The Alpha's Dark Solstice Claim

Chapter 14 - A Normal Evening.

Marybeth

I hadn’t expected Daniel to suggest an amusement park. Dinner, yes. That part made sense. Predictable. Structured. Safe. But when Daniel pulled into the parking lot and cut off the engine, I turned toward him with a faint frown.

“This is your idea of a date?” I couldn’t help but look amused, and a little scared to be honest.

“You don’t like it?” His mouth curved slightly.

“I didn’t say that.” I shrugged.

“You sound like you’re deciding whether you should.” He frowned. That … wasn’t wrong. I looked out at the lights … bright, shifting, alive in a way that felt almost out of place against everything else I had been dealing with.

Children’s laughter carried across the air. Music. Movement. Noise. It felt like stepping into something I had never quite belonged to.

“I’ve never done this before,” I admitted.

“An amusement park?” he looked surprised.

“A normal date.” The words sat between us. Honest. Uncomfortable. Daniel didn’t react the way most people would. No surprise. No pity. Just a quiet nod.

“Then we’ll keep it simple,” he said. “No expectations.” I noticed that I wasn’t far off in my original assessment of him. It was just so easy to spend time with him.

“And what does that look like?” I glanced at him, as a smile started to form in the corners of my mouth.

“We walk,” he said. “We try something if you feel like it. We leave if you don’t.” That … helped. More than I expected.

“Alright,” I beamed. It wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought it would be. That surprised me. The noise didn’t press in. The movement didn’t unsettle me. If anything … It distracted me. Pulled me just far enough out of my own thoughts to let something else take their place.

Daniel didn’t push. Didn’t fill silence just to fill it. He let things unfold. Naturally. We walked. Talked. Paused when something caught my attention. Moved on when it didn’t. Simple. Uncomplicated. For a few minutes at a time … I almost forgot.

Almost. But it never lasted long. Because every time the noise faded slightly … Every time the distraction slipped … My thoughts went back to Eli. School. His first day. He was staying later because the kids were practicing for some or other school-related activity.

Had Eli settled in? Had he found someone to talk to? Had he felt out of place? Alone? And beneath that … A sharper thought. Had Rowan stayed away?

“Marybeth.” Daniel’s voice pulled me back. I realized I had stopped walking. Staring at nothing.

“I’m fine,” I said automatically.

“I didn’t ask if you were fine.” He frowned. I blinked. He watched me calmly. “You left,” he said. “For a minute.”

“I’m thinking.” I exhaled slowly.

“About your son.” Not a question. I didn’t deny it.

“Yes.” We started walking again. Slower this time.

“You don’t have to pretend with me,” Daniel said.

“I’m not pretending.” I looked straight ahead.

“You’re dividing your attention,” he corrected. “That’s different.”

“That’s one way to put it.” I almost smiled.

“What’s the concern?” Simple. Direct. No judgment. I considered brushing it off. Keeping things light. But that wasn’t why I was here. Not really.

“I don’t know if he’ll adjust,” I admitted quickly, glancing at Daniel before looking away again. “To school. To people. To … structure.”

“And you think he won’t?” Daniel’s tone was so calming.

“I think he’s never needed to before.” I shrugged. That was the truth. I had been his structure. His constant. His world. Now … That world was expanding. And I couldn’t control all of it. Daniel nodded slightly.

“That’s not a bad thing.” Again, his tone was so calming.

“No,” I said quietly. “It’s just not something I can manage.” Silence settled between us. Not uncomfortable. Just … real.

“And Rowan?” he asked after a moment. I stiffened slightly.

“That’s not part of this.” I stopped walking for a moment, and he turned to look at me.

“It’s part of your concern.” He held out his hand, and I looked at it, then at him before deciding to take his hand. I didn’t respond immediately. Because again … He wasn’t wrong.

“I don’t want Rowan interfering,” I said finally.

“And is he?” Daniel glanced at me as we made our way through the grounds.

“Yes.” The word came out sharper than I intended. Daniel absorbed that without reacting. Then …

“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked. I frowned slightly. “To pick Eli up.” The offer caught me off guard.

“Why?” I almost laughed.

“Because you’re thinking about it instead of being here,” he said simply. “And because I’d like to see how he is.” I studied Daniel carefully. There was no pressure in it. No assumption. Just … willingness. And something else. Curiosity. Not about me. About Eli. That mattered.

“You don’t have to,” I shrugged.

“I know.” He smiled. Silence stretched. Then …

“Alright,” I said. Not because I needed Daniel. But because I wanted to see. If this could work. If Daniel could fit into that part of my life. If Eli would accept Daniel. If I could. We arrived at the school right on time and Eli ran toward me the second he saw me.

“Mom!” The word hit me in the chest like it always did. Grounding. Immediate. I crouched slightly as he reached me.

“How was it?” I smiled.

“Good!” he said quickly. “I made friends.” Relief came fast. Too fast.

“What kind of friends?” I pulled at his jacket even though it was fine.

“Real ones,” he said, as if that answered everything.

“That’s important.” I smiled despite myself. He nodded seriously. Then Eli’s attention shifted. To Daniel.

“Who’s that?” He scrunched up his little nose. I straightened.

“This is Daniel,” I said. “He’s a … friend.” Eli studied him. Carefully. Not shy. Just … assessing.

“Hi,” Daniel said easily.

“Hi.” Eli didn’t move closer. But he didn’t pull away either. That was enough. For now.

“Ready to go?” I asked Eli.

“Yeah.” He laughed. We walked back toward the car together. Eli talking. Daniel listening. Me … Watching. Measuring. Trying to understand how this might fit together. And then … That feeling again. Subtle. Familiar.

A shift in the air. Someone was watching us. My instincts sharpened immediately. I scanned the edge of the parking lot. The shadows. The parked cars. Nothing obvious. But I knew. Rowan. Of course, it was Rowan.

For a second, the old reaction rose. Tension. Awareness. The need to track. To confirm. To confront. Then … I stopped. I took a deep breath and I let it go. If Rowan was there … He would stay where I couldn’t see him.

That was the unspoken line. And for once … That was enough. So be it. I opened the car door for Eli.

“Seat belt.” I instructed.

“I know,” Eli rolled his eyes, already climbing in. Daniel closed the door and opened mine, and I glanced once more toward the shadows. Nothing moved. Nothing revealed itself. Good. I turned away. Got into the car. And Daniel drove us home. Not looking back.