Aria’s POV

"Skip ahead." I instructed Elaine. My voice came out low, almost a growl. Elaine hesitated, clearly confused, but still dragged the progress bar forward.

The moment Tyler’s figure appeared on the screen, Amelia lifted her hand. "Stop."

Both of us leaned closer without realizing it, our breaths held, eyes locked onto the flickering image. My wolf stirred, my senses sharpening as if the past itself were prey we were cornering.

Tyler rushed into the frame, sweat dampening his collar. Even through grainy footage, I could see panic barely contained beneath his forced composure.

"Honey, I’ll go pay the fees right now!" he said, patting his pocket as if reassuring himself more than Talia, before hurrying toward the payment area.

Something felt wrong.

"Pause," I said sharply. "For this same time period, pull up the surveillance from the billing window."

Elaine obeyed.

Tyler appeared again, but this time he didn’t go straight to the counter. Instead, he stopped in a secluded corner and pulled out a thick stack of cash.

My pupils constricted.

Even accounting for inflation, that was easily a hundred thousand dollars.

Over a decade ago.

My wolf bared its teeth in my mind. Impossible. Tyler was just an ordinary worker at a crematorium, no inherited wealth, no underground dealings that we knew of.

He peeled off part of the stack to pay, then retreated again, his shoulders hunched. His phone rang.

The moment he answered, his posture changed completely. He bowed, nodding repeatedly, his face twisted into something servile and fearful.

When the call ended, his knees nearly buckled. His shoulders trembled as if the strength had been sucked straight out of his bones.

I froze the footage and zoomed in on the phone screen, enlarging it again and again.

The contact name glared back at us.

Mr. Darvin.

My claws prickled beneath my skin.

I snapped a photo of the screen, then had Elaine switch back to the maternity ward footage and fast-forward.

Minutes passed in seconds.

Talia soon gave birth. Tyler returned and not long after, mother and child were gone.

Amelia and I straightened slowly, silence settling between us like a heavy fog. There was no triumph in uncovering the truth, only a cold, bitter certainty.

"Please copy the key segments we just reviewed," I said, patting Elaine’s back lightly.

Elaine hesitated, glancing at Director Martina. Only after Martina nodded did she begin.

When the USB drive was finally placed into my palm, it felt heavier than it should have, like it carried the weight of lies buried for twelve years.

Outside, Amelia and I walked out of the hospital side by side.

"What credentials did you show them earlier?" I asked quietly.

Amelia smiled. "Credentials I borrowed from my boss. They establish identity and grant special investigative privileges."

I nodded, but my gaze lingered on her. Borrowing something like that wasn’t easy. She’d done it for me. Warmth spread through my chest, steadying my heartbeat.

Amelia and I grabbed a quick lunch nearby. The small restaurant buzzed with noise as middle school students poured in, laughing and shoving one another.

Then Amelia nudged my arm.

I followed her gaze and my breath hitched. A boy sat alone at a distant table.

He was Tyler’s son, Jackson.

My wolf recognized him instantly. He looked just like his father. His skin was pale, his lips faintly blue, like someone who’d grown up one illness away from collapse. While other kids clustered together, he sat quietly, his shoulders drawn in, his fingers fidgeting.

Amelia and I approached him. "Hi there. Are you by yourself?"

He looked up and froze.

"I... y-yes..."

His heartbeat sped up. I could hear it. Poor thing.

Amelia smiled gently and touched his hair. "May we sit with you? My friend and I are traveling and wanted to ask about the area."

Something about Amelia’s voice made him nod before fear could stop him.

We sat down.

"What did you order?" I asked.

"...Spaghetti."

I glanced at his thin arms and flagged the server. "Two spaghetti orders and add chicken for the young boy."

His eyes widened in alarm, his hands waving frantically.

Amelia laughed softly and ruffled his hair. "It is just payment for letting us sit with you."

His face flushed bright red, heat blooming against pale skin.

When the food arrived, I asked casually, "Why are you eating alone? Is home far? Or is your family busy?"

At the word home, his expression faltered, just for a heartbeat.

Jackson bit his lip, his eyes darting away from mine. I could smell it on him, fear, shame, and pain. He was only a young wolf separated from his pack, trying to act brave while bleeding inside.

I didn’t soften my gaze. Once words were spoken, taking them back would only confuse him.

"My mom and dad... they moved away," Jackson finally said, his voice so quiet it almost vanished beneath the clatter of dishes.

"Moved away?" Amelia’s temper flared instantly. She slammed her palm against the table, the sharp crack echoing through the restaurant. "How can parents be so irresponsible? You’re still a child, why didn’t they take you with them?"

"No!"

Jackson shot to his feet.

The chair screeched backward as his chest rose and fell violently. His hands curled into fists so tight I could hear his nails biting into skin. My wolf stirred, recognizing the posture instantly. He felt like a cornered prey, lashing out before the world could strike first.

All around us, heads turned.

Jackson realized it too. His face burned red as he sat back down, but his eyes stayed locked on Amelia’s. "My mom and dad aren’t irresponsible," he said fiercely. "They had their reasons!"

"Reasons?" I let out a short, cold laugh. "What reason could ever justify abandoning your own child?"