Several pack members had stopped in front of a large outdoor screen displaying the local news channel. Curious murmurs filled the air, and someone suddenly gasped, pointing toward the screen.
I followed their gaze.
And my heart stopped.
There he was.
Alpha Xavier.
Still dressed in his usual attire—black shirt, dark jeans—without even a hint of the wedding suit he was supposed to wear. In his arms, he held a small boy tightly, cradling him with unmistakable care.
The headline flashed boldly across the bottom of the screen:
“Alpha Xavier Raven Rescues Child from Rogue Attack Near Kindergarten.”
Reporters crowded around him, throwing questions his way, but I barely heard any of it. My attention was fixed on the way he held the boy—so protective, so gentle. There was relief in his eyes, warmth in his expression. His entire demeanor radiated tenderness.
For a moment, the thought crossed my mind that he looked… like a father.
Then a sharp realization struck me.
Why wasn’t he wearing his wedding suit? Where was the urgency? The apology? The realization that he was supposed to be standing beside me before the Moon Goddess at that very moment?