Might be …
### ASHLEY’S POV
The house was finally quiet now. Luke and Simeon had both fallen asleep, and so had George, who had just retired to bed. I stood on the porch, staring out at the moonlit view of the city, feeling the weight of the past few days settling heavily over me. As much as I didn’t want to dwell on it too much, meeting Lucas and Simon again at the event had been a difficult pill to swallow. The encounter was one I had anticipated and mentally prepared for, yet I still found myself feeling unprepared.
I had been careful all these years, keeping my distance even though I knew it could only do so much, building a new life far from the chaos of the Salvatore brothers. But seeing them again had stirred something in me, a part of myself I thought I had buried long ago. It wasn’t just about the complicated history we shared-it was about my sons and the secrets I had kept.
Luke and Simeon weren’t just any children. They were unique, remarkably so. And they were Simon and Lucas’ sons.
I sighed deeply, taking a sip of the wine I held in my hand, my heart heavy with the knowledge that I could no longer keep the truth hidden. Of course, I didn’t want to jeopardize my life or my sons’, but Simon and Lucas had a right to know. Yet, I feared the consequences. They were still kings, still bound by the kingdom’s expectations. If they found out, what would they do? Would they try to take my sons from me? Would they even care?
“Mommy?” A small voice broke through my thoughts. I turned to see Luke standing in the doorway, his eyes barely open, clutching his stuffed wolf. “Why are you still awake?”
I smiled softly, walking over to him and kneeling down. “I’m just thinking, sweetie. You should be in bed.”
“Is everything okay, Mommy?”
I gently ruffled his hair. “Of course, everything is fine, my love. Go back to sleep, okay? But really, I should be asking you that. Why aren’t you sleeping? Is everything alright?”
He nodded, yawning as he shuffled back to bed. As I followed him to his room, my heart clenched. I couldn’t let fear control me any longer. Sooner or later, Lucas and Simon would find out. And when they did, I had to be ready for whatever they would throw at me.
I glanced at the clock. It was late, and the house was still, but sleep wouldn’t come easily tonight. I had made a conscious decision to protect my sons from harm the day I lost their sister to the cold hands of death just hours after giving birth to all three of them. The longer I kept this secret, the more dangerous it became. My boys deserved better than a life built on lies. Yet, no matter what, I would do anything to protect them.
Back in my bedroom, I sat by the window, staring out as sleep eluded me. Eventually, I gave up trying and simply sat there, gazing into the darkness until sleep finally took me.
—
### SIMON’S POV
The night was unusually quiet in the mansion, or so it seemed. As I walked through the dimly lit halls, my mind was still processing the evening’s events. Ever since we saw Ashley at the event, Lucas had been off. I could understand how her return would unsettle him, but I didn’t expect it to affect me as much. If I’m being honest, my wolf was excited to see her again after so long. But would I admit that to anyone, even myself? Definitely not.
I had my suspicions about Ashley and her new family. Those kids-they couldn’t be more than five or six years old. Something about their presence felt too coincidental. Lucas was too wrapped up in his emotions to see the bigger picture, but I had no such blinders.
We needed to figure this out, and quickly.
When I reached my study, I found myself staring at the old maps scattered across the desk, battle strategies from the ongoing war in Asia. Normally, I would have immersed myself in work, preparing for the kingdom’s next move, but tonight, my thoughts kept circling back to Ashley and her sons.
One thing was clear-I didn’t trust her. I never had. She had betrayed us once, and I had no reason to believe she wouldn’t do it again. The question was: what was her angle this time? Was she trying to undermine us, or had she truly moved on? And those kids-were they part of her plan, a way to cement herself in the new life she had built?
I wasn’t sure, but I intended to find out.
The next morning, Lucas and I sat across from each other as he ranted about the elephant in the room-Veronica.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do about this woman, but I’m fed up. Can you imagine she actually had the audacity to enter my room yesterday, waiting for me to get back from the event, and guess what she wanted?”
“What?” I asked, raising a brow teasingly, already knowing what he was about to say.
“Oh my God, just thinking about it makes me more upset. She was going on and on about us not having a child. And of all times to come and try to, you know, try again, she chose yesterday, after everything that had happened at the event.”
“Come on, Lucas, you could’ve just given the lady what she wanted. She’s obviously desperate at this point,” I said, laughing. Lucas shot me a death stare, which made me laugh even harder.
“Make that woman a mother, Lucas, goddammit.”
“And what about you, dear brother? You’re perfectly capable of giving her the babies she wants. You’re her husband too, so get to it already.” Lucas paused, letting out an exasperated scoff before continuing. “Then again, she seems to have forgotten it’s all about her. Every test we took showed it’s an issue with her womb, so why doesn’t she just accept it?”
