ELIAS VERNAL
I was dreaming again.
The same nightmare that had repeated for four years.
Even knowing the truth, I still couldn't face this dream calmly.
Serenity stood right before me. She looked so vivid, so alive. I greedily traced every contour of her face, but her eyes weren't looking at me. She gazed silently down at the rushing rapids below the cliff.
"Don't go," I begged her.
But she ignored me and took another step toward the edge.
"No, wait, Serenity!" I knew what she was about to do. Panic consumed me.
I ran toward her desperately, reaching out my hand. But the blood on her dress was so stark, so terrifying, that I couldn't bring myself to touch her.
"Please, don't do anything foolish. We can talk. We can talk about anything!" All I could do was call out to her helplessly.
She heard me and finally looked up to face me.
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked, her expression blank. "About how you drove me to despair and ultimately cost me my life?"
"I was wrong. I was wrong about everything!" If she'd accept it, I would even kneel before her. But in this dream, my body was always frozen in place. "Give me another chance. Please come back, Serenity. We can start over!"
"Too late." Serenity's voice was soft, but her words cut like ice. "Elias, I hate you. I'm leaving. I don't want to be by your side for even one more second."
She took a step backward.
I struggled with everything I had to rush forward, but the ground between us suddenly split into a bottomless chasm, pushing Serenity further and further away.
She looked at me one last time, then spread her arms like a butterfly and leaped off the cliff!
"No!"
I woke up screaming.
Morning sunlight fell on my face, but I felt no warmth. I sat blankly on the bed, my chest heaving violently, until that suffocating terror slowly faded.
Only then did I drag myself out of bed.
Another cold reality.
Another meaningless day.
I walked into the bathroom and faced the man in the mirror. His eye sockets were sunken, his cheekbones prominent. He was much thinner than he had been four years ago. His natural good looks were the only thing maintaining a semblance of health on the surface, but years of power struggles and inner torment had long since drained his true vitality.
But I deserved it.
I flashed a mocking, disgusted smile at my reflection.
After washing up and getting dressed, I walked to the vanity in the bedroom. This was where Serenity's belongings used to be kept, but now it was completely empty. She'd taken all her personal items long ago, so when she herself finally left me for good, I couldn't even keep a single memento.
Except for one thing.
I opened the vanity drawer and took out a small box containing a woman's wedding ring. I gently kissed the engraved name. Serenity had taken everything except this. I didn't know if that meant she'd already decided to abandon our marriage back then. But now, this was the only thing I had left to remember her by.
"Good morning, Serenity," I murmured to the ring, as if reporting to her in person. "Did you know? I dreamed about you again today."
The ring didn't answer me, but I didn't care.
Outside the bedroom door, Lizzie and the others were reminding me to leave. I had to stop my "conversation." I carefully tucked the ring into my pocket, straightened myself up, and left the room.
Today, Vernal Corporation had an important board meeting. I was in the middle of it when someone burst in.
"Elias, you ungrateful bastard! Alfred is your father! He raised you! He made you the Alpha you are today! How could you treat him like this?"
The man shouting at me had once been a company director, but he was one of Alfred's people. These past four years hadn't been easy for me. I'd been battling Alfred for power while also expanding the Vernal pack's territory to prove I was more capable than the old Alpha. In just four years, I'd lost count of how many conflicts I'd had with the Elders and hunters.
But in the end, I, the current Alpha, had won.
"I'm chairing this meeting. I don't have time for this. Mr. Edmondi, please leave. You're not authorized to be here."
I didn't spare him another glance. Employees were already on their feet, grabbing his arms to drag him out.
Edmondi kept shouting. "You have time for a meeting? Elias, you locked your own father in a psychiatric hospital and stripped him of all power just for this bit of authority!"
I raised my hand, signaling the two men to stop.
The conference room fell silent. I rose from my chair and slowly walked toward the panting Edmondi.
"You're overthinking it. I simply thought that place suited him," I said slowly. I didn't release my dominance to intimidate an old man, but Edmondi stared at me with growing terror, as if he were looking at some horrifying monster. "After all, he once kept someone else there. I'm just following his example. Isn't that right?"
"Or perhaps, Mr. Edmondi, you're worried about Father being lonely?
Would you like to keep him company?"
"I... I..." He couldn't meet my eyes. His gaze darted around evasively.
I sneered at his cowardice and waved my hand. He was dragged out of the office.
The meeting continued as normal. The Edmondi incident was just a trivial interruption that no one cared about.
I thought he was stupid. Not for opposing me, but for failing to understand Alfred at all.
I remembered last winter, when I'd finally stripped Alfred of his Elder status and sent him to the sanatorium. We'd had one last conversation.
He'd aged considerably and even needed a wheelchair to get around. But the way he looked at me still carried that infuriating smugness.
"You've changed, Elias," he'd said. "You've become a worthy Alpha now.
Cold and ruthless, just like me. I knew you could do it. You're my son. You were born for this."
I was disgusted to my core. As always, I pushed back. "I'll never be like you."
"Won't you?" Alfred smiled. "Then do you remember the last time you visited your son? How many times have you seen him? How many times have you held him? If you weren't born cold and heartless, how could you be so indifferent to your own child?"
I couldn't answer.
That day, even though I'd defeated him, I'd still left like a beaten soldier fleeing the field.
… I shook off that unpleasant memory. The meeting ended and people dispersed.
But my work wasn't done.
I stayed in my office until nightfall. Other employees had started going home, but I had no intention of leaving.
