Everly POV
I came home to Valerian sitting at the dining room table trying to use my laptop; my mood was better
now I had gone for a run, but I was exhausted as I untied my laces and slipped my shoes off. The run
really zapped my energy, and I had to take the long way around because someone had fixed the hole
in the fence; tomorrow, I would have to send someone to open it up again or maybe install a gate,
which would be ideal because we can lock it off a night. Zoe was watching TV with the volume low and
barely audible. She smiles at me and gives me a nod, turning back to the TV and pretending to be
watching it when I know she was really just keeping an eye on Valarian.
Valerian looked up at me, and his cheek was rested on his little hand as he tried to use the laptop.
Walking over to him, I run my fingers through his hair before bending down and kissing his forehead
before kneeling next to him and looking at the screen.
“What are you trying to do?” I ask him before standing and dragging the chair out beside him. He lets
out a breath before looking at me.
“What are trying to do?” I ask him before standing and dragging the chair out beside him. He lets out a
breath before looking at me.
“I wanna know who my dad is, why he left us. But I don’t know his last name, and Aunty Zo said to wait
for you?” He says . I could tell he had been crying, his eyes were all puffy and red, and he sniffled
before plucking a tissue and red, and he sniffled before plucking a tissue from the tissue box and
blowing his nose.
He folds up his tissue into a perfectly neat square before placing it in the bin and washing his hands. I
turn the laptop toward me before typing Alpha Valen Solace. Images and news articles pop up, and
Valerian takes his seat next to me and looks at the screen before looking over at me, and I gesture
toward the laptop.
“That’s your father,” I tell him, and he turns back to look at the screen.
“We have the same eyes, ” he says, looking at me. His amber eyes peered up at me, and his lashes
were wet from crying. I nod sadly at him.
“Yes, you have his eyes; it’s a genetic trait on the male’s side,” I tell him, and he glances back at the
pictures of his father on the screen. Valerian “When I fell pregnant with you, I didn’t know your father
was mate, we met at an Alpha meeting, and we were both drinking, and that is when I fell pregnant,”
” So you kissed, and I was created?” I chuckle at his words, and so does Zoe behind me.
“Yep, that pretty much sums it up,” I tell him.
“So if you didn’t know he was your mate, how did we end up Rogue?”
“Because my father kicked me out because he thought I was a rogue whore, and I refused to terminate
the pregnancy, I chose to keep you,” I tell him honestly.
“So I am the reason you are a rogue?”
” No, I am. Me being a rogue is not your fault, and I would choose you every time. If I could go back, I
would still choose you, your my life, ” he seems to think, and I cup his cheek brushing my thumb over
his cheek.
“Why were you at an Alpha meeting?”
“Because I used to be an Alpha, I was next in line to take over my father’s pack, ” His little brows
scrunch together.
“So, did you only just find out my dad was your mate?” I sigh before rubbing my eyes and shaking my
head.
“I have known for a while. When I first found out I was pregnant, I tried to tell your father, and he didn’t
believe me; I then saw him a couple of years later, but your dad was drunk, he didn’t recognize me, and
I think he thought I broke into his house, so he kicked me off his territory before I could tell him about
you, ” I tell him.
“So you never had a chance to tell him, how long ago?”
“Nearly four years ago now,”
“So you have known all that time, but I heard aunty Macey say that grandma Val died from not being
with her mate, that not having your mate can kill you, “
I bite my lip.” you shouldn’t listen to adult conversations,”
” But is it true, did she die because her mate didn’t want her?” I nod sadly, looking away.
“But it won’t happen to me; I have you to live for, I won’t die, Valarian. I have too much to live for, you
being the biggest, ” I tell him, and he nods, looking at the screen. He clicks on some photos, making
them larger so he could see his father’s features better and the pictures are clearer.
“Am I like him?”
“You are so much better than he will ever be?” “So he is a bad man?”
“No, I don’t think so, well I don’t think it is intentional, I think he is just perceived that way, kind of like
how I am perceived to have done something wrong, “
“I have seen him on the news fighting, and I saw him in the papers. I thought something was off about
him; I always felt funny when I saw his picture, but I didn’t realize he was my dad,” Valarian says.
“We recognize our own family. It’s inbuilt in us to recognize family, “
“So he would know I was his son just by seeing me? “
“Yes, and that’s why I can’t let you meet him,” I tell him.
” Because he will take me from you? ” he asks, and I nod. Valarian seems to think for a second, and he
stares at the screen, scrutinizing the picture of his father out front of the hotel he owned.
