Chapter 27

Lake POV

I helped Ollie out of his school uniform, carefully hanging the small blazer and pants in his closet while he chattered about his day. The normalcy of the routine—helping him change into comfortable house clothes, listening to his excited recounting of new friends and classroom adventures—should have been soothing. Instead, I found myself distracted, my mind replaying the afternoon’s events in an endless loop.

Frank’s hands on me. The terror in Ollie’s eyes when he’d seen the bruises. The way he’d launched himself at Ramon with such protective fury, assuming the worst because his short life had taught him that alphas were threats to be endured rather than trusted.

“Mama?” Ollie’s soft voice broke through my spiraling thoughts. “Are you angry with me?”

I blinked, realizing I’d been standing frozen with one of his shirts in my hands, staring at nothing. “What, baby?”

“For attacking Papa Zade,” he clarified, his small voice heavy with worry