"We need to leave now," I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
Richard moved quickly, lifting Cody onto his shoulders in one smooth motion. My son giggled despite my rising panic, his small hands gripping Richard's dark hair for balance.
"This is the second time this week," I muttered, pressing my palm against my damp forehead. "That's exactly why I leave him home when I go into the market district. He draws too much attention. Wolves stop to stare at him. Some even try to touch his hands."
Nonna glanced out the window of Richard's vehicle, her auburn curls catching the afternoon light. "Well, whose fault is that? You decided to have the most adorable pup in the entire kingdom."
"I wish I could find someone to give me a pup half as cute," Nonna added with a dramatic sigh.
Richard caught her eye in the rearview mirror and smiled. I noticed the way his gaze lingered. Something was happening between them, something that made my chest feel lighter despite our current predicament.
"You're insufferable," I said, forcing annoyance into my tone. "Are you saying I'm not pretty enough to have produced such a handsome son?"
Richard steered us away from the busy pack square, and I exhaled when he rolled up all the windows. No one could see Cody now. We would make it home safely.
"You're gorgeous, obviously," Nonna said, twisting in her seat to look at me. "But this boy doesn't look anything like you. His features are all his father. That's where the cuteness comes from."
The words hung in the air like smoke.
"You know my daddy?" Cody's small voice cut through the tension.
My stomach dropped. Nonna froze, her eyes meeting mine in the mirror. Richard's hands tightened on the steering wheel.
"Tell me, Aunt Gene," Cody continued, his voice trembling. "Do you know my daddy? I want to meet him."
His face crumpled, and the first sob tore from his throat.
"Cody, sweetheart, I..." My words died. I had rehearsed this conversation a thousand times in my head, but nothing had prepared me for the raw need in my son's eyes.
"How about this," Richard said suddenly, pulling the vehicle to the side of the road. "How about you call me godfather? It's almost the same as having a real father. I'll love you exactly the way your father would."
Cody wiped at his tears with the back of his hand. "Really? You'll be my godfather?"
Nonna pulled him into her arms, her fingers gentle as she dried his cheeks. "Really."
"Is that okay?" Richard asked, turning to look at me.
I nodded, my throat too tight for words. "Yes, baby. Richard is your godfather now."
"Then Aunt Gene should be my godmother," Cody announced, his tears already forgotten.
Nonna stiffened. "I... well..."
Richard was watching her again, his gray eyes intent. He didn't look away, didn't pretend he wasn't staring.
"Yes," Nonna said softly. "I'm your godmother."
Cody beamed, and my heart cracked a little more.
What I didn't know was that someone had captured a photograph of Cody in the market. By the time we reached my small cottage on the edge of pack territory, the image had already spread through the kingdom's communication network.
Queen Mother Amelia Blackwood sat in her private chambers, scrolling through the pack network on her tablet when she saw him. The boy with silver eyes and sharp features that could belong to only one bloodline.
She had been trying to convince her younger son to take a mate for years. Alpha John always found excuses, usually involving his older brother. Since Jack hasn't found his mate yet, John would say, he preferred to wait.
But Jack was different. He was steady, responsible, and too focused on running the kingdom to engage in meaningless affairs. John, however, had a reputation that made Amelia's wolf snarl with frustration.
She pressed the call button for her eldest son.
"Mother," Jack answered on the second ring.
"I need you and John home for dinner tonight," she said without preamble. "Your father will be there as well. There's a picture circulating of a pup. I believe he belongs to John. Handle it quietly, but find him. He's likely the result of one of your brother's conquests."
"Understood."
Jack stared at the image after disconnecting. The boy had the Blackwood features, sharp and unmistakable. But something about him felt familiar in a way that went beyond family resemblance.
John appeared in his office doorway minutes later. "Did you see the picture? That pup on the network..."
"He's probably yours," Jack interrupted, his voice cold. "This is what happens when an alpha refuses to control his impulses. You have a son, and you didn't even know he existed. How many others are out there?"
John's jaw tightened. "Until we do a bloodline test, I won't claim him. I've already ordered Nicolas to remove every trace from the network. We don't need a scandal."
"Find him," Jack commanded. "Send trackers. No Blackwood heir should be living outside our knowledge. You need to be more careful about which wolves you bed without protection."
"I'll have him investigated and locate his mother," John said before leaving.
Jack returned his attention to the image. The unease wouldn't leave him. The pup looked like John, yes, but he also looked remarkably like Jack himself. More than an uncle's resemblance should account for.
He wanted answers. He wanted the bloodline test done immediately. If the pup truly carried Blackwood blood, he would bring him to the castle himself.
That evening, John arrived at Blackwood Castle first. His parents were already in the great hall, his mother's anger radiating through her wolf.
"You've put our entire bloodline at risk," his father growled. "The reputation we've built for generations, and you're destroying it with your recklessness."
Jack entered as his mother continued the lecture. John sat silently, his head bowed, unable to defend himself.
"I'm sorry, Father," John finally said. "I'll be more careful next time when I'm with..."
"Careful next time?" Queen Mother Amelia's voice rose. "You should be thinking about taking a mate and showing some loyalty. Find this pup's mother. If she's unmated, you'll marry her. I want you to stop this behavior, John."
"Mother, if we're discussing mating, shouldn't you be talking to Jack?" John shot back.
Jack's wolf stirred, a low warning growl building in his chest. His brother had no idea what he was about to unleash.