22 Chapter 22
“Oh, you are definitely in trouble,” I said, keeping my tone light but firm. “Your mom is going to have a lot to say about this.”
“She is right,” I said, my voice firmer now to make a point. “And that is why you two are going to stay where you are supposed to from now on. Understood?”
Samantha narrowed her eyes in suspicion, she already knew partly of what happened. “You mean you crashed the car, yeah?”
“Because what?” Samantha cut in, scolding them now although there was still that softness in her eyes. “Tell me everything.”
Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something more, but she hesitated. Instead, she nodded, her gaze lingering on me for a moment longer than necessary.
My breath caught, and I froze, my hand on the doorknob as I slowly closed the door and their voices gradually faded away but caught quietly.
“Still. He was a stranger,” Samantha replied.
We reached the door, and I knocked lightly before pushing it open. Samantha was pacing inside with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The moment she saw the twins, relief washed over her face, and she rushed forward to scoop them into a hug.
Samantha straightened with her firm and lecturing tone again. “Good. Because you are grounded. No excuses, no allowances, and no going anywhere without me.”
Diana groaned dramatically, her free hand flopping against her side. “But we did not do anything wrong!”
Devon snorted quietly. “We snuck out, Di.”
She had always been secretive about the twins’ father, and I respected her decision to keep it from everyone else. But not that Dominic was coming into the picture and how she did not want him to find out about them, I can’t help but wonder.
“Not a big deal?” Samantha echoed, her voice rising now. “You snuck out without telling
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anyone during the night! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”
Devon nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, I thought so too. But Mom always says not to trust
strangers.”
I forced myself to keep my tone even. “He was just worried about you two, that’s all.”
Samantha knelt down, gripping their shoulders tightly. “Listen to me. Never, ever go with strangers again. Do you understand? You have no idea how dangerous that was.”
Devon hesitated before blurting out, “Two men picked us up on the road. They said they
would take us to the Alpha Summit.”
But would she?
“Don’t try that with me,” Samantha said, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her
lips. “You are still grounded.”
No. Samantha would have told me if—
“He asked us some questions,” Devon interjected. “Like how old we are…”
Diana tugged at my hand, breaking me from my thoughts. “Are you sure we are not in
trouble?” she asked, her voice filled with suspicion but laced with just enough sweetness
to test my patience.
“Where have you two been?” she demanded, her voice shaking slightly as she pulled back
to look at them. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”
But I did not hear her answer anymore.
Samantha’s stern expression melted into something gentler. She pulled them both into a
tight hug and her voice cracked as she spoke. “Don’t you ever think that. You are my everything. But running off like this, do you know how scared I was? I can’t protect you if something happens. Promise me you will never do this again.”
Devon shifted nervously, his gaze dropping to the floor. “We the car at first, but –
uh, we kind of drove
Diana squirmed in her grip, pouting. “We are fine, Mom. It is not a big deal.”
—
Diana huffed, trying to regain her bravado. “They did not hurt us! One had a beard, and
the other looked like a grumpy old teacher. They say their name was Ethan and Mr. Bennett. But we still did not trust them, okay? But they took us here.”
“But Mom-” Diana started, her voice pleading.
Dominic.
A flicker of doubt gnawed at me. What if Dominic…?
“Exploring?” Samantha’s eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms. “And how exactly did you manage to go far when you two should have been sleeping?”
Devon sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat, while Diana pouted. “We just wanted to see you…”
There was a pause, and I held my breath, straining to hear Samantha’s response.
My stomach tightened at her question. “What guy?”
It was not much, but it would have to do for now.
“A car?” Samantha’s voice rose in disbelief, her arms dropping to her sides. “You what?”
They both nodded, though Diana’s reluctance was written all over her face.
Diana pouted, looking up at Samantha with wide, teary eyes. “Please, Mom? We did not mean to make you upset.”
“What did I tell you about talking to strangers?” her voice came out soft yet lecturing.
