Chapter 5

ELARA POV

I heard Aiden's question before I saw Kai standing there, and my entire world stopped.

He smells like Mommy.

No. No no no. This wasn't supposed to happen. Kai wasn't supposed to be here, wasn't supposed to see them, wasn't supposed to ever know they existed. I'd been so careful. Three years of keeping this secret, and it all came crashing down because Marcus brought him through the damn dining hall instead of straight to my office.

I moved without thinking, crossing the room in seconds to put myself between Kai and my children. My children. Not his. Never his. He'd given up any right to them the moment he rejected me.

"Mommy!" Luna bounced in her seat, oblivious to the tension. "We're having pancakes! Harper made them with chocolate chips!"

"That's wonderful, baby." My voice came out steadier than I felt. I could feel Kai's eyes burning into my back, could practically hear his brain putting the pieces together. "Why don't you and Aiden finish eating in the kitchen with Harper? Mommy has some grown-up business to handle."

"But we're not done yet," Aiden protested. He was staring at Kai with that intense focus he got sometimes, the one that said his little Alpha instincts were working overtime. "Who is he? Why does he smell like us?"

Because he's your father. Because his blood runs in your veins. Because the Moon Goddess has a sick sense of humor.

"Just someone Mommy needs to talk to," I said, keeping my tone light even though I was screaming inside. "Come on, both of you. Kitchen. Now."

Luna picked up on my urgency, even if she didn't understand it. She grabbed her brother's hand and tugged him toward the kitchen door. Aiden went reluctantly, still staring at Kai over his shoulder like he was trying to memorize his face.

The second they were out of sight, I rounded on Marcus. "What the hell were you thinking? I told you to bring him to my office. My office, Marcus. Not parade him through the packhouse where my children could see him."

Marcus had the grace to look guilty. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Zara said it was urgent and I just—"

"Get out." I cut him off. "All of you. I need to speak with Alpha Thornwood alone."

Zara looked like she wanted to argue, but Marcus shook his head at her. They filed out, leaving me alone with the male who'd just discovered the secret I'd guarded with my life.

Kai hadn't moved. He stood frozen in the middle of the dining room, face pale and eyes wide. I'd never seen him look so shattered. Good. Let him feel a fraction of what he'd put me through.

"My office," I said coldly. "Now. Unless you want the entire pack hearing this conversation."

He followed silently, like he'd forgotten how to speak. I led him through the packhouse corridors, hyper-aware of his presence behind me. Part of me wanted to run. The other part wanted to turn around and rip his throat out for showing up here, for seeing them, for existing.

My office was small but functional. Desk, chairs, shelves full of pack records and books on wolf law. I shut the door and turned to face him, arms crossed over my chest.

"Those are my children." His first words. Not a question. A statement of fact that made my blood boil.

"No." The word came out sharp as a blade. "They're mine. I carried them. I gave birth to them. I've raised them for three years without any help from you. You don't get to call them yours."

"Elara." My name sounded broken coming from him. "You were pregnant. When I rejected you, you were pregnant."

"I didn't know yet." The admission tasted like poison. "Found out two weeks later. Surprise. The omega you threw away was carrying your heirs."

He stumbled to the nearest chair and collapsed into it, head in his hands. "Oh goddess. Oh goddess, what did I do?"

"You rejected us." I moved to stand behind my desk, needing the barrier between us. "You rejected your mate while she was pregnant with your children. You let her run into the forest to die. You never checked if she survived. You moved on with your perfect chosen Luna and forgot we existed."

"I didn't forget." His head snapped up, and there were actual tears in his eyes. I'd never seen Kai cry. Didn't think he was capable of it. "I never forgot you, Elara. Not for a single day. I just thought you'd be better off without me."

"Well, you were right about that." I leaned forward, letting him see the fury in my face. "I am better off without you. I built a life. A good life. A strong pack. Two beautiful, healthy children who don't need their father because they have an entire pack who loves them. You were never part of that equation."

"They're three." His voice cracked. "Three years old and you never told me. Never even gave me a chance—"

"A chance?" I laughed, harsh and bitter. "You want to talk about chances? What about the chance you had to accept me as your mate? What about the chance you had to not humiliate me in front of your entire pack? What about the chance you had to check if I survived after you destroyed our bond?"

He flinched with each question, and I felt savage satisfaction watching him hurt. This was nothing compared to what he'd put me through.

"You're right." He stood, moving closer to the desk. "You're absolutely right. I don't deserve them. Don't deserve you. But Elara, please. They're my children too. I didn't know. If I'd known—"

"What? You would have done things differently?" I cut him off. "You would have magically stopped being a coward? Stopped caring what your pack thought? Actually stood up for your mate instead of throwing her away?"

"Yes!" The word exploded out of him. "Yes, I would have. I know that doesn't change anything. Doesn't fix what I did. But if I'd known you were pregnant, I never would have let you leave. Never would have rejected you."

"So the only thing that would have made me worth keeping was being pregnant with your heirs." The realization hit me like a slap. "Not because I was your fated mate. Not because the Moon Goddess chose me for you. But because I was carrying something you valued."

"No. That's not—" He ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. "I'm saying this all wrong. I was wrong, Elara. About everything. You were never worthless. Never an embarrassment. I was just too blind and stupid and scared to see what was right in front of me."

"Save it." I held up a hand. "I don't care about your epiphanies or your regrets. You came here for help with your pack. Fine. Let's talk about that and nothing else."

"I can't." His voice dropped. "I can't pretend I didn't just find out I have children. That I've been a father for three years and never knew. Please, Elara. Just let me—"

"Let you what? Meet them properly? Play daddy? Confuse them with your presence and then disappear when you get bored or when your pack decides they're not good enough?" I shook my head. "Absolutely not. They're happy. They're safe. And they're staying that way."

