Alpha Your Warrior Ex-Wife is Back (by Aurora Starling) novel Chapter 23

Claire’s POV

By the time night came, I was exhausted. There had been too many emotions, too many surprises. It had just been too much. I’d basically been a zombie during my patrol shift. I just wanted to cuddle Nova and sleep.

However, Nova had other plans. As soon as I walked into her room, she pounced on me, “Mama, was that man that came to pick up Leo really my dad?”

I inwardly groaned. As much as I loved my daughter, her curiosity would be the death of me. The bed was only a few feet away, mocking me with how close it was.

“You saw him?”

“Yeah, I was watching out the window since you told me I couldn’t leave the room.” Of course she was. I should have known better. Maybe I should have stuffed her into a closet instead.

“Yes, little wolf. That was your dad.” I didn’t really see any point in denying it. I had told Leo his dad was here to pick him up right in front of her. A mistake on my part.

“Then why couldn’t I meet him?”

The question was innocent, but I could hear the slight tremor in her voice. She was just so young. There was no way that she could understand any of this. I hated that she was in this situation. Hated that Gideon had put us in this situation. Hated that he didn’t even know she existed.

Instead of answering her, I pulled her with me to the bed and climbed in. Holding her close, I ran my fingers through her red hair that was the exact same shade as mine. “Mama is very tired, Nova. I promise that you’ll meet him one day. Just not right now. At least you got to meet your older brother.”

At the mention of Leo, Nova began talking about him excitedly, momentarily forgetting the question she asked. As she talked, I could feel my eyelids getting heavy. I drifted off to sleep to the sound of my daughter’s voice.

***

The next morning, I woke to find Emma tidying up the room and Nova nowhere to be found. I jolted upright in bed, still wired from yesterday’s fiasco. It wasn’t like me to sleep that heavily.

“It’s okay, Claire. Nova’s just in the kitchen eating breakfast. She’s safe,” Emma told me, once again understanding what I was feeling without me having to tell her.

I buried my head in my hands, willing my heartbeat to calm down. Nova was safe. Leo was safe. Both of my kids were safe.

“I don’t mean to overstep, Claire, but I couldn’t help but hear what Nova was asking last night. All Nova wants is a father’s love. It’s all she talks about most days. I know she loves Prince Ivan, but it’s just not the same. He’ll never be her biological father. It’s something to keep in mind,” Emma told me and I knew she was right.

I knew it. And yet I couldn’t let Gideon know that Nova existed. I just couldn’t. There was the very real possibility that he would try to take her away. And I was not going to lose another child. I wouldn’t survive it.

“You could never overstep, Emma. And I know. She deserves to know Gideon. But…” I trailed off. I couldn’t give voice to my thoughts. It would make it too real.

“I know. You don’t have to say it. It’s a shitty situation, all around, pardon my language,” Emma said as she finished tidying up. I rolled out of bed to get ready for the day, wondering what kind of shit storm I would be walking into once I entered Gideon’s

house.

***

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Surprisingly, everything seemed pretty normal at the house. It was like yesterday never even happened. At least, until I ran into Gideon before he left for the day.

“You’re still here,” I said, not too kindly, and Peter coughed, warning me to watch myself.

I bit the inside of my cheek. It was just so hard when Gideon was around.

Gideon’s eyes narrowed at my tone, but he wisely decided to ignore it. “Leo is still a little upset from yesterday. I think it would be really good for him if you were to stay the night. Just tonight, of course.”

I took a step back, not expecting him to invite me to stay the night. There were so many things that could go wrong. Staying would be a very stupid decision. But I also didn’t want to leave if my son was that upset. It would also give me the opportunity to spend even more time with him.