“Thank you, Killian,” Samantha said suddenly, turning to me. “For bringing them back. I do not know what I would have done if-” She stopped, shaking her head. “Just… thank you. For bringing them back safely”
The unanswered questions ran in my mind, and the jealousy that had simmered all day now burned hotter. Complicated or not, Dominic was getting too close to something I was not ready to share.
My stomach flipped at the idea of Dominic being with the twins. I did not like it, he can’t be with them. He was nothing but a piece of douchebag. I exhaled, easing the tension slightly, though her words still poked at a growing suspicion I could not ignore. Dominic had been too curious about them. Too interested. And Diana’s uncanny resemblance to
Samantha… No. I would not let my mind go there.
Diana’s face softened slightly, but she masked it quickly with a shrug. “We did not mean to. It’s not like we got hurt or anything.”
Diana shot him a look, then turned back to me. “We were not lost or anything. It is not like we needed help.”
She smiled faintly, then turned her attention back to the twins. As I stepped out of the room, I heard Diana’s voice behind me.
“Anything for you,” I replied, meaning every word. “And for the twins.”
As we approached Samantha’s room, Diana glanced up at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Why did that guy back there keep looking at us like that?”
“You scared everyone,” I said, my voice dropping just enough to make my point. “Including your mom. Do you have any idea how worried she was?”
Diana and Devon exchanged a quick glance before Diana straightened, her earlier confidence flickering. “We were… um, just exploring,” she replied, her tone unusually hesitant.
“We did not mean to make you upset,” Devon said quickly, clearly trying to dodge the question. “We were just trying to find you!”
“You know, the grumpy one,” she said, giggling. “The one who bought us food.”
“No buts,” Samantha interrupted. “You broke the rules; and now you face the consequences.”
“We did not think it was that far,” Diana muttered, folding her arms and looking away. “And we only got in that car because-”
Devon’s voice was barely above a whisper. “We thought maybe… you did not want us
around.”
“You thought what?” Samantha prompted, her tone softening despite the panic in her
chest.
“He was not scary,” Diana insisted.
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The twins nodded slowly and clearly, the look of guilt was evident in their faces.
“Get some rest,” I said, forcing a small smile. “All of you.”
Diana’s confidence wavered, but she lifted her chin stubbornly. “We just wanted to see you, Mom. You have been so busy, and we thought…”
I watched the exchange silently, feeling both admiration and a pang of jealousy. Samantha’s bond with the twins was unmistakable, and it made me want to protect her,
and them, even more.
Samantha’s gaze darted between them, piecing together fragments of their story. “So you left the house? On foot? In the middle of the night?”
Samantha’s breath hitched, her expression shifting from anger to alarm. “Men? What men? Did they hurt you? What did they look like?”
I kept my hand resting lightly on Diana’s shoulder as we walked through the corridor, ensuring she stayed close. She was a handful, that much was clear, but there was
something charming about her boldness and quick wit. Beside her, Devon trailed behind quietly, his gaze darting around as if committing every detail to memory. He had always been so keen and attentive.
Devon tugged on her sleeve, whispering something I did not catch. Whatever it was made her roll her eyes before she muttered, “Fine, we are sorry.”
I raised a brow at her, biting back a smirk. She reminded me so much of Samantha at her
stubborn and defiant, but there was a softness to her that made it impossible to stay annoyed.
age
“A nice man bought us food and did not even get mad.”
“I understand, but you could have called instead,” Samantha said, her voice softening slightly. “Not like this.”
I paused just outside the door, straining to hear Samantha’s response.
I quickly masked my reaction because the kids did not have to know that. “Is that so?”
I glanced at them, then shook my head to clear my thoughts. I could not stop replaying the scene back in the restaurant. Dominic had acted so… at ease around them. It grated
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on me, how natural he seemed with the twins, like he belonged there, and as if the twins belonged to him.
Diana nudged Devon with her elbow, as she defensively answered. “It’s not like we drove the whole way or anything. We left it still near the house.”
Killian’s POV
“He looked familiar,” she mused, tapping a finger against her chin. “Like… like someone famous, maybe. Like a movie star or something.”
