Aiden’s POV 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

I stood in the center of the grand hallway, a restless, electric energy buzzing beneath my skin. I was entirely on edge, but for the first time in months, it was because of pure excitement. Alina was coming back. I had spent the entire morning personally ensuring everything was perfect. Her room had been meticulously cleaned, the linens changed, and every single corner of the estate was completely spotless.

"You certainly seem excited," a bitter voice cut through my thoughts, causing my broad smile to instantly falter.

I turned my head to see Emily standing at the top of the stairs, her arms tightly crossed over her pregnant belly. She slowly walked down the steps, her eyes scanning my face with deep resentment. "You should really take your time, Aiden. Alina is your ex-wife. You getting this worked up and excited over her returning to this house will forever make absolutely no sense to me."

"That isn’t what this is about," I lied smoothly, pulling my features into a cold, stern expression. "I am simply happy to have my son back under my roof. I have missed Leo immensely."

Emily scoffed, a dark, cynical look crossing her face. "Is that really all, Aiden? Because I know for a fact that you still love Alina."

I didn’t give her the satisfaction of a response. I kept my jaw locked and stayed silent.

Her expression twisted into an ugly, furious scowl, and she took a menacing step toward me. "Listen to me, Aiden. This house will strictly not contain all of us if you show Alina even a single ounce of your attention. You want your family, right? Your focus should be strictly on Leo and our baby."

"You are getting entirely too worked up over nothing, Emily," I countered flatly, checking my watch to dismiss her. "Your doctor’s appointment has already been completely set up for this afternoon, so you need to go get ready."

Emily’s eyes narrowed. "Are you going to come with me?"

"I have too much pack work to take care of today," I replied without a shred of guilt. "But I will send a full detail of guards to accompany you."

"Pathetic," she spat out bitterly. She whipped around and aggressively marched down the hallway, her heavy footsteps fading into the distance.

The moment she was gone, I pushed my hair backward with both hands, a triumphant grin breaking across my face once more. I let out a low chuckle. Alina will be back here under my roof, I thought wildly. And over these next three days, I am going to show her exactly why she should have never left my side. I am an Alpha. I am so much better than a pathetic, broken rogue like Lucian.

A few moments later, the front gates opened, and Alina finally arrived.

My heart did a violent thud against my ribs. I practically bolted to the front door, a heavy smile plastered on my face the second my eyes landed on her gorgeous frame. She was carrying Leo, her expression guarded and cold as she stepped into the foyer.

She didn’t return my smile. She just looked around the grand space and said flatly, "Where is Leo’s nursery?"

"It’s in the exact same place it has always been, sweetheart," I murmured softly.

Alina gave a tight nod and walked right past me, her sweet scent washing over my senses and making my wolf stir restlessly. I smiled heavily, turning on my heel to follow closely behind her like a shadow.

We reached the nursery, and I watched in silence as she carefully unpacked a few of Leo’s things. She gently lowered our son into his cradle, smoothing down his blanket. The boy was fast asleep, his breathing soft and rhythmic.

"You don’t need to stress yourself out or worry about Leo while you’re here," I said, stepping closer to the crib. "You can go ahead and rest in your room as well."

"Fine," she whispered.

She walked out of the nursery, and I immediately followed right behind her down the corridor. But the exact second she reached the door of her designated bedroom, she abruptly ground to a halt. She whipped around, blocking the doorway, her eyes flashing with a clear warning.

"You cannot come in here with me, Aiden," she stated sharply.

I raised my hands defensively, keeping my expression smooth. "I know, Alina. I just wanted to personally make sure the pack house staff got your room right."

She gave a curt nod, stepped inside, and promptly closed the heavy wooden door directly in my face.

I stood in the hallway for a moment, my heart racing a little against my ribs. I didn’t care about the slammed door. The only thing that mattered was that Alina was officially here, under my roof, and miles away from Lucian. The absolute thought of it made me incredibly excited. I immediately marched down to the kitchen and strictly ordered the pack cooks to prepare the absolute best, most luxurious dishes for dinner.

As night fell over the territory, the dining table was completely set. I made sure one of the housemaids went upstairs to call Alina down for dinner.

A few minutes later, she walked into the dining room. I immediately stood up from my head of the table, gesturing to the seat beside me. "Alina, please... come eat dinner with me."

"I can just take a plate and eat in my room," she replied coldly, refusing to sit.

"No, we are co-parenting now, remember?" I countered with a warm smile. "And besides, Leo is already down here having his dinner."

Alina’s gaze instantly shifted across the room, her eyes softening as she watched a trusted pack maid gently bottle-feeding Leo in his high chair. Seeing that her son was taken care of, the tension in her shoulders dropped just a fraction.

"You should eat too," I pressed softly.

She rolled her eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh, but she finally stepped forward and pulled out the chair, sitting down across from me.

A massive victory surged through my veins. "See? I specifically had the cooks make your absolute favorite meal tonight."

Alina looked down at the spread of food, her expression unreadable as she gave a faint, silent nod. I smiled, immediately reaching for the serving spoon to fix her plate for her.

"I can do it myself, Aiden," she interjected, reaching for the utensils.

"No problem at all, I’ve got it," I insisted smoothly, ignoring her protest as I carefully dished the food onto her plate and handed it to her.

But just as the plate settled in front of her, the heavy dining room doors violently burst open.

Emily marched into the room, her eyes wild with a manic, unhinged fury. Before either of us could even process her sudden entrance, she lunged toward the table, grabbed a tall glass of ice water, and violently poured it directly over Alina’s head.

"Emily!" I roared, my alpha aura exploding into the room as I bolted from my chair.