Lorelei POV

"Welcome, Beta Darius."

A middle-aged man hurried over to greet us the moment we stepped out of the SUV, bowing his head respectfully. "We’re honored to have you here again this year."

Darius smiled warmly at the familiar face. "Thank you, Frank. It’s good to be back."

As Frank straightened, his attention shifted to me. Curiosity flickered across his face as he took in my simple clothes and the fact that I’d arrived alongside the Beta himself.

"And this is..." he trailed off politely.

"A friend," Darius answered smoothly, resting a gentle, reassuring hand against my lower back. "She’s joining me today."

"Ah, I see." Frank’s expression immediately softened into a warm, welcoming smile. "Any friend of the Beta is welcome here. Please, come in. The children are already out on the field, and the Alpha has already started setting everything up."

The moment Kaelen was mentioned, my entire body stiffened.

Fortunately, Darius gently ushered me forward, and I managed to keep walking before my hesitation became too obvious.

The orphanage was located in a remarkably remote part of the empire, far away from the busy heart of the territory.

Despite its isolated location, the place was enormous.

It was a sprawling stone estate, beautifully maintained and surrounded by acres of lush green fields that gave the children more than enough space to run, play, and simply be children.

As we followed the paved pathway toward the open field, I glanced around at the peaceful surroundings before leaning a little closer to Darius.

"Why is it built all the way out here?" I asked quietly, unable to hide my confusion. "The empire could easily afford a much better location closer to the city."

"Well..." Darius replied with a small smile. "Truthfully, it was built out here on purpose."

That only made the crease between my brows deepen, and seeing my confusion, Darius let out a soft chuckle.

"Let me explain," he said, guiding me slightly to the side as two workers walked past carrying heavy equipment. "If these children grew up in the main city, they’d constantly be reminded of everything they don’t have. They’d be surrounded by people who either pity them or judge them for not having a proper family name or lineage. Out here, they’re protected from all of that. They have room to just be children, to heal, and to grow without the weight of society crushing them before they’ve even had a chance to find themselves."

I stayed quiet for a moment, letting his words settle in my mind.

"Wow," I finally said, barely noticing the curious glances and respectful bows from the staff members we passed as we continued toward the open field. "I’ve never thought about it like that."

"Most people don’t," Darius replied, a small, proud smile touching his lips. "They see an orphanage and immediately imagine a sad, hopeless place. But for these kids, it’s a sanctuary. It’s a place where they can dream without society constantly reminding them that they’re somehow less than everyone else."

A few moments later, we stepped past the tree line and onto the edge of the massive field.

The first thing that hit me was the sound.

Laughter.

So much laughter.

Dozens of children were scattered across the vibrant green grass, ranging from toddlers who could barely stay on their feet to teenagers nearly old enough to leave the orphanage.

The older teenagers mostly kept to themselves, gathered in small groups near the edges of the field, talking among themselves or helping keep an eye on the younger children.

The middle-aged kids were running all over the place, chasing each other and kicking a ball across the grass with endless energy, their excited shouts echoing through the air.

Others sat beneath a large canvas canopy at rows of small wooden tables, their hands streaked with bright paint as they carefully brushed colorful pictures onto tiny canvases.

But my attention didn’t stay on the games or the painting tables for long.

Instead, my eyes were drawn toward a small crowd gathered around someone standing in the middle of the field.

He was...

I stopped walking altogether, and my breath caught in my throat.

Kaelen.

This was the first time I was seeing him since the incident, and here he was kneeling directly in the vibrant green grass, his dark shirt completely rumpled and stained with dried mud and grass.

His usually immaculate hair was a complete mess. Dark red strands fell across his forehead, and what looked suspiciously like a small leaf was tangled near the top. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his powerful forearms, and both of his hands were covered in thick, dark mud.

He was right in the middle of a mud pie competition.

Three small children sat across from him on the ground, each with their own pile of wet earth. Their little faces were completely serious as they carefully sculpted their masterpieces.

Kaelen was laughing at something one of them had said, his head tipped back and his eyes crinkling at the corners with genuine amusement.

He looked... completely different.

"Uncle Darius is here!"

One of the children waved his muddy hands excitedly in the air, and everyone immediately turned toward us.

Including Kaelen.

His smile froze the second his gaze landed on me.

I quickly lowered my head, looking away from him and focusing instead on the little girl who had just sprinted across the grass and thrown herself straight into Darius’s arms.

"Uncle!" she squealed.

Darius caught her effortlessly and lifted her into the air with a grin. She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, completely unbothered by the mud now smearing across his clean blue shirt.

"Uncle?" I murmured, glancing up at him as he settled the little girl on his hip.

"It’s less intimidating," Darius replied with a grin.

The little girl giggled and tightened her hold around his neck. "Uncle Darius, look! I made a castle!"

Darius immediately turned his attention to the mud creation, making a dramatic show of inspecting it.

"That’s the best castle I’ve ever seen."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"Really. I think you’re a natural artist."

She let out an excited squeal of delight, and I found myself smiling before I could stop it.

For some reason, I looked back at Kaelen, only to find he was still staring at me with a completely unreadable expression.

Then, slowly, one of the children tugged on his sleeve. "Uncle Kaelen, you’re supposed to be making a dinosaur."

He blinked and looked down at the child. "A dinosaur?"

"Yes. A T-Rex!"

"Right. A T-Rex." With that, he stuck his hands back into the mud, but I caught him glancing at me one more time before forcing his attention back to the child, while my heart pounded loudly in my chest.

"Who is she?"

The little girl in Darius’s arms suddenly whispered into his ear, pulling my attention back to them. She pointed a small finger directly at me, her expression full of curiosity.

"She’s my friend, Ella," Darius replied smoothly, and the little girl’s blue eyes immediately sparkled with excitement.

She leaned close to his ear again, clearly trying to be secretive, but failing completely when she loudly whispered, "She’s really pretty."

Heat instantly rushed into my face. I felt a blush creep up my neck at the innocent compliment, and Darius chuckled.

"She is, isn’t she?" he said, deliberately loud enough for me to hear.

The little girl giggled even harder, covering her muddy mouth with both hands as she looked between the two of us.

I had absolutely no idea what to say.

Completely flustered by the attention, I could only offer an awkward smile as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

At the same time, I tried my absolute best to ignore the burning, intense stare I could suddenly feel drilling into the side of my head.