Leila POV
The morning started the way it always did lately: with second-guessing every decision I’d made since eting Chase. As I folded the last of Ash’s clothes into the battered duffel bag, I caught myself sighing for the millionth ti. My brain was doing its usual thing—replaying every mont, every interaction, every decision. And yeah, I regretted sneaking around like this. But it was for the best. Right?
Right.
I shook my head, stuffing the thought away with Ash’s favorite hoodie. It wasn’t like Chase would make a scene if he found out what I was doing... probably. But still, I’d rather avoid the inevitable argunt. Vampires were annoying like that—always needing to assert their dominance, always knowing what was "best."
I knew Chase would catch on eventually. A man like him wasn’t clueless, especially when it ca to trying to fly under the radar. But could I really have pulled this off? Could I have packed up and left quietly without him noticing? Of course not. That’s just not how my life works anymore, is it? Not with Ash, not with Chase, and definitely not with Damond throwing a supernatural wrench into the whole "normal life" plan I’d been clinging to.
Still, I had to try.
As I packed Ash’s clothes into his tiny duffel bag, the weight of my decisions pressed down on . Every shirt I folded, every sock I stuffed into the corners of the bag, felt like another reminder of how much I was taking away from him. Stability. Safety. People who actually cared about him—like Chase. But what was I supposed to do? Sit around and wait for the next wave of supernatural chaos to co crashing into our lives? No thanks.
"Mommy, do we have room for Mr. Snuggles?" Ash’s tiny voice broke through my spiraling thoughts. He held up the worn-out teddy bear with wide, hopeful eyes.
"Of course, sweetheart," I said, managing a smile. "We’ll make room for Mr. Snuggles."
Ash grinned and stuffed the bear into his little backpack, alongside his collection of dinosaur toys. Watching him, I felt a pang of guilt twist in my chest. He was so happy, so blissfully unaware of what I was doing. Taking him away from Chase, from the stability we’d finally found—even if it ca with vampires, wolves, and imprinting.
I sighed, zipping up his bag and trying to push the guilt aside. This was for the best. It had to be.
But then, of course, Chase had to ruin my perfectly crafted bubble of denial.
"Leila," his voice ca from the doorway, calm but firm, "what’s going on here?"
I froze, my hands still on the duffel bag. Crap.
Ash, bless his little heart, didn’t seem to notice the tension. "We’re getting ready to go!" he chirped, his excitent practically bouncing off the walls.
I didn’t dare look up at Chase. I could feel the weight of his gaze, heavy and unrelenting. Instead, I focused on the bag, pretending to fiddle with the zipper.
"Go where, exactly?" Chase asked, his tone deceptively casual.
"To a new city, of course!" Ash said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You said last night we could go to a new city. Rember? A vacation!"
I winced internally. Great. Leave it to my son to unwittingly blow my cover.
"Why don’t you go check on breakfast, Ash?" Chase said, his voice softening. "I made your favorite pancakes."
"Pancakes? Yes!" Ash dropped his backpack and bolted out of the room, leaving alone with Chase—and the suffocating tension that followed him like a shadow.
I stood up slowly, brushing my hands on my jeans, and finally t his gaze. His expression was unreadable, but the tightness in his jaw and the slight narrowing of his eyes told he was not happy.
"You’re leaving," he said. Not a question. A statent.
I crossed my arms over my chest, defensive. "We’re not leaving," I said, though even I didn’t believe it. "We’re just... relocating. Sowhere quieter, safer."
"Without telling ?"
I hated the way his voice sounded—hurt, disappointed, like I’d just kicked a puppy or sothing. I looked away, unable to et his gaze anymore. "I wasn’t trying to sneak off, Chase. I just—"
"Didn’t want to stop you," he finished for .
Well, there was no point denying it. He was right.
"Look," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt, "this isn’t about you. It’s about Ash. About keeping him safe."
"And you think I can’t keep him safe?"
I flinched at the edge in his voice. "That’s not what I’m saying."
"Then what are you saying, Leila?"
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I’m saying that I want Ash to have a normal life. Away from vampires, and wolves, and imprinting, and—"
"Leila," he interrupted, his tone sharp but not unkind, "Ash isn’t normal. He’s a wolf. That’s not sothing you can run away from."
"Maybe not," I admitted, my voice quieter now. "But I can still try to give him as normal a life as possible. He didn’t ask for any of this, Chase. He deserves a chance to just... be a kid."
"And you think running away to another city will give him that chance?"
"Yes," I said stubbornly, even though I wasn’t entirely sure.
Chase stepped closer, his expression softening. "Leila, you’re not alone in this anymore. You don’t have to do it all by yourself."
His words hit harder than I expected. For a mont, I just stared at him, my throat tightening. I wanted to believe him, I really did. But letting soone else in—trusting them completely—wasn’t exactly my strong suit.
"You really want to co with us?" I blurted out, not even realizing I’d spoken until the words were already hanging in the air.
