Chapter 25: The First Time She Called Him Daddy

The next morning, Atlas arrived at the Pine Ridge guest house before sunrise.

He had barely slept.

For six months, he had imagined meeting his daughter.

Now that the moment had finally arrived, every confident thought disappeared.

He stood outside the garden gate, waiting for permission to enter.

A Pine Ridge guard opened it.

“She's inside.”

Atlas nodded.

His palms were cold.

He walked through the gate slowly.

Elena was sitting beneath a large oak tree.

Lily was playing beside her with a wooden wolf toy.

The little girl looked up when Atlas approached.

She stared at him curiously.

Atlas stopped several feet away.

He didn't dare move closer.

Elena watched him carefully.

“Lily, this is Atlas.”

The little girl tilted her head.

“Who is he?”

Atlas's heart twisted at the question.

Elena answered calmly.

“Someone who wants to get to know you.”

Lily looked at Atlas again.

“Do you know Mama?”

Atlas swallowed.

“Yes.”

“Are you her friend?”

He glanced at Elena.

“I used to be.”

Elena's expression didn't change.

Lily seemed satisfied with that answer.

She picked up her wooden wolf and walked toward him.

Atlas instinctively crouched down.

But he stopped himself before reaching for her.

Lily held out the toy.

“Do you want to play?”

Atlas stared at the little wolf in her hands.

His eyes burned.

“Yes.”

His voice was barely audible.

Lily placed the toy in his palm.

Their fingers touched.

A faint bloodline resonance passed through the air.

Atlas's wolf recognized her instantly.

Mine.

The instinct was so strong that Atlas nearly lost control.

But he remembered Elena's conditions.

No claims.

No expectations.

So he simply smiled.

“Thank you.”

...

For the next hour, Atlas sat on the grass and played with Lily.

He let her decide the game.

He listened when she talked.

He answered every question she asked.

She wanted to know where he lived.

She wanted to know whether Blackwood had mountains.

She wanted to know whether he could turn into a wolf.

That question made Atlas smile.

“Yes.”

Lily's eyes widened.

“Can I see?”

Atlas looked toward Elena.

Elena gave a small nod.

Atlas stepped farther away and shifted.

A large silver-gray wolf appeared beneath the oak tree.

Lily gasped.

Then she burst into laughter.

“You're huge!”

Atlas lowered himself onto the grass.

Lily ran toward him.

Elena's heart jumped, but she didn't stop her.

Lily placed both hands against his fur.

“You're soft.”

Atlas closed his eyes.

For the first time in his life, being touched by someone didn't feel like power.

It felt like forgiveness he hadn't earned yet.

...

When Atlas shifted back, Lily was already waiting for him.

“What's your wolf's name?”

Atlas hesitated.

“He doesn't have a separate name.”

Lily thought about it.

“I'll call him Snow.”

Atlas laughed softly.

“Snow?”

“Because he's gray like winter.”

Atlas nodded.

“Then Snow it is.”

Elena watched them from a distance.

Something inside her hurt.

Not because she wanted Atlas back.

She didn't.

But because seeing him with Lily reminded her of everything their daughter had almost lost.

A father.

A family.

A childhood without painful secrets.

She had protected Lily from Atlas because she had needed to.

But perhaps protecting her didn't mean keeping her father away forever.

Perhaps it meant making sure he earned every step toward her.

...

The meeting ended before sunset.

Lily became quiet when Atlas stood up.

“Are you leaving?”

Atlas nodded.

“Yes.”

“Will you come back?”

Atlas looked at Elena.

He wouldn't make promises she hadn't approved.

“If your mother allows me.”

Lily turned to Elena.

“Mama, can he come back?”

Elena was silent.

Atlas waited.

Finally, Elena nodded.

“We'll see.”

Lily smiled.

Atlas took one step toward the gate.

Then Lily suddenly ran after him.

“Wait!”

Atlas turned.

She wrapped both arms around his leg.

Atlas froze.

His eyes filled with tears.

Lily looked up at him.

“Goodbye, Daddy.”

The world seemed to stop.

Atlas slowly lowered himself to one knee.

He didn't correct her.

He didn't ask her to say it again.

He simply closed his eyes as one tear slipped down his cheek.

“Goodbye, Lily.”

...

On the walk home, Elena held Lily's hand.

“Mama?”

“Yes?”

“Daddy is sad.”

Elena looked down at her daughter.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because he cried when I hugged him.”

Elena didn't answer.

Lily squeezed her hand.

“Can we see him again?”

Elena looked toward the fading sunlight.

She didn't know what the future held.

She didn't know whether Atlas could truly change.

But for the first time, she wasn't afraid of letting him try.

“Yes,” she said softly.

“You can see him again.”

Far behind them, Atlas stood at the Pine Ridge border.

He watched until Elena and Lily disappeared from sight.

For years, he had believed being an Alpha meant having the power to keep what belonged to him.

Now he understood the truth.

Love wasn't something he could claim.

It was something he had to earn.

And for the first time, Atlas was willing to spend the rest of his life earning it.