The Alpha's Regret

Chapter 2: His Children

The chocolate on Kai's face was smudged across his cheek like war paint. Luna had it in her hair. They were both grinning up at Aria, oblivious to the bomb that had just detonated in the middle of the ballroom.

Jaxon couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't do anything except stare at the two small faces that were mirrors of his own.

The boy had his eyes. Not just the color—every wolf in his bloodline had those ice-blue eyes—but the shape. The slight downturn at the outer corners.

Jaxon saw that face in the mirror every morning.

And the girl. Blonde curls that caught the chandelier light, delicate features, but those same eyes staring out from a face that was pure Aria. She had a dimple in her left cheek when she smiled. Just one. Exactly like his sister had.

"Mama, you're making your scary face," the boy said, tugging on Aria's dress. "Is something wrong?"

Aria's hands were shaking as she stood, pulling both children behind her in one smooth motion. Her voice came out steady anyway. "Nothing's wrong, baby. We just need to—"

"Aria." Jaxon finally found his voice. It came out hoarse"Who are they?"

She looked at him like he was something she'd scraped off her shoe. "None of your business."

"The hell they're not." He took a step forward.

Derek Reed moved faster, putting himself between Jaxon and Aria"Back off, Steele."

Jaxon barely registered him. His wolf was clawing at his skin, howling to get closer to those children. His children. Because there was no doubt now. Not with them standing right in front of him.

Mine. Pups. Mine.

"How old are they?"

Aria's jaw tightened. "I said it's none of your—"

"Three," the little girl piped up, holding up three fingers. "We just had a birthday party! Mama made us a cake with dinosaurs on it because Kai likes dinosaurs, and I got a princess castle that's pink and—"

"Luna, hush," Aria said softly.

Three years old. Three years since he'd divorced Aria and watched her walk out of his life.

"When I divorced you. You were pregnant."

Aria's face went carefully blank. The same expression she'd worn during the divorce proceedings. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me." His voice dropped to the Alpha tone that made grown wolves submit. But not Aria. She just raised her chin, defiant. "Those are my children."

"These are my children,"

"Mine. I carried them. I raised them. You have no claim here."

"No claim?" Jaxon's control started to slip. Around them, people were staring. He didn't care. "I'm their father!"

"You're a sperm donor at best."

"You gave up any right to call yourself their father when you threw me away."

The boy—Kai—was watching him with narrowed eyes. Suspicious"Mama, who is this man? Why is he yelling?"

"No one important," Aria said

"I need to talk to you," he said to Aria. "Alone."

"No."

"Aria—"

"I said no." She crouched down, gathering the twins close. "Kids, say goodbye to Uncle Derek. We're going home."

"But Mama, you promised we could stay for the dancing!" Luna's bottom lip trembled.

"I know, baby. But something came up. We'll have our own dance party at home, okay?"

Kai looked between his mother and Jaxon, his small face troubled. Then his gaze moved to Celeste, who'd been standing frozen beside Jaxon this whole time. "Mama, that lady is looking at us funny."

Jaxon turned. Celeste's face had gone pale, her green eyes fixed on the twins with an expression he'd never seen before. Shock? Fear? Something darker?

"Celeste?"

She blinked, seemed to shake herself. "Those... those are really your children?"

"Yes."

"But Aria was infertile. The pack doctor said—"

"The pack doctor was wrong."

Because if the doctor was wrong about Aria being infertile, what else had been wrong? What else had he destroyed based on lies?

Aria was already moving, herding the twins toward the exit. Derek followed close behind, his hand on her lower back.

The sight sent rage flooding through Jaxon's veins.

"Aria, wait!"

She didn't stop. Didn't even slow down.

Jaxon started after them, but a hand on his arm stopped him. Elder Marcus—Derek's uncle and one of the most influential pack leaders in the region—had appeared from nowhere.

"I wouldn't," Marcus said mildly.

"Get out of my way."

"Those children don't know you, Alpha Steele. You chase after them now, frightened and angry, you'll only scare them. Is that what you want?"

Jaxon watched Aria disappear through the ballroom doors, the twins on either side of her. One last glimpse of dark hair and blonde curls, and they were gone.

His children. His children.

And he'd had no idea they existed.

"She kept them from me."

"She had my children and never told me."

"Can you blame her?" Marcus asked quietly. "You divorced the girl for being infertile. What was she supposed to do? Come crawling back with proof that you were wrong? Beg you to want her again?"

Each word was a knife.

"I didn't know she was pregnant."

"Would it have mattered?"

"Be honest with yourself, boy. If she'd told you she was pregnant—if she'd begged you to stay—would you have chosen her over Celeste?"

Three years ago, standing in that courthouse with Celeste on his arm and Aria on her knees from the bond breaking?

He wanted to say yes. Wanted to believe he would have done the right thing. But he wasn't sure.

"They're my children,"

"I have rights."

"Do you?" Marcus raised an eyebrow. "You're not on the birth certificates. You never acknowledged them. Aria filed for single mother status in Crimson Falls. As far as the law is concerned, you're nobody to those kids."

"That's not—"

"She can't just erase me!"

"She didn't erase you. You were never there to begin with." Marcus's voice gentled slightly. "Look, I'm not trying to twist the knife. But you need to understand what you're up against. Aria has built a life here. She's respected, successful, happy. Derek has been courting her for months. He adores those children. Treats them like his own."

Another male raising his children. Playing father to his son and daughter.

Jaxon's hands clenched into fists. "Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged," Derek Reed said from behind him.

Jaxon turned. Derek had come back without Aria and the twins.

"You want to do this now?" Jaxon asked.

"I want you to stay away from my family."

"Your family?"

family?" The words came out on a snarl. "Those are my children!"

