Stealing the Alpha’s Heritage

Chapter 5

Eight months later

POV Aria

"Push, Aria! One more time!" Elena's voice cuts through the haze of pain, her hands steady and sure against my sweat-slicked skin.

The Moonveil Pack's medical wing reeks of sage and antiseptic, the sharp scents burning my nostrils with each labored breath.

My fingers dig into the metal bed rails until my knuckles turn white. Every muscle in my body screaming as another contraction tears through me like lightning striking the same tree twice.

"I can't do this anymore," I gasp, my head falling back against the soaked pillows. "Elena, please, I can't—"

"Yes, you can." Elena's brown eyes lock with mine, fierce determination blazing in their depths. "Listen to me, Aria. The first one is crowning. Your son is almost here. He needs you to be strong for just a few more seconds."

The word 'son' ignites something primal deep in my chest, a reserve of strength I didn't know existed.

My body takes over, bearing down with a force that feels like it might split me in two. The scream that tears from my throat doesn't sound human.

Then suddenly—a cry.

High and fierce and perfect, cutting through the space like a battle cry.

"That's it! That's my girl!" Elena lifts the squirming bundle.

Through my tears I catch a glimpse of dark hair plastered to a tiny head, miniature fists waving in furious protest at being expelled from warmth.

"Your son, Aria. Your firstborn."

"Let me see him, let me hold…" I reach out with trembling arms, but another contraction steals my breath, doubling me over. "Oh god, Elena, there's another one coming—"

"I've got him." Evander appears at my side, taking the newborn from Elena with practiced care that surprises me. "Focus on his brother."

His presence has become familiar these past months—steady, reliable, the rock I've anchored myself to in this storm.

"Focus on his brother, Aria. This one's safe with me."

I want to protest, want to snatch my firstborn against my chest and never let go, but my body has other plans. The second twin isn't waiting for permission.

"This one's eager." Elena positions herself again. "He's coming fast, Aria. No time to rest."

The pain is different this time—sharper, more urgent, like my body knows exactly what to do and refuses to slow down.

My hand shoots out blindly, searching for something to ground me, and Evander's free hand finds mine, his grip anchoring me to reality.

"You're doing amazing," he says, his voice cutting through the chaos with absolute certainty. "Your sons are fighters, just like their mother."

The second twin arrives with less fanfare but equal fury, his cries immediately joining his brother's in a chaotic symphony that fills the medical wing.

Elena wraps him quickly, and even through my exhaustion I can see this one has lighter hair, already so different from his brother.

"Two healthy, perfect boys." Elena's professional mask cracks, her smile breaking through as she holds up the second baby. "You did it, Aria."

She places the second baby on my chest while Evander gently settles the first beside him.

My arms come around them both instinctively.

"Look at them…" I whisper, my voice breaking on a sob I can't contain. "They're absolutely perfect, Elena. Look at their little faces."

The darker-haired twin fusses against my chest, his little face scrunched in displeasure at this bright, cold world. The lighter one has already settled, content against my warmth, his tiny fingers curled into fists.

So different already, these two pieces of my heart.

"Have you thought of names?" Elena asks softly, moving around the room to clean up, giving us space while staying close enough to monitor.

I trace a finger down the firstborn's cheek, marveling at the silk-soft skin.

"Kael." The name comes without thought, feeling right on my tongue like it was always waiting there. "This one is definitely Kael. He came out fighting."

"And this peaceful one?" Evander nods to the calmer twin, a strange softness in his expression as he watches us.

"Finn." I press a kiss to his downy head, breathing in that intoxicating newborn scent. "Kael and Finn. My boys."

"Strong names for strong boys." Evander's expression shifts as he watches us, something flickering across his face. "They'll need that strength."

"Evander." My voice catches as reality crashes back. "Thank you. I know this complicates things for your pack, having us here—"

"Don't."

The word cuts sharp. His whole body changes—the gentle man who caught Kael transforms into something harder. His jaw sets like stone, shoulders squaring as he stands. The warmth bleeds from his brown eyes like water from a broken dam.

"Evander?" I watch the distance grow between us though he hasn't moved an inch.

He turns toward the door, each step measured, controlled. At the threshold, he stops. When he looks back, I don't recognize the man staring at me.

"It's not Moonveil policy to raise another Alpha's heirs."

My arms lock around the twins. Kael whimpers at the pressure. "You knew who they were. You accepted us—"

"I accepted a debt to Rowena."

"Five minutes ago you were holding Kael—" My voice cracks.

"Five minutes ago they were abstract." His hands clench into fists. "Now they're real, and every wolf in this room has seen them."

Elena shifts uncomfortably behind him. "Evander, she just gave birth—"

"Stay out of this." He doesn't look at his sister, his focus laser-sharp on me. "You want to know what changed? I held that boy and saw Thorne's eyes looking back. Saw the war that's coming when he discovers where you are."

"He won't find us—"

"He will." The certainty in his voice chills my blood. "Men like Thorne always do."

"I'll leave. Tonight if you want—"

"With two newborns? In your condition?" He runs both hands through his hair, pacing now like a caged wolf. "Rowena knew exactly what she was doing, calling in her debt now."

"Then what do you want from me?"

He stops pacing, and the calculation in his eyes makes my stomach drop. "You'll stay. For now. But you'll have to earn your place here. All three of you. You'll contribute to the pack, follow our laws, prove you belong here through actions, not words. You'll show loyalty every single day."

"And if we fail?" The question escapes.

"Then you'll need to find another pack." His brown eyes hold no warmth now, just cold calculation. He moves to the door again, his back rigid. "I protect my own first, Aria. Always. Those boys will have to prove they're Moonveil wolves, not Bloodfang princes."

My throat constricts painfully, but I force myself to nod. "We will prove ourselves. I promise you that."

The door closes, but the silence it leaves feels like violence.

Elena remains frozen by the bed, her healer's hands trembling. "Aria, I've never seen him—"

"Just go." The words scrape my throat raw. "Please."

She hesitates, then leaves. Alone with my babies, I study their faces in the soft moonlight streaming through the single window.

Kael already has Thorne's sharp features, that stubborn jaw that will one day command attention. But Finn... Finn looks like my father, gentle and kind, with softer angles.

"I'll keep you safe," I whisper the promise into the darkness, sealing it with kisses to each tiny forehead. "No matter what comes, no matter who comes looking, you'll never know his cruelty. You'll grow up knowing only love."

Kael's tiny hand wraps around my finger with surprising strength, as if he understands, as if he's already preparing to fight.

My little warriors, I think, feeling something primal and fierce rise in my chest. My salvation. My reason to survive.