Once we were downstairs, I looked at Aiden and said seriously, “Next, we should go find Andrix. Let him meet Mr. Joah as soon as possible; maybe it’ll help talk some sense into him.” But Aiden only frowned, his gaze fixed on my face. “I think ‘baby’ sounds too much; ‘honey’ feels too flirty; and ‘cutie’ is just awkward. Why don’t you just call me… husband?” I blinked at him, speechless. Was he seriously still hung up on this nickname thing? “We can think about that later,” I said with a sigh. “Right now, we need to figure out how to get Andrix to meet us.” “I think it’s pretty important,” he said, completely unfazed. “Aiden, could you not be so childish?” “This isn’t childish,” he said smoothly. “This is how normal couples address each other. And you shouldn’t be calling me Aiden.” Seeing that he had no intention of dropping it, I backed him into a corner, bracing a hand against the wall as I tilted my head at him. “Baby?” The tips of his ears turned red. “Darling…” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Husband…” The second the word left my lips, Aiden snapped; his hand closed around my wrist, and he pulled me in, kissing me hard. The moment his lips claimed mine, my mind went completely blank. “Aiden…” I could hear the ragged sound of his breathing, feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat; it was almost suffocating. His lips moved over mine with a hungry urgency, coaxing and stealing, until my knees went weak. It was a long moment before he finally let me go.I was breathing hard, staring at him—at the trace of a satisfied smirk curling his lips—and glared. “Aiden, you’re impossible!” He didn’t seem the least bit affected by my anger; his voice was maddeningly calm. “Weren’t you the one teasing me first, sweetheart?” My cheeks flamed. “That was teasing, not seducing!” “You just standing here,” he said, his voice still hoarse from the kiss, deep and dangerously tempting, “is already seduction.” My heart pounded harder at the sound of his voice. God, a man that good-looking had no right to be that lethal when he turned up the heat. “From now on, call me husband.” I turned away sharply, refusing to give in. “No way. I’m not calling you that.” “Then call me darling.” I hesitated; that one, at least, didn’t sound quite as bad. Wait—why was I even considering this? I shot him a glare, trying to steady myself. “I’ll get the car. You tell Mr. Robin we’re heading out, and then we’ll go find Andrix.” We arranged to meet Andrix at the CEO’s office in Eclipse Corporation. After Randall’s little stunt last time, Aiden no longer trusted me to meet anyone anywhere else, so this was the safest option. It wasn’t long before the door swung open and Andrix walked in. “What now, Aiden?” Andrix sneered as he dropped into a chair. “What are you and Raelyn plotting this time?” “Andrix,” Aiden said evenly, “there’s something I need to tell you about your biological parents’ deaths.” Andrix’s expression iced over in an instant. “Don’t start with me, Aiden. If you do, I won’t even try to be civil.” “You can’t seriously still think Mr. Robin is the one who killed your family, can you?” My voice was sharp, cutting through the tension. “Use your head for once, Andrix. That man raised you for decades. You think an Alpha who treated you like his own son deserves that kind of hatred?” Andrix let out a soft, humorless laugh before it twisted into something unhinged. “What the heck do you know, Raelyn? They weren’t your parents. You didn’t grow up watching everyone around you worship someone else while you were cast aside. So what gives you the right to stand there, looking down at me from your moral high ground? Who do you think you are?” His manic laughter sent a chill down my spine. I darted a glance toward the adjoining restroom. The door opened, and Joah stepped out. “Andrix.” Andrix froze. The stranger standing there looked like an older version of him; same sharp eyes, same bone structure, just weathered by twenty extra years. For a long moment, Andrix stared at him, stunned. Then, cautiously, almost in disbelief, he asked, “You’re my dad?” Joah’s eyes went wet instantly; his voice broke. “Yes, Andrix, it’s me. Your father.” Andrix stumbled back, his face twisting in anger as he swung his gaze toward me. “This is crap. Raelyn must’ve dug up some random werewolf who looks a little like me and paid him to play the part. You’re not my dad. My dad died twenty years ago!” Seeing how close he was to losing control, I steadied my voice. “Andrix, believe it or not, this man is your father. I have a copy of your DNA test right here. If you don’t trust me, you can run another test yourself, then you’ll know for sure.” Andrix drew a shaky breath, his eyes locked on Joah, a storm of heat and ice swirling in them. “After all this time, why now? Why come back?” Joah took a tentative step forward, reaching out as if to take his son’s hand—but Andrix flinched away. “It was my fault,” Joah said, his voice thick with guilt. “I lost my way. When your mother died in that accident, I was badly injured; I thought you’d have a better life in the Eclipse Pack, so I left you there. I never—” “You never thought I’d end up cutting ties with the Eclipse Pack, right?” Andrix’s voice cracked like a whip. “That’s the only reason you came crawling back now, isn’t it?”