“Well, whatever the issue is, we can’t be bothered with that right now. We have bigger things to deal with,” I said, leaning back in my chair and rubbing my temples.
“I’ve already started looking into it.”
“Into what?”
“Simon, I don’t know about you, but I have this crazy suspicion that those kids might be ours.”
“What? Are you crazy? How could you think that?”
“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s not impossible, and you know that. Before Ashley was sent away, we were both… involved with her. If you check the timing, it lines up with when she was still living here.”
“So you’re saying we might be the fathers of those boys?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. And this might sound even crazier, but since I saw her yesterday, my wolf has had no peace.”
“What in the world, Lucas? Whatever you’re thinking, snap out of it. This is Ashley we’re talking about-the same woman who toyed with our emotions and betrayed us. We brought her out of that hellhole at Klaus’ pack house, welcomed her into our home, and she betrayed us. Come on, Lucas, she’s a liar, and nothing can change that.”
“I’m not denying that she betrayed us or that she killed one of our most trusted staff members. And don’t think I’ve forgotten any of that just because we saw her yesterday. But my wolf still longs for her. You can deny it all you want, but let’s be real-she’s still our mate, and our wolves still connect with hers.”
“So what about Veronica? What’s supposed to happen with her?”
“Everyone knows our relationship with Veronica is purely political-an arrangement between our parents. This marriage of convenience is why we’re still unhappy today. We throw ourselves into work to cope, and the kingdom’s turmoil was a good enough distraction for both of us, and you know it.”
I stayed silent, reflecting on Lucas’ words. He was right about everything, but if we were going to consider bringing Ashley back into our lives, we wouldn’t beg her or give her any power over us. At least, I wouldn’t.
Speaking of which, we kept discussing marriage, family, and children, but what about her influence in the business world?
“Alright then, let’s say we bring her back into our lives, and she doesn’t betray us again, which I highly doubt. What do you think will happen with her business?”
“What do you mean? Nothing will happen to her business. In fact, I admire how she built so much for herself. It speaks well of her.”
I shot Lucas a suspicious look. Was he under some spell? I couldn’t understand why he was speaking so highly of her.
“Well, it’s true she picked herself up well, I…” A knock at the door interrupted me, and Lucas and I exchanged puzzled glances.
“Are you expecting someone?” I asked, knowing we were in his private study. He shook his head.
“Come in,” he called. The door creaked open, revealing his beta, Damien.
“Greetings, your Highnesses. I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”
“Not really, D. What’s the matter?”
“A few of the elders have arrived unannounced. They’re requesting to see you both.”
“What? The elders? Did they schedule an appointment?”
“No, sir.”
“Alright then, let them know we’ll be out in ten minutes.”
“Understood, sir.”
“And where are they now?”
“The courtroom.”
“Alright, you may go.” Damien bowed and left. Lucas and I exchanged confused looks once more.
As we made our way toward the courtroom, my mind raced with possibilities. The elders never showed up unannounced unless something important had come to their attention. In fact, since our dad handed over the throne to both Lucas and I, the elders never really came to meet us about anything other than to join in the celebration of our newly appointed role as kings. Lucas walked beside me, his expression unreadable. Whatever was on his mind-whether it was about Ashley or the kingdom-was clearly something he had managed to mask at that moment.
We entered the courtroom, a grand space with tall, arched windows that bathed the room in a soft light. The elders were already seated around the long table, their faces grave. These men, who had served the kingdom for generations, held significant power, even over Lucas and me, though we technically ruled.
“Your Highnesses,” Elder Nathan said, standing to greet us with a formal bow. The other elders followed suit. “We apologize for the early hour, but we must discuss an urgent matter.”
Lucas and I exchanged a quick glance before taking our seats at the head of the table. I leaned back slightly, masking my impatience. “Alright then, let’s get started, what’s this about?” Lucas asked, his tone cool but commanding.
Nathaniel hesitated for a moment before speaking again, his voice low and measured. “It has come to our attention that a disturbance is brewing within the kingdom. There are rumors-dangerous ones-circulating through the lower packs, and we fear they may be more than mere whispers.”
“Rumors? Rumors about what?” I asked, leaning forward now, my interest piqued.
Elder Nathaniel cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. “Rumors about the Salvatore bloodline. Specifically… your offspring.”
Lucas stiffened beside me, and I could feel his wolf stirring. Although it wasn’t obvious to see, I could definitely tell since we were both connected in so many ways. I kept my own emotions in check, but inside, my mind was racing. Offspring? There was no way the elders could know about Ashley’s boys-no one knew, except us. Did someone possibly see us with her at the event?
“Explain,” Lucas demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
“The rumors suggest that Her Highness, Queen Veronica, has all this while, actually been incapable of ever being able to be with child” he spoke firmly, and the others nodded in agreement with his claim, leaving Lucas and completely free of tension as we leaned in to listen further