I shouldn’t have asked that. It wasn’t fair. Chase had made his intentions crystal clear over the past few weeks, but there was still a part of that couldn’t believe him. Not because he wasn’t convincing, but because I was too used to people walking away when things got complicated. Too used to doing it all alone.
He straightened up from where he’d been leaning against the doorway, his expression serious but calm. "Of course I do," he said without hesitation. "Leila, I’ll go wherever you and Ash go. I’ve told you before, I’m not letting you do this alone."
The sincerity in his voice made my stomach twist. Damn him for making it sound so easy. My hands froze mid-fold as I turned to face him, crossing my arms over my chest like a shield. "It’s not going to be easy," I warned. The words were clipped, my tone defensive.
"It’s not going to be a fancy hotel with your vampire guards hovering around, or whatever cushy setup you’re used to. It’s going to be... normal," I added, my voice sharpening as I tried to puncture his confidence. I needed to know if he really ant it—if he understood what he was getting himself into.
To my irritation, he didn’t flinch. Instead, a hint of a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, as if he saw right through my bravado. "Normal sounds great," he said casually, his tone light but unwavering. "I can blend in."
My lips twitched in spite of myself, though I refused to let the smile break through. I was still wary—still convinced he didn’t fully grasp what "normal" ant for people like . For people like Ash. "I an it, Chase," I pressed, narrowing my eyes. "No overprotective hovering. No royal nonsense. Just... living."
He took a step closer, his piercing gaze locking onto mine. "I want what you want, Leila. If that ans normal, then I’ll do normal. Whatever it takes to keep you and Ash safe—and happy."
Safe and happy. Two words that had beco my compass ever since Ash was born. But hearing Chase say them with such conviction... it unsettled . Not because I didn’t believe him, but because I wanted to believe him too much.
I searched his face for any hint of doubt, any crack in his armor. He didn’t look away, didn’t falter. Finally, I sighed, the tension in my shoulders easing just slightly. "Fine," I said, though the word ca out more reluctantly than I intended. "You can co."
The flash of relief in his eyes almost made smile. Almost.
But I wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily. "But," I added, holding up a finger to emphasize my point, "you follow my rules. No surprises, no running off to handle things on your own, and definitely no Damond showing up unannounced."
That last part was non-negotiable. I was still grappling with the whole imprinting situation, and the last thing I needed was Damond swooping in and making everything even more complicated.
Chase chuckled, his deep voice warm and surprisingly soothing. "Deal. I’ll even keep Damond on a tight leash if it makes you feel better."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t suppress the small laugh that escaped . "Good. Because if he shows up uninvited, I’m not responsible for what happens to him."
He grinned at that, but there was sothing softer in his expression now, sothing that made my chest ache. Before I could overthink it, I turned back to the bed, picking up Ash’s backpack and handing it to him. "If we’re doing this, we need to leave soon. I don’t want to give anyone a chance to track us."
"Understood," he said, slinging the bag over his shoulder with ease.
I looked at him again, my defenses lowering for just a mont. "Thank you, Chase. For... everything."
The vulnerability in my voice caught off guard, but it was too late to take it back. And the way he looked at in response—like I was soone worth fighting for—made it even harder to keep my walls intact.
"You don’t have to thank ," he said gently. "I’m just glad you’re letting be here for you."
Letting him be here. That’s what I was doing, wasn’t it? Allowing him into this fragile, ssy life I’d tried so hard to protect. It scared more than I cared to admit.
I nodded and turned back to the bed, pretending to focus on packing. The truth was, I needed a mont to collect myself.
Before I could dwell on it too much, Ash ca bounding into the room, his excitent like a ray of sunshine cutting through the tension.
"Are we going now?" he asked, his eyes wide and hopeful.
"Almost," I said, ruffling his hair. "We just need to grab a few more things."
"Yay!" Ash cheered, throwing his arms around Chase in a way that made my heart squeeze. "You’re coming too, right, Uncle Chase?"
Uncle Chase. The title sounded so natural coming from Ash, like Chase had always been a part of our little family. And the way Chase smiled down at him, so full of warmth and affection... it made it harder to rember why I’d been so determined to keep him at arm’s length.
"Of course I am," Chase said, ruffling Ash’s hair in return.
Ash bead at him before darting off to grab more toys, his laughter echoing down the hallway.
I watched him go, my heart swelling with a mix of love and worry. "He’s so happy," I said softly, more to myself than to Chase. "I just hope this move doesn’t take that away from him."
"It won’t," Chase said firmly, his voice steady and reassuring. "We’ll make it work. Together."
Together.
I glanced at him, my defenses cracking just a little more. There was sothing about the way he said it—like it wasn’t just a promise, but a vow. For the first ti in a long ti, I felt like I wasn’t carrying the weight of the world alone.
"Together," I repeated quietly, the word feeling foreign but comforting on my tongue.
As we finished packing and prepared to leave, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this mont marked a turning point. I still wasn’t sure what the future held, but for the first ti, I wasn’t dreading it.
Maybe, just maybe, we could make this work.
Together.
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