Chapter 21 A House Divided
Third person pov
Alpha Dorian stepped through the front door as quietly as he could, the chill of the night still clinging to his skin. The house was dark, silent, and still just the way he hoped it would be.
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The soft tick of the grandfather clock echoed in the hallway, reminding him how late it truly was.
His stomach twisted in knots as he tiptoed down the hallway, every creak of the floorboards under his feet sounding like thunder in the stillness. He couldn’t afford to wake anyone, especially not her.
Thank God she’s asleep, he thought, relief sweeping through him. If he could just make it to the bedroom without being noticed, he could shower, get into bed, and deal with her wrath in the morning. Maybe by then, she would be less angry, maybe even willing to forgive.
But as Alpha Dorian reached for the bedroom door, the lights suddenly flicked on, blinding him momentarily.
He froze mid-step, his heart sinking like a stone as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. There she was-Cecilia-sitting in the armchair by the window, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her eyes sharp and unforgiving.
She was dressed in her silk robe, her hair slightly tousled, but she looked anything but relaxed.
Her posture, the way she held herself, screamed fury, and it sent a shiver down his spine. She didn’t have to say a word for him to know he was in deep trouble.
“Well, well, well…” Cecilia’s voice was low, dripping with sarcasm as she uncrossed her arms and stood up slowly.
She took a deliberate step toward him, her heels clicking against the floor with menacing precision. “Who sneaks into their own home after midnight, looking like they’ve just had the best sex of their life?”
Alpha Dorian swallowed hard, feeling his throat tighten. His mind raced for an excuse, any excuse that might calm her, but the way her eyes were burning into him made it clear she wasn’t in the mood for his lies tonight.
“Oh, my darling Luna… why are you still awake?” he tried, forcing a casual laugh that fell flat. He hoped the charm in his voice could soften her, but it only seemed to harden her further.
Cecilia’s expression twisted, her brows knitting together in disgust. “Darling Luna?” She spat the words out as if they were poison. “Have you completely lost your senses, Dorian?” Her voice had sharpened now, every syllable hitting him like a sharp slap across the face.
She stepped closer, her breath shallow and sharp with fury. “Where the fuck have you been?” Her voice trembled, not with fear but with the
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simmering rage that had clearly been brewing for hours. “It’s past midnight Dorian!”
He could hear the accusation thick in her tone, could feel the storm brewing in her chest, and he had nowhere to rum. Her eyes raked over him, scanning his rumpled shirt, his disheveled hair, and the faint, telltale scent that clung to his skin.
Her nostrils flared. “Who have you been fucking?” She let the question hang in the air between them, venom dripping from every word.
Alpha Dorian opened his mouth, but before he could even begin to form a reply, Cecilia cut him off.
“Because you reck of sex and alcohol!” she shouted, her voice breaking through the quiet like shattered glass. She took a step back, glaring at him as though he were a stranger-a rogue caught red-handed in her home.
Alpha Dorian raised his hands defensively, trying to ease the tension as he took a cautious step toward her. “Come on, Cecilia,” he said, forcing a smile, his voice softening in a poor attempt to calm her.
Cecilia’s eyes flared with rage, her jaw clenched so tightly that Alpha Dorian thought she might shatter her teeth.
Her hands trembled as she pointed at him, her body rigid with fury. “You think I’m a kid, right? You really think I’m that stupid?” Her voice was sharp and filled with venom, cutting through the air like a blade.
Before he could respond, she stormed toward him, grabbing the collar of his shirt and yanking it aside. “What’s this, then, Dorian?” she spat, pointing at the dark bruise on his neck, her finger shaking with rage. “What’s this hickey doing here?”
Alpha Dorian’s heart sank, and panic spread through him like wildfire. He tried to stammer out an excuse, but nothing came. His mouth opened, but the words died on his tongue.
“And your lips-why are your lips so fucking red?” she screamed, her eyes scanning his face with disgust. It sure as hell isn’t from Raphael, is it?”
Alpha Dorian instinctively wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, as if it could erase the evidence of his betrayal, but Cecilia wasn’t done. Not even close.
Her voice trembled with fury as she jabbed a finger into his chest. “And this-“she grabbed his suit jacket, her eyes blazing with accusation, “what the hell is this?” She tugged at a bright smear of red lipstick on his lapel, her hands shaking with a mix of rage and disbelief.
“Do you even have the decency to clean up after your little fuck-fest before coming home? You no-good son of a bitch! You cheater! How long has this been going on?!”
Alpha Dorian felt the blood drain from his face as he stumbled over his words, trying to string together some explanation, any excuse. But Cecilia was relentless, her fury now a firestorm.
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I knew it,” she hissed, her voice trembling as her eyes welled up with angry tears.
Alpha Dorian clenched his jaw, his fists tightening as frustration mounted. He ran his hand through his hair, feeling the weight of his confession crashing down on him, but still, he tried to justify his actions.
“Look, fine! I went to clear my head, okay?” His voice was harsher now, a mix of desperation and deflection. “Don’t blame me for this. I just needed some space. Plus…” He hesitated, knowing the next words would blow everything wide open.
