For seven years, Kael Veyron had prepared himself for many things.
He prepared to face the council that destroyed him.
He prepared to face the enemies who wanted him dead.
He prepared to face Lyra’s anger.
But he never prepared to face a child who carried his blood.
His eyes remained fixed on the little boy standing behind Lyra.
Eren.
His son.
The word felt unfamiliar.
Impossible.
And yet, every instinct inside him recognized the child.
His wolf was restless.
Not aggressive.
Not cautious.
Protective.
“Lyra…”
His voice was quieter than before.
“What did you just say?”
Lyra’s expression hardened.
“I said nothing.”
Kael looked at the child again.
“His name is Eren?”
Her body tensed.
That reaction told him everything.
She was hiding something.
“Who told you his name?”
Kael stared at her.
“You think that matters right now?”
“It matters to me.”
Her voice was cold.
“Because everyone who asks questions about my son usually wants something from him.”
Those words stopped Kael.
Not because they were cruel.
Because they revealed something.
Lyra had been protecting this child alone.
For years.
The street had become too crowded.
Too many people were watching.
Kael noticed the way Lyra kept positioning herself between him and Eren.
Like she expected him to hurt them.
That realization cut deeper than he expected.
“Come with me,” Kael said.
Lyra laughed softly.
A humorless sound.
“You still give orders like nothing happened.”
“I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“You had seven years to do that.”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“I did not abandon you.”
“Then where were you?”
The question came quietly.
And somehow, that hurt more.
Kael had fought armies.
He had survived impossible battles.
But standing in front of the woman he loved and seeing that she truly believed he left her… that was different.
“I was trying to survive.”
Lyra looked away.
“So was I.”
A small hand grabbed Lyra’s sleeve.
“Mom.”
Eren looked between them.
“Is he angry?”
Lyra immediately softened.
“No, sweetheart.”
Kael noticed something.
The way she spoke to Eren.
The patience.
The love.
The way she looked at him like he was the only thing keeping her alive.
Seven years.
She raised his son for seven years without him.
A strange pain settled in his chest.
Not anger.
Regret.
“I want to talk to you,” Kael said.
Lyra shook her head.
“There is nothing to talk about.”
“There is everything to talk about.”
“No.”
Her eyes met his.
“You lost the right to explain yourself when you chose to leave.”
Kael’s expression darkened.
“I never chose that.”
“Then prove it.”
The challenge surprised him.
“Tell me why you disappeared.”
Kael opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
Because the truth was complicated.
The council had forced his exile.
But revealing everything now would expose his investigation.
Someone had spent seven years making sure Lyra believed a lie.
And he needed to know who.
“I can’t tell you everything yet.”
The disappointment in her eyes was immediate.
Kael saw it.
And hated himself for causing it.
“Of course,” Lyra whispered.
“Another secret.”
That night, Kael watched from a rooftop as Lyra returned to a small, damaged apartment.
Darius stood beside him.
“You found her.”
Kael did not answer.
Darius followed his gaze.
Then he saw Eren.
His expression changed.
“Is that…”
“My son.”
The words came out low.
Darius looked at him.
“Kael…”
“I didn’t know.”
For the first time in years, Darius saw something other than anger in his commander’s eyes.
Pain.
“She raised him alone.”
Kael looked down.
The small apartment window was the only light in the building.
Inside, Lyra sat with Eren, helping him eat.
She smiled at him.
A real smile.
Kael swallowed.
“She had him after I was gone.”
Darius was silent.
Then he asked the question Kael had been avoiding.
“Why didn’t she tell you?”
Kael looked away.
“That’s what I need to find out.”
Inside the apartment, Lyra sat beside Eren’s bed.
The child was almost asleep.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Was that really my father?”
Lyra froze.
She looked at him.
“How do you know that?”
Eren shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
He touched his chest.
“I just know.”
Lyra’s face changed.
Because she knew exactly what he meant.
The bond.
Even children could feel it.
She brushed his hair back.
“Sleep.”
“But you said he was gone.”
Her fingers stopped.
“I thought he was.”
Eren looked at her.
“Do you hate him?”
The question caught her off guard.
After everything.
After all the pain.
She should have answered immediately.
But she couldn’t.
Because when she saw Kael standing there… part of her had wanted to run toward him.
And she hated that part.
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
The next morning, Kael entered the Moonfang archives.
If Lyra would not tell him the truth… he would find it himself.
Old records.
Council documents.
Anything connected to his exile.
Hours passed.
Then he found something strange.
A sealed document.
One that carried Lyra’s name.
Kael frowned.
Why would the council seal something about her?
He broke the seal.
His eyes moved across the page.
And his expression slowly changed.
The document was not about punishment.
Not about exile.
It was a containment order.
Issued seven years ago.
The target:
Lyra Moonveil.
The reason:
Protect the unborn heir until the awakening date.
Kael’s hand tightened around the paper.
Unborn heir.
His eyes moved to the final line.
A name appeared.
The child’s name.
Eren Veyron.
Kael froze.
They knew.
They all knew.
The council knew about his son before he did.
Then another line caught his attention.
A sentence written by the council leader himself.
A sentence that changed everything.
“The Alpha heir must never discover the child exists.”
Kael slowly lowered the document.
His anger returned.
But this time, it was different.
This was not betrayal against him.
It was betrayal against his family.
A sound came from behind him.
A slow clap.
Kael turned.
A man stood in the doorway.
Smiling.
“Congratulations, Alpha King.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“Roderick.”
The council regent smiled wider.
“You finally found what we spent seven years hiding.”
Kael’s aura exploded.
“Why?”
Roderick tilted his head.
“Because if you knew the truth…”
He stepped forward.
“…you would have never survived long enough to return.”
Kael stared at him.
Then Roderick said the words that made his blood run cold.
“Your son was never supposed to be born.”