MasukAuroraI had no idea how long I'd been sitting there with Alec and Maxwell before the door finally opened. Both of them looked up immediately, and so did I.Dad walked in first, followed by Alpha Denver, who carried his usual calm, watchful presence beside him. Something about my father's expression had shifted since he'd left the room, though I couldn't tell yet whether that was a good sign.Alec's hand found mine almost immediately, and I squeezed his fingers."Are you okay?" he whispered.I nodded, even though I wasn't completely sure.My eyes stayed on Dad as he took his seat, Alpha Denver settling across from him and offering a brief, reassuring nod to the twins."I believe your father, and I have reached an understanding," Alpha Denver said.My heart started beating faster. "Does that mean I can go home?"Dad looked at me. "It means we've found something we can both accept."I wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or nervous."What exactly did you agree on?"He leaned back in his
Denver.Once the door closed behind them, the room became noticeably quieter. Matteo remained by the window, his hands resting against the back of a chair as he stared at the door Aurora had disappeared through.For a moment, neither of us spoke. I understood why. He had spent years building something he believed would outlive him, only to discover that the person he expected to carry it forward wanted an entirely different life."I understand how you feel," I finally said.Matteo looked at me. "You do?""I do." I moved toward one of the chairs and sat down. "When my boys first told me they had both been mated to a human, I had concerns too."His eyebrows lifted slightly. "You weren't pleased?""I wouldn't say I was pleased." A faint smile touched my lips. "They were young, and Aurora was human. I knew there would be complications, especially because they were both my sons and their mate was someone who had no idea what our world was like."Matteo listened carefully."But I also knew
AlecThe Don's estate was nothing as I had imagined. It was beautiful, almost too beautiful for a place belonging to a man whose name was spoken in our world with the kind of caution usually reserved for enemies. Polished floors, dark wood lining every wall, and armed men standing quietly along the corridors and near every entrance, watching us without bothering to hide it.Maxwell walked beside me, tension rolling off him in waves. Neither of us had said much since leaving home. There was nothing left to say. We'd spent days searching for Aurora, imagining every possible thing that could have happened to her, only to learn she'd been taken by a man who claimed to be her father.Now we were finally here, and she was somewhere in this house. That thought was the only thing keeping me from losing control entirely.The doors to the Don's private sitting room opened, and we followed our father inside. The man waiting for us rose slowly from his chair. He looked older than I'd expected, t
AlecBy the time Maxwell and I reached my father's private sitting room, I already knew something had changed.The house felt too quiet in that particular way that meant everyone in it was holding their breath. The warriors stationed around the estate stood a little straighter than usual, and every few minutes another member of the pack passed through the hallway with a purpose I couldn't quite name, as though the whole house had shifted into a lower, more careful gear.Maxwell walked beside me, his jaw set, his eyes hollow from a night neither of us had really slept through. I doubted either of us had slept at all, if I was honest.Every time I'd closed my eyes, I'd seen Aurora.The last time we'd seen her, she'd been walking toward her locker, completely unaware that her life was about to change again.Now she was somewhere inside the Don's world.And we had no idea what she was facing.I pushed open the door without knocking.Dad was standing near the large windows overlooking the
AuroraI had barely finished my lunch when one of the house staff came to find me."The Don would like to see you in his study."I looked up from the cup of fresh fruit juice I hadn't really been drinking. "Now?""Yes, Miss."I hesitated before setting the cup down. Ever since my conversation with my father that morning, I had been trying to decide whether I was angry with him or simply overwhelmed by everything that had happened.Probably both.He had told me I was his daughter. His only child. His only heir. Then, in the same conversation, he had told me that Alec and Maxwell were not good enough for me and that he intended to decide who I would marry.I still couldn't believe it.I followed the maid through the long corridor toward his study, my mind already preparing for another argument. When I reached the door, she opened it for me.My father was standing behind his desk, looking down at several documents spread across the surface. He looked up when I entered. "There you are."I
AlecEarly the next morning, we were already in my father's office. He was on the phone when we walked in, so Maxwell and I sat down and waited until he was done.Dad ended the call and slowly lowered his phone. For a moment, he said nothing.Maxwell and I had been watching him throughout the conversation, trying to read his expression, but our father had always been good at hiding what he was thinking. This time, though, there was something different in his eyes. Something that made me uneasy.He looked at us."She is his daughter."I frowned. "What?""Aurora is the Don's daughter."The words took a moment to register, and then they did. My mind went completely still. Maxwell stared at him."How is that possible?"Dad sighed and moved toward his desk. "The Don received confirmation. Aurora is his biological daughter."I looked at Maxwell, expecting him to say something that would make sense of what we'd just heard. He looked just as stunned as I felt."But how?" I asked."He had a rel







