EZRA'S POV
"Daddy, what if the other kids don't like us?"
Lucas's question makes my heart squeeze as I kneel in front of the preschool entrance. Both twins are clutching their new backpacks like shields, looking so small and nervous it takes everything in me not to just scoop them up and take them home.
"They're going to love you," I promise, smoothing down Lily's wild curls. "Both of you are smart and kind and funny. Just be yourselves."
"But what if they ask about our other daddy?" Lily whispers, glancing around to make sure no one hears. "The man from the airport?"
My stomach drops. Of course they're still thinking about Asher. Of course his sudden appearance has shaken their whole world.
"If anyone asks, just say it's complicated grown-up stuff. Okay?" I try to smile. "You don't have to explain anything you're not ready to talk about."
A teacher appears, young and cheerful. "Good morning! You must be Lily and Lucas. I'm Miss Sarah. Want to come see our classroom? We have a dinosaur corner AND a space station."
Lucas's eyes light up—dinosaurs are his weakness. Lily looks at me one more time, seeking permission.
"Go on," I encourage. "I'll be back at three to pick you up. And if you need me before that, Miss Sarah has my number."
They follow her inside, looking back twice. I wave until they disappear around the corner, then practically run to my car before the tears start.
First day at new school. New city. New everything. And all because Asher Thornwell decided to show up and destroy the peace we'd built.
No. That's not fair. We came back because of my job. Asher just... complicated everything by being here.
I check my phone. Three texts from Kai:
"How are the twins?""You okay?""Call me when you can."
Sweet, reliable Kai. Always checking in. Always caring.
So why do I feel so hollow when I think about him?
I shove the phone in my pocket and drive to the office. First day at the new branch, meeting new colleagues, diving into work that will hopefully distract me from the chaos my life has become.
The office building is sleek and modern. My company did well choosing this location. I take the elevator to the fifteenth floor, where my new assistant is waiting with a huge smile and a stack of files.
"Mr. Quinlan! Welcome! We're so excited to have you here. Conference room three is ready for your nine o'clock, and I took the liberty of ordering your usual coffee from the café downstairs."
"My usual?" I blink. "How did you—"
"Your assistant at the main office sent over your preferences. Caramel macchiato, extra hot, two pumps vanilla, right?"
The order hits me like a punch to the gut.
That's not just my usual. That's the drink Asher bought me every morning when we were together. The drink I ordered on our first date. The drink that became "our thing" before everything fell apart.
I haven't changed my order in five years. Every morning, I torture myself by ordering the same drink, remembering what I lost.
"Actually," I hear myself say, "I'll get my own coffee. I need the walk. Thank you though."
She looks confused but nods. I escape to the elevator before she can ask questions.
The lobby café is busy with the morning rush. I stand in line, rehearsing a different order in my head. Black coffee. Americano. Anything but—
"Caramel macchiato, extra hot, two pumps vanilla," I tell the barista.
Because I'm pathetic. Because I can't let go. Because some part of me is still that stupid boy who thought love could conquer everything.
I'm waiting for my drink when I hear it—a voice that makes my blood run cold.
"Ezra."
No. Not here. Not now.
I turn slowly, and there he is. Asher Thornwell, standing in my office building lobby, holding two coffee cups.
"I remembered your order," he says quietly, offering one cup. "Caramel macchiato, extra hot, two pumps vanilla."
For a moment, I can't breathe. He's here. In my workplace. Holding my exact coffee order like the last five years never happened.
"How did you know where I work?" My voice comes out steadier than I feel.
"I—" He hesitates. "I needed to talk to you. And you won't answer my calls."
"So you stalked me to my office?" Anger floods through me, hot and welcome. "Are you insane?"
"I'm desperate." His silver eyes look haunted. "Ezra, please. Just five minutes. I need to know—are Lily and Lucas mine?"
The question I've been dreading. The question I can't answer without opening doors I've kept locked for four years.
"That's none of your business."
"How is it not my business? They have my eyes! My scent! I could feel the connection the moment I saw them!"
People are starting to stare. Of course they are. An Alpha and an Omega having a confrontation in a public lobby—it's better than reality TV.
"Lower your voice," I hiss.
"Then talk to me! Let me explain what happened five years ago—"
"I don't want your explanations." I'm shaking now, rage and old pain mixing together. "You made everything perfectly clear at graduation. I was FUN. A college experiment. Not worth keeping."
