Chapter 4 " Who ... who are they ? " ry bit like Vivian's voice trembled as she stared at the two figures entering the hall - ragged boys with dirt - streaked faces , looking every beggars dragged in from the gutter . A strange unease flickered across her eyes . One boy sat hunched in a battered wheelchair , his legs withered and twisted . The other's gaze was vacant , his lips twitching with the occasional mindless giggle as drool slipped from the corner of his mouth I let out a sharp laugh . " Them ? They are the precious sons you and Edward truly brought into this world . Edward's face flushed crimson with rage . " Are you insane ? Dragging in crippled strays to disgust me ? " I ignored his snarl and beckoned the boys closer . " Look more carefully . Don't you see how much they resemble their mother ? " The hall stirred uneasily . Dirt covered their cheeks , but beneath the grime their features bore an undeniable echo of Vivian's delicate face Vivian's composurecracked , panic flashing in her eyes before she forced herself upright . " Clara , what game are you playing ? " I crossed my legs and leaned back , my smile razor sharp . " Adrian and Lucas are mine . These two are the sons you abandoned eighteen years ago , Vivian froze , the words striking her like lightning " No ... no , you're lying ! This isn't possible ! I want a blood test - right now ! " But the pack was already murmuring . One glance at those faces was enough to spark doubt . I pulled a folder from my bag and tossed it onto the table . " Here are the bloodline reports for Nathan and Ethan - your sons - and Edward . See for yourself . " Vivian's hands shook as she tore through the pages . When she reached the final seal , her knees gave out , and she collapsed against the floor . " No ... no , this is forged ! You're desperate to keep them , so you fabricated the results ! " I tapped my temple lightly . " Use your head . That seal belongs to the High Council's own registry . Even the Moon Priestess herself validated it . " Gasps spread around the hall . The crimson seal of the Council glowed unmistakably on the parchment . The Stones were struck dumb , their faces drained of color . Only my two sons exhaled in relief , stepping silently behind me as if to shield me with their presence . Eighteen years of whispers and scorn , of being branded a fool for raising " another woman's pups " -It all led to this moment . I had always suspected Edward and Vivian's supposed death in that Blood Hunt was a lie . The way their bodies were hurried to the fire , the haste of the cremation . I had known there was more beneath the ashes . When Edward " died , " I discovered I was with child . Twins , no less . That was when I formed my plan I claimed the abandoned bastards as my own responsibility , using grief as my excuse to vanish into the countryside . For two years I raised them out of sight , then returned with my newborn twins in my arms . Everyone believed Adrian and Lucas were Edward's illegitimate sons . Even my parents cursed me for degrading myself , even my friends mocked me for raising children who weren't my blood . But I never cared for their judgment . Because all of it - all of the ridicule , all of the suffering - was for this very moment .