Chapter 146 CHAPTER 146

Chapter 146 CHAPTER 146
The moment Reign steps into the master bedroom, his gaze lands on Soren's form lying on the bed, curled up under the sheet, fast asleep.

Reign glances down at his wrist and sees it's almost two in the morning.

Slowly, he discards his jacket and places it on the chair before walking over to the bed and slowly sinks onto the edge, his eyes instantly drawn to the white bandage wrapped around Soren's palms.

With gentleness, Reign reaches out and cradles Soren's injured palm, then he brings it up to place a lingering kiss against the bandaged skin.

Soren stirs awake, his eyes fluttering open and blinking sleepily at the Enigma sitting beside him.

"Hey," Soren murmurs, his voice raspy with sleep.

“Hey,” Reign says, then brings a hand over Soren's head and pulls him up, carefully wrapping his arms around Soren's waist and pulling the red hair flush against his chest. 

Reign buries his face deep into Soren's hair, holding him so tightly like he's sometimes fragile.

“Your mother showed up today. I'm sorry you had to deal with her. I have no idea how she slipped past my men. You should never have gotten hurt. I'm sorry for not keeping you safe; forgive me, sweetheart,” he murmurs against his hair and places a soft kiss.

"Reign," Soren calls softly, lifting his hand to gently thread his fingers through the Enigma's hair. "It's fine. It's just a little injury. I've had it way worse."

Reign strokes his hair gently. "You shouldn't have gotten hurt, knowing I could have presented it and not by her,”

Soren buries his face in Reign's chest for a moment as a flash of painful reality crosses his features, but he quickly forces it down. 

He sits up fully; he pulls out of Reign's embrace just as he says.

"Do you hate it at school? You can drop out right now. You never have to go back there.”

Soren instantly shakes his head. “Maybe I did at first, but not anymore. Sure, the kids are completely obnoxious, but I am not going to let this... I won't let her affect my future. I finally have a chance to actually do something with my life. I'm getting a degree to match your billionaire status, old man." He says with a little smile.

Reign’s lips curl into a smile,e and he reaches out to brush a finger at the bridge of Soren’s nose, and he reddens instantly, the blush spreading across his cheek. “Always a smart mouth."

Soren shifts forward, carefully climbs onto Reign's lap, and straddles his hips. 

He wraps his arms tightly around the Enigma's broad shoulders and buries his face in the crook of Reign's neck, drinking in the pheromones he's releasing into the air, enveloping Soren. 

The Enigma feels nice and warm.

"I was so scared today, Reign," Soren whispers against his skin, his voice dropping into a fragile tone. "When she pulled that knife... I thought she was going to kill me… It's almost like she forgot I was her son."

Reign’s arms tighten around Soren, and gently stroke his back.

“Does she really hate me that much? To kill me? I did everything to make her happy. I endured her blackmail and harsh words; I took everything she threw at him because she's my mother, but today, I finally realized she never considered me her son,” he continues to murmur, tears rolling down his face. “She never cared about Iris. She only cared about herself."

"I know, sweetheart. I know. She will never bother you again. You're safe now." Reign whispers softly.

Soren closes his eyes and nods against Reign's shoulder, and soon, he drifts off to sleep almost like he was knocked out by the Enigma's pheromones.

~~~

The air in the morgue is freezing, smelling strongly of bleach.

Soren stands entirely still in the center of the cold room with two police officers standing behind him, the ones who claimed they found the body and need him to identify it.

With a trembling hand, he reaches out and pulls down the white sheet, and instantly, Soren is staring down at the lifeless, pale face of his mother.

Her eyes are closed, her features devoid of the sinister look she had yesterday, and there's a bullet hole glaring through her forehead. 

Soren expects tears to run down his face; he expects a cry, but nothing comes out, as he stares blankly.

"Do you recognize her?" the officer asks from behind.

"Yes, she's my mother, Diane Fox," Soren replies, his voice hollow.

Soren tries to force himself to feel anger or maybe an overwhelming sense of grief, or instead, he feels nothing — just a vast emptiness in his chest, but there's something there, tiny but there, and he recognizes it as relief.

Is he wrong for feeling that way? She's his mother after all. 

He's expected to break down and cry.

He looks at the hands resting on her stomach. The same hand that was used on him yesterday. She had been willing to completely destroy him for her own personal gain.

But why? Soren frowns, a sudden memory piercing through the fog in his mind.

He remembers the look in her eyes right before she launched at him in that lonely alleyway. 

He remembers the exact words she had screamed at the security guards as they dragged her away.

‘I just needed to get paid! They promised me money!’

Soren’s eyes narrow, and then he turns away from the table, already done mourning a woman who never loved him. 

He walks toward the exit, his mind completely racing with only one question.

Who paid her, and what did they want with him?

Soren almost looks back, but he stops himself. What's done is done. 

He will be the only one taking care of Iris and give her the love her mother did.

He would make sure she never feels the need for a mother, especially not the one who never loved her. 

Maybe It's better this way.