“I met Fiona… and our son… a few days back. It’s been overwhelming, and I just decided to clear my head tonight, that’s all.”
Cecilia’s mouth dropped open, her eyes widening in shock. She froze, disbelief flooding her expression before the rage returned, more vicious than before.
“Wait, hold up!” she shouted, her voice shaking as she struggled to process what she had just heard. “You met Fiona? You have a son? And you’re just telling me this now? Are you serious, Dorian?!”
“Don’t you regard me as your Luna? How long have you been hiding this from me?”
Alpha Dorian opened his mouth to respond, but Cecilia didn’t give him the chance. She took a step closer, her eyes wild with disbelief. “You saw your ex-mate, and you didn’t think to mention it? You’re just telling me this now? Are you out of your mind, Dorian?!”
He couldn’t take it anymore. Alpha Dorian’s hand hovered in the air for a split second, the room so tense it felt like the walls were closing in. His anger had driven him to the brink, but Cecilia’s sharp words and the fierce look in her eyes cut through the haze of rage.
“Don’t you dare,” she repeated, her voice low but laced with venom. She took a step back, arms still folded across her chest, as if daring him to follow through with his threat.
“You raise your hand to me, Dorian, and it’ll be the last thing you ever do. You know damn well what my parents would do to you. They’d ruin you, and you’d lose everything.”
Alpha Dorian’s hand slowly dropped to his side, the reality of the situation sinking in. Cecilia’s family was powerful, and he knew she wasn’t exaggerating.
They had the resources to make his life a living hell if they wanted to, and for all the tension between him and Cecilia, he wasn’t ready to lose everything he’d built.
But Cecilia wasn’t finished.
“You think you can just come home reeking of sex and alcohol, confess that you’ve been meeting with your ex-mate and some son I never knew
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about, and everything will be fine?”
Her voice was rising again, disbelief flooding her every word. “You have a son, Dorian. And I’m just supposed to accept that? You hid this from me for days? Do you have any idea how insane that is?”
Alpha Dorian opened his mouth, searching for something-anything-to say that might calm the situation down. But Cecilia wasn’t letting him off that easy.
“And let me make one thing very clear, she spat, her eyes narrowing. I hope you’re not thinking of bringing that boy-“Fiona’s” son-into this house. Because I swear to God, if you do, things will get ugly. Very ugly.
Alpha Dorian blinked, stunned. He hadn’t even thought that far ahead, but hearing her say it out loud, he realized just how impossible this situation was.
“Do you hear me?” she demanded, stepping closer until she was inches from his face. “You can play whatever games you want with Fiona, but that boy is not coming here. Ever.”
Alpha Dorian swallowed hard, his mind racing. He knew this conversation was spiraling out of control, and yet he couldn’t stop it.
“Cecilia,” he started. his voice shaking slightly, “I never planned for this. I didn’t mean to keep it from you, but I—”
“But you did,” she cut him off sharply. “You did keep it from me, Dorian. And now, here we are. You expect me to just forgive you for that? To pretend like everything’s fine?”
“I didn’t know how to tell you,” he muttered, feeling more defeated with each passing second. “I didn’t know how to explain it.”
“Well, you should have figured it out,” she snapped, her anger unwavering. “Because now, it’s too late. And don’t think for a second I’ll forget this. You’ve made your bed, Dorian. Don’t be surprised when it gets real uncomfortable.”
“Mummy, Daddy… why are you shouting?”
Both of them froze. In the doorway, their daughter, Daisy, stood rubbing her eyes, her tiny frame illuminated by the hallway light. She looked so small, so innocent-completely unaware of the chaos swirling around her. The sight of her made Cecilia’s heart twist.
Cecilia was the first to move, her anger momentarily replaced by a deep ache for her daughter. She rushed to Daisy’s side, kneeling down so she could meet her eye to eye. “Oh, baby,” she whispered, tucking a stray curl behind Daisy’s car, “it’s nothing. Mummy and Daddy are just… talking.”
But Daisy wasn’t convinced. Her eyes, wide and glistening with confusion, flicked between her parents, sensing something much bigger than a simple argument. “But you were shouting,” she murmured, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
Cecilia swallowed hard, glancing up at Alpha Dorian for a moment before turning her focus back to Daisy. Her voice softened, but her words were still laced with the bitterness that lingered from the confrontation. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Your Daddy’s just… well, he’s a messed-up father who doesn’t deserve to be your dad.”
Alpha Dorian flinched at the words, the guilt cutting deeper than any insult she could have hurled at him. Cecilia kissed Daisy’s forehead
tenderly.
“Come on,” she said softly, standing up and taking Daisy’s hand. “Let’s get you back to bed. You shouldn’t be awake for this.”
Daisy, still half-asleep, nodded, allowing her mother to lead her away from the tension in the room. Alpha Dorian watched them go, his chest tightening. Cecilia didn’t even look back at him as she whispered soothingly to Daisy, her voice fading as they disappeared down the hall.
