

Miranda's POV

Get closer to him. My wolf barks at me.

I roll my eyes and shake my head. I slide my backpack onto my back and begin to walk in the direction of Anna and my kids.

If we could get closer — like a hug — it would help to determine who he is to us.

I can’t help but laugh at my wolf. Oh, how wrong they are.

You must have judged wrong again. Besides, I have no interest in getting close to someone as arrogant and rude as him. It will never happen.

My wolf retreats into silence, not responding to my declaration. 

On the way to Anna’s place, who is graciously letting us stay with her despite us not having a pack, I pay no attention to what my wolf says. She is wrong, as usual, and has no idea what she’s talking about…right?

As I help Noah and Ella to bed, I pull the covers over their tiny bodies, softly smiling down at them. They’re finally calm, the sugar finally having w



Miranda's POV

Lily’s mocking laugh echoes throughout the large reception area of the building. Her laughs used to cut into me like shards of glass, but now I welcome them. I welcome the challenge she throws my way.

“Are you dreaming? Is your head up in the clouds?” She laughs again, this time turning around in the room to gain any support she could. “Come back down to reality, Miranda, it’s nice down here.”

“I wonder,” I begin, my voice calm and my smile sickeningly sweet. I take a single step forward, closing the gap between us. “Are you still wracking your brain over the formula issue? Hm?” My voice is loud enough for nearby employees to hear.

The room suddenly goes quiet. Numerous sets of eyes land on us, and hushed whispers itch our ears. Lily’s expression darkens.

I smirk. By the way her employees speak in hushed tones and stare with bewildered eyes, I can assume that the for



Miranda's POV

“What nonsense are you talking about? This is my child!” I scoff, baffled at the idea that I would mistake another kid for my own. I turn and stare at the man standing in front of the table I sit at.

The man’s face snarls, and he inches closer to us. I gently pull the boy closer to me, not wanting this man to take him away. My heart races in my chest, but I stand my ground.

“Don’t think that cozying up to my son will make me see you any differently,” his cold words effortlessly cut into my skin. I shake my head, my eyes narrowing in anger at the man. My fingers dig into the boy’s shoulders.

“Who the hell do you think you are?!” I demand, stepping in front of my boy to protect him.

“Drop the act.” The man’s tone lowers, and his eyes darken.

“What act?” I push. He scoffs. He watches me closely, hands on his hips, and I can’t help but feel the tingle of his gaze on my skin. Seconds tick by, and neither of us says anything, choosing to remain in a tense standstill.

“You know what act. Don’t be ridiculous,” the man responds, irritation evident through his tone. I groan and roll my eyes at him. “Give me my son.” The man takes a step forward, reaching out to the boy. I take a step back, and the boy moves with me.

“I have no idea who you are. You’re the one who came up to me and caused a scene, not me.” I cooly respond, not wanting to give in to his anger.

“You have no idea who I am?” He scoffs. I raise an eyebrow at him.

“Am I supposed to?” I scoff right back at him. He laughs and rests his hands on his hips, looking around as if I’m the crazy one here.

“Get away from my son. Now.” Noah clings tighter to me, and I gently move him out of the man’s sight.

“Who are you?” My voice subconsciously raises. “Why are you coming after my son?”

“Your son?!” He yells back. People nearby look at us, and the boy whimpers from behind me. I close my eyes and sigh, not wanting to cause an even bigger scene than what is already happening.

“Yes. My son. Now, if I were you, I’d calm down and think about what you’re going to say next. Don’t want to regret anything, right? Don’t want to frighten the boy any more than he already is.”

He huffs but goes quiet. I can see him contemplating my words inside my mind, the wheels turning. He knows what I said is true, as his gaze moves to look at the people who watch from around us.

We stare at each other, remaining in a standstill. I don’t dare to break the silence, my eyes narrowing in on him.

“Fine. I have no intention of wasting my time with a human trafficker,” he barks the words out as if he already knows who I am and what I stand for. 

A human trafficker, I am not. 

His gaze moves low, eyes landing on the boy. “Evan. Stop this nonsense.”

I open my mouth to say something, but the boy beats me to it.

