Hiding My Twin Pups From their Alpha Dad novel Chapter 96

In the Crescent Pack’s ceremonial grounds, lanterns flickered in the trees, and wolves from both Silverstone and Crescent filled the space with quiet whispers and curious glances. It should have been a night of celebration, of unity. But the air felt too still. Like it was holding its breath.

Eva stood inside the council chamber earlier that day, arms folded tightly across her chest as the Crescent Council delivered their proposal. The elders, dressed in formal robes, spoke with firm voices but watchful eyes.

“To solidify the alliance between Silverstone and Crescent,” one of them said, “we propose a sacred mating ceremony between Alpha Maximus and Alpha Queen Evalina.”

Silence followed their words.

Max stood beside her, his expression unreadable. Eva stared at the table in front of her, her heartbeat loud in her ears. She already knew what her answer needed to be. Not for herself. Not for Max. But for the packs.

“For protection?” she asked, lifting her head slowly. “This union guarantees that my people won’t be abandoned again?”

The eldest councilman nodded. “It binds our packs in blood and law. A shared future. A shared war.”

Eva’s throat tightened. She wasn’t a girl who dreamed of weddings or white dresses. Her reality was war, loss, and prophecy. Still, she turned to Max and said clearly, “I agree.”

But then she added, softer, like a quiet storm, “This isn’t love. This is survival.”

Max’s jaw clenched. He looked her in the eye, and there was no kindness in his gaze, only fierce emotion. “Say that again,” he said in a low, steady voice, “and I’ll stop trying to love you gently.”

The words hit harder than a blow. Eva blinked. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Later, preparations began. Tiana brushed Eva’s hair in silence, her fingers trembling just slightly. A white ceremonial cloak was draped over Eva’s shoulders. Silver embroidery along the edges shimmered like moonlight.

“You don’t have to do this if your heart says no,” Tiana whispered.

Eva stared at her reflection in the mirror. She barely recognized the woman staring back—haunted eyes, a tight-lipped mouth, and a swell at her stomach that only she knew was the center of everything.

“My heart hasn’t had a say in a long time,” Eva replied softly.

As night fell, the grounds were filled with wolves in ceremonial dress. Max stood at the altar in black, trimmed with the Crescent silver. His gaze searched the space, but Eva hadn’t emerged yet.

I can’t tie him to this. I can’t trap him in a future that might kill us all.