Jared

“Quickly, before your father returns! We have to talk!” the witch rushed after they walked into Mason's bedroom.

Jared couldn't take his eyes off the boy. He resembled Amely... But he also resembled him. He had the same eyebrows, and there was something in the shape of the eyes... Mason... So there was at least one thing that Amely had heard Jared say and she had respected. She named their child after the name he had told her he'd use someday. Jared remembered the first night he had almost believed they were on a date at the end of high school. It was the first evening after a while when she treated him as a human again. It had surprised him, but it had also given him hope. The first night of many to come like this... Full of deceitful hope.

Right after that, Amely completely disappeared from his life for two whole years, just ignoring him and acting as if he didn't exist. And maybe things should have continued like this. Pretending they didn't know each other. Maybe then this foul play between them wouldn't have happened, and Jared wouldn’t have ended up heartbroken like this.

“Can... can I hold him?” he asked with a wavy voice.

Mila glanced at her friend and stepped closer to him, explaining how to hold a toddler.

The first thing Jared felt was the aroma. It was sweet and so... baby-like. The second thing that stood out to him was how heavy he was. Mason was still just a baby, but he was already quite heavy. Well, maybe there was the fact that Jared had never held another baby...

The boy looked at him with big blue eyes and suddenly giggled. He innocently slapped Jared's cheek, slightly jumping in his arms. He was so happy.

“Werewolves have a stronger relationship with their parents. They can immediately sense them.” Amely smiled warmly. Something she did so rarely.

“However, we have a problem,” Mila announced in a rough voice. “Did you tell him?” she asked her friend, and the blonde shook her head.

“He doesn't want to listen,” she murmured softly, her eyes glistening with pain.

Jared scowled at her. The times she could wrap him around her finger with just a word were over.

“Oh, you're both so headstrong!” Mila sighed at the ceiling. “Jared, if you don't listen to us, you could get hurt. Or even die. Yeah, more precisely die,” she corrected herself with a sharp look.

“Why?” he asked casually, staring and enjoying the view of the small child that was playing with a ball in his hands. He was so uninterested in their conversation, so happy in his small merry world. Jared also wanted to be like that. It was better than to wallow in misery.

“Amely's father—Derek. He's been the threat to you and your relationship with Amely since the very beginning. He doesn't approve of you and the fact you're just a human. He threatened to kill you if you come close to Amely or even touch her.”

Jared's brows furrowed, and a deep scowl appeared on his face. His eyes darted from Mila to Amely and back a few times. This was ridiculous.

“I just wanted to protect you...” Amely murmured, and a tear slid from her eye. She clutched her chest and quickly wiped it away.

Mason immediately reached for her, a small moan escaping his lips, and Amely took him from his father.

“Don't worry, Mase. Mom's okay.” She started rocking the boy, but his lips still quivered, threatening to start a tantrum. “Mama's okay.” Amely cooed and hugged him tightly, about to start heavily crying herself.

Jared watched her for a second.

“So, you're saying your father is the reason for your shitty behavior all these years?” he begrudgingly mused.

Amely gulped, and her lips pursed.

“You don't understand our laws! The Alpha's words are final! If I break his rules and disobey him, I could be severely punished! He's a rough leader.”

“And you're a rough bitch,” Jared spat and shook his head. He had never allowed himself to insult someone like that, even more that she was his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child.

“Jackass!” Mila chided, and Amely stood frozen, her eyes like saucers.

Jared turned around and tousled his hair in aggravation. It was all too much for him. He needed to relax. He twisted his shoulders and looked at Amely again.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You're not a-” He stopped, feeling uncomfortable to repeat it.

“It's okay,” Amely said. “I kind of deserve it.” She raised a shoulder and smiled bitterly. She looked resigned, her eyes were wide open and seeing all the wrong things she had done up until this moment. Perhaps, she was finally ready to admit them and try to fix the damage.

“Amely! You're the Alpha's daughter! You can't let anyone insult you like that!” Mila glared at her and grabbed the child from her arms. “You two need to talk. Seriously. Let me take care of Mason and give you some space.”

