Lahat ng Kabanata ng Alpha's Regret: Return of the Rejected Mate: Kabanata 301 - Kabanata 310

Penelope’s POVDebbie sat at the kitchen table moving pasta around her plate without eating.“How was school today, baby?” I asked, settling beside her with coffee that had gone cold.“Fine.” She didn’t look up.My mother moved quietly around the kitchen, but I caught her worried glances. She’d been watching this distance grow between Debbie and me for months.“Mrs. Peterson said you missed the parent conference again.”My stomach dropped. Tuesday afternoon, completely forgotten when Council meetings ran late.“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Something came up at work—”“Something always comes up.” Her voice stayed flat. “You said you’d be there this time.”Each word stung. This was exactly what Kelsey had been teaching her—that working mothers always disappoint their children.“You’re right. I promised and I broke that promise.” I reached for her hand, but she pulled away. “What did Mrs. Peterson want to discuss?”“My reading scores. And why I draw pictures of empty houses.” She finally looked

Penelope’s POVI found Debbie curled up on her bed, clutching the stuffed horse we’d bought at the ranch gift shop. Her shoulders shook with quiet sobs that made my heart clench.“Baby, what’s wrong?” I sat on the edge of her bed, reaching out to stroke her red curls.She turned toward me with tear-streaked cheeks and eyes swollen from crying. “I don’t want you to go back to work tomorrow.”The fear in her voice stopped me cold. Our weekend at the ranch had been perfect—three days of riding, camping, and just being together without interruption. She’d laughed more than I’d heard in months, chattering about horses and s’mores and shooting stars.“Why don’t you want me to go back to work?”“Because bad people might try to hurt you again.” Her small hand gripped my fingers desperately. “Like they hurt Uncle Ryan. What if next time there’s no one to save you?”Uncle Ryan. I’d finally told her about his death during our weekend away, explaining that sometimes good people got hurt protecting

Penelope’s POVMy breath caught when Dominic walked through the front door carrying Alexander. Six months of dreading this moment, and here it was—Kelsey’s child in my home.He was bigger than I’d expected. Dark hair, round cheeks, alert eyes that looked around my living room with curiosity. He could have gotten those features from anyone in Dominic’s family tree, which somehow made it worse.No obvious resemblance to pin my resentment on.“Penelope,” Dominic said carefully. “This is Alexander.”The baby that represented everything wrong between us. The child that proved Dominic had moved on, built a new family, found someone else. The living reminder that I’d been replaced.“Alexander!” Debbie bounced beside me with pure joy. “You came to visit! Look, this is our house! That’s my mom!”Alexander turned toward Debbie’s voice, his face lighting up in a way that made my stomach clench. The bond between them was real. Deep. Growing stronger every day they spent together at Dominic’s house

Nick’s POVAlexander’s tiny fist gripped my thumb while I bounced him on my knee during the senior warriors meeting. His dark eyes tracked every face around the scarred wooden table in Dominic’s office. Smart kid. Already paying attention to power structures.“He’s already showing signs of strong leadership instincts,” I said, lifting Alexander’s hand so the men could see his grip. “Look at the way he holds on. How he responds to voices when we’re talking business.”Senior Warrior Thompson leaned forward across the table. His face broke into a grin as Alexander turned toward his voice. “My grandson just drools and sleeps through everything. This little guy actually listens.”“See how he grips things? How his eyes track movement?” I continued, bouncing Alexander gently. The baby gurgled and reached toward the stack of patrol reports. “Classic Alpha traits.”Captain Mills shifted in his seat by the window and cleared his throat. “Course, there’s always the question of succession order. T

Dominic’s POVI pulled into Penelope’s driveway unannounced, Alexander fussing in his car seat. The front door was unlocked—something that would have made my security instincts scream if I wasn’t so focused on getting inside.The sound of voices drifted from the kitchen. Low, comfortable conversation that made my shoulders tense before I even saw what was waiting for me.Julian sat at Penelope’s kitchen table like he lived there. His dark jacket hung on the back of her chair. His laptop was open, coffee mug half empty, intelligence reports spread across the wooden surface like he had every right to bring them into her home.“Daddy!” Debbie bounced over from where she’d been coloring at the counter. “Look what Uncle Julian taught me! Map reading!”Map reading. My six-year-old daughter.“Julian says knowing where things are helps keep people safe,” Debbie continued, her face bright with excitement. “He showed me how to find our house on this map, and your house, and even the park! It’s l