CHAPTER 3: His Sons

Caden stumbled backward, his boots skidding on the wet gravel. The power that had exploded from Ash hung in the air like static electricity, making the hair on my arms stand up.

Ash was sobbing against my shoulder, his small body shaking. "Hurts, Mama. Make it stop."

"I know, baby. I'm trying." I held him tighter, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might crack a rib.

Caden stared at us, his face sheet white. He looked at his hand like it had betrayed him, then at Ash, then at me. "What just happened?"

"You tell me." My voice came out sharper than I meant it to. "You're the one who caused this."

The car door opened behind me. Ryder climbed out, unsteady on his feet, and immediately wrapped himself around my leg. He buried his face against my jeans, peeking out at Caden with wide, frightened eyes.

Vivienne was still standing by the SUV, frozen in place. She looked between Caden and the boys like she was trying to solve an equation that didn't make sense. When she finally moved, it was to march over on her expensive heels, her face twisted with something between confusion and fury.

"Who is this, Caden?" Her voice was sharp enough to cut. "And why is there a stray Omega on our territory with—"

She stopped. Really looked at the boys for the first time. At Ash's black hair and sharp jaw. At Ryder's green eyes. At features that were unmistakably Blackthorn.

Her perfect lipstick couldn't hide how pale she went.

"They have seventy-two hours." I forced myself to meet Caden's eyes. "Luna Fever. They need their father's touch to survive the full moon. That's all I'm asking for. Five minutes of your time. Then we'll leave and you'll never have to see us again."

Caden moved. Just one step, then another, like he was approaching a wild animal. His hand extended slowly, carefully. "Please. Let me see him."

Every instinct I had screamed at me to run. My wolf was snarling, remembering the rejection, the pain, the nights I'd cried until I couldn't breathe. She didn't trust him. I didn't trust him.

But I didn't have a choice.

I shifted Ash slightly, angling him so Caden could see his face better. My son's eyes fluttered open, one green like his father's, one silver like mine. He looked at Caden with the honest confusion only a three-year-old could manage.

"Mama, who's the scary man?"

Caden flinched like he'd been punched. The hurt that flashed across his face was so raw I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

"This is your daddy, baby," I said softly, stroking Ash's fevered forehead. "He's going to help you feel better."

Vivienne's laugh was ugly. "This is absurd. Caden, you can't possibly believe these are yours. She clearly got pregnant by some other—"

"Vivienne." Caden's voice dropped into a register I'd only heard a few times before. Alpha command, the kind that bypassed conscious thought and went straight to wolf instinct. "Leave. Now."

Vivienne's mouth snapped shut. I saw the exact moment the command hit her, saw her body go rigid as her wolf forced her to obey. Her face flushed with humiliation and rage, but she turned on her heel and walked stiffly back to the SUV.

The engine roared to life. Tires sprayed gravel. Then she was gone.

The silence she left behind felt fragile.

"Can I try again?" Caden's voice was barely above a whisper. "To touch him?"

I wanted to say no. I wanted to grab both boys and run. But Ash was burning up in my arms, and Ryder's grip on my leg was getting weaker.

"Okay."

Caden reached out again, slower this time. His hand was shaking. When his fingers brushed Ash's forehead, I held my breath.

The light under Ash's skin flared immediately, but not like before. This time it was brighter, almost blinding. Silver and gold twisted together, and something else. Something dark green that I realized was coming from Caden.

Then the power exploded.

I barely saw Caden fly backward. Barely heard him hit the ground ten feet away. All I could do was stay on my feet, clutching Ash while Ryder screamed and the air around us crackled with energy that felt older than anything I'd ever encountered.

"What the hell?" A new voice, rough and familiar. Delta Kyle came running from the direction of the pack house, his warrior reflexes making him move faster than should be possible. Behind him, an old man in white robes struggled to keep up.

The old man's eyes were violet. An impossible color. They went wide when he saw the boys.

"Get them inside immediately." His voice carried an authority that made even Kyle snap to attention. "We have less time than you think."

Caden was already on his feet, moving toward us. "Thorne, what's happening? Why can't I touch them?"

"Later." The old man, Thorne, gestured urgently toward the pack house. "Move. Now."

Kyle took Ryder from my leg, cradling my youngest son with surprising gentleness for someone so big and rough. "It's okay, little man. Uncle Kyle's got you."

