Samantha’s POVWhen I heard Dominic’s news about my kids, for a second, I thought I had misheard him. Surely, he had not just said Olivia’s house. Not that Olivia, the conniving snake who had slithered her way into every aspect of Dominic’s life and made it her mission to meddle in mine. But his grim expression left no room for doubt.“What did you just say?” My voice was shaking, though not with fear.“The twins are at Olivia’s house,” he repeated.Something snapped inside me. The heat of my fury surged through my veins, and my hands clenched into fists as my mind raced. Olivia? Olivia had my children? What possible reason could she have for taking them, what possible excuse?“What the hell is she doing with my children?” I shouted. “Why are they there, Dominic? Why would she take them?”“I don’t know,” Dominic said, but I did not miss the tension in his jaw or the way his hands curled into fists at his sides. “But we’re going there now.”“That conniving, manipulative bitch!” I screa
Samantha’s POV“Your daughter kidnapped my children,” I snapped at him, disregarding any respect for whoever he was in this pack. “That’s what’s going on.”Richard’s eyes darted to Olivia, whose carefully composed mask faltered for just a second before she straightened. He ignored her and addressed Dominic instead, his tone shifting to something smoother, almost rehearsed and reverent.“Alpha Dominic,” Richard began, his tone oozing with false diplomacy, “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding. Olivia was not trying to harm anyone. She was only doing what she thought was best for the children.”“What she thought was best?” I repeated. “She had no right to take them from me! What kind of twisted logic are you trying to sell here?”Richard raised a hand as if to calm me, but it only stoked the fire in my chest. “Samantha, let’s not forget that Olivia and I have already proven our loyalty to your children once. Do you recall the Summit? When Devon and Diana wandered off? Who found them
Dominic’s POVI reached for the car door where Samantha sat with the twins, their small forms huddled together in the backseat. “Wait for me,” I said. “I’ll drive you home. Just give me a minute.”She did not respond, did not even look at me. Her silence was louder than any words she could have spoken. It was a silence I was not used to, one that had a gravity of its own. I turned, heading back toward the house, but something in her quiet stillness tugged at me.For the first time in what felt like forever, I believed we might be able to fix this, whatever this was between us. Finding the twins together, fighting side by side against Olivia, I showed her how much I cared for her and the twins, and I just hoped she could see that I was serious with her, and in fixing our marriage. I wanted her back, and she should know that. Maybe it was not too late yet. Maybe I could prove to her that I was not the man she had run from all those years ago.I stepped back into Olivia’s house, and befo
Dominic’s POV“You’re playing with fire, Dominic,” Olivia said as the old woman lit another bundle of herbs, releasing a thick, pungent smoke into the air. “But I think you already know that.” She did not mean the literal fire in front of us, but the truth that would arise after this.However, I was not sure if it was the smoke or her words that made my stomach churn. My instincts were screaming at me to stop, to leave, but the nagging doubt Olivia had planted refused to be silenced in my head. I needed answers.The old woman — “the seer,” Olivia called her, was crouched on the floor of a dimly lit room at the back of Olivia’s house. The space reeked of aged wood, dried herbs, and something metallic, like blood. Candles flickered from every corner with their flames casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance with a life of their own.“What exactly are we doing here?” I asked.The seer did not look up, her attention was fixed on the symbols she was drawing on the floor with what looked
Dominic’s POV“What does that even matter? I’m unlucky enough to be marrying Samantha as it is.”The words echoed in my mind, sharper now than the day I had spoken them on our wedding day, and I saw the broken look in her eyes, the way her shoulders had slumped as though carrying a weight too heavy to bear. I had been too blind to see it then, or I just did not care. I was too consumed by my own bitterness and resentment to realize that I had been the one breaking her.I ran through the woods as the cool night air whipped against my face. The revelation of my children’s existence surged through me like a storm, leaving me breathless, and excited, but at the same time, the regret was consuming me like a fire determined to turn me into ashes. Devon and Diana were mine. Mine. And yet, Samantha had kept them from me, hiding their existence for six years. But I understood, or perhaps, I wanted to because I knew that I had done her wrong, but I also thought that I had the right to know, and
Samantha’s POVThe knock at the door came just as I finished tucking Diana into bed for her afternoon nap. My heart immediately sank to my stomach. I knew it was him. Dominic.I hesitated, my hand hovering over the doorknob as I tried to calm myself. Last night, I hated that he stayed with Olivia, that he was with her, it reminded me of the past, that I had been working so hard to forget, but every time I saw them together, it all came rushing back. I did not know what happened to them that night, nor did I want to know what they did. That should be none of my business already, but it never left my mind since this morning. Dominic had been relentless in pursuing me, wanting me back in his life, but I could not shake the fact that Olivia was still hanging around him, and I did not want that because it made me question his loyalty. I could not fully trust him.I opened the door, and there he was, standing tall, broad, and imposing with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, as though h
