Chapter Four

HAYLEE'S POV

I feel the burst of the heavy, dominating energy fill up the hallway and the relief that washes over me when I realize I know that aura all too well. Xavier. My fiancé’s muscular frame moves like a big cat, positioning him between myself and Aiden.

“I said get away from her,” he repeats, his voice deep and threatening, making eye contact with Aiden.

Aiden tightens his jaw, assessing the man across from him. I don’t miss the way his eyes narrow at the sight of Xavier’s arm protectively encircling my waist. The gesture of possessive sends a clear message.

"Who are you?" “What?” Aiden asks, voice sharp with contained anger.

Xavier unsmiles in the echo of a cold smile. “And I’m Alpha Xavier Carters of the Silver Moon Pack and Haylee’s fiancé.

Seeing the shock on Aiden's face is nearly worth all the pain I have felt. His jaw drops, and for a moment, he is utterly speechless. The change in his scent is instant — anger, confusion, and something that smells suspiciously like jealousy.

"Fiancé?" Aiden finally manages, his gaze bouncing between us. "You're engaged?"

"Is there a problem?" Xavier steps closer to Aiden and asks coolly. Between us, the two Alphas, our wolves are right beneath the surface, bristling.

“No,” says Aiden, after a long pause, although his balled hands suggest otherwise. "No problem at all."

“Good,” Xavier replies, tightening his hold on me. “Now, I think my fiancée asked you to get out of this pack.

Aiden’s gaze locks back on me, beseeching. “Haylee, we gotta discuss the twins. You know we do."

The mere mention of the twins has Xavier’s whole body locking up. "What about my sons?" he says, his voice dangerously calm.

My heart starts pounding and I feel dizzy. That's not the direction I'd like this conversation to take. Not here, not now, not with both of them.

"Your sons?" Aiden's voice gets louder, his face going red with rage. "What are you talking about?"

Xavier looks towards me, something questioning in his eyes. I nod, so, realizing that this confrontation I cannot avoid anymore.

“Kael and Lior are my sons,” Xavier declares as he meets Aiden’s gaze. “And I have them since they were born.”

“That’s impossible,” Aiden snaps, moving closer. "Those boys are mine. Anyone with eyes can see they’re my exact replicas!”

“How dare you make allegations about my family?” Xavier growls and I feel his muscles coiling up for a fight.

"Stop!" I order, my Alpha authority resounding through the hall. The two men do not speak, yet their antagonistic postures remain unchanged. “Neither the time nor the place for this conversation.”

The sound of faint footsteps approaching causes us all to freeze. The twins come around the corner, with Scarlett following them, her eyes going wide as she surveys the scene.

"Daddy!" The boys run toward Xavier, who squats down to pull them into a hug. Aiden’s face is utterly devastating — raw, concentrated pain.

“Boys,” Xavier says, kindly, “why don’t you go with Aunt Scarlett to your rooms? The adults need to talk."

"Is everything okay, Daddy?" “Are you OK?” Kael asks, his tiny face wrinkled with concern as he glances between Xavier and Aiden.

“Everything’s fine, son,” Xavier tells him, tousling the kid’s hair. "Go on now."

Scarlett pushes forward ahead, ushering the twins back. But as they're leaving, Lior looks back, his smart eyes lingering unsparingly over Aiden's face.

As soon as they’re out of earshot, Aiden’s composure finally breaks. "How dare you lie to them?" he snarls at Xavier.

"Those are my sons!"

“You forfeited any right to them the moment you cast Haylee out,” Xavier snaps. “I discovered her lying in the forest, bleeding and on the verge of death. Where were you then? I rescued her and the babies she bore. I’ve been there for every moment of their lives while you were too much of a coward to show up.”

Every word that leaves Xavier's mouth punches Aiden in the gut, with more force than any physical blow. His face drains of color, and for a brief instant I almost feel sympathetic toward him. Almost.

“Haylee,” I turn to Aiden, desperation in his eyes. "Please tell me the truth. Are they mine?"

