Chapter 79

DOMINIC'S POV My hands trembled slightly as I adjusted the sleeves of my shirt. Nervous. Anxious. Hopeful. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt all of that at once—maybe not since I was a boy waiting for my father's approval. But today wasn't about me. It was about them—Noah and Aria. My children. My pups. Their birthday. The first one I'd be present for, even if I had no claim to any of the ones before. I wasn't there when they were born. I wasn't there for their first cries, their first steps, the scraped knees, the nightmares, the small victories like tying shoelaces or reading their first books. I missed it all. And that truth—it burned. Not because I didn't want to be there, but because I could have been. If I hadn't let my pride, my title, or some damned prophecy blind me… if I had fought for Olivia instead of doubting her. Instead of letting her break. I leaned on the table and closed my eyes for a moment. "I could've had a family… years ago," I whispered to myself. "You s