“Thank you,” the blonde said and followed her best friend with her eyes. When Mila closed the door, still frowning and throwing them hard glances, Amely returned her gaze to the quiet man in front of her.

“I have to tell my father the truth. I don't want to hide you from the world anymore. I don't want to hide the fact that we have a child and you're going to help raise it,” she carefully said, as if walking on eggshells. “Just... I have to find the right moment to do it and make sure he wouldn't lose his mind and do something we would all regret. My father can be scary when he's mad.”

“So what? He'll kill me?” Jared asked with narrowed eyes, still not wanting to believe all this.

“He might try... But I won't let him hurt you. I promise,” she vowed with that confidence in her eyes that had melted him for years.

Jared smiled again, not trusting her words, and pushed his hand through his hair. He was getting way too nervous.

“You promise? Like you promised you'd fight for us on my birthday?” He shook his head. “I don't believe you. I don't trust you anymore, Amely. I don't know if I ever will.”

“I... uh...” Amely sought what to say, biting the corner of her lip. “You're my mate, Jared... My love...” she trailed off with pleading eyes, her expression about to break.

“I'm your mate...” he repeated in thought. Why was she saying it like it locked her to with him and they were stuck together till death? “And what does that mean? What exactly is my role here?”

“A werewolf mate is the human equivalent of a soul mate. You know, the person that you feel best with. The only one that can make you laugh, even in the roughest times. The one you're supposed to create a family with-”

“So, just a sperm bank?” Jared's brows arched up as his heart prepared itself to just burst and be done with it.

“No!” Amely exclaimed. “Didn't you hear me?! You're my soul mate! When I turned eighteen, I immediately found you by your scent. You have no idea how relieved I felt when I found out it was you! I had been hoping for that to happen since I saw you on that first school day when we were sixteen.”

So, she had also seen him then...

“And what if it had turned out that another man was your mate?” he asked and folded his arms.

“I don't know. I would've probably fought it... Unless the attraction was too strong, or he was high-ranked, and my father required me to be with him,” Amely honestly said and shuffled in her spot.

“Wow...” Jared glared at her, shocked, and then looked to the empty children's crib. He couldn't have expected her to choose him if another man had turned out to be her mate. Even if Amely was his first love, he was still just one of the many boys who liked her. She used to be a cheerleader and one of the most popular girls in school. “What is that attraction you're talking about?”

“It's the sacred bond between the mates. There's something like a pull, a vivid sexual attraction...It's there to make sure we reproduce and continue the werewolf line. We mustn't disappear as a kind.”

“Sexual attraction?!” Jared gasped, flabbergasted. He put his hand over his face, suddenly extremely tired. “So, you were with me just because of that?!”

“No! You don't understand! While there is an undeniable attraction between two werewolf- or human and werewolf mates, they can still choose not to be together! It's often done these days. I could've chosen to do that, too. Especially, considering the fact my father disapproves of you... but I didn't, because I was in love with you!” Amely exclaimed and grabbed his cool hand, making him look at her.

Her hot skin sent shivers up Jared's spine, and he let a small breath out. He had wished for her to say these words so many times. And now, when he finally heard them, he wasn't sure if he was dreaming and how he was supposed to feel. Everything was different now.

“I'm in love with you, Jared,” Amely said again in a soft voice. Her eyes looked sad and lonely, her figure stiff, and her usual arrogance and confidence were gone. She was about to fall apart.

“Guys!” Mila opened the door in a hurry and hissed, “The Alpha is outside! Hide!”

Amely sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly shuffled in her pocket, giving Jared a small bottle with a liquid in it.

“Put this on your neck!” she urged.

“Why?” Jared frowned and looked at the transparent bottle.

“It'll cover your scent! Quickly! Hide in the closet!” She pushed him, but Jared halted, giving her an incredulous glare.

“Why do I have to hide from your father? I'm not a criminal!”

“Please, Jared! Just listen to me!” Amely begged with desperate eyes that made his heart skip a beat.

He sighed and decided it would be the last time to do something she wanted him to, and listened to her, entering the closet.

“Thank you!” Amely whispered and shut the doors.