Iris:
I felt my throat closing when Kash repeated himself.
"Are these my children?" he yelled.
My children got so scared they rushed forward and hugged my legs again. At this point, I could only glare at him, wanting to yell or scream to somehow divert his attention, but he was fixated on them. Even Walkin looked panicked.
"Alpha King Kash, what are you doing here?"
Thankfully, my mother rushed out, and I gathered enough courage to push my kids behind me. Kash's face stayed rigid, but Walkin was the one who snapped out of his daze and stepped forward to greet my mother with a nod.
"Actually, Kash came here to make amends and to let Iris know that he'll be expecting her in the office tomorrow morning," Walkin explained, reaching back to grab Kash's arm and squeeze it tightly, a silent warning not to cause a scene in front of my mother.
"Oh, that's really sweet of you, Alpha King Kash. I hope whatever misunderstanding it was is clear. Fighting in a war can be messy. Sometimes it leaves people disturbed, unable to tell who's their enemy and who's their friend," my mother began to ramble.
Meanwhile, I was already dragging my kids back inside the mansion. Kash seemed deeply bothered. He wasn't even listening to my mother. He kept trying to peer around her, searching for us. My mother noticed and followed his gaze before turning back to him.
"Is there a problem, Alpha King Kash?" she asked.
Walkin quickly turned and nudged Kash before replying for him.
"No, absolutely not. Actually, we were wondering if you'd be okay with having dinner with us tonight—you, your daughter, and her children," Walkin said carefully.
I froze right at the entrance. I had pushed my kids inside and locked the door, standing in front of it like a brick wall, my hands gripping the doorknob to keep them from coming out. Kash hadn't spoken a word since my mother arrived.
He'd just been glaring at me from afar, and I glared right back. There was a storm brewing inside me. I was terrified. The way he reacted, it scared me.
"Oh, sure. Whenever you like. It'll be great to maintain a good relationship between two partners—business partners," my mother replied cheerfully. She was clever, still smiling, but every now and then she would slip something cutting into her words and then mask it as a harmless mistake.
"Great, then. We'll send you the restaurant's location. Please make sure to bring the kids. There's a beautiful play area for them there," Walkin added.
He thought he was being smart, trying to create a moment where I'd bring my kids so Kash could talk to them at the dinner table. But little did he know, my mother was a she-devil. She was in on everything, and she knew their plans too.
I wondered what she'd suggest. Would she tell me to go or have the decency not to drag my kids into it? She'd already dragged me, I doubted she cared about them.
"Of course, the kids will love it," my mother assured him, making Walkin take a deep breath before turning to glance at Kash.
"We'll leave now," Walkin said, holding Kash's arm and trying to pull him away.
Kash finally broke his stare. The fact that he was furious but didn't act on it just to keep my mother from knowing our history proved he was a coward. He didn't want to ruin what he had with Lara. Even in such an intense moment, he didn't slip once and call me his wife or mate.
Finally, once they were out of the mansion, my mother locked the door. She turned around and smirked, giving me a proud, satisfied smile as if the desperation that had brought Kash to our doorstep was something to celebrate.
The moment she came closer and I saw the happiness in her eyes, it hit me. She wanted the disaster to happen. I turned away and went inside instead of responding to her.
"I told you not to come out! Why did you come out?" I yelled at my children, something I had never done before. But the exhaustion, the fear, and everything else just took over me.
Both Amy and Colin looked so shocked and scared that they clung to each other.
"Mommy, you're so angry with us. We don't like it," Amy murmured, her voice trembling.
"Then you shouldn't have come out. I told you not to! Why won't you listen to such a simple request?" I almost cried. I knew it was unfair to them, but I couldn't lose them.
"But we weren't going to come out. Grandma told us to go out," Amy explained, pointing at my mother behind me. I turned and gasped.
"You? You made them come out? Why the fuck would you do that?" I screamed, tears already spilling down my face.
"It's not like you can hide the truth from him for too long," my mother snapped back, making me clench my fists and grind my teeth as hard as I could. Sadly, that was all I could do.
"Besides, I'm not taking my kids to dinner," I hissed.
She nodded slowly, gesturing for me to calm down.
"Of course, we're not taking them with us." The minute she agreed, I relaxed a little.
"We're not?" I asked, confused.
"Of course not. It's too soon for that anyway. Besides, let him worry a little," she choked out, her tone dripping with satisfaction.
I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn't believe she was so cruel. But at least I wasn't going to take my children to that dinner.
However, when Walkin texted my mother the address and she told him the children wouldn't be coming and she will stay at home with them, he immediately canceled the dinner. And I knew right then that the whole thing had been planned so Kash could sit near my children and uncover the truth.
Thankfully, we didn't go. But the next morning, I had to get ready for work. I was going to face that man again and I knew he'd have a lot of questions.
With a heavy heart, I kissed my sleeping kids goodbye and walked out to the car. I had been dragged into this against my will. Otherwise, I would have never, ever looked at Kash again.
I entered the building with my mother. Before leaving the house, I made sure I knew where Luca was headed. He was going back to the rogue community. My mom said he'd be introduced when the time was right. I was just glad he wasn't going to stick around for a while.
When my mother and I reached the building, a warrior escorted me to the top floor, not Walkin, not Kash. My office was right next to Kash's, which I hated. But my mother seemed to enjoy it. She was so happy, almost grinning.
As I sat down, she started to chuckle softly. She was far too happy to be back among the packs. That much was clear.
"Why the heck is she calling me so much?" my mother grumbled, staring at her phone.
We were supposed to wait for Kash and Walkin before starting any business discussions. It was strange they had called us so early in the morning yet were nowhere to be found.
My mother put Scarlett's call on speaker and leaned back, waiting for the coffee we'd ordered from the warrior. But the minute Scarlett spoke, the ground vanished beneath my feet.
"Your Highness– Alpha King Kash—he came over. He took the babies with him," Scarlett said.
I shot up from my chair, then collapsed to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
I should have known. Calling me to the office was just his trap. I should have known that the minute he discovered even the slightest connection between himself and the babies, he would do what he always does—take them away from me.