Kieran’s tie,
My jaw clenched.
“Alpha Reed, you don’t mind if we steal her, do you?” Judy grinned, pulling Sera to her side.
“She’s literally the star of the night; he can’t expect to have her all to himself,” Roxy teased.
A flash of irritation shot through me, but I forced myself to smile. “Of course.” I bowed gracefully. “Enjoy the party.”
Sera shot me an apologetic look that was becoming all too familiar. “I’ll come find you later, okay?”
Before I could answer, she was already swept away, their laughter mingling as a throng of admirers and well-wishers swallowed the champions of the LST.
I stood still for a moment, watching how brightly she shone under all the attention and admiration.
She truly was a gem. One I’d unearthed in her rawest form and forged into brilliance.
And now, I would not, under any circumstances, let her go. Not after everything. Not when I was so close.
With that resolve sitting firmly in my chest, I headed for the bar.
I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see that Kieran was already there.
He sat with the posture of a man holding back a thousand unsaid things, his eyes fixed on Sera across the room like a sniper’s laser.
“Kieran,” I greeted, my voice as smooth as the whiskey I ordered.
“Lucian.” His tone was clipped, far from polite.
Silence stretched between us, taut as a wire.
I could have left it there. Should have. But something about pushing Kieran Blackthorne’s buttons was more satisfying than the finest glass of whiskey.
“She looks happy,” I said quietly, eyes on Sera.
His grip tightened on his glass of scotch almost imperceptibly. “Thank you.”
I actually flinched.
“Excuse me?” Surely I heard wrong.
“Thank you,” he said again, the words tight, like they’d been forced past clenched teeth. “For introducing her to OTS, training her, giving her a chance to participate and win the LST. For giving her the opportunity and platform to find herself.”
A blistering heat, fiercer than the whiskey’s burn, surged in my chest. Suddenly, I was the one strangling my glass.
“I don’t know-“I had to stop. Take a breath. Try again without my voice shaking, “I don’t know what you think gives you the right to thank me for that.”
Kieran finally tore his gaze away from Sera and arched a brow at me. “Excuse me?”
“Sera is nothing to you,” I said, my voice coming out as a low growl. “You don’t get to thank me for her progress like I did you a fucking favor.”
That earned me a humorless laugh, low and dark. “And what is she to you?”
“More than she ever was to you,” I spat out.
His knuckles blanched around his glass, his composure splintering just enough for me to glimpse the raw fury beneath.
“You think this is over?” he asked quietly, leaning closer. “You think she’s made her choice?”
I met his stare. “That’s funny. You talk like you’re an option.” I leaned in even closer. “Whatever choice Sera will eventually make, remember this: You’re. Not. An. Option. You can coordinate outfits and parade around with your son, as if you’re still a couple. But you’re not. It’s over between both of you, and you’ll do well to remember that.”
That landed. Kieran’s eyes darkened-not with rage, but something extremely satisfying: doubt. The kind that eats through the armor of certainty, one chink at a time.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The crowd around-laughter, music, the vibrant hum of celebration-blurred into white noise.
The tension between us was a live thing-thrumming, volatile, unpredictable, one wrong breath away from violence.
I didn’t want this to be a fight. Not here, at least. But if I were provoked, I would push back without hesitation.
“Dad! Lucian!”
The sound snapped me from my thoughts.
Daniel bounded toward us, Ethan Lockwood following at a slower pace, his grin easy. The boy’s enthusiasm crashed through the tension like sunlight through storm clouds.
“Uncle Ethan and I are playing video games,” Daniel announced breathlessly. “You both have to join us!”
I blinked; his words were almost absurd in the wake of the promise of violence between me and Kieran.
Kieran straightened, his expression smoothing with practiced calm. “Video games, huh?”
Daniel nodded eagerly. “Yeah! Me, Lucian, Uncle Ethan, and you!”
I was caught off guard that Daniel included me. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bond with Sera’s son.
“Sure,” I said, forcing a small smile. “Why not?”
And just like that, the storm clouds receded, the brewing war paused-not ended, not resolved-just suspended under the bright, relentless light of a child’s joy.
But as Daniel led us toward the game corner, I couldn’t shake the thought that one day, whatever simmered between Kieran and me would finally boil over,
And, unlike last time, only one of us would be left standing.
DANIEL’S POV
After being apart for so long, all I wanted to do was stay by Mom’s side.
But as we got to the party, I realized I couldn’t do that tonight. Tonight, she wasn’t just my mom; she was a winner. A champion. And I couldn’t be prouder.
She looked so happy-laughing with her friends, her eyes shining in that way that made everything feel brighter.
I stood at the snack table, my paper plate forgotten, watching people greet her with hugs, congratulations, and excited questions about the Trials.
I was so glad to see her this way. Most of my life, at parties like this, she always stayed in a corner, quiet and alone, and I’d always hated it.
I loved my mom, and even though I wanted to be by her side forever, I was so happy she’d made new friends. Her circle was growing, and people were seeing her for the wonderful person she’d always been.
Dad, on the other hand, was not having as much fun as Mom was.
I watched him at the bar, his back hunching and his eyebrows scrunched together like they did when he was thinking hard. I could see it in his eyes, a pain I didn’t understand, whenever he looked at Mom.
Like now.
I wondered if he regretted the divorce. Especially since Aunt Celeste seemed like the worst person in the world.
I would have liked my parents back together, but if Dad only wanted Mom now that she was popular, I wasn’t sure about it.
Uncle Ethan appeared near the snack table, holding a plate stacked with cupcakes. He smiled widely at me.
“Danny-boy!” he called. “You look like a little Alpha tonight.”
I grinned, hopping excitedly. “Uncle Ethan!”
He bent and ruffled my hair. Why did adults like doing that so much? “You see your mom over there?” He nodded toward her, his tone softening. “She’s glowing”
I puffed up a little, proud. “She always glows.”
Ethan laughed. “That she does. You get your charm from her, I think.”
We shared a grin, and he handed me one of the cupcakes. The frosting was gold, sprinkled with tiny silver flakes that glittered under the lights.
As we ate, I saw his mate, Aunt Maya, dragging Mom toward the dance floor with Mom’s other friends. Mom was laughing so hard her cheeks had gone pink.
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