My Son Calls His Father “Alpha” Now Chapter 11
Before, it was Leo and I chasing after him.
When are you coming home? Can you spend time with your son? Do you even love us?
Now, it was the other way around.
But we weren’t looking back.
On holidays, I’d take Leo traveling. We saw the northern lights on the ice plains and surfed in the ocean. We lived well.
Bruce always found out our itinerary and would follow us from a distance.
He’d sit across the terminal at the airport, or a few tables away at breakfast.
When Leo went skiing, Bruce would trail behind, terrified his son might fall.
One time, Leo did fall. Bruce sprinted over.
But Leo was already up, dusting the snow off himself.
“I don’t need help, Alpha.”
Bruce’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air. “Right,” he said softly. “You’re doing great, Leo.”
He learned not to interfere, following us like a ghost.
But that didn’t mean my heart was softening.
Seven months after severing the bond, I started dating.
The first time Bruce caught me was at a French restaurant.
My date was a lawyer from a partner corporation. He was kind and attentive, and he looked me in the eye when he spoke.
He was cutting my steak for me when Bruce walked in.
His face was thunderous.
He strode over, his furious Alpha aura pressing down on the entire room.
“Avril, who is he?”
I put down my fork. “Does it matter to you?”
Bruce glared at my date. “Are you that desperate to find a replacement?”
I laughed. “Bruce, have you forgotten? We’re not mates anymore. And don’t you dare use your Alpha tone on me. You haven’t earned the right.”
Right in front of him, I blocked his number again.
He backed off for a while after that.
The second time he saw me on a date, he was smarter.
He didn’t say anything, just followed us with a grim face.
From the mall to the parking lot.
Finally, I snapped. I turned and warned him, “Bruce, if you do this again, I’ll get a restraining order from the pack council. And if you ever use your Alpha presence to scare Leo, I’ll have your visitation rights restricted.”
He stopped cold, looking like a kicked puppy.
“I was just worried about you!
I stared at him. “I don’t need your worry. The time for that has long passed.”
By the seventh time, he had finally learned.
I was at the amusement park with Leo and my new boyfriend, a wolf who was three years younger than me.
He was great with pups, playing on the thrilling rides with Leo and taking pictures of us.
Leo was having the time of his life.
Bruce followed us all day.
During the fireworks show that night, Leo held my hand on one side and my boyfriend’s on the other, gazing up at the sky.
Bruce stood behind us in the crowd, his eyes red with jealousy.
After the show, he shuffled over to me.
“Avril.”
I looked up. “Yes?”
He glanced at the young man buying Leo an ice cream nearby, his voice low and raspy.
“Date whoever you want. I won’t stop you. But… can you just… not take another mate?”
I stared at him for a second, then laughed.
Leo came back with his ice cream just in time to hear. He laughed, too.
He looked up at Bruce. “Alpha, are you begging my mom?”
Bruce’s face flushed, but he didn’t deny it.
“Yes.”
Leo licked his ice cream, thinking it over.
“But it’s my mom’s choice who she wants to be with. You didn’t treasure her when you had her, so you don’t get a say now.”
The light in Bruce’s eyes dimmed.
Looking at him, I felt like I was seeing a stranger.
The Alpha I had once placed at the center of my universe now stood before me, pathetic and full of regret.
But I felt no satisfaction, no desire for revenge.
Just… peace.
“Bruce,” I said. “You know, all I ever wanted was for you to look back and see me and Leo. But now I realize, there was never anything that special about you. You weren’t worth the wait.”
He shook his head, his eyes pleading. “Avril, I know I was wrong. Please, just give me one more chance.”
I smiled a little.
“Your apology is accepted. But love that arrives this late… it’s worthless to me now.”
Bruce stood there, lost.
Leo took my hand. “Let’s go home, Mom.”
I nodded.
My boyfriend walked over and naturally took the bag from my other hand.
Leo skipped beside me, chattering about how the moonberries in our yard must be ripe by now.
I glanced back one last time.
Bruce was still standing in the darkness, long after the fireworks had faded.
He watched us walk away, silent tears streaming down his face.
But that had nothing to do with me anymore.
Leo rarely mentioned Bruce after that. When he came to visit, Leo was always polite.
He accepted the gifts and said thank you.
Then he would go back to his own life.
One day, he asked me, “Mom, is it okay for me to love someone else one day?”
My heart clenched. I knelt and hugged him tight.
“Of course, my love. But always remember: before you love anyone else, you have to love yourself first.”
He nodded seriously.
“You too, Mom.”
“I will,” I said, smiling.
The evening breeze rustled through our yard.
Moonberry vines climbed the little trellis.
Leo was crouching down, excitedly counting how many new red berries had appeared that day.
I stood in the doorway, watching the sunset glow on his face, feeling a sense of peace I had never known before.
My phone lit up.
A message from Bruce.
[Avril, today is our mating anniversary.]
[I miss you both so much.]
I glanced at it and didn’t reply.
From inside, I heard Leo’s voice.
“Mom, come eat some moonberries!”
I smiled and walked toward him.
Behind me, the door to the past was closed for good.
Ahead of us lay our new life.
