Chapter 98
Chapter 98
G
-Dorothy-
I crouched on my haunches with my hands outstretched, waiting for the giggling toddler in front of me
to take a step forward According to Rita, Eltas, with his green eyes and shock of red hair, was the
spitting image of me as a child.
Unlike me, though, he was rather against walking upright. While his sister had been waddling around at
twelve months, Elias had taken much longer to get the hang of it. He could walk now, and he did when
it was absolutely necessary.
But he refused to put one foot in front of the other unless there was a treat offered or a particularly
interesting bug to be caught. Although he had a knack for crawling at almost inhuman speeds,
I chuckled as my son clung to his father, trying his best to plant his butt on the floor with an indignant
frown.
“Come on, you’ve got this. Ignatius patted our kid gently on the top of his head, flattening his unruly
curls.
1 looked up at Ignatius, my husband. My mate, I gazed into the blue eyes that welcomed me back into
the world every morning and sent me to sleep every night. His white hair tumbled down over his eyes,
tousled and untamed as always..
A thin layer of grey black stubble crept along his jawline, hiding a scar that lashed up towards his ear
like a lopsided smile.
My mate sported many scars across his pale skin, more than he’d care to admit. They trailed across
hus once-smooth chest and curled into a brutal brand of battle on his back. The scar on his back was
the worst one, born of a betrayal almost too painful to bear. I bore a few vicious scars too.
But those days were behind us now.
Ignatius flashed me an easy grin as Elias stamped his little foot on the ground. “I think you’ll just have
to accept it, my love. Elias var born to run on all fours
“Elias needs to learn that he’s just as much a person as he is a wolf” I rolled my eyes as the toddler
dropped to his knees and crawled towards me with a triumphant smile,
A small tug on my sweater had me looking over my shoulder, coming face to face with another set of
cool blue eyes. Amelie, our calm and collected child, held up a small purple flower under my nose
“What’s this one?”
I held out my hand and she dropped the dainty treasure into my palm. While I had a preference for
collecting sticks and shells. Amelie was building a sizable collection of dried flowers and shimmering
pearls. The flowers were easy enough to find, but the pearls were gifts from Ignatius whenever he
ventured out into the chilly Northern waters.
I was mortified at the prospect of giving a three-year-old such a tiny object that could he swallowed in
an instant. But Amelie was oddly mature enough to never put them up her nose let alone in her mouth.
Elias, however, could not be trusted to do the same. So his gifis consisted of wooden swords and
driftwood sticks that he wielded with far too much enthusiasm.
Atwinge of melancholy tainted my smile for a moment as I examined the flower. “It’s a geranium” NôvelDrama.Org content.
Amelia withdrew with her flower, cupping it in her little hands. Long wispy tendrils of red hair fell over
her shoulders. framing her inquisitive elfish face as she studied the petals “Good flower?”
It was Ignatius who answered her somewhat solemnly, “One of the best.”
Amelia beamed and hurried off to stow the flower away with the rest of her collection, and I reached
over to take my mate’s hand Ignatius leaned into nie, pressing his nose to my neck as watched Elas
zoom around the living room on his hands
and knees
“Peaceful was a word that often crossed my mind during those slow, sunny days in our cottage by the
sea. The war with the Tally army had been a long one, and tensions had been high for a long while
after Johan and lus soldiers had fallen But almost everyone had just wanted peace
Fn. Jan 26 Chapter 98
With the reformation of the Bielke pack and some mended bonds with our former allies, we eventually
managed to achieve just that. Peace,
But that peace was slowly coming undone.
I wrapped my arms around Ignatius, pulling him to my chest while our children played beside us. I
wanted nothing more than to preserve these moments together. I wanted to give our children the happy
childhood that was robbed of us. I wanted to give my mate a secure, stable life after the chaos he had
endured.
I was pulled from my spiraling thoughts by the feeling of Ignatius’s hand on my cheek. He tilted my face
towards him. touching his nose to mine. “Don’t let the past taint these moments. The battle is over,
you’re allowed to relax”
I couldn’t help but cr ack a smile, grinning against his lips as I k*ssed him. “You’d think after all this time
I would get the hang of keeping you out of my head”
Ignatius shrugged, k*ssing me back with a hand on the back of my neck. “I don’t even need to get into
your head. When you start worrying you project your thoughts like an airhorn”
“When you start worrying, you pace up and down the hallways all night long.” I mumbled into his ear.
