Chapter 33 The Discharge

Chapter 33 The Discharge
Luna's POV

The hospital discharged Theo at ten AM with a thick stack of papers about pain medication and follow-up appointments and warning signs to watch for.

I signed everything without reading it closely because all that mattered was getting my son somewhere safe.

Marcus was waiting by the exit doors when we came down, his face red and his stance aggressive like he was planning to block our path.

"You can't just take him," he said as we approached. "The custody agreement –"

"Doesn't apply when he's injured under your supervision." I kept walking with Theo's hand in mine. "We already went over this."

"I'll call my lawyers. I'll file an emergency motion. You can't just –"

Damien's security team appeared from nowhere, four large men in dark suits who formed a wall between Marcus and us without being told.

They didn't touch him or threaten him, just stood there like a barrier he couldn't cross.

Marcus's wolf reacted to the dominance display, cowering even as he tried to stand tall. "This isn't over, Luna. You think you can hide behind your Lycan King but I will get my son back."

His voice lacked conviction though, like he was saying words he was supposed to say without believing them anymore.

We walked past him and out to where 
Damien's SUV waited at the curb.

The drive to the penthouse was quiet. 

Theo sat between Damien and me in the back seat, looking smaller than his ten years. I kept my hand on his shoulder, needing the physical contact to remind myself he was really here and safe.

I watched the city pass outside the window and my mind raced through everything that needed to happen next. 

Medical appointments and school arrangements and the Lycan investigation and somehow protecting Theo from all of it while he healed.

"Where are we going?" Theo asked quietly.
"To where I've been staying," I said. "It's safe and there's plenty of room."

"Is it like a hotel?"

"Sort of. But better."

He nodded and went back to staring out the window.

When we arrived at Damien's building, the elevator took us straight to the floor below mine where a guest suite had been prepared. I'd sent Damien a text during the drive asking if there was space for Theo and within twenty minutes he'd had his staff set up an entire room.

Theo walked in slowly, taking in the space. The room was large and neutral with a comfortable bed and a desk and a TV mounted on the wall. There were books on the shelves that looked age appropriate and a basket of snacks on the dresser.

Someone had thought about what a ten-year-old boy might need and it made my chest tight because I knew Damien had no personal experience with children but had cared enough to try.

"This is for me?" Theo asked.

"For as long as you need it," Damien said from the doorway. "There's a bathroom through that door and the kitchen is always stocked if you get hungry."

Theo explored cautiously, opening drawers and checking the closet like he was afraid it might disappear if he looked away too long.

"Mom, are you staying here too?" He turned to face me.

"I am. I'm on the floor above you."

"So you're close?"

"Very close. And I'm not going anywhere."

He nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, his injured arm resting carefully in his lap. "Mom?"
"Yeah, baby?"

"Do you promise?" His voice got smaller. "Promise not to leave me again like before?"

The question broke my heart into pieces. I crossed the room and knelt in front of him so we were eye level.

"I never left by choice before," I said clearly. "Your father made it impossible for me to see you and I didn't know how to fight him without making things worse for you." I took his good hand. "But I promise you right now, I will never leave you willingly again. Whatever happens, wherever we end up, we're together. Okay?"

His tough exterior cracked. Tears filled his eyes and spilled over. He leaned forward and wrapped his good arm around my neck, crying into my shoulder the way he used to when he was little.

I held him and let him cry, my own tears falling silently into his hair.

"I missed you so much," he sobbed. "Every day I missed you and Dad said you didn't care but I knew that wasn't true. I knew it."

"I cared, baby. I never stopped caring. Not for one single day."

We stayed like that until his tears slowed and his breathing evened out. When he finally pulled back, his face was blotchy and his eyes were red but he looked lighter somehow, like crying had released something he'd been holding onto for too long.

"Can I watch TV?" he asked.

"Of course. Whatever you want."

He climbed onto the bed and I helped him get comfortable with pillows supporting his injured arm. I turned on the TV and handed him the remote.

"I'll be right upstairs if you need me," I said. "Anytime. Day or night."

"Okay." He was already flipping through channels.

I stood there watching him for a moment, this boy who I'd carried and birthed and loved more than anything, who'd been turned against me and was now slowly finding his way back.

That night after Theo had dinner and took his medication, he fell asleep in my room instead of his own. He'd come upstairs saying he couldn't sleep alone and I hadn't argued, just made space for him in my bed.

I sat in the chair by the window watching him breathe, making sure his chest rose and fell steadily, checking his face for signs of pain.
Damien appeared in the doorway so quietly I almost didn't hear him.

"Luna," he said softly. "We need to talk."
I looked up and his expression made my stomach drop.

"What happened?"

"Vivienne made contact." His voice was grim. "She's requesting a meeting.”