THE ALPHA'S REJECTED HEIR

THE FATHER'S TRIAL

*Lyra’s POV*

"Daddy?"

The word hung in the green room like a silver bullet.

Kade stared at my phone. At Aria’s small face. At Ash shoving his T-Rex into the camera.

His hands shook.

I almost ended the call. Almost.

But I needed to see it. Needed to see if the Alpha who rejected me could survive five seconds of fatherhood without bleeding out.

“Use your words, Alpha,” I said, soft enough that only he heard. “They’re waiting.”

Kade swallowed. Once. Twice. When he spoke, his voice was nothing I’d heard from him before. No growl. No command. Just... wrecked.

“Hi, baby,” he whispered to Aria. “Yeah. I beat the mean lady.”

Aria beamed. “Good. Mommy said mean ladies get time-outs.”

Ash leaned in, ice gray eyes narrowing. “You still bleedin’?”

Kade huffed a laugh that sounded like it hurt. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Came away red. “A little.”

“Dinosaurs bite hard,” Ash said, solemn. “I’m sorry.”

Something broke in Kade’s face.

“I’m not,” he said. “You can bite me anytime, pup.”

My chest did something stupid. I shut it down.

“Time’s up.” I ended the call before Ash could answer. The screen went black.

Kade looked at me like I’d just taken his air.

“Rule #4,” I said, sliding the phone into my pocket. “I control access to the twins.”

He pushed to his feet. Too fast. Swayed.

“You let me talk to them,” he rasped. “Why?”

“Because they asked.” I stepped closer. Close enough to smell blood and pine and five years of insomnia. “And because I want you functional for the merger meeting tomorrow.”

His jaw ticked. “Is that all?”

“No.” I tilted my head. “I also wanted to see if you’d cry.”

He didn’t. But his eyes were red-rimmed. Wolf close to the surface.

“Congratulations,” I murmured. “You passed. Barely.”

I turned for the door.

“Lyra.”

I stopped. Didn’t turn around.

“When can I see them? For real. Not through a phone.”

Now I turned. Let him see the ice. “You want a trial, Alpha?”

“Yes.” No hesitation.

“Tomorrow. 5 PM. My penthouse. One hour. Supervised. By me.” I smiled, sharp. “Break one rule, say one wrong thing, scare one child... and you’ll never see them again. Contract or not.”

His throat worked. “And if I don’t break them?”

“Then you get hour two.” I opened the door. “Don’t be late, Mr. Volkov. Aria hates when people are late for library time.”

I left him standing there. Bleeding. Breathing. Hoping.

Good. Hope hurt more than silver.

---

*Kade’s POV - 24 Hours Later*

I stood outside Lyra’s penthouse at 4:47 PM.

I’d showered. Bled three times. Shifted once to force the wolf down. Burned the suit with Selene’s blood on it. Bought a new one.

Rhett had to knot my tie because my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

“She’ll smell fear,” he’d said. “Get it together.”

I wasn’t afraid of Lyra.

I was afraid of a four-year-old girl with her mother’s eyes asking why I never came home.

5:00 PM.

I knocked.

The door opened.

It wasn’t Lyra.

It was Ash. In dinosaur pajamas. Holding a plastic T-Rex.

He stared up at me. Ice gray. Unblinking. Alpha stare, on a four-year-old.

I dropped to one knee. Level with him. Heart in my throat.

“Hi,” I said. Voice rough. “I’m”

“I know who you are,” Ash interrupted. He held out the T-Rex. “Bite this first. To see if you’re nice.”

Behind him, I heard Lyra’s breath catch. Then: “Ash. We talked about this.”

“Is test, Mommy.” Ash didn’t look away from me. “Like you test him.”

Fuck.

I took the plastic dinosaur. It was sticky. Grape juice, maybe. I put it in my mouth. Bit down.

Plastic squeaked.

Ash nodded, satisfied. Stepped back. “Okay. You can come in. But no bleeding on carpet. Aria just cleaned.”

I stood, legs unsteady. Looked past him.

Lyra stood in the kitchen. White silk blouse. Black pants. Hair down. No armor. Just... mom.

And behind her, at a tiny table, Aria looked up from a book.

Ice gray eyes met mine.

She didn’t smile. Didn’t frown. Just studied me the way Lyra did before she gutted companies.

“Hi,” she said finally. Quiet. “You’re tall.”

I walked in. Every step felt like the Mating Circle. “Yeah, baby. I am.”

“Are you gonna stay?” Aria asked.

The wolf whined.

Lyra answered for me. “One hour, Aria. That’s the rule.”

One hour.

Sixty minutes to make up for 2,102,400 minutes I missed.

I sat on the floor. Because the couch felt too far from them.

“Can I...” My voice broke. “Can I read with you?”

Aria slid the book across the table. It hit the floor between us.

Goodnight Moon.

“Room for dinosaurs,” Ash said, plopping down next to me with his T-Rex.

I opened the book. Hands shaking.

“In the great green room...”

Fifty-nine minutes left.

---

*Lyra’s POV*

He was good with them.

He read Goodnight Moon three times. Let Ash use his tie as a leash for the T-Rex. Answered every one of Aria’s questions without talking down to her.

Why is the moon awake?

Because it watches over pups who can’t sleep.

Where were you?

Being stupid. I’m sorry.

At 5:59 PM, I stood. “Time’s up.”

Kade didn’t argue. He closed the book. Kissed the top of Aria’s head. Let Ash high-five him.

He walked to the door. Stopped. Looked at me.

“Hour two?” he asked. Hoarse. Hopeful. Wrecked.

I held up my phone. Typed. Sent.

His phone buzzed.

He pulled it out. Read the text.

*Lyra: Tomorrow. 5 PM. Bring books. No suits. Ash says ties are for leashes.*

His eyes closed. When they opened, they were gold. Not feral. Just... grateful.

“Thank you, Luna,” he whispered.

“Don’t,” I said. “Thank” me when you survive week one.”

The door shut behind him.

Aria looked up at me. “Mommy? He smelled sad.”

I sank to the floor. Pulled her into my lap. Ash climbed on too.

“I know, baby,” I whispered into her hair. “I know.”

My phone buzzed again.

*Unknown Number: You let him touch them. Mistake. Silver Luna or not, you’ll bleed for this. -S*

Selene.

I deleted the text. Smiled.

Game on, b***h.