Chapter 175 SEE YOU AGAIN

Chapter 175 SEE YOU AGAIN


The park in District 4 was full at noon. It was warm for September and the sun was cutting through the trees in pieces. Mothers were pushing strollers along the paved paths. Teenagers were sitting on the grass with takeout. An old man was yelling at his chess opponent from three tables away. No one was looking for the Alpha of the Black Fang pack. No one was looking for a woman who had been declared dead ten years ago.

Alex got there at 11:48. He parked two streets over and walked the rest of the way. He wore a black hoodie with the hood up and a cap underneath. Jeans. Sneakers. No crest. No security detail. If this was Ivan trying to trick him, he did not want anyone else to get caught in it. If this was real, he did not want anyone else to see it.

He picked a bench near the entrance to the District 4 clinic because that was what Elena had said. "By the clinic. Tomorrow at noon." He sat down and put his phone face down on the bench beside him. He checked the time on the big clock across the street instead. 11:52. 11:55. 11:59.

At 12:01 the double doors of the clinic opened and a woman walked out.

She was thinner than he remembered. Her coat was too big for her frame and it made her look small. Her hair was pulled back and there was gray at her temples now. She moved carefully, like she was tired, but her back was straight. 

And her face. God. The same jaw. The same mouth. The same gray eyes.

Elena Volkova De Luca.

She stopped at the top of the steps and looked around. Her eyes moved over the park slowly. When they landed on him she stopped breathing for a second. Alex could see it from where he was sitting.

He stood up.

For several seconds neither of them moved. People walked between them. A kid on a scooter almost hit Alex’s feet. The world kept moving but Alex felt like he was underwater.

Then Elena came down the steps. One hand on the railing. Slow. Careful.

Alex met her on the path halfway.

They stood about three feet apart.

"Alessandro," Elena said. Her voice was quiet. It cracked on the second syllable.

"Mom," Alex said.

The word felt strange. He had not said it out loud in ten years. He had said it in his head. He had said it in dreams. But not out loud.

Elena’s eyes filled immediately. She did not try to hide it. "Can I sit with you?"

They walked to the bench and sat down. At first they left space between them. Then Elena reached over and took his hand. Her hands were cold. Thinner than he remembered.

"I’ve missed you," she said quietly. "Every single day."

Alex nodded. He couldn’t talk yet. His throat was too tight.

"I’m sorry," Elena said. "I’m sorry I missed your birthdays. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for any of it."

Alex looked at her. "I’m glad you’re okay."

Elena laughed softly and shook her head. She used her free hand to wipe her eyes. "I’m not okay. I’m a mess, Alessandro. But I’m here. That’s something."

They sat in silence for a minute. Then Elena asked, "I heard you had a mate….how's she? Jenna told me you two had a baby"

Alex exhaled. "Stubborn. Smart. She asks too many questions. She looks a lot like her dad."

Elena smiled at that. A real smile this time. "And Sara?"

"Sara is... she’s a lot," Alex said. "She’s a few weeks old and cries a whole lot."

Elena’s smile got bigger. "And Alessia?"

Alex blinked. "You know about Alessia?"

"Jenna told me all the names and people she encountered when she was at Black Fang.I'm glad I have a granddaughter most of all," Elena said. 

She said the word granddaughter like she was trying it on. Like she couldn’t believe it was real.

"I have photos," Alex said. He pulled his phone out with his free hand and scrolled. He showed her picture after picture. Mia and Sara,during birth and after.

Elena looked at every single one. She touched the screen with her thumb like she could reach through it. "She is beautiful," she whispered. "She looks like you."

For the next hour they just talked. About nothing important. About the weather. About the coffee shop that used to be on the corner and was now a bookstore. About the fact that the park had new swings. About Mia’s favorite food. About Sara.

No talk about the past. No talk about why she left. No talk about Ivan. 

It was just a mother and a son trying to remember how to be normal with each other. Trying to make up for several years apart in one afternoon.

At one point Elena leaned her head against his shoulder for a second. Just a second. Then she pulled back like she was scared she had done something wrong.

Alex didn’t say anything. He just squeezed her hand.

Then Elena went quiet. She was still holding his hand but her grip changed. It got tighter.

"Is he alive?" she asked.

Alex frowned. "Who?"

"Ivan."

The name hit him hard. He had not expected it. Not here. Not now. Not when they were finally having a normal moment.

"Yes," Alex said slowly. "He’s in the basement. He’s been there for a week. Why?"

Elena lifted her head. The softness in her eyes was gone. In its place was something else. Something cold. Something old.

"This makes everything interesting," she said.

Alex stared at her. "What do you mean?"

Elena did not answer right away. She looked past him, toward the entrance of the park where Alex could now hear the sound of cameras clicking.

"Someone found us," she said quietly.

Alex turned. Three reporters were standing near the gate. Phones up. Cameras pointed at them.

"Alpha De Luca!" one of them shouted. "Is that the former Luna of Black fang..Elena De Luca? Can you confirm?"

Alex stood up immediately and stepped in front of Elena. "No comment."

But it was too late. The photos were already being taken.

Elena stood up behind him. She did not look scared. She looked calm.

"Let them take the pictures," she said. "I’m done hiding."

Alex looked at her. "What did you mean? About Ivan making everything interesting?"

Elena met his eyes. "I’ll tell you in the car."

She took his hand again and they started walking toward the parking lot. The cameras followed them. Phones were recording.

As they got to the car, Alex opened the passenger door for her. Before she got in, Elena turned back and looked at the reporters.

Then she looked at Alex.

And she said it again, so quietly only he could hear: "This makes everything interesting."

Alex got in the driver’s seat and closed the door. His heart was beating too fast.

What did she mean? Why was she not scared that Ivan was alive? Why did she sound like she had been waiting for this?

He started the car and drove out of District 4 while his phone blew up in his pocket and the news started running the photos of them together.

He did not ask again. Not yet.

But he was thinking about it the whole drive home.  

What made everything interesting? Ivan?