Chapter 215

Agnes

“Thea, please slow down,” I called after my daughter, who was racing ahead of us toward the giant shark tank. “The sharks aren’t going anywhere!”

“But I want to see them up close!” she shouted back, already pressing her face against the glass of the massive tank.

I sighed and quickened my pace to catch up, with Elijah and Lena following just behind me. It was Saturday morning, and the aquarium was packed with families—screaming toddlers, exasperated parents, and plenty of teenagers trying their best to look bored even though they were definitely secretly enjoying themselves.

The aquarium had been Thea’s choice for our family outing. I’d suggested the botanical gardens, but I’d been swiftly outvoted. Apparently looking at plants was “boring” compared to sharks and stingrays. Five minutes after our arrival, when I got to see an entire coral reef in an enormous cylindrical tank, I couldn’t help but agree.

“Look at that one!” Thea gasped, pointing at a massive hammerhead gliding past the viewing window. “Its head is so weird!”

Lena knelt down beside her. “That’s a hammerhead shark,” she explained. “Their heads are shaped like that to help them find food.”

“How do they eat with their mouth all the way down there?” Thea asked.

“They’re actually incredible hunters,” Lena said, immediately launching into a very detailed explanation about how hammerheads use their wide-set eyes to spot prey. Thea hung on her every word.

I glanced at Elijah, who was watching the exchange with a small smile. He caught my eye and gave me a wink.

“She’s good with her,” he murmured.

“She is,” I agreed. I was surprised by how quickly Thea had taken to Lena. Thea was always an extraverted kid—at least, ever since I got to know her—but she never took to people this quickly. She acted like she’d known Lena her entire life.

We moved through the aquarium at Thea’s pace, which meant racing from exhibit to exhibit with barely enough time to read the informational plaques. The jellyfish room captivated her for a solid twenty minutes, though.

“They’re like ghosts,” she whispered, pressing her fingers against the glass.

“They’re actually quite ancient,” Lena told her before Elijah or I could interject. “Jellyfish have been around for over 500 million years—before dinosaurs even existed.”

“No way!” Thea’s eyes widened.

“It’s true,” Lena nodded. “They’re basically living fossils.”

I exchanged looks with Elijah, both of us seemingly impressed by Lena’s knowledge. She seemed to know something about every creature we encountered, sharing facts that were interesting enough to keep Thea engaged without going over her head.

“Did you study marine biology or something?” I asked as we made our way to the touch pools.

Lena laughed and shook her head. “No, I just read a lot as a kid. I was obsessed with animals.”

“Well, Thea’s certainly benefiting from your obsession,” I said as I watched Thea carefully dip her fingers into a shallow pool to touch a starfish.

“Mom! You have to try this!” Thea called. “It feels so weird!”

And so I found myself rolling up my sleeves and plunging my hand into cold saltwater to touch a sea cucumber. It was slimy and strange, and I couldn’t help the face I made, which sent Thea into a fit of giggles.

Elijah tried next, his nose wrinkling as he poked at a particularly squishy anemone. This made Thea laugh even harder.

“Your turn,” I told Lena, who seemed hesitant.

“I’m just here to supervise,” she protested, but Thea was already grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the pool.

“You have to!” Thea insisted. “It’s family day, and families do stuff together!”

I caught the flash of emotion that crossed Lena’s face—surprise, followed by something softer. Being included in “family” clearly meant something to her.

After the touch pools came the seahorse exhibit, then the octopus tank, and finally the gift shop, where Thea begged for a stingray plushie that was almost as big as she was.

“Please, Daddy? I’ll keep it forever and ever!”

Elijah, never able to resist Thea’s puppy-dog eyes, relented immediately. I just shook my head as he handed over his credit card for the ridiculously overpriced stuffed animal.

“You’re spoiling her,” I whispered to him. She just got a whole new playroom with all new toys.

“That’s my job,” he replied with a wink.

By the time we left the aquarium, it was almost six, and all of us were starving. We decided on a restaurant nearby, where we found a corner table. Thea immediately sat next to Lena, her stingray taking up the entire space on her other side.

“So,” Lena said after we’d ordered, “I’ve been curious—Agnes, you mentioned your mother was a designer too?”

“She was.” I glanced at Elijah. “She made suits and gowns for the pack’s socialites. The gown you saw yesterday was actually made for Elijah’s mother.”

“What was she like?” Lena asked.

The question caught me off guard. People rarely asked about my mother anymore—it had been so long since she passed. “She was... dedicated,” I said after a moment. “To her work, to her family. She was always busy, but she still made time for me.”

“Was she the one who taught you to sew?”

I nodded again. “From the time I could hold a needle.”

“And did she have a wolf? I mean—” Lena glanced at Thea, who was coloring on her kids’ menu and not paying attention. “Was she like you in other ways?”

My stomach tightened. According to my father, my mother had been hiding her elemental abilities her entire life until I was born. She never got the chance to talk to me about them. But I couldn’t say that to Lena, of course.

“I don’t really know,” I said, which was technically true. “She died when I was young. There’s a lot I never got to ask her.”

“I’m sorry,” Lena said quickly. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s fine,” I assured her, although I couldn’t help wondering why she was so interested in my mother. Maybe it was just natural curiosity. Or maybe she was trying to understand Thea better by learning about my family.

Either way, I was thankful when the appetizers arrived and the conversation turned to safer topics.

The rest of dinner passed pleasantly, and over time, I felt the tight knot of anxiety about our upcoming trip loosening. Seeing how well Thea and Lena got along, how naturally they interacted, eased my worries about leaving my daughter behind.

By the time we finished dessert, I was feeling much better. In fact, Lena and Thea got along so well that I almost looked forward to leaving them alone together. Thea would definitely have fun with her new nanny.

After paying, we stepped out onto the sidewalk. Elijah was digging into his pocket for his car keys when I spotted the small cluster of people with cameras hurrying toward us.

“Shit,” Elijah muttered under his breath, stepping in front of me protectively.

The paparazzi. I should have known they might be lurking. Ever since the scandal with Olivia broke, the pack’s tabloids had been desperate for some new gossip.

“Alpha Elijah!” one of them called, his camera already flashing. “Can we get a statement about your new family arrangement?”

Elijah ignored them, ushering Thea and me toward the waiting car. Lena followed close behind, looking uncomfortable.

“Luna Agnes!” another shouted. “How does it feel now that Olivia is in jail?”

I kept my head down and my hand on Thea’s shoulder, guiding her into the car.

But just as Lena was about to slide in after us, a particularly bold photographer stepped directly into her path, his camera aimed at her face.

“Alpha Elijah! Is this beautiful woman your next romantic conquest?”