His Biggest Mistake

Chapter 6 - The Impossible Children

KAI POV

The Alpha command hit me like a physical force, and I had to fight every instinct not to obey. A three-year-old just used Alpha authority on me. Perfect, controlled command that most wolves didn't master until their teens. And he'd done it accidentally, just because he wanted me to stay.

I looked up at Elara, and the fear in her eyes mirrored what I was feeling. This wasn't normal. This was dangerous. Children this powerful would attract attention, and not the good kind.

"Aiden, baby, you can't do that." Elara was beside him in seconds, scooping both twins into her arms. "Using your Alpha voice on people isn't okay unless it's an emergency."

"But I didn't mean to!" Aiden's lip wobbled. "I just wanted him to stay. Did I do something bad?"

"No, sweetheart. You're not in trouble." She kissed his forehead, but I could see the tension in her shoulders. "But we need to be more careful with your gifts, okay? They're very strong."

Luna wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. "Is Daddy leaving? I don't want him to leave."

Daddy. She'd called me daddy. This tiny girl with my eyes and Elara's face had just claimed me as her father, and I felt something c***k wide open in my chest. I'd missed three years. Three years of first words and first steps and bedtime stories. Three years of watching them grow. And I could never get that back.

"I have to go home for now," I said, keeping my voice gentle. "But I promise I'll come back if your mommy says it's okay."

"Mommy?" Aiden turned those green eyes on Elara. "Can Daddy come back? Please?"

Elara's expression was conflicted. I could see her warring with herself, wanting to protect them from me but also not wanting to hurt them by saying no. Finally, she sighed.

"We'll talk about it," she told them. "But right now, you two need to go back to Harper. No more running off when you're supposed to be with your caretaker."

They grumbled but obeyed, scampering back down the hallway after quick hugs to their mother. Luna turned at the last second and waved at me, small hand flapping. Something in my chest hurt so badly I could barely breathe.

Once they were gone, Elara's expression hardened again. "You see now why you can't be part of their lives. They're too powerful. Too vulnerable. And having you around will only make things worse."

"No." The word came out firm. "Having me around is exactly what they need. Elara, someone is hunting True Alphas. You said it yourself. And now I've seen what they can do, how strong they are. If whoever's behind the attacks on Thornwood finds out about them—"

"They won't find out." She cut me off. "Because no one outside this pack knows they exist. And it's staying that way."

"For how long?" I challenged. "They're three and already using Alpha command. How long before they can't hide what they are? Before someone sees them use their gifts and word spreads?"

She didn't have an answer for that. I could see it in her face, the fear she'd probably been carrying since they were born. These children were miracles, but they were also targets. And she knew it.

"There's a doctor in Shadow Creek, right?" I asked. "Someone who's been monitoring their development?"

"Dr. Chen. And yes, she's been helping. Not that it's any of your business."

"Please." I took a step closer. "Let me talk to her. Let me understand what's happening with them. I'm not trying to take them from you, Elara. I know I don't deserve to be their father. But I can help protect them. I want to help protect them."

She studied me for a long moment, and I could see her weighing options. Finally, she called out through mind-link. A few minutes later, an older Asian woman appeared in the hallway, medical bag in hand.

"You wanted to see me, Alpha?" Dr. Chen glanced between us, clearly sensing the tension.

"This is Kai Thornwood," Elara said stiffly. "The twins' biological father. He has questions about their abilities. Answer what you can without compromising pack security."

Dr. Chen's eyebrows rose, but she didn't comment on the situation. Professional. "Come to my office. We can talk there."

I followed her through the packhouse to a small medical wing. Clean, well-organized, with the faint smell of antiseptic. She gestured for me to sit and pulled up a chair across from me.

"The twins are remarkable," she started without preamble. "I've been a pack doctor for forty years and I've never seen anything like them. Alpha abilities usually manifest around puberty, sometimes earlier in strong bloodlines. But Aiden and Luna have been showing abilities since they were eighteen months old."

"That's not possible." But I'd just witnessed it, so clearly it was.

"Under normal circumstances, no. But these aren't normal children." Dr. Chen pulled out a file. "I've done extensive research. The only explanation that makes sense is that they're the product of two True Alpha bloodlines. Elara's is active and powerful. Yours is dormant but still present genetically. When those bloodlines combined, it created something unprecedented."

