Hiding the Alpha's Twins: His Wolfless Luna
Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Samantha’s POV

I clenched my fists by my sides, trying to keep my composure. My heart hammered in my chest as I felt the intensity of his gaze on me, weighing, challenging, and gauging what would be my response. He did not leave my eyes even though I began to look somewhere else just to avoid his gaze while telling myself not to waver.  

His interest in the twins terrified me. I could not let him get close, not now, not ever. I was not ready yet.

“They’re fine,” I replied curtly.

“I would like to see them,” he pressed gently, taking a step closer as if caging me to a point wherein I could not refuse.

“No.” My voice came out sharper this time, leaving no room for argument. “They do not need to meet you, Dominic. Not now, and maybe not ever.”

He frowned, his jaw clenching, but he did not lash out or argue. Instead, his gaze softened, filled with a kind of determination that made me uneasy.

“I am not here to take them from you, Samantha. I just... I just want to know them. To see them. Even for a moment.”

I glared at him, “Why? Why would you want to see them? You don’t even know them, Dominic. You have no reason to care.”

“Because...” He hesitated, trailing off. “Because I was there last night when you were worried sick about them. I saw how much they mean to you, Samantha. And if something had happened to them—”

“Nothing happened to them,” I cut him off sharply. “They are fine, Dominic. And I will make sure they stay fine without you interfering.”

His eyes darkened, but not with anger. It was something deeper, something I could not quite place. “Samantha, this is not about interfering. I just need to know they are okay. That nothing scared them or hurt them last night. I was also there, I helped you find them so I think I also deserve to know, and to see them.”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to read him. “What are you really after? Because it does not make sense for you to care this much about kids who are not yours.”

His expression flickered, just for a second, before he spoke. “Maybe it doesn’t make sense to you, but I can’t just ignore what happened. They are just kids, Samantha. If they are anything like you, they have been through enough already. I need to see for myself that they are okay.”

I scoffed, folding my arms. “Well, you are going to have to trust me when I say they are perfectly fine. I am their mother, Dominic. I do not need you to swoop in and act like you suddenly care about their well-being.”

He stepped closer, almost pleading. “I am not trying to take anything away from you, Samantha. I just—” He paused, exhaling deeply. “I can’t explain it, but I need to know.”

“You do not need to know anything,” I shot back. “I am grateful that you helped me last night, and that we found them. But that’s it. It ends there. You do not have to see them anymore. They are not your responsibility. You do not even know them, Dominic. So stop pretending like you have a right to be in their lives.”

His face fell slightly, and for a moment, I thought he might back down. But then he surprised me. “Maybe I don’t have a right,” he uttered quietly, sounding almost defeated. “But I can’t stop thinking about them. And I will not pretend like I do not care, because I do.”

But before I could respond, a small voice interrupted us.

“Hey... you’re the guy from the hotel!”

I spun around, my heart sinking as I saw Devon standing in the doorway of the living room. His messy hair stuck out in all directions, and his eyes were wide with recognition.

“Devon,” I said sharply, trying to keep my voice calm but firm. “Go to your sister’s room. Now.”

“But Mom,” Devon protested, pointing at Dominic, “that’s the guy who gave us pancakes! Remember, at the hotel?”

Dominic’s eyes flickered with something I could not quite place, curiosity, realization, or maybe something deeper. My pulse quickened as I saw him crouch slightly, meeting Devon’s gaze.

“You like pancakes?” Dominic asked gently with a hint of a smile on his face and a look of longing in his eyes even though he shouldn’t.

“Yeah,” Devon said proudly, stepping closer to the man he clearly remembered. “They were really good. Thanks for that.”

“Devon!” My voice came out sharper than I intended, and he froze, turning to look at me with confusion written all over his little face.

I forced myself to soften my tone. “Go check on Diana, sweetheart. She’s sleeping. She needs you to make sure she is okay.”

Devon hesitated, glancing back at Dominic, then at me. “Okay, Mom,” he mumbled before trudging out of the room and disappearing down the hallway.

The moment he was gone, I turned back to Dominic with my chest heaving with anger and fear. “This is exactly why you can’t be here.”

“I did not mean to—”

“No, Dominic.” My voice trembled, my frustration spilling over. “I have worked so hard to protect them, to keep their lives stable. I do not need you coming in and turning everything upside down.”

He straightened, but surprisingly, he kept himself silent.

“I do not know what you’re hoping to achieve here,” I continued, “But the twins are fine without you. They do not need you.”

“Maybe they don’t need me, Samantha. But maybe I need them.”

“They don’t know you,” I replied meekly, avoiding his gaze, knowing that I was the reason why they did not know their own father.  “And I intend to keep it that way,” I said, despite the guilt consuming me.

The silence that followed was suffocating and I could feel his presence, his questions, his doubts pressing down on me. And for a brief moment, I saw it in his face, the doubt, a hesitation, like he was starting to piece things together but was not ready to confront the truth.

“Samantha, I don’t want to hurt you, or them. I just... I want to be in their lives. Even if it is just from a distance.”

I shook my head, “That is not your decision to make.”

For a moment, he looked like he wanted to argue, to push, but instead, he nodded. “I’ll leave,” he finally said. “But this isn’t over.”

I did not respond. I couldn’t. I stood frozen as he turned and walked toward the door. He paused before leaving, glancing over his shoulder one last time.

“Take care of them.”

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, my knees buckled, and I sank onto the couch with my head in my hands. Guilt twisted in my chest and I could not push the ache away especially now that in the other room, I could hear that Devon was already talking about Dominic to the newly awakened Diana, telling her that the man who bought them food had come home.

Devon and Diana deserved to know their father, didn’t they? But how could I let Dominic into their lives when I could not even trust him in mine?