“We both have our shortcomings.
The stress of war had done a number on both of us. Even nearing our three-year anniversary, after
three years of relative peace. Ignatius and I were both unable to completely relax. We had slain
monsters and vicious beasts, Burned them and put them to rest. But the ghosts of those enemies still
haunted us.
“Ouch! Bas tar d! I hollered when Ignatius flicked his finger at my forehead.
Ignatius laughed, pressing a gentle k*ss over the stinging welt. “Sorry, but you were spiraling again. I
had to shock you out of
it.”
A voice from somewhere behind us had me clambering to my feet with Ignatius following suit.
“Ignatius Armoundt, don’t you think it’s a bit childish to be flicking your wife like a pup on the
playground?”
The she-wolf in the doorway flashed me a grin and glided over to envelope me in her arms. “Hello
carrottop. I’ve come to ask your assistance in a very important matter.”
I looked up at the much taller woman, echoing her broad, friendly smile while smothered in her arms.
“Hello Angie, you’re suffocating me.
Ignatius stepped between us in an attempt to save me from Angie’s iron grip and wrapped his arms
around my shoulders, smiling at his oldest friend. “Aren’t you and Fae supposed to be packing right
now?”
Angic shrugged, walking over to lift little Elias in her arms. “I snuck out for a moment. Fae is so busy
picking the perfect holiday wardrobe, I doubt she even noticed my departure.”
Elias was ecstatic to see his godmother and he kicked his legs about, waving his little fists in the air
and almost socking Angie right in the jaw
“Go d, Angie chuckled in between blowing raspberries on his pulled cherry cheeks, he’s got more spu
nk than ever. He’s way more active than you ever were Ignatius.”
“Elias takes after his mother Ignatius smirked at me and then raised his voice for Amelie to hear.
“Amelie on the other hand. was blessed with her father’s graces.”
Amelie peaked her head out from behind the doorway, grinning at her dad before hightailing it back into
her room with a
“What did you want our help with, Angie?” I followed the she wolf around the living room while she lifted
Elas above her
head like a little Peter Pan.
“I was hoping you and Ignatius might be able to help me plan a surprise party for Fae, Angie sand
sheepishly. “It’s our
anniversary coming up and I wanted to celebrate it with all of you before we leave.”
“Of course, we’ll help with that, Ignatius nibbled on my car before a new thought struck him, “Wait, our
anniversary is coming up pretty soon too, isn’t it?”
In a few weeks,” I reminded him, swatting at his nose while he licked his tongue over my ear. “It’ll be
officially three years since I agreed to marry your du mba s.”
Rather than remove his tongue, Ignatius licked down my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. “I
know you don’t regret it at all.
Three years since Ignatius and I were officially united. Three years since the war had come to an end.
Three years since Rita promised to come back to us with news of the remaining Seilvanne park.
I missed the old bird more than I could say. A part of me hoped she would return with good news, but
mostly, I just wanted to see her again. Raising children was hard enough without your mother around to
guide you. Rita was all I had for a parent, but she was away searching for information that would help
to prolong my life.
That was one issue we had never managed to resolve. The war had ended and the Bielke pack was
finally able to enjoy a time of peace. The children were born happy and healthy, and Ignatius was well
on his way to being remembered as the greatest alpha the Bielke had ever known.
The only problem, so monumental we didn’t even dare speak on it most of the time, was the matter of
my own life. Fated with the healing powers of the Seilvanne bloodline, we weren’t sure how much time I
had left. Nor did we understand the full scope of the powers our children had inherited.
I was Ignatius who pulled me from my morbid musing once more with a gentle hand on my cheek. He
didn’t need to s anything this time, his light touch was enough to bring me back I leaned into him,
closing my eyes and breathing in his familiar scent. The overpowering smell of the sea,
Everything was going to be okay. Whatever the path ahead had in store for us, we would face it
together. I tried to force the terrifying thoughts from my mind and focus on planning Angie’s intended
surprise party instead.
I tried to focus on happy memories, all the good times we’d had since we’d first laid eyes on each other.
All the good moments that were to come. Friends akin to family and an entire park at peace.
But there was always a looming shadow cast over these happy moments, nightmares wreaking havoc
on my mind while 1 slept. Those nightmares came in the form of Johan I would see him in my sleep,
staring at me with soulless eyes, a slack jaw betraying sharp, white teeth.
As I sat beside my mate, his hand in mine, I had no idea of the chaos that was to come.