Herman knocked and entered. "Alpha, aren't you going home tonight?"
I didn't look up. "There's more work to do. I'm staying."
"Work is never-ending, Alpha." These past four years, Herman had become increasingly bold about defying me. Like now—he walked to my desk and interrupted my work, looking at me with deep concern. "You should go home today. See Arian. He keeps asking me why Daddy never comes home.
You can't keep running away like this."
My hand stopped.
Running away. Yes, I was running away.
Alfred had said it. Herman said it too. I thought so myself.
When it came to the only legacy Serenity had truly left me, the child she'd given birth to, I often couldn't face him. Because I was afraid. Afraid of those pure blue eyes, identical to Serenity's, looking up at me and asking "Where did Mommy go?"
I was afraid of making him sad. I also felt I had no right to be called "Daddy." Serenity had lost her life giving birth to him. What right did I have to be close to her child?
"Alpha." Herman sighed. "If the Luna were still alive, she would never want to see you treat Young Master Arian this way."
I had no response. I stood abruptly and gathered the documents on my desk.
"Let's go," I said coldly, telling him to bring the car around.
Herman was right. I couldn't run from my responsibilities.
I had to face this.
Herman drove me back to the mansion.
I mentally prepared myself before going upstairs to find Arian.
But before I even entered his playroom, I heard voices inside. He wasn't alone. A woman was with him, and their conversation made me frown.
"Arian, look what I brought you! Your favorite chocolate and toy cars. Do you like them?"
"I like them. But I don't want them." Arian said clearly. "Daddy said I can't just accept gifts from outsiders."
"How am I an outsider? I'm going to be with your daddy someday. I'll be your new mommy. We're family!"
"No! Daddy said I have a Mommy! I don't want a new mommy!"
"Your daddy is lying! Arian, the truth is your mommy already —" BANG!
I kicked the door open in fury. When I saw the woman inside, there was no joy, only rage. If she hadn't once saved my life, I would have lost my patience with her long ago.
"Liv!" I snarled at her. "What nonsense are you telling my son?"
Everyone jumped. Arian immediately ran to me and hugged my leg. Liv stood up, her face pale and expression awkward. "I wasn't going to say anything… Elias, I just wanted to build a better relationship with Arian."
I ignored her excuse and said directly, "I told you to inform me before coming to the mansion. And you're not allowed near Arian without permission. Are my orders as Alpha meaningless to you?"
Her expression immediately turned hurt. She stared at me in disbelief.
"You've changed, Elias. You never used to talk to me like this. You should never have kicked me out. I just wanted to come back and check on Arian.
Is that really so wrong?"
"He's Serenity's child." I couldn't understand why Liv still didn't get this.
"He can only be Serenity's child. Not yours."
"But Serenity is already —" "Shut up!" I cut her off in fury for the second time. "Liv, if you dare say those words in front of Arian, savior or not, I will rip out your throat!"
Liv froze. Her face cycled through shades of red and white before she finally ran out of the room, crying into her hands.
"Elias! You'll regret this! You'll absolutely regret treating me this way!" She left behind those threatening words as she went. Something about her eyes unsettled me.
Four years ago, I'd had Herman secretly investigate where Liv had been during the six months she was dead. But the investigation had turned up nothing.
Herman had sent people to every werewolf territory, even rogue areas. But no one recognized her.
It was as if she'd vanished completely, then reappeared out of nowhere.
It was too strange.
It made no sense.
Just then, I felt Arian approach. I crouched down to face my son, setting aside those thoughts for now. "Did I scare you just now, Arian?"
He shook his head. "No. But I don't like Aunt Liv." He looked up at me with those blue eyes, identical to Serenity's. "She keeps trying to make me call her Mommy. I hate that."
My heart clenched.
"Don't worry. You never have to call anyone Mommy if you don't want to. I won't let anyone force you."
His eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Really."
He grabbed my hand excitedly. "Then will you play with me? I want to hear stories about Mommy!"
I hesitated.
I didn't want to refuse him, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth about Serenity. He firmly believed his parents had loved each other. The truth would only break his heart.
I hesitated too long.
His excitement faded. He let go of my hand. "You don't want to play with me?" he asked quietly.
"That's not it, Arian. I just —" "I know. You're always busy. You always have more important things to do." Big tears rolled down his cheeks.
With those words, he ran crying from the room.
I hurried after him, but he'd fled to his bedroom and locked the door. I could only stand helplessly outside.
I had to be the worst father in the world.
I sat in the living room for what felt like half the day. Finally, Lizzie pressed a glass of milk into my hands.
"Young Master Arian always has a glass of milk before bed," she hinted.
"Why don't you bring it to him?"
I nodded and walked to his room.
I knocked. There was no response. I thought Arian was still angry and ignoring me. But soon I realized something was wrong. The room was far too quiet. No sounds, no familiar scent.
"Arian? Arian? Are you in there?" Fenrir grew restless. Without hesitation, I broke the door lock and pushed it open.
The room was silent. The window by the bed was wide open. Moonlight spilled onto the small bed, but the mattress that should have held a sleeping child was completely empty!
I strode to the bed and checked everything. There were no signs of forced entry between the bed and window. The bedding was neatly folded. On the pillow lay a note, written in wobbly crayon:
"Dear Daddy, I'm leaving. I'm going to find Mommy and bring her home, so don't be sad anymore."
Below it were three stick figures holding hands and smiling.
I stared at those stick figures, unable to speak. The glass of milk slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor, milk splashing everywhere.
The open window and the note said it all.
My son had run away from home.