Alpha's Twins Chapter 116

**Adrian's POV**

I kept staring at the kid, and damn if his eyes weren't full of pure hatred for me.

I should've been the one giving him that look. He was someone else's blood—the result of a one-night stand. What gave this little boy the balls to stare me down like that?

I glanced over at Natalia. Had she been filling her son's head with stories about me? Had she turned the kid against me?

But I was dead wrong. She rushed over to her son and scolded him.

"Noah, don't talk like that. He's our guest."

"Mommy, I don't like this man."

I shot Noah a hard look. I almost laughed when I saw his mother pull him behind her for protection. But the little shit still peeked around her to glare at me.

"Uncle."

I felt tiny fingers wrapping around mine. I looked down and saw Aria.

I hesitated to meet her eyes. I'd been completely wrong thinking she was mine.

I remembered spending that whole day with this kid, believing she was my own daughter the entire time.

"Aria, go back to your room with Noah," Natalia told her.

I looked away from Aria. Part of me wanted to scoop the kid up again, but that damn test result flashed through my mind, and I yanked my finger away from her.

She looked shocked. Her eyes started watering as she stared up at me.

"Uncle, what happened? Are you mad at me?"

My hands clenched into fists when I saw those tears.

*Shit! I made her cry!* I cursed myself and bent down to pick her up.

"What are you doing?" Natalia demanded.

"What does it look like?" I shot back coldly.

I'd come here to discuss an alliance, but I never expected to find out she was so eager to marry Beta Eric. If I'd known that, I never would've bothered showing up.

I focused on Aria, who was looking down, avoiding my eyes.

From behind his mother, Noah shouted, "Aria, come here! Stay away from him!"

I glared at the kid, but he didn't seem to give a damn. Who the hell gave him the nerve to look me in the eye without flinching? Even his mother was scared of me.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" I asked Aria softly.

Natalia looked shocked by my gentle tone. Why did I always see fear in her eyes? What was she so afraid of?

"Uncle, you were mean to me," Aria whispered.

I patted her head. "How can I make it up to you? Want to go get some ice cream?" I asked, thinking about that day I'd taken her to the ice cream parlor.

Her eyes lit up. She wiped away her tears and nodded eagerly.

"Absolutely not. Aria, get down," Natalia said, walking toward me with Noah right behind her.

She tried to take Aria from me, but I stepped aside to keep her away.

"Mommy, I want ice cream," Aria said with a smile.

"I'll buy you ice cream. Get down. Didn't I tell you not to go with strangers?"

That made my blood boil. Why was she acting like I had some sick agenda with her daughter? She was just a kid, and somehow I'd grown fond of her.

"No, Mommy."

"ARIA!"

Natalia's shout made Aria flinch and jerk back in fear. Then she started crying. Clearly, she wasn't used to being yelled at like that.

"How can you shout at her like that?" I snapped at Natalia, furious.

Natalia grabbed Aria's arms and pulled her away from me.

"Stay away from my children," she warned, then stormed out of the living room.

I stood there stone-faced, watching her leave.

I'd felt humiliated when her brother said I couldn't stay in his pack house. But the way she'd just ripped her daughter away from me? That felt like an even bigger insult.

Did I look like some kind of child predator to her?

"Stay away from my mommy."

I heard the angry voice of a kid. Looking down, I saw Noah was still there.

I rolled my eyes at him. "What's your problem? Why are you acting like this?"

"Because you deserve it. You're a bad man."

I scowled at him. He was just like his mother. Hell, they even used the same words.

"Well, this bad man can do a lot of bad things. You might want to remember that."

His eyes went wide.

The fear on his face made me chuckle. Maybe now he'd be scared of me.

"Don't hurt my mommy."

That caught me completely off guard. Instead of being scared for himself, he was worried about his mother getting hurt.

Something clicked, and I said, "Your mommy's going to marry Eric. Did you know that?"

"Really?" he asked, his face lighting up with a huge smile.

I narrowed my eyes. Why was he so damn happy? I'd been trying to upset him, maybe break up that relationship, but he looked thrilled about it. I hated that.

Just thinking about that woman with someone else was driving me crazy.

"He's not a good man."

"You're lying! Uncle Eric is a good person. I want him to be my dad."

"How dare you call just anyone your dad?" I snapped, hating the way he referred to Eric as his father.

"He takes care of Mommy. He's not like you."

His words hit me like a punch. "What do you mean by that?"

I was sure this little boy had something specific in mind. Why would he say that? Why would I be taking care of his mother? Why was he even comparing Eric to me?

I thought about arguing with the kid. But when I saw him go quiet, I stopped myself.

I turned to leave the pack house. But before I could reach the front door, I heard him mumble under his breath.

"You hurt my mommy a lot. I hate you."