Page 33 of The Alpha's Forbidden Heir

His jaw tightens, the muscle ticking in frustration. “You don’t understand what’s at stake here.”

“I understand just fine,” I shoot back. “I’ve been the one raising him, protecting him, keeping him safe from people who would hurt him—”

“From people like your father,” he cuts in, his voice slicing through mine. “You think I don’t know what you were running from? You think I don’t understand why you left? But this is bigger than you or me, Aria. Elias isn’t just any kid. He’s mine.”

“And that makes him what?” I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “The heir to your pack? A pawn in whatever war you’re planning to fight next?”

Bane takes a step closer, his sheer presence suffocating. “That makes him a wolf, Aria. A wolf who needs to learn what it means to be part of a pack.”

“He’s five years old,” I hiss, refusing to back down. “He doesn’t need a pack. He needs stability. A normal life.”

Bane laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “A normal life? You think he’s going to grow up normal when he’s already showing signs of shifting? When he’s stronger than the other kids? What happens when he loses control, huh? What happens when someone gets hurt?”

My stomach twists, his words cutting too close to the truth.

Bane steps even closer, his voice lowering, becoming more dangerous. “He needs guidance. He needs to know who he is and where he comes from.”

“And dragging him into your world is the answer?” I challenge. “The same world that nearly destroyed us both?”

He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t even blink. “I think letting him grow up without knowing who he is will destroy him faster.”

“I won’t let you take him,” I say, my voice trembling slightly but no less firm.

Bane’s eyes darken, his tone turning icy. “I’m not giving you a choice.”

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the fire building in my chest. “You think you can just march in here, claim him, and haul us off to your territory like we’re your property? Newsflash, Bane: you don’t own me, and you sure as hell don’t own Elias.”

His nostrils flare, and I can see the struggle in his expression, the war between his wolf and his humanity. “You’re right,” he saysafter a long pause, his voice quiet but no less intense. “I don’t own you. But I’m his father, and I won’t let you keep him from me.”

“And I won’t let you take him away from everything he knows!” I snap. “We’ve built a life here. He’s happy. He’s safe.”

“Safe?” Bane repeats, his voice rising. “You think he’s safe out here, unprotected, with no pack to back him up? You’re delusional if you think your father won’t eventually find you. And when he does, what then? What will you do when you can’t protect him anymore?”

I flinch, his words hitting a nerve I didn’t want to acknowledge.

Bane presses on, his voice softer now but no less urgent. “Aria, I get it. You were scared. You wanted to keep him away from all of it. But running isn’t the answer. It never was.”

“I wasn’t just running,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “I was surviving.”

“And so was I,” he says, his tone softer but still firm. “Do you have any idea what it’s been like these past five years? Searching for you, knowing you were out there but not knowing where, not knowing if you were okay?”

I meet his gaze, the raw emotion in his eyes almost too much to bear. “You rejected me, Bane,” I say quietly. “You made it very clear that you didn’t want me.”

His jaw tightens, and he looks away for a moment before meeting my gaze again. “I made a mistake. A big one. But this isn’t about us, Aria. This is about Elias.”

“Exactly,” I say, straightening my spine. “And I’m not going to let you uproot his entire life just because you suddenly decided you want to play daddy.”

His eyes narrow, his patience clearly wearing thin. “This isn’t up for debate, Aria. He needs to come with me.”

“To your territory?” I laugh bitterly. “Where your pack will look at him like he’s some bastard child because we’re not mated? Where they’ll resent me because of who my father is?”

“My pack will respect him because he’s my son,” Bane growls. “And as for you… they’ll respect you because I’ll make damn sure of it.”

I shake my head, frustration bubbling over. “You can’t just fix everything by barking orders, Bane. That’s not how this works.”

“Then how does it work, Aria?” he snaps. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re making this a hell of a lot harder than it needs to be.”

“Harder?” I laugh, the sound hollow. “This is hard for you? Try raising a child on your own while constantly looking over your shoulder, wondering if today’s the day someone finds you. Try lying to him every day about who he is and why he can’t be like the other kids.”

---