Ryder whimpered but didn't fight.

I followed them toward the pack house, my legs shaking. The building loomed ahead, all dark wood and stone, bigger than I remembered. Or maybe I'd just gotten used to tiny apartments.

Caden walked beside me, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. He kept glancing at Ash like he was trying to memorize every detail. "I didn't know. Lena, I swear I didn't know."

"I didn't tell you." My voice came out flat. "Why would I?"

"That's not—" He stopped himself. "We'll talk. After. When they're safe."

If they could be saved. If this wasn't all for nothing.

The pack house doors opened automatically. The entry hall was exactly as I remembered. High ceilings, exposed beams, the smell of pine and old magic. Pack members stopped to stare as we passed. I heard whispers, shocked gasps.

Let them stare. Let them whisper. I didn't care anymore.

Thorne led us up the stairs, down a hallway, into a room I didn't recognize. It had been converted into some kind of medical facility, all white walls and bright lights and equipment that hummed quietly.

"Put them on the beds." Thorne was already pulling on gloves, gathering supplies. "Both of them."

Kyle laid Ryder down on the bed closest to the window. I lowered Ash onto the one beside it. My arms ached from carrying him, but I couldn't seem to let go.

Caden hovered nearby, useless and clearly hating it. "What do you need me to do?"

"Stay back." Thorne was examining Ash with gentle, practiced hands. "Whatever bond you think you have with these children, it's damaged beyond normal rejection. Your touch is poison to them right now."

Caden looked like he'd been gutted.

"But he's their father," I said. "The Luna Fever cure requires both parents."

"I'm aware." Thorne moved to Ryder, pressing his fingers to the boy's throat, checking his pulse. "But something else is happening here. Something I've never seen before."

"What do you mean?" My voice was rising. "What's wrong with them?"

Thorne straightened, his violet eyes grave. "These children don't just carry one Alpha bloodline. They carry two."

The room went silent.

"That's impossible," I said. "There's only been Caden. I haven't been with anyone else. I've barely even—"

"I'm not suggesting infidelity." Thorne's voice was gentle but firm. "I'm suggesting you have two fated mates."

The words didn't make sense. I stared at him, waiting for the punchline.

Kyle let out a low whistle. "Holy shit."

Caden shook his head. "No. That's not possible. I felt the mate bond three years ago. She's mine."

"Royal bloodlines can have multiple mates," Thorne said, like he was reciting from a textbook. "It's rare, but it happens. The Moon Goddess bonds them to mates who complement different aspects of their power." He paused, studying my face with an intensity that made me want to step back. "But Lena, you're registered as an Omega. You shouldn't have a royal bloodline. Unless..."

He trailed off, his expression shifting to something like recognition. Or horror. I couldn't tell which.

"Unless what?" I demanded.

"What was your mother's name?"

The question hit me sideways. "I don't know. I was raised by Omegas who found me as a baby. Why does that matter?"

Thorne's hands were shaking now. He took a step back, staring at me like he'd seen a ghost. "Goddess above. It can't be. You were supposed to be dead."

"Thorne." Caden's voice was hard. "What the hell is going on?"

Before the healer could answer, alarms started blaring throughout the pack house. Kyle's radio crackled to life with urgent voices.

"Delta! We have a situation at the northern border. The Lycan King is here. He's demanding entry and he won't say why, but—" The voice paused. "He's asking for someone named Lena."

My wolf surged inside me, weak but suddenly alert. A pull I'd never felt before yanked at my chest, different from the bond with Caden but just as powerful.

My knees buckled. Caden caught me before I hit the ground.

"No," Thorne whispered. "He can't be here already. It's too soon."

On the bed, Ash's hand shot out and grabbed Caden's shirt with surprising strength for someone so sick. His mismatched eyes glowed bright white. When he spoke, his voice echoed with something that wasn't entirely his own.

"Daddy, there's another one coming. The one with winter eyes."

Ash's grip tightened, his small fingers bunching the fabric.

"He says he's coming home."

Then my son's eyes rolled back in his head and he went completely limp.

Thorne's face had gone grey. Caden turned to him, and I'd never seen an Alpha look so lost.

"Ezra?" Caden said.

And somehow, I knew exactly who he was talking about.