Chapter 5

Evelyn's POV Rhys was not used to being comforted by a younger child. He hugged his father shyly and said quietly, "But I'm not your brother." His words made everyone feel uncomfortable.His words implied that I, the bad woman, don't even acknowledge him as my son. Alexis didn't understand what Rhys meant. She looked at Calvin with confusion. Then she turned away and took her candy jar to me. "Mommy, I want candy," she said. I touched her head softly and gave her one piece of candy. Before I could pick her up to go upstairs, she ran to Rowan and gave him her candy. "This is for my brother," she said. This candy was Alexis's favorite sweet. I only let her have one piece every day. To her, it was the most delicious thing in the world. I stopped moving when I saw her give candy to Rowan so easily. My daughter had never been so friendly to other children before. Alexis saw Rhys looking at her. She thought he wanted candy too. She was very kind and offered her candy to him. But Rhys hit the candy away angrily. "I don't want candy from a bad woman!" he said. Calvin looked angry at his son's bad behavior. "Rhys! That's very rude. When your sister gives you candy, you should say thank you." Rhys lowered his head. He looked at Alexis and then at me. He spoke very quietly. "Thank you, sister." Kind Alexis laughed happily. She took her whole jar of candy and gave it to Rowan. "All this is for my brother," she said with a smile. She really liked this brother who played cars with her! Rowan was very surprised. He held the candy jar and looked at her with big eyes. Alexis pulled Rowan's shirt and said, "Brother, you need to say 'Mommy'!" Rowan looked at me. He seemed shy and uncomfortable. Little Alexis didn't like that Rowan waited so long. In her mind, she always had to say "Mommy" before she could get candy. She didn't understand how her brother could eat candy without saying "Mommy" first. She held Rowan's hand and brought him to me. She pointed to the candy, then to me, and said "Mommy" again. Finally, Rowan's face turned red. After waiting for a while, he said very quietly, "Mommy." When I heard this word, I felt very emotional. I had wanted to hear it for many years. My eyes filled with tears. I had to look up to stop myself from crying. After I felt better, I gave him a small nod. Alexis smiled happily. She didn't know about the difficult feelings between the grown-ups and her brothers. She just knew that candy made people happy. Rhys saw that his brother had a whole jar of candy, but he had none. This made him feel bad. He kept looking at me and thinking. if he called me "Mommy," would he get a jar of candy too?Rowan took a candy from the jar. He opened it and gave it to Alexis. Then he took one for himself and put the jar back on the table. Rowan gave his candy to Rhys and said, "Brother, you can have mine." Calvin was always kind to his children. He touched Rhys's head gently and said, "Rowan, you should eat your own candy. Your sister gave it to you. Rhys will get his own candy." In their family, the older brother didn't have to give things to the younger brother. Since they were small, both boys always got the same amount of everything. Alexis came back to me. She watched as Calvin told Rhys to say sorry. Rhys quickly said sorry to Rowan. But when he had to say sorry to me, Rhys looked very uncomfortable. He spoke very quietly and couldn't look at me. "I'm sorry for calling you a bad woman," he said softly. He wanted to say "Mommy" but couldn't. He kept looking at me. He hoped I would hug him like I used to. But I didn't do anything. I only looked at Alexis in my arms. I could see that this made Rhys feel more and more sad. Calvin's POV I watched Rhys as he stood rigidly, staring at Evelyn without moving, his eyes filled with hurt. In that moment, my heart ached more than I expected.. Last night, he had a fever.In his sleep, he kept calling out "Mom". His voice was weak and shaky. It seemed like he was looking for his mother even while sleeping. I softly touched his head and said to him,"Don't worry. Mom will be here when you wake up. Please go to sleep now." I had always lied to him before. But this time, she was really here. Only, I didn't know if she would even look at him again. For three years, Rhys never mentioned her, but I knew he was always waiting. Unlike Rowan who showed his emotions openly, Rhys kept all his longing buried deep inside. Like me, he was silent, but never forgot. Evelyn held the little girl tightly, as if ready to flee at any moment. This house had me and our sons, yet seemed filled with a past she didn't want to face. I saw Rowan looking at Alexis, his eyes soft and yearning. Alexis called him "brother" and offered him candy; he really liked this little girl. He looked at Evelyn, wanting to say something, but said nothing and lowered his head, as if completely giving up. I recognized that look. He was thinking. Does Mom like that little girl more? Does she not want Rhys and me anymore? And I... I was wondering too.Was that child hers with another man? Did she already have a new family? Did she abandon us for another man? But on the day she rejected me, I never got the chance to explain. She was a wolfless Omega. For any Alpha, this type of mate was considered wrong, particularly for one bearing the responsibility of a pack like myself. My mother repeatedly pressured me to give her up. "She can't even shift.Having her as your mate will make other packs look down on you. She's not worthy of the position." Zeon, my Beta and friend, remained silent for a long time after learning I married her. When he finally spoke, his words were measured. "She's not suitable to be Luna, but this marriage can strengthen the alliance, so I suppose it's worth it." The choice of his words stung. He spoke of worth and alliance, but never once mentioned happiness or love. From beginning to end, no one thought she was good enough for me. But I... I fell for her at first sight. She was so beautiful and resilient, with golden hair and emerald eyes, gentle like moonlight. She was an Omega, yet never showed an Omega's typical weakness or submissiveness. She had no wolf, and my wolf Cyra couldn't confirm if she was my fated mate,but my heart had already chosen her. I loved her deeply, yet I dared not admit it. An Alpha falling in love with a wolfless Omega was considered a joke in the Bloodbane pack. So I chose to be cold, to keep my distance. Later, my mother brought Clara. "Having Clara as Luna would be proper. She has good bloodlines, capability,she's worthy to stand beside you." I thought about it and decided that rather than let Evelyn face the pack's gossip, I'd let Clara be Luna. I arranged for Evelyn to move out of the Packhouse into a quiet, private villa. I had even planned our happy life with the twins, but I never got the chance to tell her. She rejected me and left the pack. I searched for her for a long time, asking everywhere, investigating everywhere, only to find a note in Rowan's room. She left without saying goodbye, without any explanation, as if my sons and I weren't worth a second of hesitation. How could she be so cruel? Did she ever think of us, even for a second, on some deep night? I don't know. Our children have always been good - brave, quiet, and understanding. They deserve to be loved, to be remembered. I didn't want to let her just walk away again. I stepped forward and said, my voice slightly trembling. "Evelyn, we need to talk."