Kayden

The café was quiet mid-morning. I had picked it because it was out of town, where fans could easily recognize me.

There was soft jazz playing in the background and the rich aroma of fresh coffee filling the air as I entered.

I pushed open the glass door, my steps slightly stiff from the lingering soreness despite Rhys’s soothing touch earlier.

My eyes scanned the room until they landed on her.

Linda was already waiting at a corner table near the window, her hands wrapped tightly around the glass of water in front of her.

When she noticed me, she waved and smiled brightly.

Even with my disguise of the face cap and dark shades, she recognized me immediately.

She stood up quickly as I approached. "Thank you," she said, her voice soft and trembling. "I really appreciate you for coming."

I pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down without returning the smile. "I don’t care about pleasantries. Get straight to the point."

Linda’s shoulders tensed, but she nodded. "We should at least have something to drink first." She raised her hand and signaled the server.

When the young man arrived, she turned to me. "What would you like?"

I kept my tone flat. "A cup of coffee. Black."

She gave the same order for herself, and the server walked away.

Once we were alone again, Linda attempted a small, awkward smile. "You like coffee like your father."

I frowned at the mention of my father. I didn’t care about that man. I never did. "Please get straight to the point."

She exhaled shakily and looked down at her hands for a moment. "I was shocked when I heard your father’s name last night. The last I heard about him was that he was in prison. I never expected that I would ever hear it again or find out that you are my son."

My jaw tightened as I spoke. "Oh, so you knew all along that he was in prison and you never once tried to find out where I was? You never cared enough to find the son he left behind or what had happened to me?"

Linda’s eyes widened and I noticed the guilt flickering across her face, but she didn’t deny it.

The server returned with our coffees, setting the mugs down gently.

"Thank you," Linda said to the server, who nodded politely before walking away.

I ignored mine, leaning forward instead.

"You have no idea what it was like," I began. "Living with him all those years. The abuse he subjected me to, the nights I wondered if I’d even make it to morning. You left me there with him and walked away without looking back. I was just a kid, and you abandoned me to that monster!" My voice rose until I was almost screaming. "How could you have done that to me!"

Tears streamed down Linda’s face with every word I let out, but I didn’t stop. I told her everything I had felt while living with my father.

Every bitter memory I had buried came pouring out.

When I finally paused, I noticed how her hands were shaking as she reached for her coffee.

She took a small sip, then set the mug down. "I know I failed you, Derek. But please..."

"Don’t call me that," I warned. "My name is Kayden."

She nodded. "I am sorry," she apologized and let out another sigh. "I am sorry for everything you had to go through, but please... you can’t tell Raymond about this. And do tell Rhys not to tell him too, because I don’t want him to find out, at least not now when he is about to join the league."

I stared at her with disbelief. This wasn’t what I had expected her to say after I had poured out how I felt.

"I haven’t told him anything," she went on quickly, the words tumbling out in a rush. "It’s better this way. He’s happy right now, and bringing all of this up would only hurt him. I need to protect him. He doesn’t need to know about the past, about your father, about any of it. He wasn’t born for that life or to know anything about it, so I plan on keeping it that way."

The selfishness of her words hit me harder than anything else she had said. After everything I had endured alone, after all the years of abuse from the man she left me with, I had expected a bit of sympathy, but her first real concern was still protecting her other child—while I sat right in front of her, carrying scars she had helped create.

"So you think I was born for that life? That I was made to endure the abuse!"

Linda’s eyes darted around the café as if she were terrified someone might overhear. She leaned forward, lowering her voice to a whisper. "No, Dere... Kayden. That is not what I meant. Raymond is joining the Northern Avalanche in the next season and this has always been his dream. That is why I am concerned about him. He has been looking forward to it for years and I don’t want anything to disrupt his career."

I stared at her with disgust and let out a scoff. "Really?" I asked, tightening my hands around the edge of the table until my knuckles turned white. "So... you called me here just to talk about that? To talk about Raymond? You have no remorse, no feelings at all? After everything I just told you about what I went through, all you care about is protecting your precious Raymond and keeping me out of the spotlight?"

"I do have remorse," Linda said quickly, her voice cracking with desperation. "I do have feelings. That’s why I called you. I wanted to see you, to explain—"

"No!" I cut her off, my voice rising as pain and fury surged through me like fire in my veins.

I slammed my palm lightly on the table, making the coffee mugs tremble. "You never cared about me, which is why you left me with that monster! When you found out the monster was in prison, you never once tried to reach out to me. It’s like I never existed in your world." I shifted on the chair. "What was the reason? What was the reason you had to leave me with him? Was I such a bad child? Was I not planned? Was I not good enough? Did I mean nothing to you?"

Tears burned hot in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall, especially not in front of someone like Linda.

My chest heaved with every harsh breath as the old wounds tore open again. "You don’t deserve to be a mother!"

Linda’s face paled. She glanced around nervously and then whispered, "Because you’re an omega!"

The words landed like a slap across my face.

I let out a bitter, broken laugh that echoed sharply through the quiet café. "That’s why? Even you are an omega yourself, so why do you feel the need to think you have to have an alpha or a beta child? Why?"

"Because omegas are restricted to so many things!" Linda snapped, her hands shaking as she gripped her mug tightly. "I didn’t want that life for myself, and I didn’t want it for my child. That’s why I left. I wanted more. I wanted freedom and Kelvin was not a good husband."

My laugh died in my throat, replaced by a cold, hollow stare. "So you knew that Kelvin was a bad man yet you had a child with him!" I slammed my hands on the table again. "I didn’t ask to be born! I never did." I paused for a moment before speaking up again.

"So after you got your alpha son, now have you gotten everything you wanted? Are you ashamed that the one who is doing better among your sons is the omega? The one you abandoned is the one actually making something of himself? The son you abandoned is the one in the spotlight? Wouldn’t it be a crazy headline if I reveal to the world that Raymond is my brother? That will give him the fame he wants!"

Linda’s eyes flashed with panic. She leaned closer, whispering harshly. "Why would you do that to him? And also, you should leave the league before they find out about your secret. That could affect your brother. It could ruin everything for Raymond."

"It’s all about the brother, brother, brother!" I exploded, pushing my chair back with a harsh scrape that cut through the café’s soft music. "You will never care about me. Coming here was a waste of my time! This was a mistake!"

I stood up abruptly, breathing hard, my fists clenched so tightly at my sides that my nails dug into my palms. "Never contact me again!"

"Derek—" Linda started, reaching out a trembling hand.

"Never ever call me that!" I shouted at her.

The few other customers fell completely silent, staring openly now.

"You ruined my life enough, Linda, and now that you have shown me who you truly are, here is what I have for you."

I placed my hands on the table and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "You are a terrible person, much more terrible than Kelvin, and I hope Raymond finds out about who you truly are. I hope karma hit you so bad. I hope the Calder’s family throw you out and I wish you nothing but a lifetime of misery."

Without waiting to see her reaction, I turned and stormed out of the café, hoping it would be the last time I ever saw her again.