Chapter 3

Alpha Doyle

The moment the wheels touched Irish soil, a wave of relief swept through me.

Home.

I was finally home.

I hadn’t been gone long. Only a few days.

But when your mate and children were waiting for you in a different country, a few days could feel like a lifetime.

The pack meeting had been necessary. The rogue attacks were becoming more organised, more frequent and far too close to home. We needed answers.

We needed to know who was behind them.

But right now, none of that mattered.

I was going home.

I was going to see Storm.

My children.

My family.

The people who made every damn responsibility of being an Alpha worth carrying.

We disembarked from the plane and climbed into the waiting SUVs. I barely settled into my seat before I found myself staring through the window at the passing landscape.

Ireland.

My home.

The familiar green fields stretched endlessly into the distance, and with every kilometre we travelled, the tension I’d carried since leaving slowly began to ease.

My wolf stirred inside me.

He could sense her.

Our mate.

He wanted home just as badly as I did.

The warrior driving glanced at me through the rear-view mirror.

“Happy to be home, Alpha?”

I smiled.

“Very.”

“I imagine your family is pretty excited to have you back.”

I chuckled.

“That’s the thing.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“They aren’t expecting me.”

A grin spread across his face.

“Now that sounds like a good surprise.”

“It is."

I looked out the window again.

I could already picture Storm’s face when she saw me.

I’d deliberately told her I wouldn’t be home for another couple of days.

I wanted to surprise her.

And judging by the smile already pulling at my lips, I knew the look on her face would make every minute of the journey worthwhile.

The SUVs eventually turned onto the private road leading to the Alpha residence.

My heart began beating faster.

Home.

The moment the vehicle stopped, I was out.

I barely waited for the driver to open the door before I was racing up the steps.

I pushed through the front door.

For a moment, I simply stood there.

Then I heard it.

Laughter.

Children.

My children.

A smile spread across my face.

I followed the sound into the lounge room.

Lilly and Julie were sitting on the couch while their younger brothers played with toys across the floor.

Cian was the first to see me.

His little face lit up.

“Daddy!”

He scrambled to his feet and came running toward me, his arms stretched wide.

I dropped to my knees just in time to catch him.

His little body slammed into mine.

I closed my eyes and held him tightly.

“Oh, my boy.”

His familiar scent filled my lungs, and something inside my chest tightened.

I had missed him.

I had missed all of them.

Finn and Dalton came charging toward me next.

“Daddy!”

Within seconds, I was buried beneath three little boys.

Hands grabbed at my clothes.

Small arms wrapped around my neck.

Three excited voices competed to tell me everything that had happened while I was gone.

I laughed.

Goddess, I had missed this.

I hugged each of them as tightly as I could.

For those few precious seconds, I wasn’t an Alpha.

I wasn’t responsible for an entire pack.

I wasn’t trying to solve a mystery involving organised rogue attacks.

I was simply their father.

And that was more than enough.

Behind me, Sean and Siobhan entered the room.

The boys immediately abandoned me and charged toward them.

I stood, laughing as Sean and Siobhan were promptly attacked by three excited children.

Then I looked toward my daughters.

Lilly and Julie were already standing.

I walked over and pulled them both into my arms.

“Girls.”

Julie hugged me tightly.

“Daddy, we weren’t expecting you today.”

“That’s exactly why I came home early.”

I kissed the top of her head.

“I thought I’d surprise you.”

“We’re glad you did,” Lilly said softly.

I smiled.

“I missed you all.”

“We missed you too,” Lilly replied.

Julie smiled.

“If you’re looking for Storm, she’s upstairs with Ciara.”

My heart immediately skipped.

“She’s in the nursery?”

Julie nodded.

I didn’t need another word.

“I’ll go see her.”

I headed for the stairs.

With every step, my anticipation grew.

Six years.

Six years since Storm had entered my life and completely changed it.

Six years since I’d found the woman who had become my mate.

Six years since I’d promised myself I would never let anyone hurt her again.

And somehow, after everything we’d survived, I still felt the same rush every time I was about to see her.

I reached the nursery.

I stopped in the doorway.

There she was.

Storm was sitting in the rocking chair beside the window, gently rocking back and forth.