"I wouldn't hurt them." He looked desperate now. "I swear to the Moon Goddess, I would never hurt them the way I hurt you. They're innocent. They're—"

"They're mine." I slammed my hand on the desk. "Mine to protect. And I'm protecting them from you. From the male who rejected their mother. From the pack that would probably treat them the same way they treated me. You don't get to be part of their lives, Kai. You lost that right three years ago."

Something in him cracked. I watched it happen, saw the moment he gave up fighting and just accepted the weight of what he'd done. He sank back into the chair, and when he looked at me again, his eyes were empty.

"You're right," he said quietly. "I don't deserve them. Don't deserve to know them. But Elara, please. At least tell me their names. Let me know that much."

Part of me wanted to refuse even that. Keep every detail about my children locked away from him. But another part, the part that remembered being a scared kid who just wanted someone to care, couldn't quite be that cruel.

"Aiden and Luna," I said. "The boy is Aiden. The girl is Luna."

"Luna." He repeated it like a prayer. "You named her after your wolf."

I didn't answer. Didn't owe him explanations about my choices.

"Are they healthy? Happy?" His voice was so small, so broken. "Did the pregnancy go okay? The birth?"

"They're perfect." The words came out softer than I intended. "Strong. Smart. Way too perceptive for three-year-olds. They have gifts that shouldn't be possible at their age."

His head snapped up. "What kind of gifts?"

"Alpha abilities. Command voice, enhanced strength, empathy. Luna can read emotions. Aiden can use Alpha authority." I watched his face pale. "They're more powerful than any children I've ever seen. Dr. Chen thinks it's because they're the children of two True Alpha bloodlines, even if yours is dormant."

"That's not possible." But he didn't sound certain. "True Alpha bloodlines can't merge. It's too much power."

"Apparently they can. And did." I moved around the desk, unable to stay still anymore. "Which is another reason you can't be part of their lives. Someone is already hunting True Alphas. You said so yourself. The last thing Aiden and Luna need is more attention."

"Then let me protect them." Kai stood, and there was something fierce in his expression now. "If they're in danger, let me help keep them safe. I'm their father, Elara. I know I haven't earned that title, but it's still true. And I'm begging you. Let me protect my children."

"You can't even protect your own pack." The words were cruel, but true. "Why would I trust you with my children when you can't keep your own wolves safe?"

That hit him hard. I watched him take the blow, saw the way it landed right in his chest. But he didn't back down.

"Because they're different." His voice was rough with emotion. "Because I would die before I let anything happen to them. Because they're mine, and I'm sorry I wasn't there before but I'm here now and I'm not going away."

"You don't have a choice." I moved to the door, ready to end this conversation. "You're going to walk out of here, go back to Thornwood, and forget you ever saw them. If you try to contact them, if you try to see them again, I will end you. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear." He stood, moving toward the door. But he stopped right in front of me, close enough that I could feel the phantom ache of our broken bond. "But you should know something. I'm not giving up. I'll respect your boundaries. Won't force my way into their lives. But I'm not walking away from my children, Elara. Not this time."

"Get out." I opened the door. "And take your pathetic pack problems with you. I'm not helping Thornwood. You made your choice three years ago. Now die with it."

I expected him to argue. To beg more. Instead, he just nodded and walked past me into the hallway. Marcus was waiting there, probably listening to the whole thing through the door.

"I'll see him out," Marcus said quietly.

I nodded, not trusting my voice. Watched Kai walk away down the corridor, his shoulders slumped and defeated. Part of me felt vindicated. The other part felt hollow.

That's when I heard small footsteps running toward us. I turned just in time to see Aiden barreling down the hallway, Luna right behind him. They must have snuck away from Harper.

"Wait!" Aiden called out. "Mister, wait!"

Kai stopped. Turned. And the look on his face when he saw them running toward him was going to haunt me forever. Pure longing mixed with heartbreak.

Aiden skidded to a stop in front of him, Luna peeking out from behind her brother. My son stared up at Kai with those too-intelligent green eyes, studying him intently.

"You smell like my mommy," Aiden said finally. "And like me and Luna. Why?"

Oh no. Please no. They were too young for this conversation. Too young to understand.

Kai crouched down to their level, and I saw his hands shaking. "What's your name, little one?"

"I'm Aiden. This is my sister Luna." He pointed at her. "Are you our daddy?"

The question hung in the air like a bomb. Kai's eyes met mine over their heads, asking permission. I wanted to say no. Wanted to grab my children and run. But they'd asked, and they deserved truth even if it was complicated.

Before I could say anything, Luna stepped forward. Her gold and silver eyes studied Kai seriously, and I saw her gift working. Felt her reading his emotions the way she did with everyone.

"You're sad," she announced. "And scared. And you love us."

Kai's expression crumbled. A single tear tracked down his face. "Yes. I do love you. Both of you. Even though I just met you."

"Then you're our daddy." Aiden said it like it was obvious. "Mommy says our daddy lives far away and made mistakes. But you're here now. So you can stay, right?"

"Aiden—" I started.

"Stay!" The word came out wrong. Not just Aiden's voice but something bigger, deeper. Alpha command, raw and powerful. Every wolf in the hallway immediately felt it, that undeniable pull to obey. Including me.

My three-year-old son had just used Alpha authority. Perfect, controlled Alpha command that shouldn't be possible for years yet. And he'd directed it at all of us, trying to make his father stay.

The hallway went silent. Aiden looked confused by the reaction, not understanding what he'd just done. Luna's eyes went wide.

And Kai stared at his son with a mixture of awe and terror, finally understanding exactly how powerful these children were.