Chapter 2 Indelible Traces

"Mommy! Look what I found!"

The shrill voice shattered the quiet morning at The Willow Cafe.

Selene flinched, nearly dropping the porcelain cup she was cleaning. She turned to find Leo, her young son, running toward her with excitement. The boy’s jet black hair was a mess, looking exactly like the man who had destroyed Selene’s life five years ago. But his eyes, his eyes were pure gold, glowing every time he was spirited.

"Leo, lower your voice, honey. We are at work," Selene whispered as she knelt to straighten her son’s thin t-shirt.

Selene’s heart fluttered every time she looked at Leo. The child was her miracle. Normally, a child born to a mate whose bond had been severed would be born weak or die. But Leo? He was an anomaly. He was strong, intelligent, and most frightening of all, his aura was becoming difficult to hide.

"There was a big bird outside, Mom! He stared at me for a long time!" Leo shared, his hands moving wildly as he tried to describe the bird’s wide wings.

Selene froze. Her chest suddenly felt tight, as if the oxygen in the room was thinning. A big bird? Or a scout in the form of a hawk?

"Go to the back room, Leo. Play with your robots. Mommy has to finish these orders," Selene commanded, her voice sounding urgent. She could feel her inner peace fracturing as her wolf instincts, which she had suppressed for years, began to stir restlessly.

"But Mom."

"Now, Leo," Selene interrupted more firmly.

After Leo disappeared behind the curtain, Selene tried to regulate her racing breath. She touched the silver necklace around her neck, a charm containing a low dose of wolfsbane to suppress her own scent. For five years, this remedy had protected her. Like a ghost, she lived among humans in the small town of Oakhaven, undetected by the Silver Moon Pack’s radar.

Selene returned to wiping the wooden counter with mechanical movements. Her mind drifted to the bitter memories she always tried to lock away in the deepest corner of her brain.

Flashback

She remembered their wedding night at the Pack House. Kael had once taken her to the top of the tower, held her from behind, and whispered that Selene was his world. "Whatever happens, I will protect you, Selene. You are my soulmate." Those words used to taste like honey, but now they felt like poison burning her throat. The same man who promised heaven was the man who threw her into hell when Freya’s slander surfaced.

"A cloudy morning, isn't it, Elena? It looks like a storm is coming."

The voice came from Mrs. Gable, a loyal customer who had just walked in. Selene forced a thin smile. "Yes, Mrs. Gable. The air feels very heavy today."

"You look pale, dear. Are you not getting enough sleep?" Mrs. Gable looked at her with concern while adjusting her knitted shawl.

"Just a bit tired," Selene answered shortly, though she actually wanted to scream that her entire body was shaking violently.

Suddenly, the air in Oakhaven changed. The sky that had been clear just moments ago was suddenly covered by thick gray clouds. The wind blew hard, carrying a scent that made the hair on the back of Selene’s neck stand up. The scent of a pine forest after a storm. The sharp aroma of sandalwood.

A scent that should have remained buried in the past.

Ting!

The bell at the cafe door chimed. Selene’s back was to the door, but her wolf senses suddenly screamed in hysteria. Her heart thundered, hitting her ribs with a painful force. Her jaw tightened until the muscles in her face pulsed.

"Welcome to The Willow Cafe. What would you like to order?" Selene said automatically, trying to keep her voice flat even though her hands were shaking.

There was no answer. Only a suffocating silence, the kind of silence created only by a top predator locking onto its prey. Selene could feel the presence, so dominant and so oppressive, filling every inch of the small room.

Selene slowly turned her body. Her world seemed to stop spinning.

Standing there by the narrow cafe door was a man who seemed far too large for the space. Kael. He had not changed much, except for the lines on his face that appeared harder and his eyes which now looked darker, as if light had left his soul long ago. He wore a long black coat that was wet from the drizzling rain.

Kael stared at her. Not with the hatred of five years ago, but with pure shock that quickly shifted into a restrained fury.

