Betrayed by an alpha claimed by a lycan king

Chapter 162

SAGE

I finished cooking and wiped my hands on a towel, ready to set the table. But as I stepped toward the dining area, my feet suddenly froze at the doorway.

The sight before me was something I never thought I’d witness, something that sent a strange ache straight to my chest.

23

Titus sat between Harper and Cooper, his large frame dwarfing their small ones, yet he somehow fit so seamlessly between them. He held a small coin between his fingers, flicking it up before making it disappear, only to pull it from behind Harper’s ear.

Harper gasped in delight, her hands clapping together. “Again! Again!” she cheered.

Cooper, skeptical as ever, narrowed his eyes. “I saw you hide it,” he accused, but even then, there was a flicker of amusement in his usually serious gaze.

Titus smirked, leaning closer. “Are you sure about that?” And just like that, he made the coin vanish once more.

The twins gasped, completely enthralled, their laughter ringing through the room like the sweetest melody.

I stood there, gripping the doorframe as I watched them. The way they looked at him with wonder, it was so heartbreakingly natural. Like they’d done this before. Like they had always been a family.

A lump formed in my throat, my heart clenching painfully.

I had spent years convincing myself that keeping Titus away was the right thing to do. That my children didn’t need him, that I didn’t need him. But standing there, seeing them together, I felt that belief crack just a little.

If only I could freeze this moment, hold onto it for just a little longer.

I shook off the thought and started bringing in the food, then settled it on the table.

The kids cheered as I set their plates down, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the golden, fluffy stacks.

“Yay! Pancakes!” Harper clapped her hands together excitedly. Cooper didn’t say anything, but the way he immediately grabbed his fork and dug in spoke volumes.

I turned to Titus, handing him a plate without a word. He took it with a smirk, tilting his head slightly as he studied me. “No special treatment for the king?” he teased.

I scoffed, sliding into the chair across from him. “You’re lucky you even got a plate,” I muttered before taking a bite of my own food.

Titus chuckled but didn’t push further. Instead, he started eating, and for a while, everything was calm. You can hear nothing but the quiet sounds of forks scraping against plates and soft, happy hums from the kids as they enjoyed their breakfast.

For a brief moment, I allowed myself to enjoy it too. The warmth of the morning light streaming through the windows, the laughter of my children, the presence of a man who, despite everything, felt like he belonged here.

But just as quickly as that warmth settled in my chest, a cold dose of reality followed.

This wasn’t real.

This wasn’t our life.

And sooner rather than later, all of these will end, and we’ll go back to the way it was.

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Chapter 162

As we sat around the table, the warmth of the moment lingered, filling the room with something that felt almost too normal. Harper and Cooper eagerly dug into their food, occasionally glancing at Tims with admiration. It was clear they had taken a liking to him.

Titus, on the other hand, was completely at ease, eating his meal as if this was just another morning, like we had been doing this for years. Then, in between bites, he casually said, “We should start looking for your mother today”

My hands stilled on my fork, my stomach twisting at his words.

Harper and Cooper looked at each other before they turned in my direction as if they were asking me if they were supposed to respond. “Really? You’ll help us?” Harper pretended like she’s excited.

with his thumb. ‘Of course. You two came all this way looking for her, didn’t you? It wouldn’t be right to

observant one, tilted his head. “Is that why you were

smirked, giving a small shrug. “Let’s just say I had my reasons.” Then, he turned to me, his gaze holding something unreadable. “What

the lump in my throat. I should have been relieved–this was part of the plan, after all. But him tagging along with us wasn’t part of the plan.

This was dangerous.

I can’t take the risk of walking around with

considered my next move. “That sounds like a good

with

most people around here don’t recognize

back in his chair. “And a woman walking around with two

no king, Your Majesty.”

cut in. “Why

your food, Cooper,”

shoulder and took

more focused on her toast, blissfully unaware of the underlying tension between me and

Titus.

He

in my chair, feigning

“I always follow

eyes. “Sure you do.”

his coffee, his smirk never fading. “Then it’s settled. We start

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Chapter 162

11

police station,”

That would complicate things. A police report would bring unnecessary attention, and attention was the last thing I needed right now.

to consider it. “That’s a

thick with tension. I kept my gaze focused outside the window, my mind racing with ways to throw him off

we were passing through the town’s main street, Cooper gasped

his

onto the edge of the

to where

up in an open field, its colorful banners swaying in the wind. The sound of cheerful music mixed with the laughter of children filled the air. A bright Ferris wheel stood tall against the

a carnival, sweetie,”

carnival?” Harper repeated

Titus asked as he took a glimpse of Harper

seat. “No, we haven’t,” she admitted softly, her usual

quiet, but I caught the way he lowered his gaze, as if

My chest tightened.

my throat, making it hard

wanted to, but because I had to. Because keeping them

what I

from a world that could take them away from me. I had convinced myself that shielding them from the normal life other kids had was necessary.

them, seeing the longing in Harper’s eyes and the silence in Cooper’s. I wasn’t

been

had I been

simply looked at Harper, then at Cooper, then finally at me. His gaze held something unreadable, something that made my stomach

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Chapter 169

said, a smirk slowly curling on his lips. Looks like we’re about to change that.”

she gasped, her sadness instantly

Titus chuckled. “Really”

finally looked up too, his expression more reserved but his eyes betraying his excitement.