Semua Bab Alpha's Regret: Return of the Rejected Mate: Bab 311 - Bab 320

Kelsey’s POVThe sound of Dominic’s truck in the driveway made my stomach clench. He’d been gone for three hours this time, three hours at Penelope’s house with my son.My son. The baby I’d carried and birthed and loved with every fiber of my being, even knowing he wasn’t Dominic’s. Even knowing the truth would destroy everything if it ever came out.The front door opened and Dominic walked in, Alexander fussy in his carrier. The baby’s face was red from crying, his little fists waving in distress.“How did it go?” I asked, reaching for Alexander automatically.“Fine.” Dominic’s voice was clipped, distant. He set down the diaper bag with more force than necessary. “He was good for Penelope. Started crying the moment we got in the car to come home.”The words stung more than they should have. Alexander was usually perfectly content with me. I was his mother, after all, the one who fed him and rocked him to sleep every night, but lately he’d been impossible, crying for hours despite ever

Julian’s POVI knocked on the front door even though Luna Daphne had told me a dozen times to just walk in. Old habits. The smell of roasted chicken and rosemary hit me the moment the door opened.“Julian!” Daphne beamed at me, flour dusting her apron. “Perfect timing. Nathan’s just pulling the bread from the oven.”The warmth in her voice still caught me off guard sometimes. Three weeks of Sunday lunches, and she still greeted me like I was her favorite person in the world.“Can I help with anything?” I asked, hanging my jacket on the hook by the door.“Absolutely not.” She swatted my hand away when I reached for the serving dishes. “You saved our daughter’s life. You’re family now. Family doesn’t serve themselves.”Family. The word hit me every time she said it. I’d never had a mother figure who cared if I ate enough vegetables or asked about my sleep schedule like it actually mattered. My dad had been everything to me, but since losing him, it felt as if someone had stolen my protec

Julian’s POVThe kitchen smelled like vanilla and cinnamon from the pie cooling on the counter. Daphne handed me a dish towel as I joined her at the sink, falling into our usual routine.“How do you think lunch went?” she asked, passing me a wet plate.“Tense.” I dried the ceramic carefully. “Dominic’s struggling with my presence.”“He’s struggling with his choices.” Her voice carried no sympathy. “That man made his bed. Now he has to sleep in it.”Through the kitchen window, I could see Penelope in the garden with Debbie, Dominic, and Alexander. They looked like a family from a distance.“She builds walls when she’s hurt,” Daphne said quietly, following my gaze. “After what Dominic put her through, it’ll take time to trust again.”“I’m not in any hurry.” I took the next plate from her hands. “Some things are worth waiting for.”“You’re a good man, Julian. Patient. Kind.” She squeezed my arm with sudsy fingers. “Penelope needs someone who won’t run when things get complicated.”“Has sh

Dominic’s POVWe made it exactly five minutes after everyone gathered in the living room.“You think you can just move in and take over my family?” The words exploded out of me as I set Alexander’s carrier down hard.Julian stood slowly from his spot on the couch. “I didn’t take anything. You threw it away.”The calm in his voice made my rage spike higher. “Every time I come here, you’re already here. In my daughter’s homework, with Penelope, in her parents’ good graces.”“Dominic—” Nathan started.“No!” I whirled toward him. “Don’t defend him. He’s been replacing me.”“Nobody’s replacing anyone,” Julian said quietly.“Aren’t you?” I stepped closer, hands clenched. “Homework help, bedtime stories, family lunches. You’ve made yourself indispensable to my daughter while I get scheduled visits twice a week.”“That’s your choice,” Julian replied, but I caught the flash of anger in his dark eyes. “You chose this.”“And you swooped in to pick up the pieces.”“I didn’t swoop anywhere. I was i

Julian’s POVThe warehouse looked different in daylight. Abandoned. Forgotten. Like something from a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.I parked behind the building and walked through the side entrance, my footsteps hollow on concrete. Two months since my last summons. Two months of wondering if my cover was blown, if the Rogue King suspected what I really was.The underground chamber was darker than I remembered. Torches flickered in their brackets. The Rogue King sat at his usual spot—the head of a scarred wooden table surrounded by empty chairs.He looked older. Worn down. The string of defeats had carved new lines around his eyes, turned his hair more gray than black.“Julian.” He gestured to the chair at his right hand. “Sit. We have much to discuss.”I took my place, noting how his hands shook slightly as he poured wine into two cups. The confident warlord I’d first met was cracking under pressure.“You look injured,” he observed, his pale eyes scanning my face. “What happened?”