The question hangs heavy in the air. Both men are looking at me, waiting for my response. I know what I’m about to say will change everything.

"I left your pack three weeks pregnant," I say, my throat tight but my voice even as emotions wage war inside of me. “But Xavier has been their father in every meaningful way.”

“I knew it,” Aiden whispers, tearing his fingers through his hair.

"They're mine, Haylee. My wolf knew exactly who they were.”

“DNA can make you their biological father,” I say icily, “but it takes more than that to be a real father.”

“I deserve the right to get to know my sons,” Aiden insists as his voice breaks. “I didn’t know you were pregnant when you left. If I had known—"

"You would have what?" I interrupt. “Kept me around as your baby-maker while you continued fucking my lady-in-waiting? Don’t now rewrite history, Aiden.”

Xavier steps forward again. "You need to leave, Fenrir. You’re hurting my fiancée, and that’s not OK.’”

“I’m not leaving,” Aiden growls, his eyes blazing gold. "Not until we settle this."

“There’s nothing to settle,” I say curtly. “And that was because of your own incompetence, you lost your pack. You betrayed me and you have lost me. And you never had the twins at all. Leave, Aiden. Before I call security to have you forcibly removed.”

“You cannot take my sons from me,” he says, his voice dropping to a threat. “If I must, I’ll challenge for them.”

Xavier lets out a laugh, a cold, mocking sound. "On what grounds? You’re a scourged Alpha with no pack, no resources. The Council would never back your claim.”

“They would if they knew the truth,” Aiden retorts, his gaze locked on mine. "That Luna Haylee Wolf of the Ragnar Pack has been hiding the rightful heirs of the Shadow Pack for five years."

The menace hangs in the air between us. The implications make my heart race. Especially now that their pack is failing, the Shadow Pack's elders would tear themselves to shreds for Aiden's heirs.

“Get out,” I say, my voice shaking with rage. "Get out now."

“There’s no end to this, Haylee,” Aiden threatens, retreating slowly. "I want to know my sons. They have a right to know their real father.”

“Their real father is right here,” Xavier seethes.

Aiden's eyes burn with rage one last time, before turning to leave. As he turns to leave, he shouts back over his shoulder, “I’ll be at the Silver Lake Inn in town. “Call me when you’re ready to have a grown-up conversation.

Once he leaves, my knees buckle, and Xavier catches me before I hit the ground. The burden of the confrontation hits me all at once.

"Are you alright?" “What?” Xavier asks, worry across his handsome face.

“No,” I say, leaning into his strength. “He’s aware of the twins now. Everything is going to be different.”

Xavier cradles my face in his big hands. Nothing needs to be different, Haylee. The boys are ours. We've raised them together."

“You don’t get it,” I whisper, fear tightening around my heart. “The elders of the Shadow Pack are desperate. If they learn that Aiden has heirs..."

“I won’t let him tear our family apart,” Xavier says determinedly. "I'll kill him first."

His eyes are intense and this should reassure me, but something feels off. How he showed up right when I needed him, how possessive he’d been over the twins…

“How did you know we were here?” I go suddenly, pulling back a little.

A shadow flickers across Xavier’s face for a split second before his features smooth out. “One of the guards said you were confronting Aiden. I came as soon as I heard."

I nod, though a strange queasiness coils in my gut. And five years of trusting Xavier, and yet there’s something about his sudden appearance that feels… convenient.

“We should go check on the boys,” I say, banishing the thought. "They seemed confused."

“Sure,” Xavier concedes, kissing my forehead. “But Haylee, we have to discuss how we’ll handle Aiden. He’s not just going to disappear.”

I know, I sigh, and my mind is racing between options. “But first let’s make sure the twins are all right.

As I walk toward the children’s wing, Xavier’s arm remains draped securely around my waist. He has been my rock for the last five years, pulling me up from my lowest low, standing by my side, helping me raise my children, supporting me while I became Luna as I always should.

So why does the mate bond with Aiden still sing softly in my chest? And why does it feel, for all its history, suddenly seem more powerful than ever?