Riven stirred, breath shallow, a touch brushing his cheek. Familiar. So familiar it hurt.
He blinked awake—and found Lior's wide eyes above him.
"Papa," the boy whispered.
Riven's throat closed. He pulled Lior into his lap, arms locking around the boy, grounding himself in the warmth of his son's body.
Thayer stepped inside, clipboard in hand. His voice was calm, but the edge was there. "Mr. Virellian. How are you feeling?"
Riven's gaze darted around the room. Disoriented. Eli—sat in the corner, silent, unreadable, eyes fixed on him. Watching. Waiting.
"I'm fine," Riven rasped, holding Lior tighter. But memory was bleeding back in—the surge, the release, the way his body gave out. Years of restraint snap all at once.
He hadn't meant to lose control. But he had. And it could've killed them.
"Thayer…" His voice dropped. "What happened? Are they—?"
"They're alive," Thayer cut in, quick, almost clipped. "But the Emperor wanted me to remind you—next time, control it. If he hadn't been here…"
Riven's head snapped up. "He was here?"
The words cracked through his hoarse voice. That was all that mattered.
Five years folded in on themselves. The man with no scent, only presence. The one who'd felt like safety. No—impossible. That man couldn't be the Emperor.
Could he?
"If he were here…" Riven hesitated, breath catching. "Can I see him? Just once. To thank him. He didn't just hire me—he risked everything. Took in the bloodline he should've destroyed. And still—"
"He knows," Thayer said, softer now. But his eyes flicked toward the corner, where Nyxen sat unmoving.
Eli didn't say a word. Didn't even shift. His expression gave nothing. Was it approval? Amusement? Calculation? Riven couldn't tell.
"The Nexus has ears," Thayer added. "And eyes. He hears everything."
Riven's chest tightened.
"He knows," Thayer repeated. And Nyxen kept watching. Silent. Shadowed. Disguised as the quiet Beta IT, Eli.
Riven looked down at Lior, who had curled into his chest, already half-asleep again.
He didn't say anything more. But his eyes drifted back to Nyxen. And for a moment, just a breath—he wondered.
Was it you? But it's impossible.
"Are you sure you're okay taking Lior to school?" Riven asked as they stepped out of the building.
Lior clung to both of them—one hand in Riven's, the other in Eli's—his small fingers curled around theirs like he'd tethered them together. Ever since that day at Nexus, something had shifted. The fear was gone. Now Lior sought Eli out, sometimes even asking if he could come over. And when he did, the apartment felt lighter. Safer.
Eli shrugged. Casual. Too casual. "It's fine. I don't need to be in early. Ivan'll just dump his work on me anyway."
Riven chuckled. "He really does treat you like his personal assistant."
"He's B-Class. Bossy comes with the rank. And I'm too nice to say no." Eli's tone was easy, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
Riven crouched to meet Lior's gaze. "Alright, I'll see you later, okay? Don't cause too much trouble. And call me if you need anything."
"I'm a big boy," Lior said proudly. "I can take care of myself now."
"I know you can." Riven ruffled his hair before straightening, turning to Eli.
"Thanks again," he said, quieter now. "For everything."
Eli's eyes lingered on him, unreadable. Then, softly: "You don't have to thank me. We're friends, aren't we?"
The word landed heavier than it should have. Friends.
Riven had classmates. Acquaintances. People who bowed when they learned his name. But never this. Not someone who looked at him and stayed.
He smiled—small, real. "Yeah. We are."
And for a moment, the weight in his chest eased. Fragile, but real. A peace he wanted to believe in, even if some part of him feared it couldn't last.
"Bye-bye, Papa!" Lior waved with both hands as Eli guided him down the steps.
Riven didn't answer. He just stood there, watching them go—his son, and the man who made the world feel a little less heavy.
He was about to turn away when a sleek black Mercedes eased to the curb. His breath caught. The door opened, and the air seemed to thin.
Auren stepped out first—immaculate in a tailored suit, every movement precise, controlled. Ellis followed, quiet at his shoulder, Omega scent faint and sweet like a warning bell.
"So this is where you've been hiding," Auren said, his stride measured, the faintest curl of disdain at the corner of his mouth.
Riven stiffened. "What are you doing here? How did you—"
He cut himself off. Of course they knew. Of course they'd been watching.
But what chilled him wasn't their presence. It was the thought they might've seen Lior.
"You forget," Auren said, tone clipped. "Nexus isn't the only one with eyes." His gaze flicked past Riven, lingering just a beat too long, as though searching for what he might be protecting.
Then he closed the distance, his voice dropping. "Your grandfather wants to see you. He sent me to bring you back. You're here—alive—and you didn't even bother to tell him. Is family that worthless to you now?"
Riven's jaw clenched. "Family?" he echoed, low. "That's rich—coming from the man who threw his own son away."
Auren's expression didn't flicker. Only the faintest twitch in his jaw. "Still bitter. You always did cling to your grievances instead of asking why. Why it had to be you."
"I don't want to hear it." Riven turned, cutting him off. "If you came here to justify yourself, save it."
He stepped to go. Auren's next words halted him mid-breath.
"If you won't speak to me as your father," he said, each syllable deliberate, "then listen as a grandson. He's asking for you."
Riven froze.
No matter how deep the scars ran, he couldn't harden himself against the old man. His grandfather had been the one who reached for him when everyone else recoiled. The one who never treated him as broken.
Maybe… he deserved to know Riven had come back.
Riven didn't turn. His fists curled, his heartbeat uneven, the pavement tilting under his feet.
How could he face him now?
Would his grandfather see bloodline——or betrayal?