-Maya’s POV-
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“Brother?” The question tumbled out of my mouth that echoed in the deafening silence of the car.
“You had a brother, Amaya,” Ivan rified, his voiceced with a sadness that mirrored the turmoil swirling inside me. “He died before you were even bor
describe it.”
“Dead? But how do you know? And why didn’t my father ever mention him?”
Suddenly, a memory from the hospital flickered in my mind. My father’s harsh words,ced with a bitter sadness: “Because they took him away from me.
Could it be? Was this brother the one “taken away“? The thought sent a shiver down my spine.
“When I became Alpha,” Ivan continued, his voice low, “I had to learn about all the other packs in the city,
their histories, their rivalries. That’s how I found out about your brother. Apparently, he almost burned down
the entire city in a rage, seeking revenge on the one responsible for his death.” He hesitated for a moment, then added, “Alex’s father”
My eyes snapped to his face, searching for any hidden meaning, any deception. Suddenly, everything clicked into ce. The animosity between my fath
“Alex’s father? I could have had a brother,” I whispered.
Ivan reached over, his hand gently squeezing my knee. I hadn’t realized how badly it was trembling “I can’t speak for your father, Amaya,” he said softly.
Pity? Anger? The emotions churned inside me, a confusing cocktail it wasn’t my fault he’d lost his son. Yet, for all these years, he’d turned his
cold anger on me, the innocent
bystander in this tragedy. What about Alex? Did he know about his father’s past? There was no way he could bepletely oblivious. Whenever I’d men
“Amaya,” Ivan’s voice broke through my spiraling thoughts. “Look at me.“His touch, gentle yet firm, brought my attention back to him. His fingers brushed
down my face.
“Why?” I choked out, “Why did things have to be soplicated?”
His hands left my knee, and he gently pulled me into a loose hug. The car was cramped, but he managed to create a pocket offort amidst the overw
After what felt like an eternity, the intensity of the sobs subsided, leaving behind a hollow ache and a raw exhaustion. I leaned into his embrace, drained
“Let’s get you home,” he whispered softly, his voice a soothing balm against the storm.
He carefully shifted
me back to my seat, then reached for the ignition. Apparently, the car had been turned off at some point during my breakdown, a detail that hadplete
My eyelids fluttered closed, overwhelmed by a wave of fatigue. Thest thing I registered before sumbing to sleep was Ivan’s murmured
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promise, a vow woven with determination. “I won’t let them take anymore from us.”
A sliver of light pierced through my eyelids, rousing me from sleep. I blinked a few times, my vision adjusting to the familiar surroundings of my bedroom
There, in the middle of the bed, stood a tangled mess of limbs and dark hair–
my twins, Ivy and Nate, locked in a yful battle, Ivy was reaching with chubby arms for something Nate clutched tightly in his tiny hand.
“No! Mine!” Nate screeched, his brow furrowed in fierce concentration as he tried to shield the object from his sister’s grasp.
“Give!” Ivy demanded, her voice a high pitched squeal. She lunged forward, her entire body weight thrown behind the grab and the bnce they maintai
was quickly disrupted: A yelp escaped Nate’s lips as he lost his footing, sending both of them tumbling in a giggling heap onto my stomach.
The sudden weight startled me, but a smile tugged at theers of my lips despite the lingering exhaustion. This… this was home. The
i chaos, the noise, the love–all of it, a beautiful mess that filed a void I hadn’t even realized existed.
I
“Woah, woah, easy there, champions,” I chuckled, gently untangling them from each other. “What’s all themotion about?”
Ivy, momentarily distracted, pointed a stubby finger at the object still firmly clutched in Nate’s hand. “He took my dolly!” she dered, her voice thick with
i
Nate, emboldened by a mischievous glint in his eyes, peeked out from behind my arm. “No, it’s mine now!” he countered, his voice muffled by my shirt.
With a sigh, I reached for Nate’s hand and pried it open, revealing a tiny, misshapen ydough creation that vaguely resembled a doll. “Well, it doesn’t lo
“That’s cuz it’s a mermaid dolly she dered, snatching the creation from my hand
The bickering resumed as soon as I disentangled them, “Mine” vy shrieked, reaching for the ydough doll in Nate’s hand. “No!” he countered, squeezin
A tired
smile curved my lips as i watched them. Just then, the bedroom door creaked open. Ivan stepped inside, his gaze immediatelynding on the squabbling
“I thought you left,” I managed, a hint of appreciation coloring my voice
He offered a reassuring smile. “I needed to make sure you were alright.” His eyes then shifted to themotion unfolding on my stomach. “Looks like so
needs a referee”
He chuckled, crouching down to their level. “So, what seems to be the problem here?”
“She took my dolly!” Nate dered, pointing an using finger at his sister.
by scoffed. “It’s not a dolly,
? a mermaidi”
han tilted his head, feigning confusion “A mermaid, huh? Can you show me what kind of mermaid it is?”
bry, wager to share her creation
adily handed him the ydough blob. He took it gingerly inspecting
with mock seriousness. “Hmm, I see
the tail,” he mused, poking the misshapen appendage. “But where’s the pretty hair?”
Both twins frowned in contemtion. “Hair?” Nate echoed, scratching his head.
Ivan grinned. “Exactly! Mermaids have beautiful long hair, don’t they?”
Ivy and Nate exchanged a nce, their brows furrowed in thought. “Hair,” Ivy repeated, the word clicking in her mind. Suddenly, her eyes darted towards
With a triumphant squeal, she scrambled and dashed towards the nightstand. Momentster, she returned clutching a tattered pink bunny with yarn hair
He chuckled. “Perfect! Now, where do we put this hair on our mermaid?” He held the bunny
up next to the ydough creation, demonstrating for them.
Ivy and Nate huddled together, pointing and giggling. Together, they decided on the best cement for the bunny’s hair, giggling as ivan carefully attach
the misshapen doll.
Just then, a delicious aroma wafted into the room. Ivan sniffed the air. “Mmm, what smells so good?”
“Cookies!” Ivy shrieked, her eyes lighting up. She bounced in ce, barely able to contain her excitement.
Nate, catching on, started mimicking his sister. “Cookies! Cookies!” he chanted, bouncing on his toes.
Before I could even respond, Ivy was already
mbering out of bed, eager to reach the source of the delicious scent. But before she could dash out of the room, she paused, a thoughtful expression
She turned back towards Ivan, who was kneeling on the floor putting away various toys the twins had scattered during their y. She walked up to him,
surprise, she leaned down and wrapped her tiny arms around his legs in a quick hug.
“Thank you, daddy,” she whispered before sprinting out of the room towards the kitchen, her excited shouts of “Cookies” echoing down the
hallway.
Ivan straightened up, a stunned expression on his face. A warmth bloomed in my chest as I watched him. “She called you daddy,” I said softly.
He chuckled, a touch of nervousness lingering in his eyes. “I guess she did, didn’t she?” He looked down at his hand, a slight smile ying on his lips. “M
I smiled in return. He has been nothing less than perfect
with them, taking time out to y when Maria, his housemaid, was busy with chores. Ivan was perfect and i guess it wouldn’t be so bad if he became the
But why did a part of me mirror my wolf’s growl of disapproval at that?
Why did he bing their father feel so right yet so wrong at the same time?