Chapter 164

Arabella's POV

I followed Lucas into the living room, my bare feet padding silently against the hardwood floors. Alexander and Tristan were already there, lounging on the leather couch, casually sipping their morning coffee.

My heart immediately softened when I spotted Alice playing in the center of the room. Alexander had installed a massive foam ball pit—complete with slides and climbing sections—that took up a ridiculous amount of floor space. It was extravagant and completely unnecessary. He spoiled her rotten, and I couldn't even pretend to be annoyed about it.

When I entered, both Alexander's and Tristan's eyes locked onto me with matching concerned expressions. The intensity of their stares made my skin prickle with awareness.

They're still alive. They're fine. I reassured myself silently, desperately pushing down the fear my nightmare had left lingering. Not real. Just a dream.

"Morning," I croaked, voice still raspy from sleep. Alexander looked remarkably alert for someone who'd probably only gotten about three hours of rest. The man was a machine, which both worried and impressed me.

My little angel Alice spotted me and immediately squealed, "Mama!" Her chubby arms reached toward me, balls from the pit scattering as she bounced excitedly.

I scooped her up, breathing in her baby-sweet scent as I pressed a kiss to her forehead. Settling on the edge of the sofa with Lucas sliding in close beside me, I bounced Alice gently on my lap.

"I see you've been keeping your daddies very busy," I told her, warmth spreading through my chest at the words. The love I felt for this strange, beautiful family of ours sometimes overwhelmed me.

Tristan chuckled. "She's been running around trying to touch everything. Alexander's installing some baby gates later."

"Just a temporary measure," Alexander grumbled. "Once the renovations are done, we won't have to worry about her running all over the place."

I blinked, caught off guard. "Wait. Renovations?" This was the first I'd heard of any construction plans.

Alexander arched an eyebrow at me. "We can't keep this layout forever, can we? I'm planning to redo the guest rooms. Lucas and Tristan need their own spaces. The twins will too."

My stomach dropped. "They're moving out of our room?" The thought of not having all three of them surrounding me at night made me unexpectedly anxious.

Lucas laughed, his arm sliding around my waist. "Not a chance, Puppy. We just need more storage space. My clothes are currently piled in the guest room."

"He needs at least two closets for himself," Tristan added dryly.

I stared at Lucas in surprise. "When did you accumulate so many clothes?"

"That's what happens when you have three men trying to spoil you with shopping trips," Lucas said with a grin, then added, "Speaking of which, that's because you need us to take you shopping again. Your clothes are starting not to fit anyway."

My hand instinctively went to my stomach. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious. I knew I'd been eating more—the twins demanded constant nourishment—but was I getting noticeably bigger already?

I caught Tristan shooting Lucas a warning look, which only made me more uneasy.

"I know my stomach's getting bigger," I admitted, tugging at the hem of Alexander's shirt that I was wearing. "It was a struggle putting on my skinny jeans this morning." Though I knew intellectually that my changing body was perfectly normal with pregnancy, having it pointed out so directly still made me feel vulnerable.

Lucas nodded. "I saw that. I almost made you wear one of my shirts instead."

"Asher's coming over, remember?" I reminded him, imagining my brother's face if he found me wearing Lucas's clothes. That would definitely make an already tense situation even worse.

At the mention of Asher, Tristan's expression shifted slightly. "What did Asher want last night?" he asked. "Damien mentioned he stopped by."

My heart skipped a beat. Shit. Damien and Johnson had ratted me out again. I'd hoped to keep Asher's visit a secret, at least temporarily.

I felt the weight of three intense gazes on me—Alexander, Tristan, and Lucas all waiting for my explanation. My pulse quickened as I scrambled for an answer that wouldn't be an outright lie but also wouldn't reveal Wesley's captivity. Asher had made me promise to keep it quiet until he could leak evidence of Wesley's crimes.

"I—" I started, but before I could formulate a response, a sharp knock at the front door saved me from having to answer.

Asher. Right on time.

Tristan rose to answer it, and Asher strode in a moment later. His expression was unreadable, but I immediately recognized the tension in his shoulders. He was fucking pissed about something.

Isadora wasn't with him, which meant this was pack business.

Last night, when we had the real conversation—the part that actually mattered—he made her wait in the car, watched over by his men.

Now?

His gaze swept over the room, barely acknowledging the others before zeroing in on me.

"Arabella, I need you to take the child and leave. This is pack business," he commanded, his voice ice-cold.

"Yeah, I don't think I will," I replied without hesitation. There was no way in hell I was leaving Asher alone with Alexander when he had that look in his eyes. Nothing good could come from that.

His jaw tensed. "Arabella—"

"Does this pertain to me in any way?" I cut him off, my voice even, unwavering.

His nostrils flared. "Of course it does. When has anything that's happened at the pack since you came back not involved you?"

Ouch. But I don't flinch.

"Then, I deserve to know. Especially considering what I agreed to do for you."

Asher's expression darkened, but he exhaled sharply, relenting.

I feel Alexander, Lucas, and Tristan watching me now. Their gazes burn with unspoken questions.

So, I decide to answer the one I can.

"Keep in mind that I'll never like your wife, but I'll put up with her—for the pack."

Asher sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yeah, well, it's not like I'm her biggest fan either right now. We've got a lot of shit to work through. But this isn't about feelings—it's about keepin' both of you and your kids safe."

If this wasn't such a serious moment, I'd be laughing my ass off.

"Isadora's pregnant?" Lucas finally asked, his voice carefully neutral.

"Yep." Asher's response is short, clipped, no emotion behind it. "That's why I left. Needed to know for sure."

Tristan cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "Uh...congrats, man."

I doubt anyone here is actually happy he knocked that bitch up.

Meanwhile, Alexander's eyes haven't left me. He's watching me like he knows I'm still hiding something.

I forced myself to hold his gaze, keeping my expression neutral and calm.

"So, what did you have to tell us, Asher?" Alexander replied evenly, his eyes narrowing.

Asher said bluntly. "I found out Ice is working for Frank. His real name is Finn. Frank hired him to get close to Arabella."