“I’m not going back! I want to stay with the pretty lady!” He yells. 

His voice sends chills down my spine. I look down at him, eyes wide and big as the realization that this is not my son finally sets in.

He clings to my leg, his small fingers digging into my skin as if I’m his lifeline, his only way out of his life with the man who stands before us. He looks up at me, a big frown cemented on his face. It breaks my heart to see him like this.

“Pretty lady…can you be my mommy? I promise I’ll be good,” the boy pleads, shattering my heart into millions of little pieces. I’m unsure of what to say to him. My gaze flickers to the man, who looks like he is about to lose all of his patience, a vein bulging on his forehead.

“Oh honey,” I sigh. I kneel in front of him, brushing some of his hair out from his forehead. I offer him a sympathetic smile, wanting to show him some form of kindness, a kindness which he clearly receives on a not-so-regular basis. “Mommy isn’t you can just pick. You should go find your real mommy.”

“But I don’t like her…” his voice is meek and quiet. I frown and give his shoulders a gentle squeeze.

Before I can say anything, the man steps towards us, and he snatches the boy’s, I think he called him Evan, arm. He effortlessly lifts him in the air and collects him into his arms as if he weighs nothing. Evan kicks and punches the man’s back, crying hysterically. He reaches for me just as they disappear around the corner.

I rise to my feet and frown, hands clutching the area over my heart, watching as he carries him away. His similarity to my own son, Noah, haunts me.

I release a shaky breath. The sound of excited voices calls my name from behind me, interrupting my thoughts.  

“Mommy!”  Ella and Noah exclaim at the same time. I turn on my heel and put a big, yet fake, smile onto my face. Just seeing their happy expressions warms my cold demeanor. The fake smile turns real.

“What was that? We heard yelling from inside!” Anna asks, resting a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I shrug and sigh. I look down at Noah and ruffle his hair, shaking my head.

“I thought someone was going to hurt this little boy, who I thought was Noah, but it was his dad.” I try my best to be brief, not wanting to alarm the trio with what happened. Noah looks up at me, his smile turning into a saddened frown.

“How…how could you confuse me with someone else?” His voice sounds so depressed, laced with disappointment. I immediately kneel in front of him, my hands taking his shoulders into my hands.

“Baby, you know I would never mix you up with another boy! You’re my number one guy…you know that! The boy just needed help, that’s all,” I reassure him. I bring him in close, and pepper kisses all over his face, earning a small smile from him.

“Alright, kids, let’s get out of here! I’ll race you to the stop sign!” Anna declares, pointing to the nearby sign that’s down the road. Her challenge instantly grabs Noah and Ella’s attention.

The three of them take off down the sidewalk, Anna calling out apologies to nearby people who either glare at them or cheer them on. I chuckle and turn to my belongings. I begin to pack them away when a voice creeps into the back of my mind, startling me.

This is ridiculous. My wolf growls from inside me.

What’s ridiculous? I scoff.

I sensed that man’s wolf. He has a…distinct scent.

My posture straightens. I tilt my head to the side, slowly sliding my laptop inside my bag.

What? I internally respond. Mere seconds pass as my body tenses, waiting for my inner wolf’s response.

It’s…it’s like the scent of a fated mate.




Miranda's POV
Get closer to him. My wolf barks at me.
I roll my eyes and shake my head. I slide my backpack onto my back and begin to walk in the direction of Anna and my kids.
If we could get closer — like a hug — it would help to determine who he is to us.
I can’t help but laugh at my wolf. Oh, how wrong they are.
You must have judged wrong again. Besides, I have no interest in getting close to someone as arrogant and rude as him. It will never happen.
My wolf retreats into silence, not responding to my declaration. 
On the way to Anna’s place, who is graciously letting us stay with her despite us not having a pack, I pay no attention to what my wolf says. She is wrong, as usual, and has no idea what she’s talking about…right?
As I help Noah and Ella to bed, I pull the covers over their tiny bodies, softly smiling down at them. They’re finally calm, the sugar finally having worn off from their ice cream.
Just as I press a kiss onto Ella’s forehead, she gently grabs 

#Chapter 7 - Mother's Legacy