Hiding My Twin Pups From their Alpha Dad novel Chapter 80

The sky above was streaked with fading gold and purple, the last traces of sunset slipping away as two wolves-turned-humans rode on horseback deeper into the forest. Max was ahead, guiding the path, but his shoulders were stiff, and his jaw clenched like he already knew something was coming.

Eva followed closely behind, the reins clutched in her hands, her heart pounding so hard it echoed in her ears. The words she needed to say had been growing heavier by the hour, pushing against her chest until she couldn’t breathe. She had rehearsed it in her head over and over, but now, in the fading light and thick silence, everything felt wrong and fragile.

“Max,” she said softly.

He pulled on his reins, stopping his horse just before the bend in the trail. He turned his head slightly but didn’t look at her. “Yeah?”

Eva dismounted and walked over to him. Her legs felt like jelly. She was scared—not of him, but of what her truth might do to him.

“I need to tell you something,” she said, her voice shaking despite the calm she tried to fake. “It’s not about the prophecy or the war. It’s… about me.”

He finally looked down at her, those sharp green eyes guarded but gentle. “Okay.”

She swallowed, eyes falling to the forest floor, to the roots that twisted like secrets buried deep. “I think I’m pregnant.”

Max didn’t move at first. Not a blink. Not a breath. Then, slowly, his hands clenched around the reins. His entire body tensed like someone had driven a blade straight through his heart.

“And it might be his,” Eva added, barely above a whisper.

Max looked away. He slid off his horse, boots crunching on the dried leaves below. He took a few steps forward, his back to her. One hand raked through his hair, the other curled into a fist.

“Of course,” he muttered bitterly. “Of course it would be him.”

Eva’s heart twisted. She took a step closer. “Max…”

He turned halfway, not fully facing her. His eyes were bright, not from the light, but from the emotions tearing through him.

“I was always too late, wasn’t I?” he said, voice hoarse. “When you needed someone… I stayed in the shadows. When he lied, I stayed quiet. When you cried, I watched. And now… this.”

Max shook his head, his jaw clenched. “I’ve fought vampires. I’ve bled for my people. I’ve waited, Eva. I’ve waited for you. And still, I’m the one watching from the sidelines while he—”

She cut him off, stepping in front of him, grabbing his hand even as he tried to pull away. “You think I planned this? That I chose to be caught between all of this?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “But I trust you.”