Calvin’s POV
I was about to unleash my frustration on the reports when I felt a tug on my pant leg. Glancing down, I found Alexis determinedly climbing onto my lap, her tiny face sared with colorful paint smudges, a drawing clutched in her small hand.
She curled up on my lap like it was the most natural thing in the world. Such a small thing,but it thrilled .
Alexis spread her artwork across my desk, pointing at the abstract figures with complete confidence.
"Mommy, uncle," she announced, finger moving between two adult figures before shifting to three smaller ones. "Brothers, Alex." Her voice rang with childlike pride as she waited expectantly for my approval.
I studied what was clearly ant to be a family portrait - quite impressive for a child not yet three. The tension in my shoulders eased, and I felt my expression soften without conscious effort.
On the video conference screen, I could see my executive team’s eyes go wide. Johnson from marketing visibly relaxed and whispered to his colleague, "The little princess is here. We might actually survive this eting without getting torn apart."
His companion looked confused, so soone quickly filled him in. "That’s Alpha Calvin’s daughter. She’s basically royalty around Wolfe Haven. Last ti she showed up during a eting, our departnt got an extra day to fix our proposal."
"I’m gonna start praying to the princess before every eting," another guy said, not even trying to hide his relief.
"Smart move," soone agreed with a chuckle.
Sunlight poured through the window and lit up Alexis’s soft features. I stayed quiet for a mont, and she looked at with those huge eyes, blinking like she was waiting for an answer.
"It’s beautiful, sweetheart," I finally said.
Her face glowed with happiness as she nodded eagerly and held the drawing out for to take.
Watching her made sothing warm and strange stir inside my chest.
"Is this for ?" I asked, my voice softer.
Alexis nodded solemnly. "Gift," she declared.
I leaned back in my chair and watched her little ponytail bounce as she waited to see what I’d say. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to gently stroke her hair.
Glancing up at the screen full of anxious executives, I simply said, "eting adjourned."
I could feel their relief even as I ended the call. My voice stayed cool and professional like always, though maybe a little warr than what they were used to hearing from .
With Alexis secure in my arms, I stepped out of the office into the hospital suite’s main area. My eyes imdiately found Evelyn on the sofa, completely absorbed in her work.
Sunlight poured through the big windows and caught her blonde hair, making it shine. Her skin looked almost glowing in the light, and those green eyes stayed locked on whatever complicated data she was studying. She pressed her lips together while thinking, and the way her mind worked was way more attractive than any seductive look could ever be.
The sight of her hit hard, brighter than all that sunlight around her. My chest got tight with that old mix of wanting her and regretting everything, but I made sure to keep cold.
As I carried Alexis toward them, Rowan looked up from his own drawing and smiled broadly. "Dad, look what I made!"
I had always been sparing with praise, taught that excessive complints bred weakness.
But today, that rule seed pointless.
"That’s excellent work," I told him honestly.
His face brightened instantly, a slight blush coloring his cheeks as he ducked his head.
Rowan’s voice pulled Evelyn from her concentration.
"What did Rowan draw? Let see," she said, her smile genuine as she praised our son’s artistic efforts.
Then she began looking around for Alexis, turning until her eyes t mine. I didn’t bother hiding my stare this ti, watching her breath catch slightly.
"Mommy hold," Alexis asked cheerfully, reaching toward Evelyn.
Evelyn rose quickly, approaching us to take Alex. As her fingers briefly brushed against my arm, I felt her stiffen montarily. That fleeting contact sent warmth spreading from that spot up my arm, like a current directly to my heart.
She picked up Alexis smoothly, looking calm and collected, but I could hear her heartbeat speed up with my sharp hearing. She went back to stand next to Rowan and made sure not to look at again.
I leaned against the doorfra, watching the three of them together. That cold distance I’d kept up most of my life felt weird and wrong when I was around them.
Being the Bloodbane Alpha ant I grew up with greedy relatives who faked caring about , ass-kissers who only stuck around for the money, and the kind of loneliness that cos with having too much power and cash. Twenty-seven years of keeping everyone at arm’s length had been my normal until Evelyn showed up and turned everything upside down.
I had made inexcusable mistakes. I knew that. But if there was any possibility of redemption, of rebuilding what I’d thoughtlessly destroyed, I wouldn’t hesitate to seize it.
When Rhys woke up, all three children played together, their laughter filling the hospital room with genuine joy. For those brief hours, we almost felt like the family we should have been all along.
As night fell, Evelyn prepared to take Rowan and Alexis ho. I remained behind to stay with Rhys overnight.
"I’ve arranged security," I told her as she gathered the children’s things. That was putting it lightly. I’d put several teams along their route ho with orders to take out any threat before it got anywhere near their car.
After she left, I stood by Rhys’s bedside, watching his peaceful sleeping face for several minutes before turning my attention back to pack business.
"Any progress on the Brownfur Pack connections?"I asked Brett, my Gamma tactical officer who had been waiting discreetly in the corridor.
"Still working on it, Alpha. Our guys on the inside say they need more ti to figure out how deep this thing goes."
I nodded curtly. Leon Robinson and his pack were connected to sothing much darker than they appeared, and I intended to expose every thread of it.
"Alpha, Elder Seymour requests your presence this week," ca Zeon’s mind-link. My Beta rarely interrupted unless it was important.
I nodded briefly in my head.
"There’s more, "Zeon continued. "Clara escaped."
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