Her head rested against the chair.

Her eyes were closed.

And cradled safely against her was our youngest daughter.

Ciara was nursing peacefully.

For several seconds, I didn’t move.

I simply watched them.

My mate.

My daughter.

My family.

Everything I’d fought for.

Everything I’d nearly lost.

A strange warmth spread through my chest.

I hadn’t realised just how much I needed this until I saw them.

“My love,” I whispered.

Storm’s eyes opened.

She turned her head.

For a heartbeat, she simply stared at me.

Then her entire face changed.

Her lips parted.

Her eyes widened.

And slowly, the most beautiful smile spread across her face.

“You’re home.”

The happiness in those two words hit me harder than anything else could have.

I crossed the room and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead before capturing her lips in a gentle kiss.

When we pulled apart, I rested my forehead against hers.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

I brushed my thumb across her cheek.

“More than you know.”

Her smile softened.

Then my gaze dropped to the tiny bundle in her arms.

“She’s grown.”

Storm laughed softly.

“Are you surprised?”

She looked down at Ciara.

“Your children have healthy appetites.”

I chuckled.

“That they do.”

“Look at your sons.”

I shook my head.

“I know.”

My gaze remained fixed on our daughter.

“She’s beautiful.”

Storm smiled.

“She is."

For a few moments, neither of us spoke.

We simply watched our daughter.

Then Ciara released her mother and settled against her.

Storm carefully lifted her upright and began rubbing her tiny back.

I watched, smiling.

A few seconds later, Ciara let out an impressively loud burp.

I grinned.

Storm looked at me.

Then at Ciara.

Then back at me.

Her eyes narrowed playfully.

“Really?”

“What?”

“That look.”

I couldn’t stop smiling.

“I’m proud.”

Storm rolled her eyes.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“She’s going to give her brothers a run for their money.”

“She’s not even walking yet.”

“Exactly.”

Storm shook her head, laughing quietly.

I reached out and gently touched our daughter’s head.

“No matter what she does, though, she’ll always be Daddy’s little princess.”

Storm’s expression softened.

“Definitely.”

She carefully handed Ciara to me.

“Here you go, Papa.”

I took my daughter into my arms.

She was so tiny.

So fragile.

Yet somehow, holding her filled me with a feeling stronger than anything I’d ever experienced.

I gently rocked her.

Her tiny fingers curled into my shirt.

I looked down at her face.

My daughter.

Mine.

Ours.

Her eyelids slowly became heavier.

Within minutes, she was asleep.

I smiled before carefully carrying her to the crib.

I lowered her gently onto the mattress and pulled the blanket over her.

Then I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“Sleep well, princess.”

I straightened.

Storm was standing behind me.

She slipped her hand into mine.

I turned and looked at her.

Six years.

Four children.

A home.

A family.

A life I had once believed was impossible.

And yet, looking at her now, I couldn’t imagine wanting anything else.

I draped my arm around her shoulders.

She rested her head against me.

Together, we stood silently beside Ciara’s crib.

For a few precious moments, everything was peaceful.

Perfect.

Safe.

Then my wolf growled.

I froze.

Storm lifted her head.

“What is it?”

I listened.

Nothing.

The house was quiet.

The children were downstairs.

The rain had stopped.

Everything appeared normal.

Yet the warning inside me refused to disappear.

My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin.

Something was wrong.

I could feel it.

I just couldn’t see it.

“Doyle?”

I forced myself to relax.

“Nothing.”

Storm studied me for a moment.

“You’re sure?”

I nodded.

“I’m sure.”

It was a lie.

But I had only just come home.

Tonight, I wanted my family.

I wanted peace.

I wanted to forget about rogues, meetings and unanswered questions.

So I pushed the feeling aside.

I pulled Storm closer and kissed the top of her head.

For the first time in days, I allowed myself to believe that perhaps everything really was going to be okay.

But the questions hadn’t stayed in Germany.

They had followed me home.

And while I had been searching for the enemy beyond our borders, I hadn’t realised something far more terrifying.The enemy wasn’t waiting outside our pack.

It was already inside it.

And before the night was over, I was going to discover just how close it had come to the people I loved most.