Samantha’s POVI clenched my fists by my sides, trying to keep my composure. My heart hammered in my chest as I felt the intensity of his gaze on me, weighing, challenging, and gauging what would be my response. He did not leave my eyes even though I began to look somewhere else just to avoid his gaze while telling myself not to waver. His interest in the twins terrified me. I could not let him get close, not now, not ever. I was not ready yet. “They’re fine,” I replied curtly.“I would like to see them,” he pressed gently, taking a step closer as if caging me to a point wherein I could not refuse.“No.” My voice came out sharper this time, leaving no room for argument. “They do not need to meet you, Dominic. Not now, and maybe not ever.”He frowned, his jaw clenching, but he did not lash out or argue. Instead, his gaze softened, filled with a kind of determination that made me uneasy. “I am not here to take them from you, Samantha. I just… I just want to know them. To see them. Ev
Olivia’s POV"How could everything go so wrong?" I whispered to myself, pacing back and forth in my bedroom. My heels clicked against the hardwood floor, and I clenched my fists tightly, my nails biting into my palms, and forming a crescent line mimicking the ends of my nails. No matter how many times I replayed the last few days in my head, the outcome did not change. Dominic knew. He knew he was the father of Samantha’s twins, and now, he could not seem to stay away from them.This was not how it was supposed to be.I sank onto the edge of my bed, burying my face in my hands. Every breath I took felt shallow with each exhale carried with frustration. I had imagined this going differently, so differently. I thought Dominic would be angry. Furious, even. I thought he would storm into Samantha’s life and rip her apart for hiding the truth from him. And I thought he would be grateful to me for showing him the light, for helping him uncover the truth.But instead… instead, he turned all
[SAMANTHA’s Point of View]I couldn’t believe what I was hearing from my mate.Diana and Devon stood in front of me; both faces were filled with guilt as they fiddled with their fingers and pouted their lips, too embarrassed and ashamed of what they did.
[ALPHA DOMINIC’s Point of View]“You don’t understand the situation here, Alpha Dominic! I am helping you!”I snarl ripped in my throat as I pushed him away, dropping his body on the dusty, marble floor of the old library. I started walking in circles around him like a predator ready for the kill and was aiming to slit his throat if he ever made a wrong move.
[DEVON’s Point of View]“Devon, we have to go!”“Shhh!”“Madison must be already in the room!” Diana grabbed me by the arm and forced me to return to the playroom. ‘I
[SAMANTHA’s Point of View]I had to know what was really going on.Why was my mother involved with those people? What was her part in what was going on at Silver Crescent? All I knew was that Lena was my mother's best friend. They’ve always been together, discussing the issues in the pack, and Lena trusted Mom—her judgment and Mom’s advice were always appreciated by Mothe
[ALPHA Dominic’s Point of View]I was on my way to the pack house.My eyes were focused on the road while my mind was on Samantha and my kids. Feathers appeared on the muscles of my jaw as I ground my teeth. I couldn’t leave them when things like this happened in the pack. Liam was right. It was worse than we imagined, and the first thing I had to ensure was my family's safety.
[DEVON’s Point of View]I sensed something wasn’t right, and I knew Diana felt it.I caught her looking at me the second Madison and Cynthia left the room. I was anxious and confused, but Diana's stare made me confirm that these feelings were not just uneasiness but an instinct that she and I had been feeling since Mom suddenly disappeared days ago.“I’m scared, Devon,” Diana whispered as she pulled her blanket halfway over her face. “Can you feel it too?”I was scared, too, but I couldn’t show it to my sister. “Yes, something is wrong. Mom and Dominic have been acting strangely since they came back. Liam said they are just dealing with something to help the people of the pack.”“I can sense Mommy always being anxious,” Diana murmured, teary-eyed. “How long are we going to stay here? I miss home. I miss Annie.” she pouted her lips, almost crying.“It’s okay, Diana. I believe Mom is doing her best to solve whatever is happening.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “Things will be better.”
[SAMANTHA’s Point of View]After I read that horrifying letter, I thought of searching for any suspicious things around the manor, especially the twins’ room. How could those people perpetrate the inside of the pack manor?! Did they have spies here? Should I tell Dominic? Or will it only bring chaos to the pack, knowing there are enemies inside my husband's turf?The panic made my stomach tighten, and I decided to solve this alone. Dominic was already dealing with the incident at the eastern gates, and I couldn't distract him when he already had so many problems to attend to with his Beta. This would only divert my husband's focus to the real problem of the pack.“Miss Samantha, is there a problem?” Madison noticed my distress after I had slipped the letter into my jacket pocket. She looked at my pocket with a puzzled look and then at my face.“N-Nothing, Madison. Nothing's wrong. How are the kids? Are they asleep?”“Yes. Diana insisted she would rather not sleep yet, but Master Devon
[ALPHA DOMINIC’s Point of View]My brain kept convincing me that I had to stay and solve this.But my heart and feet wanted to go to where my car was parked, drive back to the Pack Manor, and stay with my mate and the twins.
[SAMANTHA’s Point of View]“I’m sorry if we have to head back so soon. I know you still have so many questions you want to ask Ethan, but Madison already texted me that the kids are looking for me.”“You shouldn’t feel bad about it, love. I know you want to focus on this matter as well. But the kids are important too. And after you were gone for days, Diana and Devon became too worr