Alpha's Twins Chapter 266

"Noah, sweetie, help Aria with the knife," Natalia said when she noticed Noah's pouty expression.

Noah did as his mom asked and grabbed the knife handle with his sister. Together, the twins sliced through the birthday cake.

They offered the first bite to their mother. Adrian stood off to the side, pointedly avoiding eye contact with Natalia.

Seeing everyone focused elsewhere, Lynda hung her head and started to back away. Grace caught her arm.

"Lynda, come over here."

Lynda plastered on a fake smile and walked over to the kids.

"Happy birthday, sweethearts," she said to the twins.

Aria shrank back, while Noah shot her a death glare.

Natalia's hands clenched into fists watching her children's reactions.

She fixed Adrian with an icy stare.

This was all his fault. His girlfriend had terrorized her kids so badly they couldn't even hide their fear anymore.

Adrian refused to meet her eyes. Natalia looked away with an annoyed huff.

The party rolled on without any more drama. The other pack leaders chatted with Natalia and asked about her brother's recovery. Several even apologized for how they'd acted that day they saw her in Adrian's conference room.

Natalia couldn't figure out why they were all apologizing. They looked genuinely scared, like she might hold a grudge or something.

Her eyes drifted to Max, who'd been keeping his distance since talking to his beta earlier.

'Did he threaten these guys?' she wondered, fighting back a smile.

Everyone sat down for dinner after a while.

Max barely said a word during the meal, which struck Natalia as odd.

When it was time to leave, Natalia said goodbye to her children. Her chest tightened thinking about when she'd see them again.

Damn fate for keeping her apart from her babies.

The twins hugged her tight and promised they'd be strong. Watching them leave with their grandmother left Natalia feeling hollow inside.

She looked around the hall. Most guests were still hanging around, though they'd probably head out soon since it was getting late.

Suddenly, all the lights cut out.

Natalia heard confused murmurs from the crowd. She took a few tentative steps in the darkness.

Then a spotlight blazed to life, pinning her in its beam.

Her heart jumped.

What the hell?

The rest of the hall lit up, and she spotted Max down on one knee right in front of her.

"Max!"

She gasped. Whispers rippled through the crowd.

"Max, what are you doing?"

"Forget what anyone else thinks. The people who care about you will always have your back."

Max's words silenced the entire room.

Natalia blinked down at him in shock.

He held out his hand while gripping a small ring box in the other.

"Natalia, will you be my girlfriend?"

Natalia's eyes went wide. Sure, she'd agreed to this before, but she never expected him to go all out with a public proposal.

"I... I..."

Max flashed her that devastating smile.

"If you say yes, I'll upgrade this to an engagement ring down the road. I want to take time to spoil you first."

No one had ever made her feel this special before. She blocked out the staring crowd and smiled back at him.

She placed her hand in his.

"Yes. I'll be your girlfriend."