Iris:
As soon as I entered the guest house, my children came running toward me. Thankfully, I didn't even have time to cry or dwell on the past before they reminded me I wasn't alone.
I hugged them, held them in my arms, and cried for about fifteen minutes. I hadn't been away from them for this long, especially after thinking I would never see them again. It really took a toll on me.
"Mommy, why are you crying?" Colin pulled away, gently rubbing his little hands over my cheeks to wipe away my tears.
"Mommy has been missing you, that's why," I said in a broken voice.
Watching the two of them, they looked fine and happy, so I guessed nothing had really happened to them while I was gone.
Then my gaze moved to the main mansion from the window. It stood right beside the main mansion. They shared a garden and a backyard. There were no walls separating the guest house from the mansion, and even the driveway was the same.
The décor inside was new. The warrior who had brought us in told me they had renovated everything in less than a day for us. But I could tell Kash had probably done the same four years ago, so it wasn't really difficult for him. He had a habit of tossing used things into the guest house.
"I'll take the room next to the kitchen," my mother cheered, walking away, her shoes tapping against the floor.
There were a lot of rooms in the guest house. Usually, when there were events, guests stayed there. It was a huge building with four floors and a rooftop, but each floor was spacious, almost like a hotel. I decided to stay on the ground floor.
Feeling paranoid, I chose my children's bedroom to be right next to mine.
"Mommy, you should be happy. We now have a father."
As soon as Amy said that, she pulled me back to reality. I watched her face in silence. She was pouting, waiting for my response.
"And Daddy is an Alpha King! He's so powerful and so good," Colin bragged, flexing his little arms.
Honestly, as much as I wanted to have this talk with my children, Kash wasn't the father I wanted them to admire. But I gave them a smile because if it meant so much to them, I wouldn't break their hearts by telling them the truth about their father.
"Anyway, let's get settled," I said tiredly.
That was when someone's arrival made me turn around. Kash appeared, wearing a gray suit that matched his eyes. His black hair and thick eyebrows contrasted sharply with it.
Both my kids rushed past me, running toward him. I clenched my fists, closed my eyes, and took deep breaths to calm myself down.
"Kids, did you see your new room?" Kash asked, and they shook their heads.
"Mommy was just talking about settling in, so we can all go together and see it," Amy suggested.
Kash raised a brow and gave me a brief glance before looking back at the children. He lifted them both effortlessly into his arms and started walking past me.
I followed him until we reached the kids' bedroom. He opened the door and showed them how big it was and how nicely he had decorated it for them. He also boasted about ordering all kinds of toys.
My kids were happy of course they were. When we were living with the lycans, I had tried to teach them to live with minimal things.
Even though my parents had seemed nice to me, there were times when they acted strict. I used to think it was just an old-fashioned way of parenting, not realizing it was because they didn't truly like me or my children.
I had never told my kids about us being Lycans or anything else. I knew it would be too much for them. Being a Lycan was one thing, but my children were both Lycan and werewolf. I still didn't know what that would mean for them.
After he spoke with the kids for another fifteen minutes, he finally got up to leave.
I followed him to make it clear there would be some rules and that he couldn't just barge in whenever he wanted.
He stopped outside the guest house. I guessed he knew I was behind him. He turned around, slipped one hand into his pants pocket, and his coat lifted slightly. He was so damn big and broad that I felt small standing in front of him.
"Next time you want to come and see the kids, let me know beforehand. Just because you convinced the council that you deserve them more doesn't mean you get to invade our privacy," I told him, keeping my voice low.
But the anger in me boiled over, and every now and then, a scoff escaped my lips.
He raised a brow at that specific scoff.
"Because you don't want me to come in and spot you with your boyfriend?" he muttered.
The moment he said that, my whole body froze. I stared at his face for a few seconds before looking away. Then I began to wonder, had my mother already told him about my boyfriend?
Maybe she had, trying to make the council understand that just because Kash and I were still mated didn't mean we could continue whatever we had. There were already other people involved.
"Huh? Is that it?" he pressed.
I took a deep breath and straightened my posture.
"Well, now that you know about him, yes. I think it'll be better if we just stay out of each other's lives and relationships. You can still spend time with the kids, but not without me. I don't want my children around your family."
I was trying to explain the rules when he suddenly shoved his hand in my face. His arm was so big it almost hit me. I stepped back instantly, grunting and slapping his hand away.
"So you're shamelessly admitting you have a boyfriend?" he growled.
I hadn't realized he was still hung up on that. Folding my arms, I tapped my foot on the floor.
"So what? You have a fiancée too," I reminded him, making sure he remembered that before judging me, he should think about how he cheated first. I only got a boyfriend afterward, when we were already done.
"Well, let's see how this boyfriend of yours sticks around after he finds out what a cunning woman you are," he sneered.
That taunt hit hard. I felt my veins heat with anger, but the jerk didn't stick around for another round. He just turned and stormed off.