Chapter 180
Orion planted himself firmly in front of me, his small body rigid with determination. Those blue eyes burned with an intensity no five–year–old should possess as he stared directly at his father.
“You’re not my father. You hurt my mom.”
My breath caught in my throat. I stared at my son, stunned by his words. I never told the children anything about Tristan. Where is this anger coming from? This understanding in his eyes?
Tristan’s expression tightened, brows drawing together, but his voice remained controlled. “Who told you that?”
Orion’s tiny fists clenched at his sides. ‘I know the truth.”
The words hung between them–father and son–separated by five years of absence and secrets. Tristan’s gaze never left Orion, something flickering behind his eyes–a flash of hurt quickly buried beneath layers of ice.
Lyra cowered behind me, clutching her stuffed wolf against her chest, eyes wide and frightened as she watched the confrontation.
“Is this how you raised them?” Tristan turned to me, voice dangerously low. “Teaching my son I’m evil? Poisoning their minds against their father?”
I lifted my chin, meeting his glare. “I never needed to tell them anything. They’re smart enough to see what kind of man you are.”
His eyes narrowed. “So you admit he’s my son. You admit you’re a liar.”
“Leave my mom alone, you bastard!” Orion stepped closer to Tristan, his childish voice cracking with emotion.
Tristan’s head snapped toward Orion, a low growl rumbling from his chest. The sound vibrated with Alpha power, commanding submission. My son froze, trembling as the primal sound washed over him, his small body reacting instinctively to the dominance display.
Lyra tugged at my sleeve, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why is ice cream uncle so scary now?” Tears gathered in her eyes, confusion and betrayal written across her face. Just yesterday she’d called him a hero.
Something in Tristan’s expression shifted as he looked at the twins. His voice softened, an unsettling contrast to his earlier tone.
“You’ll understand soon that this is for your own good. In Silverblood Pack, you’ll have everything you deserve.”
Despite his fear, Orion planted himself in front of Lyra, shielding her with his body. My daughter peered around her brother, her expression torn between curiosity and dread.
“Are you really our daddy?” she asked, her voice small but clear. “Aren’t daddies supposed to love us? Why are you hurting Mommy?”
For a split second, Tristan’s mask slipped. Something vulnerable leaked through the cracks–a glimpse of the man who might have been.
“I never stopped- He cut himself off abruptly, features hardening once more.
I drew both children into my arms, fingers digging into their clothing as if I could somehow anchor them to me through sheer desperation.
*Please, Tristan. They’re too young. They need their mother.”
He raised his hand in a sharp gesture. Delta Gaelen and two guards moved forward with mechanical precision.
“No!” I clutched my children tighter, their small bodies pressed against mine.
The guards hesitated, looking from me to Tristan, their discomfort evident. We’d known most of them for years–they’d watched these children,
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Chapter 180
grow. Now they were being ordered to tear them from my arms.
Gaelen nodded once, and the men moved in. Strong hands closed around Orion’s shoulders, trying to pry him away.
My son exploded into motion, kicking and screaming. “Let go of me! Don’t touch my sister! Mom! Don’t let them take us!*
Lyra’s wail pierced my heart as another guard lifted her bodily from my grip. “Mommy! Did I do something bad? Why are they taking us away?”
Their fingers slipped from mine despite my desperate hold. It took three guards to break my grasp, my fingernails transforming into claws that gouged deep marks in the hardwood floor.
“My babies! No! The scream that tore from my throat barely sounded human. I lunged after them, only to be blocked by two more guards who appeared from nowhere.
I thrashed against their restraining hands, howling with primal fury. “Let go of my children! I’ll kill every last one of you!”
My mother broke free from my father’s hold, charging toward Tristan with fire in her eyes. “How dare you do this to my grandchildren!”
A guard intercepted her, my father pulling her back before she could get herself hurt. The kids were being dragged toward the door, their small hands reaching for me, tears streaming down their faces.
Orion continued to fight, but Lyra suddenly twisted free from her captor’s grip. Instead of running to me as I expected, she dashed toward Tristan, dropping to her knees in front of him.
“Please, I’ll call you Daddy, okay? Daddy, please don’t take us from Mommy.”
Her voice shook, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks as her tiny hand clutched at Tristan’s pant leg.
“Mommy is the best mommy in the whole world. She reads us stories every night and takes care of us when we’re sick. You were gone for so long, and I always wanted a daddy to come back, but I didn’t want it to be like this. I didn’t want a daddy who would take us away from Mommy.
She hiccupped through her sobs, voice breaking. “This isn’t the kind of daddy I wanted. Other kids have both their mommies and daddies living together.”
My heart splintered at the sight of my daughter begging on her knees. The sobs tearing from my chest came from somewhere beyond pain–a place where mothers have watched their children taken for centuries.
Everyone in the room went still. Tristan’s expression flickered with something I couldn’t read–a ripple across the frozen lake of his features.
Orion stopped struggling against the guard’s hold, watching his sister with wide eyes, His voice came out small but determined.
“I won’t ask for anything, and I won’t call you Dad. But please don’t hurt Lyra. She’s little. She’s always liked you.”
Hope flashed through the room like lightning–brief and brilliant before darkness swallowed it again.
Tristan’s jaw tightened, fingers trembling slightly at his sides. When he spoke, his voice carried an edge of pain I’d never heard before.
“Continue. Take them to Silverblood Pack.”
He turned away from Lyra’s pleading eyes. “You’ll have a better life there. That’s your real home.”
The children’s screams echoed down the hallway as they were dragged from the room. The last thing I saw was Orion’s determined face.
“Mom, we’ll come back! I promise! I’ll take care of Lyra!”
My legs gave out, I crawled toward Tristan, grasping his ankle with shaking hands.
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Chapter 180
‘Don’t do this to me, Tristan. I’ll forget everything you ever did to me. I’m begging you, please don’t take them.”
Chapter Comments
Jamie
I’m about done with this book. 150+ chapters in and Tristan is still horrible with zero character growth. takes zero responsibility for his actions.
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