Page 49 of Rogue’s Reckoning

I scrub a hand over my face. "I need to see her. I need to make this right."

"Whoa, hold on," Nat tells me, stepping around Ghost. "You can't just barge into her life after all this time. She's been through enough."

"She's mine," I grunt. She’s always been mine and that’ll never change. "And that's my kid. I have a right to see them."

"No, Rogue," Natalia says firmly. "You lost that right five years ago. Willow isn't yours anymore, and Wren doesn't even know you exist. You can't just walk into their lives and expect everything to be okay."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" I demand, my voice raw with emotion. "I can't just pretend I don't know about my own kid."

"Look, I'll talk to Willow. I'll explain what happened. But you have to promise me you won't try to contact her or Wren until she's ready. If she ever is."

I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. I want to find Willow, make sure that she’s okay, just to be close to her. I also want to meet my daughter. But Nat’s right, storming over there isn’t going to help. "Okay," I agree, but I don’t fucking like it.

Ghost is watching me, and I glare at him. This fucker knew that Willow had a kid and never fucking told me. Had he or his father let me do what I had wanted to do from the fucking get-go, I wouldn’t be in this place right now.

I turn on my heel and storm out of the clubhouse. I need to get away. I’m so fucking angry that I don’t want to be around anyone. I can’t. I’ll lose my damn mind if anyone says the wrong thing. I hop onto my bike and drive, I don’t care where the fuck I go, I just need a breather. It takes a while, but with the open road and my bike, my head starts to clear. I pull over and get off my bike.

I hear the roar of a bike approaching, but I don’t tense. I already know who it is. Hades.

“Been looking for you, brother,” he says low as he climbs off his bike.

“Well you found me,” I say, not happy that he has. I wanted peace.

“Wanted to check in with you. I wanted to make sure you were doing okay?”

My laugh is mirthless. “No, I’m fucking not. My woman had my child five years ago, and I’ve only just found out about it. Add in the fact that my president—my best friend—kept it from me...” I shake my head. “Tell me, Hades, would you be okay?”

Hades sighs heavily and sits down next to me. "No, brother. I wouldn't be okay. Not even close."

We sit in silence for a few moments, the weight of everything hanging between us.

"I can't even imagine what you're feeling right now," Hades finally says. "Finding out you have a kid... that's heavy shit."

I nod, taking another long drag of my cigarette. "I've missed so much, Hades. Her first words, first steps... everything. And it's my own damn fault."

Hades looks at me sharply. "Hey now, don't put all this on yourself. We all fucked up that night with Willow. The whole club bears that weight."

"But I was the one who loved her," I say, my voice raw. "I should have protected her. I should have known she was telling the truth."

"We all should have," Hades agrees quietly. "But what's done is done. The question is, what are you gonna do now?"

I run a hand through my hair in frustration. "I don't know, man. Natalia says I can't just barge into their lives. And she's right, I know she is. But the thought of staying away, of not seeing my kid..." I trail off, unable to finish the thought.

Hades nods thoughtfully. "Maybe you need to take this slow. Give Willow some time to process all this. Show her you've changed."

"How?" I ask, desperation creeping into my voice. "How do I show her I've changed when she won't even see me?"

"Start small," Hades suggests. "Write her a letter. Apologize for everything. Tell her how you feel about finding out about Wren. Let her know you want to make things right, but that you'll respect her wishes."

I consider his words. A letter... it's not much, but it's a start. At least it would give Willow a chance to hear me out without feeling pressured.

"Yeah," I say slowly. "Yeah, maybe that could work."

Hades claps me on the shoulder. "One step at a time, brother. You'll get there."

As we mount our bikes to head back to the clubhouse, I feel a glimmer of hope for the first time since hearing about Wren. It's small, fragile, but it's there.

I may have fucked up royally in the past, but I'm going to do whatever it takes to make things right. For Willow, for Wren, and for myself. I just hope it's not too late.

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