Chapter 213

Ava

Chris’s eyes were wide as he looked down at the tiny bundle in my arms. I couldn’t help but beam, thrusting little Estella toward him.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” I asked. “Her name is Estella.”

Pursing his lips, Chris stepped forward and peered at the baby, who was sound asleep in my arms. He took one finger and gently tugged the swaddle aside to get a better look at her face.

“Whose baby is it?” he asked again, shooting me an apprehensive, if not somewhat amused, glance.

“Winston’s.”

Chris’s face paled, and he looked like he might pass out. “Ava, what the fuck are you doing with Winston’s baby?” he hissed, grabbing my arm.

“Relax,” I assured him, shaking my head. “I’m just helping care for her.”

“Does Winston know you’re caring for her?”

“Well… no,” I admitted. He placed his hands on his hips, a silent question.

Sighing, I quickly explained the situation to Chris, telling him about Winston’s loss and his refusal to even see his own daughter. “I thought that if there was any way we could bring the baby close to him, it might soften his heart,” I finished, bouncing the little girl gently in my arms.

Chris’s expression softened slightly as he looked at the baby. “That’s... actually not a bad idea, Ava,” he said, although he still looked a bit apprehensive, his eyes darting around the empty corridor. “But Winston is… severe. He might not be thrilled if he finds you holding his daughter without his permission.”

“I doubt it,” I replied as I gently bounced Estella, who had begun to stir from her sleep. “He seemed pretty adamant about wanting a boy, anyway.”

Chris scrunched up his nose. “Goddess, this guy needs to get with the times.”

“Hey.” I shot him a withering look. “This is his pack, and I’m sure he has his reasons for sticking to tradition.” I paused, recalling the watch. “Although, he owns a Rolex.”

“A Rolex?” Chris quirked an eyebrow. “So he dresses in homespun wool and insists on having male heirs, but he owns expensive human watches?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” I said, adjusting the baby in my arms. “I don’t know. He said it was a gift, but…”

Suddenly, Estella let out a tiny whimper of a yawn, her tiny hands pushing the fabric loose and reaching out of her swaddle. Chris reached out, letting the baby grab his finger with her little fist. “Hey there, little one,”he cooed.

I couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Chris was so natural with children, his face lighting up as the baby gurgled happily. “Hey, you’re pretty good with her,” I commented.

He grinned. “I love kids. Always have.”

A warmth spread through my chest at his words. “Chris... have you ever thought about having kids of our own someday?”

His eyes met mine, flickering with something unreadable in the dim light. I thought I saw his cheeks flush slightly. “I’ve told you before how I’ve always dreamed of having a big family,” he admitted, glancing down at Estella. “Especially lots of daughters. Little girls to spoil and protect.”

There was a brief silence between us as Chris cooed at the little girl in my arms, and it was then that I felt as if the ice that had formed between us since our argument was beginning to melt away. “I think I want that too,” I said softly. “A house full of laughter and little feet running around.”

Chris leaned in, pressing his forehead against mine. “We’ll have that, Ava. I promise.” His lips met mine, gentle and tentative. I didn’t hesitate, gently pressing harder, savoring the taste of him.

“I don’t like fighting,” I whispered as we pulled away.

Chris shook his head. “Me neither. Ava, I—”

Suddenly, a booming voice echoed through the hallway, ripping us out of our reverie. “What the hell are you doing with my daughter?”

We broke apart, startled. Winston was storming toward us, his cloak billowing out behind him. The maid from earlier was at his heels, looking terrified, but they weren’t alone—several guards flanked them, and two of those wolf shifters, still in their wolf forms, prowled at the back. I shuddered, wondering where the third was.

“Alpha Winston,” I began with a polite curtsy, but he cut me off with a snarl.

“Don’t patronize me. Give me my child,” he demanded. The maid quickly took the baby from my arms, whisking her away. I saw the maid’s eyes meet mine, full of apology. I offered her a reassuring nod.

But then, before either of us could say anything, the guards surrounded us. Winston’s cold eyes snapped back and forth between us, his face ashen. “And to think that I was considering lessening your servitude to forty-eight hours,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “But now, I see you were trying to kidnap my daughter and sole heir.”

“What?” I gasped. “No, that’s not—”

“Silence!” Winston roared, jabbing his long, pale finger at me. “I saw the wild look in your eyes. You, an older woman, likely unable to have children of your own. Earlier, you were asking pointed questions at the feast, clearly trying to get information on my daughter so you could steal her for yourself.”

I shook my head vehemently, sputtering as I tried to come up with a response. “That’s not true! I was just helping care for her.” I turned to the maid, who was holding the now-crying Estella in her arms. “Please, you know I had no intention of—”

But Winston wasn’t listening, and the maid was too terrified to speak. He turned to the guards. “Take them away. They will be sentenced to death for this treachery.”

“Death?!” Chris and I barked in unison.

As a guard reached for me, Chris growled, stepping in front of me protectively. His eyes flashed with anger, his fangs and claws instinctively dropping. “Don’t touch my Luna,” he snarled. Then, turning to Winston, “We’re going home, you sick bastard. You’re not sentencing us to death for something that isn’t even true.”

Chris grabbed my hand, turning to leave, but we found ourselves completely surrounded by guards with those damn spears pointed straight at our chests.

Chris’s fury was palpable as he whirled to face Winston again. “This is insane,” he spat. “You’re backwards and old-fashioned. Get with the times! Alphas don’t sentence people, especially other Alphas and Lunas, to death anymore. We’re not in the dark ages, dammit!”

Winston’s icy face twisted into a sneer. He snapped his fingers, and two guards stepped forward, roughly grabbing Chris and me by the arms and yanking us apart.

“Crescent Moon is the most successful pack because of our adherence to tradition,” Winston said coldly, calmly. “To the old ways that the Goddess Luna instilled in us. Here, in my territory, I have every right to punish people however I see fit.”

Chris snarled, straining against the guard that was holding him. “There will be war if you kill us.”

Winston’s sneer deepened, and he took a step closer, his nose practically pressed up against Chris’s as he growled, “I would like to see your pathetic excuses for warriors make it up this mountain. If the cold doesn’t damage their weak constitutions first, then my men will throw them over the cliffs and laugh at the sounds of their screams.”

He turned, snapping his fingers again. The maid holding the baby scurried after him as he began striding down the hallway, his quick footsteps echoing through the vaulted ceilings. Over his shoulder, he called, “Get a good night’s sleep. It will be your last.”

“Winston, please!” I cried out, desperate. “You’re making a mistake! We meant no harm to your daughter!”

But the cold Alpha was already gone, disappearing down the hallway with his daughter in tow. The baby’s cries echoed in the stone corridor, as if she too was protesting this injustice.

The guards began dragging us in opposite directions. I reached for Chris, my fingers stretching out to him.

But they didn’t reach.