Chapter 264

Chapter 264


Serena's POV

The tires crunched against the gravel as the sleek black sedan came to a stop. My heart gave a reluctant jolt. The driver’s door opened, and Aeson stepped out, looking… tired. Not the polished alpha I’d known — just a man who seemed older by years in a week.

His gaze met mine briefly before drifting to my parents in the backseat. Understanding dawned on his face. I walked up to him.

“So,” he said quietly, “you’re leaving.”

I nodded. “I wanted to tell you in person, but you were not around, and—”

“It’s fine,” he interrupted softly. His voice lacked the edge it once had. He couldn’t meet my eyes.

I hesitated. Then, taking a small breath, I said, “No matter what happened between us, Aeson, I still owe you gratitude. For letting us stay here these past months, for giving my father a job at your factory. Thank you… for that, at least.”

He looked at me then, something flickering behind his tired eyes. Regret, maybe. Or something he didn’t want to admit. His jaw flexed before he finally said, “You’re free to go, Serena. No need for goodbyes.”

And with that, he turned and walked toward the house, never looking back.

Aurora appeared seconds later, eyes gleaming like polished glass. She gave me one last taunting look, that smug, victorious curve of her lips before hurrying after him.

I exhaled, feeling the final weight slide off my shoulders.

Matt’s voice broke through the silence. “You okay?”

I nodded, glancing back once more at the packhouse that had been both home and prison. “Yeah,” I said quietly. “I finally am.”

Then I stepped into the car, closed the door, and didn’t look back again as we drove toward the horizon, toward Hades pack, toward something that finally felt like peace.

SOME WEEKS LATER

I stared at the little plastic stick in my trembling hands, watching the two bold pink lines mock me from the bathroom counter. My breath came out in shallow bursts. The walls seemed to close in around me as the realization sank deeper into my bones.

Pregnant.

I pressed a hand to my flat stomach, half expecting to feel something move, something alive. A month had passed since everything changed, since I finally let myself believe that Hades and I could have a future.

But now… this? I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t ready to be a mother.

For days, I avoided him.

That wasn’t easy, not when the house he gave us sat barely a five-minute walk from the packhouse. Not when he had this uncanny ability to show up whenever I least expected it. Sometimes I’d catch his scent — cedar and smoke — long before I saw him, and my heart would twist painfully in guilt.

Each time he’d smile and ask if I was okay, I’d fake a yawn or a cough, claiming fatigue or unexpected errands. It was cowardly, but I couldn’t face him. Not with this secret burning inside me.

Then, one evening, my luck ran out.

I had just checked on Quinta and was sneaking out of the packhouse when his voice floated from the shadows.

“Planning to escape again, Sunshine?”

I froze, my hand still on the door handle. My heart hammered in my chest. Turning slowly, I found him leaning against the wall, arms crossed, a teasing smile on his lips. He was in a simple black T-shirt, sleeves rolled high enough to show his strong arms — the same arms that had always held me tightly in cuddles.

“I wasn’t escaping,” I lied, but my voice cracked halfway through.

He took a slow, measured step closer. “You’ve been avoiding me for days, Serena. You think I wouldn’t notice?”

“I—” I started, then stopped, my throat tightening.

His expression softened as he reached for me. “What’s wrong?”

The concern in his voice almost broke me. I bit my lip, trying to hold it in, but the tears I’d been suppressing spilled anyway. He wiped one with his thumb, his brows furrowing deeper.

“Hades,” I whispered, my voice trembling, “I’m pregnant.”

For a moment, silence swallowed us both. His hand froze mid-air, eyes widening in shock. Then, suddenly, laughter — loud, unrestrained, bubbling from his chest.

He grabbed me by the waist and lifted me off the ground, spinning me in a dizzy circle.

“Hades!” I yelped, half laughing, half panicking. “Stop!”

He immediately steadied me, his grip gentle as he lowered me. His eyes darted to my stomach, wide with worry. “Damn it, sorry! Did I hurt you? Or—oh, hell—did I hurt the baby?”

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. “No, you didn’t. You’re ridiculous.”

He exhaled in relief, then smiled, a smile so bright it could have lit the whole room. “Serena, this… this is the best news I’ve gotten in my entire life.”

“Really?” I asked softly, disbelief lacing my voice.

“Yes. What? Aren’t you happy?”

I chewed my lip, eyes darting away. “We’re… not married, Hades. And—goodness— I’m going to be a mom.”

He chuckled lightly, tilting my chin up. “We would have had the biggest wedding weeks ago if you hadn’t said we should stall it.”

“I know,” I muttered. “It’s just… a lot. I’ll be your Luna. That carries weight, Hades. Responsibilities. Expectations—”

He shushed me gently, cupping my face. “You don’t need to worry about any of that right now. You’ll do fine, Serena. You’re strong.”

I sighed and looked away, my hands knotting together. “You say that like it’s easy.”

“What now?” he asked, frowning slightly. “We can start planning the wedding—”

“No.”

His brow arched. “No?” he blinked. “You don’t want to marry me?”

“It’s sudden, Hades.”

“How?” He gave a small, bewildered laugh. “You’re twenty-two, Serena. You’re not a child.”

“I’m not worried about my age,” I said quickly. “My mother had me at twenty-one. My father told me she had just finished college then. But I’m… different.” My throat ached as I searched for the words. “I don’t know what kind of mother I’ll be. What if I can’t do it right?”

He took my hands, voice softer now. “You’ll be an amazing mother.”

I wanted to believe that, but fear kept gnawing at me. “And… what if you stop liking me after I give birth and my body changes?”

He blinked, then groaned, pressing his forehead to mine. “Goodness, Serena…”

“I’m serious,” I whispered. “You don’t get it. Everything’s happening so fast. I don’t think I’m ready to be a mother.”

He stepped back slightly, his eyes darkening. “You want to abort it?”

The words sliced through me like a blade. I dropped my gaze, unable to meet his eyes. My silence said more than any answer could.

He let out a dry, bitter laugh and ran a hand through his hair. “Am I that horrible, Serena? You don’t want a child with me because of my past?”

“No, Hades, that’s not—”

He waved me off, his jaw tightening. “Don’t.”

“Hades—”

But he didn’t let me finish. He just turned away, walking deeper into the house, his footsteps echoing off the wooden floor.

I stood there, rooted to the spot, the cool air suddenly too heavy to breathe. My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I watched him disappear down the hallway.

For the first time since I’d met him, I didn’t know if he’d come back.

And for the first time since the two pink lines appeared, I pressed a hand over my belly — not in fear, but in fragile, aching hope that somehow, I hadn’t just lost the man I loved because of my insecurities and fears of the unknown.