"Remember what we discussed—don't let him provoke you into doing something stupid."
Evander's voice cuts through the pre-dawn darkness as our SUV approaches the border. His hand rests on my knee, possessive even now.
"He's bringing my children. That's already a provocation." My fingers trace the mark on my neck, feeling it pulse with Evander's proximity.
"Which is exactly why you need to stay calm." He squeezes my knee harder. "Thorne wants you emotional. Don't give him that satisfaction."
"Easy for you to say when it's not your babies."
"They're under my protection too," he reminds me, though we both know it's not the same.
The old courthouse appears through the morning fog. My heart hammers as I spot the black vehicles already waiting.
"Three cars, twelve guards by my count." Evander scans the scene. "He brought an army."
"Did you expect anything less from him?"
"I expected him to at least pretend to follow the terms." Evander opens his door, moving around to help me out. "Don't approach until I give the signal."
But then I see them. Two small figures pressed against the window of the middle vehicle, their hands splayed on glass like trapped birds.
"Mama!" Kael's voice carries across the distance.
Every instinct screams at me to run to them, but Evander's grip tightens, holding me in place as Thorne emerges from his vehicle.
"Aria." My name on his lips makes my stomach clench. "I see you've been busy. That mark looks fresh."
"Where are my sons?" I force myself not to look at the car, knowing it will shatter what little composure I have left.
"My sons are right there, watching their mother parade another Alpha's claim like a trophy." His green eyes burn with barely contained rage.
"Watch your tongue, Blackwood." Evander steps forward, partially blocking me. "You're here to discuss custody."
"Custody?" Thorne laughs, the sound sharp enough to cut glass. "There's nothing to discuss."
"Mama, please!" This time it's Finn's voice, usually so quiet, now raised in desperation.
"Let them out of the car." My voice breaks on the demand. "Please, just let me see them properly."
Thorne considers this, his head tilting in that predatory way I remember too well. Then he signals to his guards. The car door opens, and my boys tumble out, already running toward me with their arms outstretched.
"Mama! Mama, we missed you so much!"
I drop to my knees, ready to catch them, but Thorne's guards step forward, catching each twin by their shoulders, holding them back just out of reach. Kael thrashes against the grip while Finn goes eerily still.
"Let them go to her for five minutes." Evander's voice carries alpha command, though it won't work on Thorne's wolves.
"After we discuss terms." Thorne moves closer, his presence filling the space between us. "Here are mine: you return as my Luna, submit to my mark over his, and raise our sons where they belong. In exchange, you get to be their mother instead of a memory they'll eventually forget."
"She bears my mark now." Evander's hand finds my shoulder.
"Marks can be overridden." Thorne's eyes never leave mine. "It's painful, potentially damaging, but possible."
"I have a counter-proposal." Evander steps fully in front of me now. "A single combat, witnessed by the Inter-Pack Council. The winner gets custody of the boys."
"And if I win?" Thorne circles us slowly. "What do I get besides what's already mine?"
"The boys and no further challenges from Moonveil."
"Not enough." Thorne stops directly in front of me. "If I win, I get Aria too. Mark or no mark."
"You're talking about me like I'm property to be traded." The words tear from my throat before I can stop them.
"Aren't you?" Thorne's smile is all teeth and no warmth. "He's selling you to me for a chance at glory. At least I'm honest about seeing you as mine."
"I haven't agreed to anything," Evander growls.
"Then don't." Thorne shrugs with calculated indifference. "Take your marked prize home. I'll raise my sons to understand their mother chose another Alpha's bed over them."
"Papa, we want Mama!" Finn's voice rises to something almost like a scream. "Please, Papa, we want to go with Mama!"
"You see? They call me Papa." Thorne's expression is triumphant. "Every day that passes, that becomes more true. Every night they ask why you left them, I tell them you had more important things to do. How long before they stop asking?"
"Accept the challenge." I place my hand on Evander's arm. "Please."
"Aria, you don't understand what you're asking—"
But I don’t wait for Evander to finish and move around him to face Thorne directly.
"Set the date."
"The new moon. Two weeks." Thorne's smile widens.
"And the boys?" My voice shakes despite my efforts to control it. "What happens to them until then?"
"They come home with me, where they belong." He signals to his guards, who start dragging the twins back toward the vehicles. "Say goodbye to Mama, princes."
"No! Mama, no!" Kael fights against the guard's grip with everything his small body possesses. "Don't let them take us! Please, Mama, please!"
"I'll come for you!" I scream the promise as they're pulled away. "Two weeks, babies! Just two more weeks!"
"Mama!" Finn's voice breaks on a sob. "The shadow wolves say you're lying! They say we'll never see you again!"
The car door slams, cutting off their cries, though I can still see them pounding on the windows, their mouths open in screams I can no longer hear.
"Two weeks, Evander." Thorne moves toward his vehicle with unhurried steps. "Try not to damage her too much before then. I prefer my property intact."
The convoy pulls away, taking my children with it. I stand frozen, watching until the last vehicle disappears into the distance.
"We'll get them back," Evander promises against my hair.
"No, we won't." I push away from him. "You know you can't beat him."
"Aria—"
"This isn't about my boys for you." My voice hardens with each word. "It's about your pride."
"How dare you suggest I don't care about those children?" His voice drops dangerously.
"Because caring requires sacrifice," I say, holding my ground even as my pulse hammers against my throat. "And you've only ever sacrificed when it served your image."
"You're upset, not thinking clearly—"
"I'm thinking clearer than I have in three years." I step back, meeting his eyes with newfound steel. "You wanted me to need you, to depend on you, but you never actually wanted the messy reality of my life. My boys were props in your fantasy of domesticity."
"That's not true—"
"Then prove it." My hand goes to the mark on my neck. "Because if you can't, then maybe I should just accept what we all know is inevitable."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying Thorne is the stronger Alpha." The words ring with truth. "If my only choice is which Alpha owns me, shouldn't I choose the one who can actually protect what's his? The one my children already call Papa?"
"You wouldn't dare—"
"Watch me." I move past him toward our vehicle. "You have two weeks to prove you're more than just another Alpha who sees me as property."
"Aria, wait—"
"Two weeks, Evander." I don't look back. "Either find a real solution, or I'll choose the Alpha who's already proven he'll do anything to keep what's his. At least with Thorne, I know where I stand."