“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. None of this was your fault.” I moved to sit on the bed’s edge, careful not to disturb the monitors. “Lucinda, she... God, Rhea, I don’t even know how to process what she told me.”
“That you were born first? That she lied about your age all these years?”
“That she killed my mother. That she raised me to hate myself.” The words tasted like ash. “Everything I believed about my family, my place, it was all lies.”
Rhea tugged me down until I was lying beside her, my head on her shoulder. “Not everything. Laziel was still your brother. Your father still loved you, even if he couldn’t show it properly. And you became the alpha you were meant to be, despite her poison.”
“I nearly became her.” The admission hurt. “Cold, calculating, rejecting my mate for politics.”
“But you didn’t.” Her fingers combed through my hair, soothing. “You chose truth over comfort. You chose me over your throne. You’re nothing like her.”
“I banished you. Marked you as murderer. If Carlton hadn’t found that evidence...”
“You were grieving. Manipulated. She orchestrated all of it, Damon.” Rhea tilted my face up to meet her eyes. “Theimportant thing is you did investigate. You did seek truth. And when you found it, you didn’t hide from it.”
“How can you forgive so easily?”
“Because I love you, you stubborn Alpha.” She smiled, the first real smile I’d seen in hours. “And because holding onto anger would hurt our children. They deserve parents who choose love over bitterness.”
“Like my mother couldn’t.” The parallel was too obvious to miss.
“Exactly. She let hatred poison her entire life, turned her into someone capable of murdering an innocent woman, of emotionally torturing a child. We won’t be that.” Her hand moved to her belly, where our twins rested safely. “We’ll tell them the truth, all of it, when they’re old enough. About their grandmother Serena who died bringing their father into the world. About how love is stronger than hate, even when it’s harder.”
I pressed my palm over hers, feeling the movement beneath. “They’ll know they were wanted. Both of them, equally.”
“No falsified birth records,” she agreed with dark humor. “No favorites based on birth order.”
“No cold silences or calculated cruelty.” I kissed her softly, tasting hope. “Just love. Probably too much of it.”
“Never too much.” She yawned, the day’s trauma finally catching up. “Will you stay?”
“Try to make me leave.” I carefully arranged myself around her and the monitors, protective even in rest. “Sleep. I’ll be here when you wake.”
“And tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow we go home. Carlton will have everything ready, the softest bed, the best food, anything you need.” I stroked her hair as her eyes grew heavy. “A week of rest, then we start preparing for these little warriors.”
“Mmm. Damon?”
“Yes?”
“Your mother was wrong. I’m not going to destroy you.” Her words slurred with approaching sleep. “We’re going to build something better from the ashes she left behind.”
I held her as she drifted off, monitors singing their steady lullabies. Outside the door, I could hear Carlton organizing security, Ren probably pacing the halls, the pack machine moving to protect their queen. But inside this room, there was only peace. My mate safe, my children alive, the truth finally exposed after decades of lies.
Lucinda was gone, taking her poison with her. In her place, we’d build something new. A family based on truth, a pack led with honor, a future where omegas and alphas were valued equally. It wouldn’t be easy. The coming weeks would bring challenges as the pack absorbed today’s revelations. But we’d face them together.
“Sleep well, my loves,” I whispered to all three of them. “Tomorrow, we start healing.”
42
— • —
Rhea
Two months later, the medical suite had become too familiar. Another contraction ripped through me, stealing breath and thought. Damon hadn’t left my side in the twelve hours since labor began, his hand bearing claw marks from my grip. The twins were coming early but strong, demanding their entrance into the world with their father’s determination. Dr. Mira worked with calm efficiency, but I caught the concern in her eyes. My mother was on my other side rubbing my hand as if trying to take the pain away from me.
