The Alpha's Forbidden Vow novel Chapter 19

POV: Selene

Five years.

Five years of quiet, hard-won peace.

Five years of building a life from the wreckage of my past.

Creekwood wasn’t just a hiding place anymore; it was home.

The gnawing terror of the early years had slowly faded, replaced by the steady, resilient rhythm of a life I had built with my own two hands.

I was Selene Rivers, twenty-four years old.

A single mother.

A waitress at The Bluebird Diner.

And the sun, moon, and stars of my son’s universe.

And that was more than enough.

Our life was small but it was ours.

Mornings were a chaotic, happy dance of making toast, finding lost socks, and listening to Leo’s endless, imaginative stories.

Leo.

My heart. My life.

At five, he was a vibrant spark of a boy, all boundless energy and startling intelligence.

He had my brown hair, a soft, unruly mop that refused to be tamed.

But his eyes… they were a constant, painful, beautiful reminder.

Stormy, inquisitive grey eyes, so much like his father’s it sometimes stole my breath.

A world of scraped knees, bedtime stories, and unconditional love.

A world utterly removed from Alphas and Lunas and the cruel politics of power.

Tonight, after tucking him into his bed, I stood in his doorway, watching the soft rise and fall of his small chest in the glow of his rocket ship night-light.

His face was a perfect portrait of innocence, his grey eyes hidden for now behind his eyelids.

In these moments, he wasn't an echo of a painful past.

He was just Leo.

My son.

My world.

A fierce, suffocating wave of love washed over me. I would face any monster, burn down any kingdom, to keep him safe in this small, peaceful life.