"They're Aria's children. And she's made it very clear she wants nothing to do with you." Derek stepped closer, matching Jaxon's aggressive stance. "So here's how this is going to work. You're going to leave her alone. You're going to go back to your pack and your life. And you're going to forget you ever saw those kids."

"Not a chance."

"Then we have a problem."

"Because I've been there for those kids since they were babies. I've walked the floor with Luna when she had nightmares. I've taught Kai how to catch a ball. I've been the father they needed when their biological one threw their mother away like garbage."

Each word hit like a physical blow.

"You don't get to swoop in now and play daddy," Derek continued. "Not when Aria spent three years building a life without you. Not when she cried herself to sleep every night for months after you destroyed her. Not when those kids are finally happy and secure."

"They're my blood."

"Blood doesn't make you a father. Being there does."

"And you weren't there. So stay away from what's mine."

"She's not yours. They're not yours."

"Aren't they?" Derek pulled something from his pocket. A small velvet box. When he opened it, a diamond ring glittered inside. "I proposed last week. She hasn't given me an answer yet, but she will. And when she does, when she becomes my mate, those kids become mine legally. I'll adopt them. Give them my name. And you'll have no claim at all."

"You can't," Jaxon said.

"I can. I will." Derek snapped the box closed. "Aria deserves better than what you gave her. And those kids deserve a father who won't abandon them the second things get difficult."

"I didn't abandon—"

"You divorced their mother for being infertile while she was pregnant with them!"

"You told her she was worthless because she couldn't give you children. And all along, she was carrying your twins. So forgive me if I don't think you deserve a second chance to destroy them."

Jaxon had no answer for that. Because every word was true.

Derek shook his head in disgust. "Stay away from my family, Steele. That's not a request."

He walked away, leaving Jaxon standing in the middle of the ballroom with Celeste and Marcus.

Around them, the gala continued. Music played. People danced

"This is insane," Celeste said.

"Jax, you can't seriously be considering—"

"I have children."

"Two children I didn't know about."

"Children she kept from you! That's parental alienation. You could sue—"

"Celeste." He looked at her, really looked at her for the first time in hours. She was beautiful. Poised. Everything an Alpha's mate should be. And he felt absolutely nothing. "I need you to stop talking."

Her mouth snapped shut, hurt flashing across her face.

"This changes everything," Jaxon continued. "I have heirs. An heir and a spare, like the elders always wanted. But I didn't even know they existed."

"Because she's a vindictive—"

"Because I drove her away."

"I told her she was broken. Worthless. And then I divorced her. Why the hell would she tell me she was pregnant after that?"

Celeste's face was pale. "You're taking her side?"

"There are no sides. There are just... facts." Jaxon ran a hand through his hair, trying to process. "I have a son and daughter. They're three years old. They don't know me. And another male is trying to claim them as his."

"So what are you going to do?" Marcus asked.

Good question. What could he do?

The twins were happy. Aria had clearly built a good life for them. They didn't need him. Didn't want him. He was just the stranger who'd made their mother cry.

"I'm going to fix this," Jaxon said.

"How?" Celeste demanded. "She hates you. She's with someone else. Those children think of Derek Reed as their father!"

"Then I'll change their minds."

"You can't just—"

"I'm their father."

"I know I haven't been. I know I have no right to them. But I'm not going to walk away. Not again."

"What about us?"

Us. Right. Celeste. The woman he'd chosen over Aria.

The woman he'd destroyed his marriage for.

Jaxon looked at her and felt only the weight of his mistakes.

"I don't know," he said honestly.

She flinched like he'd hit her. "You don't know? Jax, we've been together for three years. We're talking about getting mated. You can't just—"

"I have children," he repeated. "Children I didn't know about. That has to take priority."

"Over me?" Her voice broke.

He didn't answer. Didn't know how to answer. Because the truth—yes. His children took priority over everyone and everything. Including the woman he'd chosen over their mother.

Celeste made a choked sound and fled, pushing through the crowd.

Jaxon watched her go and felt only numbness.

"Well," Marcus said dryly. "That went well."

"Spare me the commentary."

"I'm just saying—you're about to start a war you might not win. Derek has resources. Connections. He's been establishing himself as those kids' father figure for months. Courts favor stability for children. You showing up now, demanding rights?" Marcus shook his head. "It's going to get ugly."

"I don't care."

"You should. Because Aria will fight you with everything she has. And those children... they're not going to understand why some stranger is trying to tear apart their family."

Aria, Derek, and the twins. A family unit he'd driven Aria toward by pushing her away.

"They're my children," Jaxon said

"I'm not walking away."

"Then you'd better prepare for the fight of your life." Marcus clapped him on the shoulder. "And pray that when the dust settles, those kids don't end up hating you for it."

The elder walked away, leaving Jaxon alone in the glittering ballroom.

He pulled out his phone, staring at the dark screen. He should call his lawyer. Start building a custody case. File for parental rights.

Instead, he found himself scrolling through old photos. Ones from his marriage. There were so few—Aria had never been comfortable with cameras. But there were a few. Aria laughing at something he'd said. Aria curled up on the couch reading. Aria on their wedding day, looking at him like he'd hung the moon.

He'd destroyed that. Thrown it away because Celeste came back and he'd thought—

What had he thought? That Celeste was his great love? That what he had with Aria was just obligation?

Now he stared at pictures of a woman who'd loved him completely, who'd carried his children while he divorced her, who'd built a life without him because he'd made it clear she wasn't enough.

Jaxon closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his reflection stared back at him from a nearby mirror. Same ice-blue eyes his son had. Same stubborn set to the jaw.

"I'll fix this," he said to his reflection. "Whatever it takes."