"I'm not a True Alpha." I'd been tested. Every Thornwood heir was, back when people still cared about bloodlines like that. "My family has strong Alpha genetics, but nothing like Elara."

"Dormant doesn't mean absent. Your ancestors likely carried the gene but it never activated. Combined with Elara's active bloodline, the twins inherited something extraordinary." She leaned forward. "But here's what concerns me. Their power is growing faster than their emotional maturity. Aiden used Alpha command just now without meaning to. Luna's empathy gift is so strong she sometimes gets overwhelmed by others' emotions. They need training, structure, and constant supervision."

"And protection," I added. "If anyone finds out about them—"

"They'd be in immediate danger. Yes." Dr. Chen's expression was grave. "There are wolves who would kill them for being too powerful. Others who would try to use them. And based on what I've heard about your pack's troubles, someone may already be looking for True Alpha bloodlines."

The pieces clicked together in my head. The attacks on Thornwood. The message about True Alpha blood. My father's research. It was all connected.

"Someone knows," I said. "About Elara, about the twins. That's why they're targeting my pack. Because we had a connection to her."

"That's a theory." Dr. Chen closed the file. "But without proof, it's just speculation. What matters right now is keeping those children safe and helping them learn to control their abilities before someone gets hurt."

"Can I help?" The question came out before I could stop it. "With their training? I'm an Alpha. I understand control, discipline. I could—"

"You could confuse them." Elara's voice came from the doorway. I hadn't heard her approach. "They're stable right now. Introducing their absentee father into their lives would disrupt that stability."

"Or it could give them the other parent they need." I stood to face her. "Elara, I'm not trying to replace you. I'm not trying to take them away. But they asked about their father. They wanted me to stay. Doesn't that matter?"

"What matters is their safety." She crossed her arms. "And you're a liability. Your pack is under attack. You have enemies. Getting involved with you puts them at risk."

"They're already at risk!" My voice rose despite my attempt to stay calm. "Whether I'm in their lives or not, they're in danger. At least let me help protect them. Let me use my resources, my warriors, my position to keep them safe."

My phone buzzed in my pocket. Once, twice, three times. Urgent. I pulled it out and saw James's name flashing. My stomach dropped.

"I need to take this," I said.

Elara nodded curtly. I stepped into the hallway and answered.

"Kai, where are you?" James's voice was tight with stress. "We've got a situation. Big one."

"Tell me."

"Another attack. Eastern border this time, broad daylight. They got past our patrols and hit the school." He paused, and I heard screaming in the background. "We have casualties. Three dead, two critical. And they left another message."

My blood turned to ice. "What message?"

"'Tell the True Alpha we're coming for what's ours.'" James's voice cracked. "Kai, they know. They know about Elara. And if they know about her, they might know about—"

"The twins." I finished, my worst fear confirmed. "James, I need you to lock down the territory. No one in or out. Double the guard on all families with children. I'll be back within the hour."

"There's more." He sounded sick. "One of the dead. It's Catherine. Your mother."

The world tilted. My mother was dead. Killed in an attack on our territory. I should feel something. Grief, anger, anything. But all I felt was numb. She'd been cold and manipulative, had orchestrated most of the abuse Elara suffered. But she was still my mother.

"I have to go." I ended the call and turned to find Elara and Dr. Chen both watching me. They'd heard everything through their enhanced wolf hearing.

"Your mother," Elara said quietly. There was no satisfaction in her voice, no joy at the death of someone who'd tormented her. Just exhaustion. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You of all people have no reason to mourn her." I rubbed my face, trying to think through the panic. "They're escalating. Three dead, targeting children. And they specifically mentioned a True Alpha."

"They mean me." Elara's face had gone pale. "They know about me. About what I am."

"And if they know about you, they might know about the twins." I moved closer, desperate. "Elara, please. Let me help. My pack is being destroyed because of our connection. The least you can do is let me help protect our children from the same people."

She was quiet for a long moment, thinking. I could see the internal war playing out across her face. Pride versus pragmatism. Anger versus fear. Finally, she spoke.

"I need to call a pack council meeting. This affects everyone, not just me." She looked at me with those silver-gray eyes that still haunted my dreams. "You can present your case to them. Tell them what's happening at Thornwood, what you know about these attacks. Then we'll vote on whether Shadow Creek gets involved."

"Thank you." The relief was overwhelming. "When?"

