Chapter 16 AURORA

Dane frowned. “Is that… a child crying?”

All of the blood drained from my face, but I couldn’t let him see how terrified I was.

“Yes,” I said. “My cousin just arrived from Europe.”

Dane’s nostrils flared, and I knew he was scenting me, that he could see how on edge I was. He stepped forward and put one of his big hands on the door.

“Ms. DeVere,” he said. Under any other circumstances, hearing the way my name rumbled from his chest would’ve made me suppress a groan of pleasure. Now, I just wanted him to stop looking at me with that dark, searching gaze. “What’s going on here?”

My mind raced. I could either try to block him from coming in, which would make him even more suspicious, or I could allow him to enter and look around. I could introduce him to Evander—who, when Dane inevitably used his contacts to look him up—would come back as my cousin.

I stepped aside. “Evander,” I called loudly, “We have a guest.”

Slowly, I stepped back from the door that led into my rooms, gesturing for Dane to enter.

Evander was seated on the couch with his ankle on his knee. As soon as Dane entered, he rose.

“Evander,” I said, “Let me introduce Alpha Dane Montague of the Blue Ridge Pack. He’s our partner in the upcoming… project we have. And this is his sister, Piper.”

Dane eyed Evander suspiciously, but my cousin grinned and reached out to shake his hand. “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Montague,” he said. “I’ve heard good things.”

“Have you?” Dane said, raising a surprised eyebrow at me.

I gave him a cool little smile. Let him wonder what that meant. Piper, who was hovering by the door, just nodded at Evander.

“And of course, Dane, this is my cousin Evander DeVere of the High Alpine Pack.”

Dane looked Evander up and down. Then he looked back at me. “Did you expect this visit?”

“No. It was a surprise,” I said honestly.

“Do you think it’s wise to have children stay here, considering what happened last night?” Dane asked.

“Thanks to you and your extra warriors, I believe it’s perfectly safe.” I forced a smile. I needed him to leave.

I hadn’t known I was pregnant with the twins when I fled. When the DeVeres found me and took me to Europe, I’d only barely found out.

Even though things had ended the way they did with Dane, I’d never considered ending my pregnancy or giving the twins up once they were born. It was almost as if I could sense them, and sense the world needed them. I still felt that way.

I’d thought about telling Dane so many times. But every time I did, I remembered him tossing birth control at me and telling me he’d rather drink molten silver than cross our bloodlines.

When they were born, I almost told him again. Dane hated me because of what he thought I’d done to his family. I wanted to believe he was better than allowing his hatred of me to spread to our children.

But at the same time, he’d made it impossible for me to trust him, or feel safe with him, no matter how much my instincts screamed that I should.

So, I never told him.

Now, standing here with him in the room, I realized what a potential mistake that might have been.

Dane Montague was not a forgiving man. At least, not when it came to me.

If he found out that I’d given birth to his son and daughter, and then hidden them from him for four years…

I didn’t know what he’d do to me.

Maybe kill me, like he’d always promised he would.

But I did know that he would absolutely try to take away my children.

I would die before I allowed that to happen.

No, I would keep them hidden from him. Keep the fact that they were his a secret. We would work together unearthing the powerful relic hidden somewhere on his land. Then I’d become Luna of High Alpine and return to Europe, and never see him again.

Dane looked from me toward the door that led to the room the twins were in. I had a sudden, terrible fear one of them would open the door, that he’d see himself in their face immediately, that he would kill me right here, despite Trajan, despite Evander, despite everything.

Then his phone buzzed. So did mine. I glanced at it.

I didn’t spend much time in the spotlight, but the DeVere family was well known enough that I did have a search alert on both of my names.

I tapped on the story and gasped at what I saw. From Dane’s face, he saw it, too.

It was a picture of the two of us at the gala at his pack house last night. He had my wrist in one hand and was leaning very close, as if he was about to kiss me.

In the frame below was a picture of Evelyn, both of her hands on her stomach. Her eyes were red, as if she’d been crying.

The headline read: EVELYN BARCLAY CONFIRMS PREGNANCY AMIDST RUMORS OF BILLIONAIRE BOYFRIEND CHEATING WITH EX WIFE.

I stared at the phone screen, then at Dane.

“Dane,” I murmured, not sure why I felt like the world was falling out from beneath me. “Is Evelyn pregnant?”

Dane slid his phone in his pocket. From his face, he was just as shocked as me.

“I need to leave,” he said.

Then he turned and strode out the door.