They Left Me Behind, Then Wanted Me Back Chapter 02

They Left Me Behind, Then Wanted Me Back Chapter 02

I never wrote again.

I wanted to tell her I’d done way better than Quinn.

That I was good too. That I wouldn’t cause trouble.

That I wasn’t trying to bother her. I just… missed her.

But she didn’t know. Or maybe she didn’t want to.

I finally swapped out the balloons. The moment I stepped out, someone from the next room called me over.

“Hey, server. Come help cut the cake.”

I walked in. Dad was taking photos with his young male pup in his arms.

He caught me in the frame. His brow furrowed in irritation. “Can’t you take a hint? Is every server on staff this unprofessional?”

I scurried to the corner.

Dad picked up a cartoon-themed birthday crown.

“Son, look! I got the best pastry chef in the capital to make this Silver Moon cake just for you. You like it?”

The boy giggled with delight.

“Thanks, Dad!”

Dad chased after him, one hand shielding him from table corners, the other gently dabbing sweat from his forehead with a cloth.

The soft, focused look on his face left me dazed. For a second, I barely recognized him. For a second, I thought I’d mistaken him for someone else.

When I was five, Dad forgot I was allergic to mangoes. I ate one and spent a week in the pack infirmary.

When I was eight, he got the time of the Pack Academy parent gathering wrong and never showed up.

All the other pups in my cohort laughed and called me a feral pup with no father.

Earlier this year, when Grandma died of cancer, by the time I got pack house, the funeral was already over.

The neighbor told me Dad didn’t even know which pack academy I attended, or my mentor’s contact. So he “forgot” to tell me.

He wasn’t forgetful. He wasn’t careless.

He just never spared a scrap of his love for me.

I turned and gently closed the door on that warm, noisy room.

And looked up into a pair of familiar eyes.

I froze.

“Kaia? What are you doing here?”

I stared at Darius, my gaze landing on the gift box in his hands.

He glanced away awkwardly, instinctively tucking the box behind his back.

Quinn peeked out from the room. “Darius! You’re five minutes late—you owe me a forfeit!”

Darius stepped forward and handed her the box.

“Got held up. Brought you a present.”

He glanced at me. A guilty, awkward look crossed his face. “Kaia, I’ll explain later.”

I didn’t move.

An hour ago, he’d said he was visiting friends with his parents and couldn’t text tonight.

He didn’t mention that “friend” was my birth mother.

And I never expected that my childhood best friend, the one I’d shared single soda bottles with ever since we were tiny pups, had this kind of easy intimacy with Quinn.

Quinn’s smile faded. Her eyes slid to me. “Kaia… so you’re Kaia?”

Before I could answer, she called out, “Mom, guess what? Kaia came to spy on you!”

All eyes turned to me.

I clutched the hem of my shirt, looking toward Mom.

The smile on her face hadn’t faded yet. It just froze there.

“It’s you.”

She cleared her throat awkwardly. “You’ve grown so tall. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

I let go of my shirt. “I didn’t come to spy on you.”

She blinked, stepping closer.

“Then why are you here?”

“Working. To cover my living expenses.”

Mom looked me up and down.

“Why are you dressed like that? Are you trying to embarrass me?”

She dropped her voice. “I’m celebrating Quinn tonight. I don’t have time for this. Go find your dad. He’s next door.”

She knocked on the door to the adjacent room.

“Rowan. Your daughter’s here.”

“What daughter? I only have a son…”

His eyes landed on me.

He froze for a few seconds, then let out a sheepish, awkward laugh.

“What are you doing here?”

He moved toward the door, lowering his voice.

“It’s Kael’s Awakening Ceremony. I’ve got a full pack house. This is really inconvenient.”

“Whatever it is, can we talk tomorrow?”

He looked at Vivienne. “I really can’t right now. You’re her mom. She must be here for you.”

Mom curled her lip in disdain.

“I’m busy too. You’re her dad. You deal with her.”

A flicker of sharp tension sparked between them.

Mom’s voice turned sharp. “She’s a pup of the Silver Moon Pack. Why are you pushing her on me?”

Dad’s temple throbbed. “Did I make her by myself? Why is it all on me?”

I was just a ball again, being tossed back and forth between them.

That’s how it always was.

Who had to cook for me? They’d fight.

Who had to pay my tuition? They’d bicker.

They’d go red in the face, bickering like I was a piece of defective goods no one wanted.

Years later, nothing had changed. I was still the burden they wanted to dump.

I sucked in a breath and cut them off.

“Don’t bother.”

“I wasn’t here for either of you anyway.”