"Selene." The man’s voice was heavy, vibrating in the air like distant thunder.

Selene gripped the rag in her hand until her knuckles turned white. "I am sorry, sir. You must have the wrong person. My name is Elena."

Kael stepped forward. Every step of his leather boots on the wooden floor sounded like the tolling of a death bell. "Elena? You think you can fool me with that human name? I could recognize your scent even if you buried yourself in the depths of the earth, Selene. My wolf has been howling your name since I entered the city limits!"

"You are disturbing my customers, sir. If you do not wish to order, please leave," Selene tried to stand her ground, though her heart was screaming to run as far away as possible.

Kael was now directly in front of the counter. He leaned forward, his scent invading Selene’s senses and triggering memories of the nights they once spent together.

"Five years," Kael hissed, his voice full of wounds and suppressed anger. "Five years I have searched for you in every corner of the continent. I thought you were dead. I thought the wild wolves had torn you apart after I exiled you without protection."

"And isn't that what you wanted, Alpha Kael?" Selene finally met those black eyes with the courage she gathered from the remains of her destruction. "You wanted me dead. You wanted this 'bitch' to vanish from your perfect life for the sake of your precious woman."

Kael’s jaw tightened, his eyes flashing red, a sign that his wolf, Fenris, was struggling to come out. He was about to retort, but suddenly, small footsteps were heard coming from the kitchen.

"Mommy? I'm hungry. Can I have a biscuit?"

Leo appeared from behind the curtain, rubbing his sleepy eyes. He stopped right beside Selene, staring up at the tall stranger looming over his mother.

The silence that followed was far more terrifying than before.

Kael froze. His entire threatening aura suddenly faded, replaced by absolute confusion. His eyes were locked on the little boy. He saw the black hair, the firm jawline despite the child’s age, and most importantly, Kael felt something impossible. Fenris suddenly let out a whimpering sound deep within his soul, a primal recognition of blood that could not be denied.

"Selene." Kael whispered, his voice cracking. He looked at Leo with an expression that was hard to decipher. "Who, who is this boy?"

Selene immediately pulled Leo behind her body, hiding him from Kael’s sight. "He is none of your business. Get out of here, Kael. Now, before I call the police!"

But Kael did not move. He felt as if he had been struck by a heavy mace. The scent, this boy’s scent was so familiar. "This child." Kael panted, his breath coming in short bursts. "He has my scent. He has my power. Selene, you said you were carrying a bastard child back then. You said he wasn't mine!"

"I never said that! You were the one who said it! You were the one who slandered your own flesh and blood!" Selene shouted in the man’s face, tears of anger beginning to well up. "You were the one who rejected us! You were the one who said he had no right to your name!"

Just as Kael was about to leap over the counter to reach for Leo, the little boy stepped forward. Without fear, Leo looked up at the great Alpha and let out a small growl, a growl that did not come from a human child, but rather the growl of an apex predator.

A wave of golden power radiated from Leo’s small body, causing the glasses on the tables to vibrate violently until they shattered. Kael stumbled back, his eyes widening in shock. He looked at his own palms, which felt hot from the boy’s aura.

"He. He is no ordinary werewolf," Kael whispered in horror.

"He is everything you threw away, Kael," Selene said, her voice now sharp as a knife. "He is my son. And he doesn't need a coward like you for a father."

Kael looked at Selene, then back at Leo. The Alpha’s arrogance, usually impenetrable, began to crack, revealing the fragility he had hidden for five years. However, behind that guilt, a dangerous flash of possessiveness appeared in his eyes.

"He is my flesh and blood, Selene," Kael growled, his voice strengthening again, this time more demanding and full of ownership. "And I will not let an heir of the Silver Moon grow up in a dump like this. You are coming home with me. Now."

Selene laughed bitterly, a laugh that signaled a war had just begun. "Home? We are already home, Kael. And in this house, you are nothing but an unwanted stranger."