Alpha Enzo (and Alaria) novel Chapter 61

Alaria:

“Thank you for doing this, Enzo.” I said, watching as Ashton slept on the couch.

It was already past his bedtime, and by the time we were almost done, it was Enzo and I working on it as our little one figured that it would be best for him to ‘rest’.

“I should be the one thanking you. For including me in this, I mean.” He said, and I smiled.

“You don’t need to thank me. He is our son, regardless of the issues between us, you know that I have one thin line, and it is the rights of children with their parents. No matter the issue.” I said, choosing to be honest. It was one of the hardest decisions for me to initially take when I signed the divorce papers as I knew that I was pregnant. But I knew that it was for the best for Ashton.

Had my baby been born in such a toxic place, then I knew that I wouldn’t have managed things to go the way that I wanted them to.

“You know, Katherine and I have been married for years now, and most of the time when she addresses Alonso; she says that he is HER son. The woman never bothered to acknowledge me as his father despite being my wife. You, my ex, the woman that…

“He is our son, and I have a different perspective when it comes to raising my children. The last thing that I would want is for him to grow torn apart. He has both his parents living under one roof, I am going to be sure that he gets the best out of it, regardless of our past, Enzo.” I said, stopping him. I didn’t like to be compared, and I knew that it was unhealthy, even for him, to be comparing this way.

Enzo kept his eyes on me for a second, and though he didn’t say anything else, I knew that he was annoyed. “Do you want to tell me what’s bothering you?”

“How do you know that something is bothering me?” He shot back, and I scoffed.

“Enzo, one person in this world knows you more than anyone…”

“You don’t know me, Alaria.” He said, and I raised an eyebrow at him. “The man that you think you know, died a long time ago. I am not him and I think that it is better if you start keeping that in mind. It would be better, even for you, to stop holding onto things that are not real.”

“I am not holding on, Enzo. Not to you, not to this house, and not to anything that is related. But I do know you, and I know very well that something is bothering you. Regardless of what it is, I am not going to press on you to tell me. It is the least of my concern. I was merely trying to be kind to you.” I said, and he rolled his eyes.

“Keep your kindness for those who ask for it. I don’t need it, nor do I need your pity.” He said, and I nodded.

“Very well,” I said, raising my hands in mock surrender. “If you don’t mind, I have a son to take to his room. You know, it is a while past his bedtime. And I think that you wouldn’t care about me staying around to speak to listen, right…?”

“Are we going to school early today, mama?” Ashton asked, and I shook my head.

“No, baby. You know that I don’t like sending you to school early. But the two of us are going to go out for breakfast today. Like we did back at home. It’s been a very long time since we’ve done so.” I said, and his eyes brightened.

“YES!” He said, and I laughed. Enzo’s eyes met mine as we were walking down the stairs. Ashton looked at Enzo and ran toward him, and though I was annoyed with the Alpha, I couldn’t help but smile when Enzo bent down and carried him in his

arms.

“Where are you going this early in the morning?” Enzo asked, smiling at Ashton when he saw that he was ready with his uniform. I was going to drop him off to school from wherever he chose for us to have breakfast.

“Mama and I are going out for breakfast!” He said, growing excited. Enzo looked at me, but I looked away from him, not wanting to think of speaking to him. I was annoyed with the way that he spoke to me, I wasn’t going to deny that.

“I see,” Enzo said, putting Ashton down. “Are you excited to go?”

“Yes! Mama and I always went out before. It happened a lot, and I always loved it!” He said, and Enzo smiled. It was a bond between my son and I, one that I knew that I never had with my mother. I wanted it for my child. I wanted him to be open with me, to speak to me, and to tell me about what he was thinking. It brought me closer to him, and I knew that he was growing closer to me.

“Well, I hope that you have fun.” Enzo said, and Ashton smiled. “But can I speak to your mom first?”

Ashton nodded, and I took a step back. “Ashton, please wait for me in the living room, baby.”

“Okay, mama.” I smiled, watching as he walked toward the living room before turning my attention to the Alpha whose eyes were fixed on me. I shook my head in question, waiting for what he was going to say.

“I don’t want to speak to you, Enzo. But I am choosing to be respectful toward you in front of my son.” I said, and he nodded.

“I understand, and for that, I am going to thank you. But the two of us need to talk.” He said, and I raised an eyebrow in question.

“I doubt that the two of us have anything to talk about, Enzo.” I said calmly. I didn’t want to argue with him right now, but I also didn’t want to speak to him. I wanted my peace, especially in mornings like this one.

“I think we do,” he said, and I raised an eyebrow.

“What is going on?”

“If he thinks that he is smart, then the two of us are going to be smarter, Alaria.”

“He is trying to turn YOU against me. He knows the boundaries of our rules and ways, and he knows, as well as he knows his name, that this is going to set the two of us against one another. It is what he wants.” Alaria said, looking down at her feet as she pinched the bridge of her nose. I looked at her for a second, debating on what we could do.

I knew that she was being honest. She wasn’t the type to lie to cover for things anyway, and she knew, regardless of the situation, with him being an Alpha, we were of the same rank. The man was allowed to be with her IF the two of them wanted it. And I had no right to stop them, I wouldn’t even take my son if that was the case. At least, not without a fight.

“Well, as long as you knew that, why didn’t you tell me that he approached you?” I asked, and she raised an eyebrow.

“You’re really questioning my decisions now, Enzo?” She asked, shaking her head in question. “I don’t even have to answer to you. But I am being kind enough to do so, respecting the fact that you are my son’s father, and there is also the fact that I have enough respect for you not to involve myself with your partner.”

“The man is playing a tough game of revenge. He aims for it because I chose to ignore an idea that he wanted. I had him dismissed in front of the men, all of us have agreed on something, he doesn’t seem to believe that we are right. I have to admit, I didn’t expect him to take it out on you.” I said, and she took a deep breath. “But I know what we can do to play his own game.”

“You are going to play a game of media?” Alaria asked, and I smirked. The woman really did know me well.

“Do you have a better option? We haven’t been seen together since you came, and I believe that it is about time that we announce that we are co-parents. Ashton is not going to stay hidden in the dark, and being my heir…”

“You claimed him a bastard.” She said, stopping me.

“The two of us know that he is no bastard. I would rather be stabbed in the gut than to believe that you would be lying about something like that. And even IF I did see you sleeping with another man, I would claim that my eyes lied. That I was drunk.” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

Alaria kept her eyes on mine, and for the first time since she came to the house, she seemed to relax. It was as if a weight on her shoulders dropped, and I knew that it was due to what I said.

“How are you so sure?” She asked, shaking her head in question. I smirked, shrugging my shoulders as I did.

“You are not the only one in this relationship, regardless of how it was and how it ended, that knew me well. I know who you are, and I know your ways. You are not a backstabber nor are you a liar. It is something that I respect in you.” I said, and she smiled, looking down at her feet.

“It took you five years…”

“It took me a day after I got married.” I said, stopping her. Alaria’s eyes widened, and I looked at the living room door where Ashton was sitting on the couch as one of the maids told him a story to keep him busy. “I’ll be waiting in the car for you. I think that joining for breakfast would be the best option for us to start with our plan. And judging by the circumstances, you know that the press would be a little more excited with the news of seeing the two of us together…”