“Well, I’m available,” Elle jumped in, leaning forward a little. “And I could definitely use both of you guys to help with this sunscreen.”
The guys looked at each other, obviously excited about that idea.
“Liam, sweetie, why don’t you show Mommy your sandcastle?” I suggested, giving the guys a polite smile as I stood up.
After Liam showed off his amazing sandcastle and went back to play with his new friends, I walked back over to Elle, who was by herself again and looking pretty happy about something.
“Youth,” she sighed contentedly, taking a sip of her cocktail.
“You’re terrible,” I laughed, settling back on my chair.
“So, how are you enjoying our little getaway?”Elle asked, her eyes studying me carefully.
I gestured around us at the beautiful beach.”Beautiful scenery, amazing food, attractive men bringing us drinks… I have no complaints. It’s perfect.”
“And when we go back to Harbor Bay?” Elle asked, her tone more serious.”Our vacation only has a few days left. What then? Will you still leave?”
I took a long sip of my drink, watching Liam play in the sand. “By the time we get back, Ella and Draven’s wedding will probably be all over. So yes, my answer is still yes. I’m leaving Draven behind.”
Elle’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “About that attraction you described between you and Alpha Draven… do you think he could be your fated mate?”
I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You know that we wolves have fated mates, usually identified through scent or some kind of connection,” Elle explained. “Since you’re scentless, your mate might not be able to recognize you that way. But when you touch or… you know… have sex with your mate, there’s a different feeling. Like you were made for each other. Did you feel that with Draven?”
I hesitated, thinking back to that masquerade night. “To be honest, I’ve only been with three men in my life. I chose Marcus as my mate, but being with him felt… ordinary. Nothing special.Then after he rejected me,I was with Liam’s father at that masquerade ball. That time was… earth-shattering. Different in every way. I always assumed it was just… you know, technique.”
Elle frowned.”As far as I know, when we’re rejected by a mate, the physical and emotional pain persists. When you meet your second chance, it might prevent you from recognizing them.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Are you saying Liam’s father could be my fated mate?”
“I don’t know,” Elle said. “Can’t your wolf sense it?”
I closed my eyes, connecting with Rory. She seemed uncertain.
“After Marcus rejected us, I was very weak,” Rory admitted within me. “But since being with Draven, there’s been a different pull, a different connection.”
I relayed Rory’s words to Elle.
“That’s tricky,” Elle sighed. “If you joined Alpha Draven’s pack and formed the pack bond, the connection between your wolves would strengthen. The mind-link would activate, and then you’d know for sure.”
I gave a bitter smile. “Maybe this is the curse of being scentless. I can’t be recognized by my fated mate, and I’m never fully accepted in a pack.”
“Don’t say that!”Elle protested, reaching for my hand. “But… did you know that on the day Draven planned your pack joining ceremony, he was going to propose to you?”
I nodded slowly. “I had guessed as much.”
Elle sighed heavily. “You two could have been so happy together.”
The following days were a blur of joy and freedom. We went deep-sea fishing, where Elle caught a magnificent marlin that had the boat crew cheering. I tried surfing for the first time, spending more time wiping out than staying upright, but laughing harder than I had in months.
We took Liam to the local amusement park, where he rode his first roller coaster – a small one, but his face lit up with such excitement that I couldn’t help but take a dozen photos. We ate local cuisine, danced to island music, and allowed ourselves to forget, at least temporarily, the complications waiting for us back home.
Several times, I noticed Elle checking her phone with a worried expression, but whenever I asked, she’d quickly smile and say it was nothing important. I chose not to push,these days were about leaving troubles behind.
On our second-to-last night, as we sat on our balcony watching the sunset with sleeping Liam curled against my chest, I finally felt at peace with my decision. In two days, we would return to Harbor Bay, and I would immediately begin packing and job hunting. I was confident now that I could raise Liam on my own, and this new baby growing inside me would have a happy life too, even without a father.
I placed my hand on my stomach, thinking of the little one growing there. Rory stirred within me, offering comfort and strength.
“We’ll be okay,” I whispered. “We’ll always be okay.”
Ryan’s POV
Draven was a mess. After dealing with Ella and Howard, I’d been working nonstop to find Caroline.My contacts in Maplewood said she hadn’t gone back to her parents’ place, making her disappearance even more confusing.
Nate called earlier, frustrated because Eleanor wasn’t answering his calls or texts. The guy was losing it without his mate.
I strongly suspected Eleanor had taken Caroline on a trip. Caroline’s apartment lease was still active, and she hadn’t resigned. She was too responsible to just vanish without wrapping things up.
But Alpha Draven was too worried to listen to reason. Love really blinds us sometimes. I couldn’t blame him though. My Ruby had been giving me the cold shoulder because of all the drama between Caroline and Draven.
As for Liz, Kyle and I made sure she stayed away from Draven. That crazy woman needed to be handled fast before Caroline came back to more trouble. Liz kept calling Draven nonstop, so Kyle had his sisters look into why she suddenly showed up again. They promised answers by day’s end since Liz’s mom was visiting their salon.
So, we waited. Meanwhile, I had plenty of work to keep me busy.
I was just finishing up the quarterly financial reports when my phone rang.
“Ryan Cole,” I answered briskly.
“Ryan, it’s Jace.” He was one of our pack sent to Maplewood to dig into Caroline’s past.
“Tell me you’ve got something,” I said, sitting up straighter.
“Not exactly what we expected, but definitely interesting,” Jace said quietly.”I’ve been talking to locals about Caroline. Three years ago, there was a big scandal. She went to the annual masquerade ball in Maplewood and got pregnant with a man she never knew.”
My blood ran cold. “Say that again?”
“Yeah, she hooked up with some mystery guy at the ball. No one knew who he was. Her ex, Marcus, was bitter and spread rumors all over town. Apparently, she said she never saw the father’s face because of the masks.”
My heart started pounding. “Jace, I need everything on that ball. When exactly was it? Who was there? Any photos, any details at all.”
“I’ve already compiled a report. Sending it to your email now,” Jace said. “There’s even a photo of her at the ball. She looked stunning, according to everyone I spoke to.”
“Jace, you’ve done great work,” I said, already opening my email.”Stay in Maplewood for now. I’ll be in touch.”
As soon as I hung up, my phone rang again. This time it was Alpha Arthur, Draven’s father’s old friend who’d been coordinating the private investigators hired to find the mystery woman from the masquerade ball.
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