"Mommy, I'll behave myself at home. You can go."
Jared's voice was soft, his small nod carrying more awareness than a child his age should have. Even without fully understanding the pack dynamics around him, he could sense hostility, the subtle tension that Erica directed toward him. His instincts were sharp in that quiet, perceptive way, and instead of clinging to me, he chose to step back—to avoid becoming a burden.
That alone made my chest tighten.
I knew he didn't want to come along, not because he didn't care, but because he was protecting me in the only way he could. Still, instead of leaving him with Grace like I had planned, I caught a flicker of another thought crossing his mind—one tied to a certain Alpha who had already begun to leave his mark on our lives.
I pushed that thought aside.
