Page 54 of Wolf's Redemption

"She changed her last name six years ago as soon as she came to town. Her business has grown a lot in the last few years, her taxes are up to date, she doesn't have any fines, not even for speeding or running a red light, and she has no debts or credit cards. That woman has managed to stay under the radar." Andrew swallowed hard and pulled out a photo of Cathy holding hands with a boy in front of a kindergarten. "And she has a five-year-old son named Elliot North, and there's no record of who the father is, but if you take a close look at him… I think you could figure it out."

I picked up the photo and brought it close to my face. I couldn't believe my eyes. My heart stopped, and my hands started to sweat. The boy was just like me at that age, with dark eyes, almost black hair, and white skin but with Cathy's eyes and nose. Immediately the night of passion we had, the caresses, the kisses, and how I made her mine came to my mind. I had no doubt that boy was my son.

"Am I a father...?" I said unconsciously.

My Beta didn't know how to react, so he kept his expression neutral. "That's right, that child looks just like you," he replied. "And I think he was that 'baby' who called her."

I put my hands to my head, feeling the excitement but also a bit of regret that I hadn't known.

Why would Cathy keep something like that from me? I'm the father of that child, above anyone else, I deserved to know.

I remembered how nervous and thoughtful she became when I questioned her about running away from the pack and remembered her hesitation in telling me about it. It all started to make sense to me, and I didn't feel fear of losing her anymore but instead intrigued by this situation.

"Thank you, Andrew, you're the best!" I said, taking the picture of the boy and leaving the office.

"Where are you going?" he asked, following me.

"To confront Cathy, I need to hear it from her mouth. I want to know why she hid Elliot from me," I replied, agitated, trotting towards the exit.

"Good luck, Eric," he yelled at me as I ran to my car.

I grabbed the keys, got in the car, and drove with my son's picture on the steering wheel, looking at it every chance I got.

I arrived at the mansion, got out of the car, leaving it running. At that moment, nothing mattered to me. The only thing I wanted was to find Cathy.

"Good evening, sir..." Lucas greeted me, but I rushed past him and didn't even let him finish the sentence.

I walked down the hallway that seemed to drag on until I reached Cathy's door and knocked on it hurriedly. "Hey! It's Eric. We need to talk," I controlled my voice so no one else would hear me.

"Eric?" she said. "Give me a second. I'm..."

I opened the door to find her lying on the bed in the middle of a call, and she hung up as soon as she saw me come in.

"What's wrong? Why are you so agitated?" she asked me, getting out of bed and putting her phone down on the nightstand.

I locked the door and walked towards her, feeling like my heart was going to explode. "I'm going to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth."

She opened her eyes like saucers, her face paled, and she started playing with her fingers. "What is this all about?"

When I was so close to her that I could hear her asynchronous breathing and uncontrolled pulse, I showed her the photograph. "Who's the child?"

Cathy lowered her face, and I held her because I felt she might faint at any moment.

"How did you get that photo?" she asked me nervously.

I handed her the picture and helped her sit on the bed. "I asked my Beta to investigate you because, at the theater, I read the name of the contact and thought you were hiding something related to a man from me, so I did what I had to do."

"I knew it was a matter of time before you found out, but I never thought it would be so fast," she said, looking down at the floor with slumped shoulders. But immediately, she breathed in with pride and looked at me as she said. "That child is our son; his name is Elliot."

I cupped her chin with my hand. "I'm sorry, I should have asked you, and now I understand you had your reasons," I said with relief as everything started to make sense.

"I was afraid. I didn't know how to tell you,” she confessed with her lower lip trembling.

"It's okay,” I said, smiling with shyness. "I'm not mad, just shocked by the news. And I couldn’t be happier to know that I’m a father!"

I sat on the bed, and she leaned back against my chest. Her body was shaking, and she was having trouble breathing. "I'm so sorry you found out like that."

I hugged her and looked at the ceiling, thinking of the times I fantasized about having a family, a son to teach everything I knew, and training together. That fantasy could now be a reality if only Cathy would let me be a part of her life.