"That's not what I—Ezra, my mother threatened—"
"I don't care!" The words explode out of me. "I don't care what excuses you have. You chose to humiliate me publicly. You chose to walk away. Those were YOUR choices. And now you show up with coffee and apologies expecting what? Forgiveness? Access to children you didn't even know existed?"
"They're mine too—"
"No." The word is steel. "They're mine. I carried them. I nearly died bringing them into this world. I raised them alone while you lived your perfect life without us. Biology doesn't make you a father."
His face crumples. "Ezra, please—"
"Mr. Quinlan?"
Kai's voice cuts through the tension. I turn to see him walking across the lobby, looking professional and slightly concerned. He must have been coming to meet me for our lunch plans.
"Everything okay?" Kai asks, but he's looking at Asher with cold recognition.
"Fine," I say quickly. "Asher was just leaving."
"No, I wasn't—"
"Yes, you were." Kai steps beside me, a united front. "Ezra's made his position clear. You need to respect that."
"This doesn't concern you, Volkov."
"Everything about Ezra concerns me." Kai's Alpha presence pushes back against Asher's. "I'm his partner. The father figure to those children. And if you continue harassing him at his workplace, I'll file a restraining order."
The threat lands like a bomb. Asher's face goes pale, then red with fury.
"You can't keep me from my own children!"
"Watch me."
They're seconds from fighting—I can see it building. Two Alphas, territorial and protective, ready to tear each other apart in the middle of a business lobby.
"Stop!" I push between them. "Both of you, just stop. Asher, leave. Now. Before I call security."
"Ezra, I just want—"
"I know what you want. And you can't have it." My voice breaks despite my best efforts. "You can't have me. You can't have my children. You gave up that right five years ago when you chose pride over love."
I turn and walk toward the elevator. Kai follows, his hand protectively on my back. Behind us, I hear Asher make a sound like he's dying.
Good. Let him hurt.
In the elevator, my hands start shaking. Kai notices immediately.
"You okay?"
"No." I lean against the wall, closing my eyes. "He knew my coffee order, Kai. After five years, he still remembered."
"That doesn't mean anything—"
"It means he paid attention. Once upon a time, he cared enough to remember the small things." My voice cracks. "And I still order the same drink like an idiot, hoping somehow it will bring back what we lost."
"Ezra—"
"I hate him." The words come out fierce. "I hate that he's here. I hate that he's making me feel things I buried years ago. I hate that my children asked about him this morning and I didn't know what to say."
The elevator doors open on my floor. I step out, then pause.
"I need a minute. Can you tell my assistant I'll be right there?"
Kai nods, concerned but respectful. I head for the bathroom, lock myself in a stall, and finally let myself fall apart.
Five years. Five years of building walls, creating distance, convincing myself I was over him.
And one coffee order destroyed all of it.
I splash cold water on my face, trying to calm down. My reflection looks terrible—red eyes, shaking hands, barely holding together.
"I can't let him back in," I whisper to the mirror. "I can't let him hurt me again. I won't survive it twice."
My phone buzzes. Unknown number. Against my better judgment, I look.
A photo message.
It takes a moment for my brain to process what I'm seeing. Then my blood turns to ice.
It's a picture of the twins' preschool. Time-stamped from twenty minutes ago. The angle suggests it was taken from across the street.
Below the photo, a text:
"They're beautiful. Lily has your smile. Lucas has my stubborn chin. I need to know them, Ezra. Please don't make me go through courts to establish my rights. Let's do this the easy way."
My hands are shaking so badly I almost drop the phone.
He was at their school. This morning. Taking pictures.
While I was dropping them off, Asher was watching from across the street like some kind of stalker.
Another text arrives:
"I'm not trying to scare you. I just want you to understand—I'm not going away. Those are my children. And I will do whatever it takes to be in their lives. With or without your permission."
The bathroom spins. I grip the sink, trying to breathe through the panic.
This isn't the boy I fell in love with. This is an Alpha who's decided what he wants and will destroy anything in his way to get it.
Including me.
I dial Kai with shaking fingers. He answers immediately.
"Ezra? What's wrong?"
"He was at their school." My voice is barely a whisper. "This morning. He took pictures of them. Kai, he's threatening me with lawyers and custody and—I can't breathe—"
"I'm coming. Stay where you are. I'm calling our lawyer right now."
The line goes dead. I stare at my phone, at the picture of my children's school, at the threat disguised as a reasonable request.
And I realize: the war I've been dreading just officially began.
Asher Thornwell isn't here to apologize.
He's here to take everything I have.