Alpha's Twins Chapter 85

Adrian's POV

After hearing Natalia's response, I shot her a hard look.

"Dead? How?" I pressed, stepping closer to her.

She didn't flinch, which told me everything I needed to know. She wasn't afraid of me getting in her space.

The woman standing in front of me wasn't broken anymore. This wasn't the same person who used to stutter through every conversation with me. This was someone who had found her backbone.

"You don't need to know about him."

I took another step forward. Her eyes cut right through me, and I couldn't figure out why that got to me.

How could she stand there so defiantly after everything she'd done?

"You're going to answer me before you walk out of here. My patience isn't unlimited."

I was trying to intimidate her into spilling whatever she was hiding.

Her eyes flicked toward the room where Aria had gone. I could see the fear there—not for herself, but for her daughter.

What she didn't know was that I'd never hurt that kid. Something about being around her today had felt... different. She was just a little girl, but she was sharp. I couldn't shake this weird connection I felt with her. Same thing I'd felt with Noah. The fact that the boy clearly couldn't stand me bothered me more than it should have. With any other kids, I wouldn't have given it a second thought.

I lowered my voice. "Maybe they're my—"

"NO WAY," Natalia cut me off, practically shouting.

But her face told a completely different story than her words.

Suddenly, I felt this spark of hope that they might actually be mine. What would I even do if they were?

Just thinking about it made something twist in my chest.

*Are you hiding my kids from me?* I studied her expression, looking for cracks.

"They're not yours, Adrian. They're my children."

"Fine. Then tell me about their father."

"He's dead."

"How?"

"I—I don't know. But he is."

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. She was a terrible liar.

"Who was he?"

She looked away and mumbled something under her breath. "I don't know."

I leaned down and whispered in her ear. "So you're telling me you slept with some random guy? How classy."

She shoved me hard, her eyes blazing. "What was I supposed to do? You were a useless husband who couldn't even be bothered with his own wife. You ignored me and ran off to sleep with Lynda every chance you got. What did you expect? That I'd just sit there like some perfect little doll and pretend everything was fine?"

The rage in her eyes caught me off guard. Was she actually telling the truth? Had she really hooked up with a stranger?

I grabbed her arms, probably harder than I should have. "So that gave you the right to screw around?"

"It was one night. If you could do it, why couldn't I?"

I wanted to tell her I never actually slept with Lynda those nights. I was crashing at my company apartment instead. The truth was, I'd hated this woman for what she'd done to my life. I'd tried to get close to Lynda, but something always held me back. My wolf wouldn't let me, and neither would my heart.

"Who was that bastard? Who had the balls to touch my wife behind my back? Was he from my pack? So those kids are that piece of shit's—"

The slap across my face cut me off mid-sentence.

It wasn't the first time she'd hit me. I'd let it slide before, which was probably why she thought she could keep doing it.

I turned back to her, jaw clenched, ready to lose it. But when I saw tears building in her eyes, I froze.

Something clenched in my chest, and my heart started racing. I forgot all about the slap—all I could think about was why she was crying.

"Don't you dare call my babies that. They're innocent. They're not that man's children—they're mine. I hate their father more than anyone in this world." Her voice was shaking with barely controlled anger.

"I answered your question. Now let me and my daughter go."

I balled my hands into fists and stepped back. She rushed into the room and came out carrying Aria.

Aria looked at me over her mother's shoulder. Something about watching them leave didn't sit right with me. The little girl waved at me while holding onto her mom's neck.

When they walked out, I felt this hollow feeling, like something had been ripped out of my chest.

The guards emerged from the room, bowing as they approached me.

"Alpha, please take us back to your pack. Alpha Jason will kill us if he finds out we betrayed him."

I sneered at them. "If you can betray him, you can betray me too. I don't have any use for traitors."

I left them in that hotel room to figure out their own mess. They'd come to me thinking they could make some easy money. I wasn't the type of loser who played dirty games against other Alphas.

I walked out to my car. When my driver opened the door, I was looking somewhere else entirely.

I watched Natalia and Aria leave the hotel with Beta Eric. I kept staring at their car until it disappeared around a corner.

"Alpha?"

My driver was trying to get my attention. I got in the car.

Once he started the engine, I told him, "Crystal Blood Pack."

He nodded and pulled out, heading back to my territory.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag. Aria's hair was clearly visible through the clear plastic.

I wasn't as stupid as Natalia thought I was. I dialed Patric's number while holding the bag.

"Find me a doctor who's not connected to Harold Reid."

"What's going on, Adrian? Are you okay? Dr. Harold is your personal physician. He runs our pack's medical facility. Why don't you want him?" Patric sounded worried.

I looked down at Aria's hair. "That guy's too tight with Natalia. I can't trust him. I need a DNA test done."

Patric went quiet for a moment. "Adrian, please don't tell me you're thinking—"

"Just get it done. I'm heading back now."

I hung up and stared out the window.

"Won't be long before I know the truth, Natalia."