“I can print his picture off for you if you want?” He looks over at me and smiles sadly.
“That’s ok; I think I will go to bed now, ” he says, getting up and taking the laptop with him. He kisses
my cheek before looking at Zoe, who was on the couch.
“Night, aunty Zo,”
“Goodnight, sweetie, ” she replies, and I watch him leave.
“I’m sorry he asked for the laptop, — “
“It’s fine, Zoe. I should have just told him,” I tell her.
It was the middle of the day, Valerian was at school, and we were in the middle of the lunch rush when
the entire restaurant fell silent. Glancing up from the front counter, I internally groan when Alpha Valen
walks into the restaurant. A smirk on his lips as he approached me.
Zoe noticing him rolls her eyes before coming over to me. “I will go check the meat delivery arrives;
seeing as the Alpha knob is here, we don’t need any more unexpected disturbances or missing truck
interferences,” She says, glaring at him before walking away.
Valen approached the counter, and I could feel everyone watching us curiously when he leaned on the
counter.
“Heard you had an eventful day yesterday with Officer Richards?” He chuckles.
“Yes, thanks to you, and you can pay for Zoe and Macey’s fines, ” I snap at him.
“I’m sure if you go down to the office and explain I am your mate, the fines will be dropped, ” He says,
and I roll my eyes at him.
“Of course, they will be,” I spit at him, and he laughs.
“You already knew that, though, didn’t you? Officer Richards told me something very interesting last
night, ” He says, and my stomach drops. He said he wou1dn’t tell Valen about Valarian, at least not yet.
“Seems I am your mate when it benefits you?”
“Huh?”
“You didn’t happen to threaten Officer Richards by using my title, did you? ” He smiles, and I glare at
him before his words register because I had done that. Heat rushes over my face.
“Lapse in judgment, ” I tell him.
“Oh, I don’t mind, but if you want to use my title, I would rather it be because we share it and not just
you throwing it around when you want to get out of trouble, “
“I ‘m sorry I won’t do it again, but I wasn’t going to stand by and watch him take Casey from Zoe,”
“He wouldn’t have; he is a good man,” I roll my eyes at him and turn away, only for him to grip my wrist
and turn me back to face him.
“Don’t walk away from me, Everly. Are you trying to upset me?” I didn’t get a chance to answer when
the restaurant door opened again. My stomach felt like it dropped onto the floor as Beta Marcus walked
in. He had his head down and was stuffing a set of keys into
his back pocket, but it was definitely him.
“Had to park in the parents with prams parking, no parking- ” His words abruptly cut off when he looked
up and stared directly at me. Shock crosses his features, and his eyes go wide. He turned his head to
the side, and I prayed he forgot me but his following words proved he remembered exactly who I was.
Beta Marcus’s face lights up, and a smile splits onto his face as he begins walking over to us.
“I knew I heard that name before, Everly it’s me, you remember me, ah its been so long, I sometimes
wondered what happened to you, I thought you left the City,” He says, rushing over and enveloping me
in a hug. Alpha Valen seems startled and pulls away, observing us closely.
“You must be mistaken, ” I try to tell him, trying to get out his firm grip when he sets me on my feet and
holds me at arm’s length.
“No, I never forget a face, a name yes, but a face. You really don’t remember me, the train station, you
asked to borrow a lighter than I took you to the Packhouse,” I say nothing, trying to escape him and
Valen, who was observing the scene playing out in front of him.
“We looked for you but couldn’t find you. I even left a note with the security guards. Gosh, I can’t
believe it is really you,” Beta Marcus says.
“Wait, you two know each other?” Valen asks suddenly, and we look at him. I quickly shake my head.
My heart was pounding in my chest, and I felt like I was about to pass out.
“Yes, she is the rogue girl, the one from the train station. Remember we went looking for her,”
Marcus briefly explains before turning back to me.
” So, where did you go? Have you been here all this time, you work here? Oh, and your son. What was
his name Valcon, Volcom, gosh her son has the freakiest eyes, like yours. The only person I have seen
with the same eyes other than your father, so where is he?” he asks, looking around utterly oblivious to
my state of panic.
“Everly isn’t a rogue-whore; she hasn’t got a son, ” Valen says, and Marcus looks at him. Marcus
groans, holding his hands out.
” How do you not remember? I bitched you out for days about her for tossing her and her kid out,”
“And what train station? I am lost what is going on here, ” Valen demands, looking between both of us,
and Marcus sighs.
