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Emma's first day in the Wilson estate kitchen passed in a blur of activity. The space was a chef's dream: gleaming stainless steel counters, professional-grade appliances, and a pantry stocked with ingredients she had only seen in magazines. She prepared a simple lunch of grilled salmon and fresh salads, her hands moving on autopilot while her mind raced.

James had not appeared since the interview. His absence both relieved and unnerved her. Ryan played in the adjoining sunroom, his laughter a comforting anchor. She had brought him along, citing childcare issues, and no one objected.

At two o'clock, Martha the maid entered. She was an older woman with kind eyes and a no-nonsense demeanor. "Mr. Wilson requests your presence in the study. Bring the boy."

Emma's stomach knotted. She wiped her hands on her apron and took Ryan's hand. "Come on, sweetheart. Time to meet someone."

They walked the echoing halls. Ryan skipped beside her, oblivious to the tension coiling in her chest. The study door stood open. James waited inside, his posture rigid. He turned as they entered, his gaze locking on Ryan.

The air thickened. James's eyes widened, a mix of awe and possession crossing his features. He knelt slowly, bringing himself to Ryan's level. "Hello, Ryan. I am James."

Ryan tilted his head, studying him with the intense focus children sometimes have. "You look like me."

James's breath hitched. "Yes. I do." He extended a hand, palm up. Ryan placed his small one in it without hesitation.

A jolt seemed to pass between them. Emma saw it, a visible crackle of energy that made the air shimmer. James closed his eyes briefly, as if savoring the contact. When he opened them again, they gleamed with an amber light that made Emma's pulse stumble.

She watched, her heart aching. Warmth spread through her chest, unwanted and confusing. This man had been a stranger, yet the bond was instant and undeniable. Her body betrayed her with a longing she fought to suppress.

"Ryan, why don't you explore the books while I talk to your mom?" James suggested gently, his voice softer than she had ever heard it.

Ryan nodded and wandered to the shelves, immediately absorbed by a large illustrated volume. James stood, turning to Emma. His voice lowered. "He is extraordinary. I can feel it."

"What do you mean?" She kept her tone even, though fear prickled her skin.

"He has power. Like me." James stepped closer, his scent enveloping her. Her pulse quickened, memories stirring. "You have noticed things. Strength beyond normal. Intuition."

She nodded reluctantly. "Yes. But I thought it was my imagination."

"It is not." His hand brushed her arm, sending heat through her. She pulled back, but the touch lingered on her skin like a brand. "He is my heir. Part wolf."

The words hung in the air, absurd yet somehow explaining everything. Ryan's feats of strength, his strange dreams, the way animals responded to him. Emma's mind reeled. "Wolf? That is impossible."

James's eyes darkened, the amber glow intensifying. "Not for us. My family, we are shifters. Werewolves."

She laughed, the sound brittle and desperate. "You are serious."

"Deadly." He moved to the window, staring out at the manicured grounds. "I should have sensed it years ago when we met. But you left before I could understand what had happened between us."

"I did not hide him. I survived." Anger flared, overriding shock. Her body trembled, adrenaline surging through her veins.

Ryan called from the corner. "Mom, look at this book. It has pictures of wolves."

James smiled faintly. "He knows instinctively. The blood calls to him."

Emma crossed to Ryan, protective instincts kicking in. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "We are leaving."

James blocked the door, moving faster than should have been possible. "You cannot. Not now. He needs training. Control."

"Or what?" She challenged, though fear twisted inside her like a living thing.

"Or he could hurt someone. Himself." James's voice softened, a plea beneath the command. "Let me help. Let me teach him what he is before it is too late."

She searched his face. Sincerity mixed with command, vulnerability beneath the authority. Her body responded to his nearness, a pull she could not deny no matter how hard she fought it. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I am his father." He reached for her hand, but she stepped back. "And because I never stopped thinking about you. Even when I hated you for leaving, I could not forget."

The admission hung between them. Heat flooded her face. She remembered the penthouse, the tenderness mixed with passion. But that was before the misunderstanding, before six years of separation.

Ryan tugged her sleeve. "Mom, I like it here. Can we stay?"

She knelt, meeting his eyes. Amber flecks gleamed in the brown, just like James's. Her son was already changing, already becoming something she could not fully protect him from alone. "For now, sweetheart."

James exhaled, relief visible in the way his shoulders dropped. "Thank you."

As evening fell, Emma prepared dinner in the vast kitchen. Her mind whirled with revelations. Werewolves. A hidden world exists alongside the human one. She chopped vegetables with forceful precision, the knife's rhythm grounding her in the physical task.

Henry appeared in the doorway, his presence making her tense. "Settling in?"

She nodded warily. "What do you know about this?"

"Enough." His smile did not reach his eyes. "James is powerful. Dangerous when provoked. Be careful, Ms. Lopez. Not everything here is as it seems."

The warning chilled her, but before she could ask more, he was gone.

That night, in their assigned suite, Ryan fell asleep quickly, exhausted from exploring. Emma paced, questions burning through her mind. A knock sounded at the door.

James stood outside, holding a manila folder. "Medical records. Proof of what I am." He entered without waiting for permission, closing the door behind him. Proximity made her breath shorten. "And what Ryan will become."

She scanned the documents. Abnormal strength markers, rapid healing rates, elevated body temperature. It matched Ryan's unexplained incidents over the years.

"This is real." Her voice broke.

"Yes." He cupped her face gently, his palm warm against her cheek. Heat surged through her, pooling low in her belly. "I will protect you both. I swear it."

She pulled away, conflicted. Her body yearned for his touch, but her mind warned caution. "I need time to process this."

He nodded. "Take it. But stay. Please. He needs me, and whether you want to admit it or not, you need me too."

As he left, she touched her cheek where his hand had been. Her body remembered his touch too well, yearned for more despite everything. This world held secrets, and she had only scratched the surface.

Outside, thunder rumbled in the distance. A storm approached, mirroring the turmoil inside her.

She moved to the window and looked out at the darkening grounds. A shadow moved at the tree line, too large to be a dog. It paused, and for a moment she could swear it was looking directly at her.

Then it was gone.

Emma wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold despite the warmth of the room. She had wanted answers about Ryan's abilities. Now she had them.

She just was not sure she could survive the truth.