Chapter 21
Dominic’s POV
“You’d better not move an inch, Dominic. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Killian snapped through the mind link. How ungrateful, I found the kids yet he did not even sound grateful for it. If I would have the choice, I could take these twins on my own and not return them to him.
I bit back the urge to argue, my jaw tightening as I paced in place and ended the call. My eyes flicked toward the twins again and saw the boy whispered something to his sister, his tone too soft and quiet for me to catch. The girl smirked, her ocean blue eyes darting toward me, and muttered something back that made the boy chuckle.
They did not seem wary anymore. If anything, they were oddly calm, like they knew they were untouchable. Or maybe it was because Killian was coming, and they trusted him. The thought sent a sharp pang of jealousy through my chest, which was odd. I should not feel anything about these kids, and yet…
My wolf stirred uneasily. They look like her, he murmured, a growl underlining his words.
I clenched my fists, shoving the thought away. But it would not leave. Those eyes, the girl’s boldness, even the way the boy seemed to observe everything silently it was all too familiar. Too much like Samantha.
No. It was not possible. It couldn’t be.
“Hey,” I said abruptly, breaking the silence. The twins both turned to me with a curious look in their eyes. I cleared my throat to keep my voice even. I had to ask them before Killian come to take them.
“How old are you?”
The girl tilted her head, clearly enjoying the attention. “Old enough,” she repled with her playful tone, teasing
even.
“Don’t play games with me,” I snapped, harsher than I intended. “Answer the question.”
Her smirk faltered, and for a moment, I regretted the edge in my voice. She exchanged a glance with her brother, who shrugged like he did not care either way.
“We’re-”
“Never mind,” I cut in quickly, raising a hand to stop her. My chest tightened as if bracing for a blow I did not want to take. I thought I wanted to know, but then, I realized I couldn’t as doubts and what ifs whirled in my mind. I was not prepared to hear the worst.
The girl’s brow furrowed, confusion flickering across her face before she shrugged it off. “Okay, weirdo,” she muttered, leaning closer to her brother and whispering something that made him snicker again.
I forced myself to look away, pacing a few steps to the side. My wolf was restless, his instincts were screaming at me to put the pieces together. But I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. If they were hers if they were Samantha’s – it would mean she had moved on. That she had built a life with someone else while I…
I swallowed hard, shaking the thought away.
–
Then from a distance I saw Killian entering the restaurant and immediately, I felt irritated. I hated seeing him, especially close to thos who mattered to me. His eyes immediately sought out the twins and when he found them just nearly behind me, his expression softened and strode towards them as I did not exist..
There you two are,” he called to them, warmly, in a way that made my wolf growl low in my chest. Somehow, my wolf had grown possessive over the kids, as if it was his own pup.
The girl shot to her feet, running to him without hesitation “Killian!” she called, throwing her arms around his
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Chapter 21
waist. The boy followed more cautiously, but his relief was just as evident.
Killian crouched down, ruffling the boy’s hair before pulling the girl into a quick hug. “You scared everyone, you know that?” he scolded yet in an affectionate way.
“Sorry,” the girl mumbled, though she did not look sorry at all.
The boy just shrugged, “We were not lost,” he replied simply.
Killian sighed, straightening as he glanced at ine. “Thanks for keeping an eye on them,” he uttered out of politeness, though his tone suggested he was not thrilled had been the one to find them. I could see it in his eyes the indifference of what he truly thought at the matter.
I crossed my arms, refusing to let him see how much the moment bothered me. “They did not give me much of a choice.”
Killian’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before shifting back to the twins. “Alright, let’s get you two back Your mom’s probably losing her mind by now.”
“Wait,” I said, stepping forward. Killian tensed, but I ignored him, focusing on the twins. “Where’s your father?” I asked the twins and the question hung in the air like a challenge.
The twins exchanged another look, the girl biting her lip thoughtfully, but it was the boy who answered this time. “Mom says we don’t have a father.”
My jaw twitched at his reply and I felt something in me stirred hope… But it was one that scared me, one that I did not think I was prepared to realize.
Of course, Samantha would say something like that. She had always been fiercely independent, almost to a fault. But to raise kids without a father, to—
What if they’re yours? my wolf whispered, insistent.
Killian stepped between us with clear establishment of boundaries. With his stern reaction, I knew he did not like me talking to the kids. “That’s enough,” he uttered firmly. They are kids, Dominic. Stop interrogating them.”
“I just want to know-
))
“Don’t,” Killian sharply cutting me off, and I could sense that if we were not just in front of the kids, he would have snarled and bared his canines to challenge me. And I would not have backed down. But since the kids were watching, I could not show them blood. They were not ready for that. “Let it go, Dominic,” it sounded like a warning. I wanted to challenge him, to know more about the twins, but I held back as I glanced at the kids and they were looking at me with a frown, as if it was a crime to even talk back to Killian whom they looked up to.
I clenched my jaw, but the frustration simmering inside me was too much to contain. “Fine. Then tell me where she is.”
Killian’s eyes narrowed and the way his eyes shifted, I could sense his wolf flashing behind them. “That’s not your business,” he sneered.
I took a step closer, lowering my voice. “It is if she’s the one who brought them here.”
The tension sparked between us, but Killian did not back down. “Get over yourself, Dominic. This is not about you.”
Before I could respond, Ethan and Richard Bennett appeared looking relieved when they spotted the twins. “Finally,” Ethan said, his gaze landing on the twins. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you have caused?”
The girl tilted her head, looking entirely unbothered. “We did not mean to cause trouble,” she said sweetly,
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Chapter 21
batting her lashes.
Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Dominic, thank you for finding them.”
“They are fine,” I said curtly, jerking my head toward Killian. “He is taking them back to their guardian.”
Richard stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied the twins. “They look… familiar, aren’t they,” he suspiciously remarked.
Ethan nodded, crouching slightly to get a better look. “Those eyes,” he murmured. “They are just like-”
“Samantha’s,” Richard finished with utmost certainty.
The atmosphere became heavier, and I saw how Killian’s demeanor became more stiff and protective. I knew that look, territorial and possessive.
“They do, don’t they?” Ethan mused, his gaze lingering on the twins. He smiled softly. “It is like looking at her when she was younger.”
The twins did not seem fazed by the attention. If anything, the girl looked smug.
“They are cute, aren’t they?” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them. I meant what I said, but I also did to stir Killian more, to see him break. I wanted answers, exact answers.
Richard turned to me, his lips curling into a sly grin. “Well, well. Dominic likes kids now? Should I tell Olivia to start planning for a nursery?”
My jaw tightened, heat rising to my face. “Not funny,” I muttered, brushing past him and ignoring the implicit suggestion about Olivia having kids… with me. No. Not going to happen.
It was Samantha that I wanted.
Before anyone could say more, Olivia came, joining in, her gaze sweeping over the scene. “What’s going on?” she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Ethan straightened, clearing his throat. “The kids said they were here looking for their mother.”
The realization hit me like a blow to the chest when I realized…
Except for Olivia, Samantha was the only female attending the Summit, and the twins said they were looking for their mother.
My wolf growled in agreement. ‘It’s her. You know it’s her, he chanted in my head, but I had to be sure, and Killian was not confirming a thing, neither the twins.
I glanced at Killian, who was already ushering the twins away. “Where is she?” I demanded.
Killian did not even turn around as he spoke. “Drop it, Dominic.”
But I could not drop it. Not now.
