77

Gabriella’s POV
“What?” we both exclaimed at the same time.
“Talk to me, what happened to my daughter? Where is Estella?” I questioned, already consumed with worries. Nick’s hand holding mine gave me strength.
“According to what I was told, she was busy playing with her friends when all of a sudden, she started behaving strangely. Then her eyes turned dark, and her friends got so scared they ran off.”
“Oh no, where is she now? Take me to my baby.” I cried out.
“She is in her bedroom as we speak,” Martins replied.
“Thank you, Martins. Training is over for today, love. Let’s go see our daughter. And do not worry yourself too much because she is going to be fine,” Nick assured me.
“He said our daughter’s eyes turned dark. This is a bad sign. What if something bad has happened to her?”
“Worry yourself no more, my dear. No harm can come to our daughter. We will always protect her. Now hold me tight,” he said. Instead of holding him, I jumped onto his body, and he smiled as he used his wolf speed to take us home. We stopped at my daughter’s door.
I opened the door at once and saw my daughter sleeping peacefully, which made me wonder. Was the complaint a false alarm? Children her age can play so many games and assume so many things.
I caressed her hair, saying, “I guess you are so tired, my love. I will give you time to rest. When you are awake, we can then eat together.” I said, kissing her forehead.
“See, she is fine. Nothing bad happened to our child,” Nick said to me with a brief smile.
“Yes, nothing bad happened to her. Let’s give her some privacy.” I insisted, and he nodded. He stretched his hand out for me to hold, and we walked out together, smiling at each other as if we were meeting for the very first time and falling in love.
I love Nick so much, and I am sure there is no one like him out there. How he comforts me and makes me smile, how he easily says sorry whenever there is a misunderstanding, and how he is always willing to protect me. Truly, he is the best mate ever, and Estella is lucky to have a dad like him.
“Why are you looking at me that way? Don’t tell me you are missing me already and you need some attention?” He asked with a wink.
“Oh please, I wasn’t looking at you.” I lied because I felt so shy.
“You can’t lie to me. You were seriously looking at me. Well, I am all yours. You can look at me as long as you like. I can also strike a pose for you. What do you think? Or should I take off my shirt?” He questioned, winking at me again.
“You are such a terrible flirt, love,” I replied.
“Really? I guess I need to up my game.” He lifted me up.
“Put me down, Nick.”
“Nah, I won’t do that. We still have some unfinished business in my room,” he replied. What a crazy and romantic mate he is. I like the fact that he is never tired of my body. I love how happy we always are, and I hope none of this will come to an end soon.
“Remind me, love, where did we stop?” I asked, feeling shy.
“With my tongue stuck in between my mate’s gorgeous legs,” he replied.
“You are such a naughty guy.”
“I accept, but know this. I am only raw and naughty with you.” He added, and I could tell my cheeks turned red. He led the way to our room, locked the door, and immediately dropped me onto the bed, kissing me when I tried to say something.
We enjoyed the rest of our day by making love. I’ll say the more we make love, the greater I feel, and I always love and enjoy every lovemaking, especially when he confesses his love to me.
It was time for dinner, and I had to join Nick in the kitchen to lend him a hand. While dicing onions, he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and kissed my neck, saying, “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
“Same here, but we can’t be doing this now. We need to make sure Estella eats,” I reminded him of our purpose in the kitchen.
“Well, I need you to stop distracting me,” he replied as he released my waist.
“I’m here to help, you know. How can you say I’m a distraction?”
“You’re too pretty and sexy. There’s no way I can take my eyes off you, and it’s impossible for me to focus,” he said, looking at me with admiration.
“I see. Okay, next time, I’ll wear a hijab so you won’t see my skin.”
“Well, your presence always knows how to tempt me, and your vanilla scent pleases my soul and my wolf form. There’s no way I can’t help but fall victim,” he replied, kissing my neck. I could feel butterflies in my belly.
A few moments later, dinner was served, and I was sure Estella would be hungry. Everyone got a plate, and we ate with happiness and love in our eyes. I felt Nick’s hand on mine, his whispered words of love filling my heart. “I love you,” he said.
“I love you too,” I whispered back.
“Okay, enough already, Romeo and Juliet. Can we eat in peace without you two drowning us in love?” Margaret interjected, and we all laughed.
“But I did nothing wrong,” Nick replied, then whispered to me, “Did I make it obvious that Margaret noticed us?”
“Like I said, you’re so terrible at this,” I replied, still smiling.
“And here we go again, oh sweet lord,” Margaret exclaimed, and we laughed once more. I knew Margaret was genuinely happy for me, as were the others.
“Okay, forgive my manners. I’ll eat quietly now,” Nate added.
“And she’s not going to run away from you, nor will she disappear from here soon. Just look at the way you held her hand,” Margaret added, and Nate chuckled, looking at me.
Everything seemed perfect during dinner, but I noticed Estella was being picky with her food and wasn’t engaging in conversation. Did something really happen to Estella? She might be experiencing mood swings, but even then, my daughter was usually cheerful. What’s going on? I didn’t want to interrupt the ongoing conversation, so I decided to talk to her privately and find out what was troubling her.
We finished eating, and I joined Nick in clearing the dishes from the table, taking them to the kitchen to wash.
“Why the moody face?” Nick asked.
“I’m not moody.” I lied, not wanting to trouble him with baseless thoughts until I found out what was truly going on with my daughter.
“You know you’re a terrible liar. Come on, talk to me. What’s really bothering you? I hate seeing my baby like this. Please talk to me,” he said, gently caressing my hair. I couldn’t help but smile and say, “I’m happy, so stop worrying,” I added.
“But those smiles seem so fake to me,” he said, looking into my eyes.
“Don’t worry; maybe I’m just stressed. I’ll need to rest as well.”
“If that’s the case, you can leave the dishwashing to me. Go to the room and rest. I hate seeing my mate stressed.” He smiled, and I nodded as I left immediately. However, instead of heading to my room, I went to Estella’s.
Opening the door, I saw my daughter standing facing the wall. This was both weird and unsettling. “Estella, what are you looking at? Did you forget something at the playground?” I asked, but got no response. She remained standing, and it gave me an eerie feeling.
“Estella, talk to me. Did someone upset you? Is something troubling you? I’m here to help, and I’m a good listener,” I said, touching her shoulders and turning her around. Suddenly, she gripped my hands tightly, saying, “You’re disturbing me, omega. Don’t you have chores to do?” Her voice was unsettling, a mix of a scary tone and a blend of male and female qualities. Her eyes were dark, and her expression was filled with an intense hatred. Oh no, what happened to Estella?