DANTE'S POV
The world stopped spinning.
Two boys. Identical faces. Eight and five years old, but mirrors of each other—mirrors of *me*—stood frozen in the elementary school parking lot, staring like they'd seen ghosts.
Because they had.
Kai's hand slipped from mine. The bandage on his arm forgotten. The tears dried on his cheeks. Everything else disappeared except the boy standing beside Aria.
"You're me," Kai whispered again.
Ash took a step forward. Then another. Moving like he was in a trance.
"I've seen you," Ash said, voice shaking. "In my dreams. Every night. A boy who looks like me but smaller. You're always crying. Always calling for someone."
"Mom," Kai breathed. "I'm calling for Mom. The real one. The one who sang songs about the moon and smelled like vanilla and—" His eyes snapped to Aria. Widened. "You."
*No.*
I watched my five-year-old son—the boy I'd raised, the boy who called Sienna 'Mommy'—stare at Aria like he'd been searching for her his entire life.
"Kai, buddy, we need to go—" I reached for him.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
He jerked away. From me. His father. The man who'd been there every day for five years.
And ran straight to Aria.
She dropped to her knees, catching him. Her face crumbled as Kai buried himself in her arms, sobbing like his heart was breaking.
"You left," he cried. "You left me. I waited and waited and you never came back."
"I'm sorry," Aria choked out. "Baby, I'm so sorry—"
"He said you didn't want me. He said Sienna was my real mommy. But I knew. I KNEW you were out there. I could feel you."
Every word was a knife to my chest.
*He said you didn't want me.*
I'd never told Kai that. Never said those exact words. But I hadn't corrected Sienna when she implied it. Hadn't fought when she slowly erased Aria from our son's life.
I'd let it happen.
"Kai." My voice came out strangled. "Son, we need to talk about this—"
"You LIED!" Kai spun on me, his little face twisted with rage I'd never seen. "You said she didn't love me! You said she abandoned me! But she's HERE! She came back!"
"I—" The words died in my throat.
What could I say? *Sorry, son, I thought your mother was weak and worthless so I let another woman replace her?*
Ash moved closer, standing beside his twin. Protective. They'd known each other for thirty seconds and already Ash was ready to defend Kai against me.
Against their father.
"You made my mom cry," Ash said quietly. Dangerously. "Marcus told me. He said a bad man hurt her so much she almost died. Was that you?"
The principal cleared her throat awkwardly. "Perhaps this conversation should happen somewhere more private—"
"Excellent idea." Aria stood, Kai still clinging to her. "We're leaving."
"Like hell you are." I stepped forward. "Kai is my son. He lives with me—"
"Kai is OUR son. And he's clearly asking for me." Aria's eyes flashed. "Or are you going to drag a traumatized five-year-old away from his mother in front of witnesses? Great look for the Alpha of Silvercrest."
She had me trapped.
Every parent in the parking lot was watching. Phones out. Recording. If I forcibly took Kai from Aria's arms right now, it would be all over social media in minutes.
*Alpha Blackwood Tears Child From Mother's Arms.*
My pack's reputation would be destroyed.
"Fine." The word tasted like acid. "We'll talk. All of us. Now."
"No." Aria adjusted Kai on her hip. He wrapped himself around her like he'd never let go. "You'll hear from my lawyer about custody arrangements. Until then, stay away from all of us."
"Both boys are MY sons—"
"Ash has never been yours!" Her voice cracked. "You didn't know he existed! You don't get to claim him now just because you finally pulled your head out of—" She glanced at the boys. Stopped herself. "Just stay away."
She turned toward her car.
Kai went willingly.
*My son chose her over me.*
"Aria, wait—"
She froze. Slowly turned back.
"Don't." Her voice was soft. Lethal. "Don't call me. Don't follow me. Don't show up at my home. You had five years with Kai. You get no more time until a judge says otherwise."
"He needs his father—"
"He needed his father when he was a baby crying in the night. He needed his father when he had nightmares. He needed his father when he asked why his mommy left." Each word was a bullet. "Where were you then, Dante? Too busy comforting Sienna?"
The crowd murmured. Phones captured everything.
This would be everywhere by tonight.
"I was there," I said desperately. "Every day. Every night. I raised him—"
"You replaced me with her and expected him not to notice the difference." Aria's laugh was broken glass. "Children know, Dante. They always know when something's wrong. When someone's missing. Kai's been mourning me for three years while living in my house with my replacement. Congratulations. You traumatized our son."
She opened her car door.
Both boys climbed in.
*Both of them.*
My sons. Together. Leaving with her.
"I'll fight this," I called out. "Custody. Visitation. Whatever it takes—"
"Then fight." She met my eyes across the parking lot. "But know this: I've got three years of documentation. Proof of abandonment. Proof of emotional abuse. Proof that you let another woman play mommy to my child while I was still legally your wife."
She slid into the driver's seat.
"Oh, and Dante? I know about the charm."
