ROMAN
"Fatherhood requires presence, not presents."
Vanessa's words echoed in my mind as we stood in the sterile hallway of the Moonstone Pack's medical wing. Each syllable felt like a knife to my gut - not because they were meant to hurt, but because they were true.
I glanced back at Fabian's door, shame washing over me. Six years. I'd missed six years of my son's life. And my brilliant solution? Show up with a dirt bike he couldn't ride and gadgets he was too weak to play with.
"I screwed up," I admitted, my voice rougher than I intended.
Vanessa's eyes softened slightly. "You're trying, Roman. That counts for something."
"Does it?" I ran a hand through my hair, feeling completely out of my depth. "I don't know the first thing about being a father. My own father was..." I trailed off, the memories of my cold, demanding Alpha father still raw after all these years.
"Different times," she said quietly. "But you're not him."