Aurora’s P.O.V
I swallowed, emotions warring inside me. Why did he always have to say things like that? Things that made my heart clench and my walls crack just a little bit more? I looked away, focusing on the sound of the waves in the distance.
I had thought this would be simple. Just a small conversation, an adjustment—one that would make things easier for both of us. I glanced up at him, watching the way the dim light caught the sharp angles of his face, the quiet patience in his eyes. He was waiting for me to speak.
"I was thinking," I began softly, hesitating only for a moment before pressing on. "Maybe we could… spend some nights in each other’s rooms. Not every night, just… sometimes." I forced a small smile, trying to ease the weight of what I was asking. "That way, we still have our space, and Riley won’t feel left out either."
Caleb didn’t react immediately. He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression unreadable. The silence stretched between us, thick and almost suffocating, until finally, he exhaled and nodded.
"That makes sense," he said, his voice even. "I like that idea."
Relief washed over me. For some reason, I had expected resistance—not because Caleb wouldn’t want this, but because things between us had always been a delicate balance. And then, just as I was about to relax, he spoke again.
"But Aurora…" His voice was quieter this time, careful, almost hesitant. I looked at him, and that was when I saw it—the question forming in his eyes before he even said the words. "When are you going to tell Riley?"
My breath caught in my throat. I didn’t need to ask what he meant. I knew.
The air between us shifted, the warmth from just seconds ago disappearing like a flame snuffed out too soon. I swallowed, my hands curling into fists against my sides. "Tell Riley what?" I asked, even though we both knew I wasn’t really asking.
Caleb’s gaze didn’t waver. "That Ashton and the others are your half-siblings."
I felt my entire body tense, a storm brewing in my chest that I didn’t know how to contain. My heart pounded against my ribs, a quiet but insistent reminder that this moment was inevitable, no matter how much I had tried to avoid it.
"I—" I started, but no words came. I looked away, my nails digging into my palms. "I don’t know," I admitted finally, my voice barely above a whisper.
Caleb sat up, his arms dropping to his sides. "Aurora, he deserves to know. You can’t keep this from him forever. And kids his age…are overly curious."
"I know that," I snapped, sharper than I intended. I forced myself to take a breath, to push down the frustration that wasn’t truly aimed at him. "I know," I repeated, softer this time. "But it’s not that simple, Caleb."
"Why isn’t it?" He asked, his brows drawing together. "He loves you. He trusts you. Hiding this—" He shook his head. "It’s only going to hurt him in the long run, especially if he accidentally gets to know it from someone else. And we can’t stop the pack from talking…"
I looked at him then, really looked at him, and the weight of what he was saying pressed down on me like an unbearable force. He was right. And that was the worst part.
"I’m scared," I admitted, my voice raw. "What if he feels betrayed? What if he thinks I’ve been lying to him this whole time? I didn’t want to keep it from him, but every time I tried to imagine telling him, I just—" I swallowed, my throat tight. "I can’t."
Caleb sighed, his features softening. He reached out then, his fingers brushing against mine before closing around my hand. His touch was grounding, steady. "Aurora," he murmured, his thumb tracing slow circles against my skin. "It’s alright…I know you want to take your time, but you must feed him information slowly but surely since he is so young. Trust me, he loves you. He’ll understand."
I felt my eyes sting, but I blinked quickly, refusing to let the tears fall. I wished I had his certainty. I wished I could believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that Riley would look at me the same way after he knew the truth.
But the truth had a way of changing things.
I squeezed his hand, holding on as if that alone could keep everything from spiraling out of control. "I’ll tell him," I whispered, though the words felt like glass in my throat. "Just… not yet."
“Aurora…I can understand what you mean, but—”
“No, Caleb…I can’t.” I told him, effectively cutting him off.
My chest felt tight, my heartbeat loud in my ears, but my voice was steady, unwavering. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t want Riley to know. Ever.” I said it without hesitation, without leaving room for argument.
Caleb exhaled, his fingers tightening around the edge of the table, but he didn’t interrupt. He knew me well enough to let me speak, to help clear my mind.
“I don’t care what the DNA test says. Ashton, Maggie, and Avery may be my half-siblings by blood, but they are nothing to me. I never knew them until a few days ago and I will never be as close to them no matter how much time passes.” My voice cracked, but I pushed through. “But Riley? Riley is mine. Not just my brother—he’s my son in every way that matters. I raised him. I held him when he cried, fed him when he was hungry, stayed up with him when he was sick. I taught him his first words, his first steps. I have been the only constant in his life, Caleb. And I will not let anything change that.”
I could feel the weight of Caleb’s silence pressing down on me, but I didn’t stop. “He’s too young to understand this—any of it. He doesn’t deserve to have his world shattered by things that don’t matter, by people who have never been there for him. I won’t let them take that innocence from him. I won’t let them take him from me.”
Caleb ran a hand down his face, his brows knitting together. “Aurora… you don’t have to do this alone.”
I shook my head, the lump in my throat growing heavier. “I’m not alone. I have him, and I have you, and that’s enough.” I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe. “I don’t need this…truth to be dumped onto him. And neither does he.”
Caleb looked at me then, really looked at me, and I knew he saw it—the fierce, unyielding love that burned inside me for Riley. The kind of love that would tear the world apart before letting anything happen to him.
He sighed, nodding once. “Okay.”
That was all I needed.
I took a deep breath, watching Caleb’s expression shift as he nodded, his gaze searching mine for any sign of hesitation. "But, Aurora," he said, his voice softer now, almost hesitant. "I didn’t want you to feel like I was forcing you to choose. I just needed to know—are you really sure about this?" His fingers twitched at his side, his telltale sign of nervousness, something I had learned to notice over the past few months.
I stepped closer, reaching for his hand and gripping it firmly, grounding both of us. "Caleb, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life," I said, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions churning inside me. "I will protect Riley at all costs. No matter what it takes, I won’t let anything happen to him." The weight of my own words settled heavily on my chest, but there was no room for doubt. Not now.
He exhaled, his shoulders relaxing just slightly, though I could still see the conflict in his eyes. "I trust you," he murmured, his thumb grazing the back of my hand. "I just—" He paused, looking away for a moment before meeting my gaze again. "I know what you’re sacrificing. And I know how much this means to you."
I swallowed hard. There was no use pretending this wasn’t difficult, that the choice I had made wouldn’t change everything. But I had already accepted that reality. "Some things are worth it," I whispered. "And Riley is one of them."
For a long moment, we just stood there, the quiet night air wrapping around us, the distant hum of the city below fading into nothing. Then, without another word, Caleb squeezed my hand and gestured toward the door. "Come on," he said. "Let’s go back."
I nodded, stealing one last glance at the terrace before following him inside, completely unaware that in the shadows above, someone had already been there, listening, absorbing every word we had just said.