My blood went cold.
"What charm?"
"The one Sienna gave you seven years ago. The one you wear under your shirt. The one that's been suppressing our mate bond and making you think you loved her." Her smile was vicious. "Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out? I'm a hacker, remember. I hacked everything. Including your pack's medical records. Sienna's been buying black market magic for years."
*No.*
"That's—"
"True. And provable. So when this goes to court, I'm not just suing for custody." She started the engine. "I'm suing for damages. For the seven years you were magically coerced into emotional abuse. For the mate bond that was artificially suppressed. For the marriage that was sabotaged by someone you trusted."
The car pulled away.
Taking my sons with it.
I stood there, numb, as the crowd whispered.
As phones captured my failure.
As my world collapsed.
My phone buzzed.
Sienna: *Where are you? Kai's school called. Is he okay?*
I stared at the message.
The woman I'd trusted. The woman I'd let near my son. The woman I'd almost chosen over my own wife.
Had been using magic to control me.
For seven years.
Another buzz.
Unknown number. A video file.
I opened it.
Security footage. Dated seven years ago. Sienna in a dark shop, buying something from a witch. The audio was clear:
"I need him to love me. Make him forget her. Make the mate bond go away."
"This will cost—"
"I don't care. He's supposed to be mine. That weak little Omega stole him. I want him back."
The video ended.
My legs gave out.
I'd been spelled.
For *seven years* I'd been walking around under magical influence, believing I wanted Sienna, believing the mate bond with Aria was just duty, believing my wife was weak when she was the strongest person I'd ever known.
Seven years of my life. Stolen.
Seven years of Aria's life. Destroyed.
All because of Sienna.
My phone rang. Theron, my Beta.
"Alpha, we have a problem."
"What now?"
"The video of what happened at the school—it's everywhere. Every news outlet. Every gossip site. Every pack forum." He paused. "It's bad, Dante. Really bad. People are calling you a child abuser. Saying you drove your mate away and traumatized your son. The pack elders are demanding a meeting."
Of course they were.
"Schedule it."
"There's more." Theron's voice dropped. "Someone leaked financial records. Sienna's been embezzling from the pack for three years. Over two million dollars. And the money trail leads to... Dante, it leads to black market magic suppliers."
My vision tunneled.
"How much of this does Aria know?"
"All of it. She's the one who leaked it."
She was destroying everything. My company. My reputation. My pack standing.
And I deserved it.
All of it.
"Find Sienna," I ordered. "Bring her to the estate. Now."
"Alpha—"
"NOW!"
I hung up.
Another message. From Aria.
*Check your pack's security footage from three years ago. The night I left. Watch what happened after I was gone.*
With shaking hands, I pulled up the archives.
Found the date.
Pressed play.
The footage showed Aria's old room—our room. Empty. Abandoned.
Then Sienna entered.
She went to Aria's closet. Started packing away clothes. Smiling.
She went to the bathroom. Removed every trace of Aria. Humming.
She went to the nursery. Picked up baby Kai from his crib. Held him.
"It's just us now, little one," she cooed. "Mommy's gone. But don't worry. You have a new mommy now. A better one."
Kai cried.
Sienna rocked him, unconcerned.
"Shh. You'll forget her soon. The spell will make sure Daddy forgets too. And then we'll be a real family. The family we were always meant to be."
She kissed his head.
And walked out of frame.
The video ended.
I was going to be sick.
For three years, I'd let that woman—that monster—raise my son.
I'd believed her lies. Fallen for her manipulation. Let her erase my wife from our lives while she played house in Aria's home.
Another message from Aria:
*Still think I'm the villain?*
Then:
*Custody hearing is in two weeks. Bring a good lawyer. You'll need one.*
And finally:
*P.S. - I'm taking everything. Your company. Your contracts. Your reputation. Everything you took from me, I'm taking back. Consider it seven years of overdue child support.*
*See you in court, Alpha.*
The phone slipped from my hand.
Somewhere in the city, Aria was with both my sons.
Somewhere close, Sienna was about to get arrested.
And somewhere inside me, the mate bond roared to life—no longer suppressed, no longer muted—screaming that I'd lost the one person who'd ever truly loved me.
I dropped my head into my hands.
And for the first time in my adult life, I broke down and cried.
Because I'd destroyed everything good in my life.
And there was no spell to blame for that.
Just me.
Just my coldness. My cowardice. My pride.
I'd had everything.
And I'd thrown it all away for a woman who'd been poisoning me from the start.
My phone buzzed one final time.
A picture message. From Aria.
Both boys asleep in her penthouse. Kai and Ash curled together on the couch, holding hands even in sleep. Brothers. Twins. Finally reunited.
The caption read:
*This is what you lost. Look at it. Remember it. Because you're never getting this back.*
*They're mine now.*
*All mine.*
The image burned into my brain.
My sons. Together. Happy. Safe.
Without me.
And I had no one to blame but myself.