"Tonight. Seven o'clock." She turned to leave, then paused. "And Kai? If my pack votes no, you accept it and leave. You don't get to make demands. You don't get to pressure me. You accept their decision and you go. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear."

She left, Dr. Chen following behind her. I stood alone in the medical wing, my mind racing. Three hours until the council meeting. Three hours to figure out how to convince a pack of wolves who hated me that I deserved a chance to protect the children I'd just discovered existed.

Three hours to somehow fix three years of mistakes.

I made my way back to Thornwood in a daze. The drive passed in a blur, my thoughts consumed by those two small faces. Aiden with his bright curiosity and his accidental Alpha command. Luna with her empathy gift and her mismatched eyes. My children. Mine and Elara's, created from a bond I'd shattered.

The Thornwood packhouse was chaos when I arrived. Wolves running everywhere, some crying, others shouting orders. The school building had smoke damage, windows blown out. Bodies covered with sheets lay on the lawn, waiting for families to claim them.

Beta James met me at the entrance. "We've secured the perimeter. No more breaches so far. But Kai, the pack is terrified. Three of our own dead, children traumatized. And now this message about True Alphas." He lowered his voice. "Some wolves are saying we should kick out anyone connected to Elara Reed. That having her in our past is making us targets."

"They're probably right." The admission hurt. "But it's too late now. They already know about the connection. Cutting ties won't make us less of a target."

"Then what do we do?"

"I'm going back to Shadow Creek tonight. There's a council meeting. I'm going to beg Alpha Reed to help us, and I'm going to tell her everything I know about these attacks." I met James's eyes. "And I'm going to tell her about my children."

James blinked. "Your what?"

"Elara has twins. Three years old. Mine." Saying it out loud made it real in a way it hadn't been before. "I'm a father, James. And I had no idea until this morning."

My Beta's expression went through several emotions at once. Shock, understanding, something that might have been sympathy. "Does she know you're coming back?"

"She's giving me a chance to present my case to her pack council. That's more than I deserve." I looked at the destroyed school, the covered bodies, the terrified children being comforted by their parents. "But I have to try. For them. For Thornwood. For my kids."

"Kids." James shook his head. "You're a father. That's going to take some getting used to."

"I've got about three hours to get used to it before I have to convince a hostile pack council that I'm not completely worthless." I checked my watch. "Handle things here. Make sure the families are taken care of. I'll be back after the meeting."

"And if they say no?"

"Then I figure out plan B. Because I'm not letting those children become targets. I don't care what I have to do."

I spent the next two hours preparing. Made notes about everything I knew, every attack, every piece of evidence pointing to a coordinated assault on True Alpha bloodlines. Organized it into something coherent that wouldn't just sound like a desperate Alpha making excuses.

At six thirty, I got back in my car and drove to Shadow Creek. Marcus met me at the border this time, his expression unreadable.

"The council is waiting," he said. "And just so you know, most of them want to tell you to go to hell. You've got your work cut out for you."

"I know." I followed him through the territory. "For what it's worth, I'm not here to manipulate anyone or make demands. I'm just here to tell the truth and ask for help."

"The truth." Marcus stopped walking and turned to face me. "You want to know the truth, Kai? Elara almost died when you rejected her. Not just from the bond breaking. She was pregnant and alone and bleeding out in the forest. I found her half-dead, and it took weeks for her to heal. Then she had to give birth to your children with no support, no pack, no resources. She built Shadow Creek from nothing while raising twins as a single mother. So when you walk into that council room, remember that. Remember what your choices cost her."

The words hit like physical blows. I'd known the rejection hurt her. But hearing it laid out like that, understanding how close I'd come to killing not just Elara but our children too, made me want to throw up.

"I'll remember," I said quietly. "I'll never forget."

Marcus studied me for another moment, then nodded and continued walking. We reached the packhouse, and he led me to a large conference room. Elara sat at the head of a long table, flanked by wolves I recognized as her inner circle. Zara on her right, glaring daggers at me. An elderly woman on her left who radiated power and wisdom. Others I didn't know, all watching me with varying degrees of hostility.

"Alpha Thornwood." Elara's voice was formal, distant. "You have one hour to present your case to this council. Explain why Shadow Creek should involve ourselves in Thornwood's problems. And explain why you think you have any right to be part of my children's lives. The floor is yours."

I took a deep breath and stepped forward, facing the wolves who held my future in their hands.

Time to see if I could fix even a fraction of what I'd broken.