CHAPTER FIVE:RAILEY
1233 Words
The moment Knox said, “I’m waiting,” something inside me finally snapped.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just… cleanly.
Like a thread pulled too tight for too long.
“Stop.”
My voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the silence sharper than Knox’s growl ever could.
Everyone turned to look at me.
Phones had stopped recording. Champagne fizzed quietly on the floor where the bottle had shattered earlier, bubbles popping like distant applause for a disaster no one could undo. Damien stood frozen across the room, his smile long gone, hands clenched so tightly around the champagne. I thought they might shatter in his grip.
And Knox… Knox was still holding my children.
Harley had her arms looped around his neck, her curls sticking to his wet jacket. Hunter’s cheek was pressed against Knox’s shoulder, already half-asleep like he’d decided this was the safest place in the world.
That hurt worse than anything.
“Put them down,” I said again, this time firmer.
Knox turned toward me slowly, eyes dark, wolf still riding close to the surface. “Riley—”
“I said put them down.”
The room felt like it was holding its breath.
He hesitated. Just a fraction of a second. But I saw it. That instinctive refusal. That Alpha certainty that once something belonged to him, it stayed his.
And that was exactly why I’d left.
“Now,” I added.
Knox exhaled through his nose, jaw tight. He knelt carefully, lowering the twins as if they were made of glass. Harley clung a little longer, pouting.
“I don’t wanna,” she whispered.
“I know, baby,” I said softly, stepping forward and taking her from him. “Come here.”
Hunter followed without protest, already reaching for my shirt like he always did when he got sleepy.
The moment they were in my arms, Knox’s wolf surged. I felt it like heat under my skin, like the bond tugging so hard it almost knocked the air out of my lungs.
I hated that it still did that.
I turned away from him and faced the room.
Faced Damien.
Faced the mess.
“You don’t have to threaten anyone in my house,” I said. “Not you. Not him. Not tonight.”
Damien found his voice quickly. Too quickly.
“Riley, sweetheart, you’re overwhelmed. Anyone would be. This is a lot to process, and Blackthorn clearly isn’t stable right now.”
Knox growled.
I didn’t even look at him.
“I’ve been processing alone for five years,” I said. “Don’t insult me by pretending tonight is what broke me.”
Damien’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You’re letting your past cloud your judgment. These children need consistency. Security.”
“They’ve had that,” I snapped. “From me.”
“You can’t seriously think dragging them into this chaos is good for them.”
Chaos.
Like he hadn’t been the one proposing in my living room less than an hour ago. Like his guests hadn’t trampled my home with gossip and cameras, the second something went wrong.
Before I could respond, the air shifted.
It wasn’t dramatic. No thunder. No flash of light.
Just pressure.
Ancient. Heavy. Unavoidable.
Every wolf in the room felt it.
The front door opened slowly.
Elder Mara stepped inside like she owned the place, her silver hair pulled back in a braid that screamed authority. Two Council enforcers followed behind her, their presence sucking the oxygen out of the room.
My stomach dropped straight to my feet.
Of course, someone had called them.
“Enough,” Elder Mara said calmly, and the word carried power. “This spectacle ends now.”
Damien straightened immediately. “Elder Mara, thank the Moon you’re here. Alpha Blackthorn has forcibly entered my residence and—”
“Your residence?” she interrupted, one eyebrow arching. “This is Riley Carter’s apartment, is it not?”
Damien faltered. “Well, yes, but—”
“And these children?” she continued, eyes flicking to Harley’s silver gaze peeking over my shoulder. “Are not yours.”
The silence was absolute.
Elder Mara turned to Knox. “Alpha Blackthorn. Explain why your scent is all over two unregistered minors.”
Knox didn’t flinch.
“They’re mine,” he said. “Both of them. Twins. The bond was never broken.”
Murmurs rippled through the remaining guests before the enforcers shot them a warning look.
Elder Mara’s gaze slid towards me.
“Is this true?”
I swallowed. My throat burned.
“Yes,” I said. “He rejected me publicly. The bond didn’t shatter, but I left. I didn’t tell him about the pregnancy.”
“And why not?” she asked gently.
Because he chose power over us.
Because I was terrified.
Because I didn’t trust him not to take them from me.
“Because he made it clear he didn’t want me,” I said instead. “And I wasn’t risking my children being treated like collateral damage in pack politics.”
Knox’s breath hitched.
Elder Mara studied me for a long moment. Then she nodded once.
“That aligns with the bond’s persistence,” she said. “Incomplete severance leaves echoes.”
Damien laughed sharply. “This is absurd. Even if there was a bond, abandonment nullifies the claim.”
Elder Mara turned to him slowly.
“Careful, Voss.”
He swallowed.
“The Council will not tolerate Alpha offspring being hidden,” she continued. “However… context matters.”
She gestured to the enforcers.
“Clear the apartment.”
Within minutes, the guests were ushered out. Protests died quickly under Council authority. The door shut with a final click that echoed through the suddenly quiet space.
It was just us now.
Me.
Knox.
Damien.
The Council.
Harley had fallen asleep against my shoulder. Hunter’s breathing was slow and even.
Elder Mara sighed. “Riley Carter, you should have come to us.”
“I didn’t trust you,” I said honestly.
She didn’t argue.
“Alpha Blackthorn,” she said, turning to Knox. “You failed in your duties. That much is clear.”
Knox bowed his head. “I know.”
Damien seized the opening. “Then surely you see why this arrangement is unsafe. I’ve been providing stability. A home. A future.”
Elder Mara’s eyes hardened.
“A future built on omission,” she said. “You failed to disclose the existence of Alpha offspring within your household.”
“They’re not mine,” Damien snapped.
“No,” she agreed. “They are not.”
He froze.
“Your engagement,” she continued, “is suspended pending investigation.”
My knees nearly buckled.
Damien stared at her. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
She turned to me.
“Riley Carter, you and your children will be placed under Council protection until a formal claim hearing is held.”
“And Knox?” I asked quietly.
Elder Mara’s gaze flicked to him.
“He will earn his place,” she said. “Or lose it permanently.”
Knox met my eyes.
“I will,” he said.
I held my children tighter.
“Then don’t make promises you don’t understand,” I replied.
Because this time, I wasn’t the girl he left behind.
And I wouldn’t break again.
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