You lied

Elena’s POV

The air in my small front garden felt like it had been sucked out of the world.

Zack stood like a statue, his fierce energy, the desperate Alpha who had come to save his dying elder, vanished; it was now replaced by a silence so heavy it made my ears ring.

His gaze was no longer on me. It was pinned to the three small humans clutching my jeans.

I felt the triplets’ fear through our bond. They didn't know who this man was, but they could feel his power. It was a roar they could hear within their souls; a frequency only wolves could tune into. Even without their shifts, their instincts were screaming.

"Elena?" he whispered again. His voice wasn't the command of an Alpha anymore. It was broken, raw, and unfiltered.

"What... what are they? Whose are they?”

I felt my panic rising, threatening to ruin my years of careful planning and hiding. But I choked it down, I had to.

I replaced my growing unease with the cold, sterile mask of Dr. Willow. I shifted my body, physically blocking his view of the children.

"They are my children, Zack," I said in a firm tone. "And you are trespassing on private property."

Zack flinched as if I’d struck him. He staggered a step backwards, but his hand reached out instinctively.

"They have my scent, Elena. I can feel the pull in my marrow. These are my children, right? Were you pregnant when you left? When I... when I let you go?"

I let out a sharp, mocking laugh that sounded brittle even to my own ears. I needed him to believe the lie. I needed it to be the only truth he knew.

"You think every dark-haired child in the city belongs to you? Your ego is as massive as it was six years ago." I spat, as my eyes flashed with a bitterness that wasn't faked.

I felt Colin’s small hand tighten on my leg. I looked Zack dead in the eyes, as I hardened my heart.

"My children have a father, Alpha. A man who loved them before they were even born. A man who stayed when things got difficult. A man who didn't need a Moon Goddess to tell him who to cherish."

Zack froze, his eyes widening. "What?”

"I met someone months after I arrived in the city," I lied, the words tasted like ash but still came out smoothly.

"A human doctor; Dr. Mark Gunter. He was kind, stable, and he didn't care about ranks or 'fated' nonsense. He passed away in an accident two years ago, but he gave these children his name and his heart."

Zack’s face went a sickly shade of grey. "No. That’s impossible. Their scent—"

"Their scent is a side effect of my work," I countered, stepping towards him.

"I spend twelve hours a day treating shifters. Their scent clings to me, to my house, to my children. What you’re feeling isn't a bond, Zack. It’s your own guilt projecting itself onto three innocent human children."

"Human?" Zack breathed, looking at Caleb, who was watching him with a quiet, observant curiosity. "They don't look human."

"They look like their mother," I snapped. "Now, Sinclair!"

Mr. Sinclair stepped out from the porch, with a blank expression on his face. I knew he struggled to keep his composure, if not, he would have sent Zack away the moment he started arguing with me.

He walked over and placed a hand on Colin’s shoulder. "Elena, the children should go inside. I’ll handle the guest."

Zack looked at Sinclair, then back at me, his wolf snarled in defense, I could see the resistance in his eyes; the Alpha wanted to challenge the man touching his supposed blood. But Sinclair didn't flinch. He just led the children toward the door.

"Mommy, is the man going to hurt you?" Cindy asked, as her lower lip trembled.

"No, sweetie. He's just leaving," I said, not looking back until I heard the click of the front door lock.

He was desperate to believe his senses, but my conviction remained solid. I had been a rankless omega; I knew how to hide my truth until it became my second skin.

Before he could demand a blood test or force his way into the house, his phone began to vibrate. The caller ID; the “Pack Hospital” forced his attention back to his real world.

"Speak," he growled, though his eyes never left my face. His expression shifted from shock to a grim look as the news from the other end hit him. "I understand. Prepare the theater, we’ll be there in a few minutes.”

He ended the call, hands shaking so much he almost dropped the device.

"Elder Thomas is in cardiac arrest. He is the heart of the Silver-Crest council. I am not asking you as an Alpha, Elena. I am asking as a man who knows you are the only one who can save him."

I said nothing and just watched him. When he saw that I wasn't convinced, he tried to explain further.

“He’s the only one holding the peace between the factions. If he dies tonight, the pack will fracture. Tiana's father will move for a vote of no confidence."

"I am a human doctor’s widow now, Zack," I said, the lie felt heavier with every breath. "I don't care about your council."

"Please," he whispered. It was the first time I had ever heard that word from his lips. Somehow, it made me pity him, just a little.

I looked at my children, then at Sinclair. "Keep them inside, and don't let anyone in." Then, I turned back to Zack, my voice dropping to a low, lethal warning.

"I will save the Elder because I am a doctor. But don't mistake my mercy for a reunion. My children have a father's memory to protect, and it doesn't involve you."

Zack nodded, acting like he understood the gravity of what I had just said.

As I walked toward his SUV, Zack stayed behind for a second, watching Colin. My son didn't wave or smile. He just watched Zack with a cold, calculating stare. Sometimes, he scared me.

Zack kept his eyes on the road, his hands locked around the steering wheel so tightly that the veins in his wrists stood out.

Then, quietly, he said, “You lied.”

My pulse stopped. I thought I was very convincing.

Finally, he turned to look at me, with a dark and unreadable expression.

“Your son’s eyes turned gold when he looked at me.”