Chapter 256

Chapter 256
Aiden

It was finally New Year’s Eve.

Since our night at Dominion, something had shifted between all of us—subtle at first, then undeniable. 

That change, however, had been shaping for months now, whether we'd been aware of it or not.

Lines that once defined who belonged to whom had softened into something deeper, stranger, and rare. We had built a closeness ruled not by rules or hierarchy, but by love. Trust. Understanding. 

Whatever we were…it wasn’t common. Most people go through their entire lives without ever touching anything even close to this.

And none of it would have happened without Hale.

He had stepped into our lives quietly, almost by accident, and somehow become the anchor we didn’t know we needed. He carried responsibility the way other men carried breath—effortless on the outside, crushing beneath the surface—and still he made space for all of us. He gave Micah a home. He gave Lexie safety. He gave Noah peace. And he gave me purpose again when I hadn’t even realized I’d lost it.

Tonight, he was part of my plans too. Plans no one else knew about yet.

However, I could see the change in him as well, because no matter who you are—Master, leader, owner of a city’s worth of pain and secrets—everyone needs love. Especially Hale. With everything he carried, with the endless tasks and quiet sacrifices, he rarely allowed himself the kind of connection the rest of us were now swimming in. And yet, this family…this strange, beautiful constellation we had formed…he was inside it with us. Present. Soft around the edges in ways I don’t think he ever expected to be.

He was enjoying it. Truly. And maybe, for the first time in his life, he had also found a family. 

I woke up to his message that morning. But before I could even think of addressing anything else in the world, I made a point to start my day the way I always did—kissing my boy.

Usually, that meant two unrushed hours of tangled limbs and whispered nonsense before we ever thought about the rest of the world. But today? Today was New Year’s Eve. And today, I had work to do.

“Happy New Year’s Eve, baby boy,” I murmured against his lips.

He smiled before he even opened his eyes. “Happy New Year’s Eve, Sir.”

We kissed again—soft and lazy—until I forced myself to pull back.

“Alright. Busy day ahead. Off you go.”

He laughed and tried to pull me down again, because of course he did. We wrestled half-heartedly across the sheets, kissing, teasing, pretending we weren’t both smiling like idiots.

“Yes, Sir,” he finally said, mock-solemn, as he rolled out of bed. “Up to work, Sir.”

We had more to prepare than I wanted to admit. Enough food to feed an entire small army…which, thankfully, we kind of had. A good portion of it was being catered by our favorite family-owned place in town—people who cooked like they were feeding their grandparents—but Noah had stubbornly insisted on making the pies himself.

And the mulled wine.

And the eggnog.

That boy took seasonal beverages personally.

By mid-morning, the kitchen smelled like cinnamon and nutmeg and sugar…and Noah. He had flour on his nose and absolutely no idea, and every time he leaned across the counter I wanted to forget my plans and kiss him until the year ended without us noticing.

My phone buzzed again.

Hale.

My friend, I am excited for this evening. Tell me—do you have everything under control, or do you need any help?

I smiled.

Everything is under control. Just bring yourself… and be ready to enjoy the evening responsibility-free.

There was a pause before his reply came through.

Impossible. If you know me at all.

I huffed a quiet laugh through my nose. Of course.

But still… I had to try...

The rest of the day passed in comfortable chaos. Music. Laughter. Arguments over pastry crust thickness. Noah sneaking whipped cream onto my nose. Me returning fire with cinnamon. Micah dropping by to “help,” which meant hugging Noah and stealing filling from the bowl. Lexie arriving later to actually help and driving us insane with her endless Christmas music. Hale’s messages popping in now and then, dry humor hiding the softness I’d come to recognize.

There was a hum in the air.

Expectation.
Hope.
Change.
And beneath it all…the weight of the secret I carried.

Tonight, everything would begin again.


By late afternoon, the house had turned into a whirlwind of clothes, laughter, and half-finished conversations drifting from room to room as everyone disappeared to get ready. Tonight mattered. Not because of the clock or the champagne…but because of the people who would fill the space when the sun went down.

And I wanted Noah surrounded by every good thing that still existed in his world.

He’d called Keon and Miguel earlier in the week at my insistence. They had been there for him after the wedding—quiet anchors when everything else drowned. Gentle. Loyal. Never pushing. Always a phone call away, even after the move to New Orleans. And now that we were back for the holidays, I didn’t want distance to steal that from him.

They accepted immediately.

Keon’s voice had burst through the speaker like fireworks.

“Can I bring my girlfriend??”

Noah didn’t even skip a beat. “Oh, that imaginary goddess? Sure. We’ll leave an extra seat at the table where you can pretend she’s sitting.”

Keon sighed. “Ha-ha. Very funny. I hate you.”

Miguel just laughed until he wheezed.

And Noah glowed.

Now, as evening crept toward us, we finally went to change.

He stepped out of the bedroom first.

And God help me....
The suit hugged him like it had been designed by someone in love. Midnight-dark, cut clean along his shoulders, crisp shirt beneath it with just enough softness to keep him boyish. His curls behaved for once. His eyes reflected the light. He looked like he’d stepped out of some fairy-tale ballroom—my beautiful prince, standing in our hallway like he belonged nowhere else but here.

“Turn,” I said softly.

He did. Smiling.

I was done for.

One by one, the evening began to arrive.

Margaret first—accompanied by Emily—warm and fragrant like cinnamon and comfort, hugging Noah too long and pretending she wasn’t emotional.

Emily, wearing a sparkling dress, laughter like bells, kissing both our cheeks as if it were her only job in the world.

Mrs. Hart arrived with quiet grace, eyes softer now than I’d ever seen them. She took Noah’s face in her hands and whispered something only he could hear. He nodded. She smiled.

Micah and Lexie swept in after her as if glamour had been invented purely for them. Lexie looked radiant and glowing, Micah walking like the room should thank him for showing up.

And then Hale.

He paused in the doorway for a moment, taking in the lights…the food…the people…the warmth. Something eased in his shoulders. Like home had finally invited him back.

Keon and Miguel brought the last burst of energy with them—banter, noise, affection, familiarity. Keon moved through the room, hugging everyone like we were his long-lost relatives, then paused and glanced back toward the door.

“My girlfriend is just grabbing a little gift from the car,” he said casually, like he wasn’t dropping a live grenade into the room.

Lexie clapped her hands together. “Yay! We finally get to meet her!”

Noah and Micah both turned toward the doorway at the same time—curious, expectant—just as the hem of a long, elegant dress appeared in the entryway. A large poinsettia plant blocked the woman’s face, swaying slightly as she carried it inside.

Keon grinned, proud and oblivious.

“And this lovely human right here is my girlfriend, Rosaline.”

She passed the poinsettia into Keon’s arms with a gentle, “Nice to meet you,” then lifted her gaze to the room—

—and every conversation stopped.

Breath stalled.
Eyes widened.
Because standing in our doorway wasn’t Rosaline at all… Not to us, at least.

“Luna???” the room echoed at once.

Even the poinsettia seemed shocked—but not as shocked as Keon, who was probably wondering why everyone was calling his girlfriend “Luna”...
And just like that, with our healthy doses of chaos and craziness…the house was full.

Alive. Ready. The air hummed with music and future...
And somewhere against my heart… something else waited.

I looked at my boy with all the love my heart could contain without bursting and gave him a soft kiss.

“Happy New Year’s Eve, baby boy.”