eyes scanning the room for a moment before it finally lands on him.

"Ronan!" I yell when I find him sitting upright with a strange woman sitting beside him. Both of them look up at me, but only Ronan matches my happiness.I open my arms wide and pull him into an embrace, burying my nose in the crook of his neck.

He hugs me back, his grip almost as firm as mine.

"He's better now. But he's not entirely out of the woods just yet." The lady says, a smile gracing her features and revealing a perfect set of dentation.

I nod, breaking our embrace as I turn to her. "And to whom do I owe my thanks?" I ask, stretching a hand in her direction.

"I'm the healer," she says simply, taking my hand briefly for a handshake.

"Thank you," I reply, my gratitude evident in my expression. She's not the pack healer I used to know while I was still here, but she has the same warmth and empathy the previous one had.

The woman shrugs lightly, "It's nothing." She stands, picks up a bag and turns towards me. "I'll return here later on to work my magic on him. For now, just keep a close eye on him."

"Actually," I begin, forcing her to a halt, "We won't be staying here." I couldn't help but notice the assumption earlier and strongly feel the need to correct it."Oh," her face falls slightly, "My apologies then. Just get anyone to tell me where, and I'll stop by."I nod, my smile intact, as my eyes follow her out of the room. I notice for the first time since I walked inside that Lucien is still perched at the door, his hands deep in his pockets and his eyes on my son. Our son. I need to get used to that.

I turn my attention to Ronan just then, lowering myself to his height, one knee pressing against the cold floor, "You gave me such a scare," I whisper to him, trying my best to suppress a sob that threatens to escape my throat. I run my fingers through his hair, sniffing his scent as if for dear life.His forehead rests against mine, his eyes fluttering shut, "I'm sorry."