“Everly, the rogue girl you chucked out of the Packhouse, remember years ago? We went looking for
her at the train station. We left her car seat with the train guards, remember?” Marcus says while I just
wanted him to shut his mouth. We had the entire restaurant’s attention, and Valen was staring a t me
like it was the first time he had met me.
“You were at the packhouse?” Valen asks while shaking his head, and he seems confused before his
head suddenly snaps up, and a look of anger crosses his features; his top lip pulls over his teeth as he
snarls at me, and his eyes narrow.
“Wait, you have a son? You lied to me?”
“I didn’t lie,”
“You have a f*cking son,” He growls, and Marcus steps between us.
“Woah, Alpha, what’s got into you?”
“She lied,” Valen snaps, pointing an accusing finger at me. “My f*cking mate said she wasn’t a rogue-
whore; she f*cking lied,”
“Wait, this is the Everly you were speaking about, this girl right here she is, your mate? ” Marcus says
while looking back at me. Bravo, idiot, you finally put it together.
“Yes, she is my mate,”
“Please keep your voices down, ” I hiss at them when I hear people start murmuring that Alpha Valen
has found his mate.
“Is this some joke to you? Do you really have no morals, just like the rest of the Rogue whores?, you
think I can just accept some illegitimate child, f*ck the press will have a field day with this scandal,”
“I never expected you to accept anything, now get out!” I spit at him, unable to take his insults. How
dare he? He was just going to assume like the rest of them. He wasn’t even going to let me explain just
jumped straight onto the Rogue -whore bandwagon.
“I won’t have a rogue-whore as a mate, ” he spits at me.
“Valen?” Marcus snaps at him. “No, she f*cking lied to me,”
“I never lied to you. You were just too blinded to see the truth; you don’t even remember me, now get
out of my restaurant, “
I was drunk. How was I supposed to remember you from the Packhouse? I can barely remember that
night at all,” He snarls.
“You think that’s the first time we met? Got no other memories you want to sift through, Valen? I tried to
tell you twice before that,”
“What are you walking about?”
“I tried to tell you, and you tossed me away not once but twice, through me out in the f*cking rain; you
are no better than your father. No better than mine,” I snap at him.
“Don’t bring my father into this. What is wrong with you? You knew who I was all this f*cking time? All
this time, you knew I was your mate?”
“Yes, I knew, and if you still can’t figure it out, then go, leave. I won’t have you upset my employees
with your prejudices,”
“Oh, I am leaving, you are exactly like the rest of them, nothing but a whore, and to think I was willing to
look past you being a lowly rogue, but I won’t put up with you lying to me,” he screams before punching
the counter. I jump at his aggression, and a few patrons duck down like they were waiting for him to
explode. A few even hid under the tables when he suddenly turned on his heel and walked out, leaving
me with Beta Marcus.
“I.. I didn’t think… F*ck, I am sorry, Everly. I will speak to him. I..”
Marcus stumbles over his words, looking in the direction of where his Alpha just stalked off and out the
door.
“It’s fine, nothing I didn’t already expect from a Solace Alpha, clearly the apple doesn’t fall far from the
tree, ” I tell him, turning and walking off to my office. Tears pricked my eyes, and I couldn’t believe how
terribly wrong that all just went.
I was livid but also hurt. If I were a rogue—whore, Valen wouldn’t accept me; the funny thing is even
after everything he just learned. Valen never once asked who Valarian’s father was, didn’t seem to get
it through his head that for years I have known who he was and lived through the torment of not having
my mate, but all he could hear was Rogue-whore, blinded to everything else, blinded by his own
perception and judgment.
Escaping to my office, I lock the door and try to stop myself from breaking down when my mobile
suddenly starts ringing in my pocket. I half expected it to be Valen ringing to yell at me more when I
noticed it was the school’s phone number.
Answering it, I clear my throat and suck in a deep breath. “Hello, “
“Hi, this Patricia, Valerian’s teacher. Is this Everly Summers?”
“Yes, Patricia, how can I help?”
“Ms. Summer’s, I was ringing to let you know we have called the police and an Amber alert has been
put out,” My heart beats faster, thumping in my head when the door handle jiggles before someone
starts banging on the door, I open it, and Macey rushes in with a frantic look on her face.
“Ms. Summer’s your son. He never returned to class after the break; we have people out searching for
him, but if you could come down to the school, and- ” The phone drops from my hand as it shakes, my
heart felt like it had stopped. Valarian was missing.
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