Chapter 48

Elijah

I felt a little lighter as I stepped into the playroom, instantly surrounded by the sound of children’s laughter. The space itself was warm and cozy, with a plethora of toys, books, and comfortable furniture for the kids to play on.

Thea spotted me almost immediately, snapping her head up from where she was playing. Even though she had only been away from me for half an hour at the most, she looked overjoyed to see me.

“Daddy!” she cried, throwing herself into my arms. I caught her easily, hoisting her up and spinning her around once before settling her on my hip.

“Hey, sweetheart,” I said, brushing a stray curl out of her face. “Having fun with your new friends?”

She nodded enthusiastically, pointing toward a cluster of kids huddled around a toy kitchen. “I’m making pizza with Emily and Jake! But… Can we do something else now? Just us?”

“How about we go out for ice cream?” I offered, honestly just wanting to get out of the hotel myself. Thea’s squeal of delight was as good an answer as any.

I signed her out of the kids’ room, her small hand warm in mine as we walked through the resort. She skipped beside me, her energy boundless as always, but my thoughts kept my footsteps slow. I couldn’t stop thinking back to Agnes, to the way her voice had trembled when she had confronted me, to the tears shining in her eyes before I left.

Had I been too harsh?

No, I told myself firmly. It was necessary to tell her the truth about our relationship. ‘Love’ wasn’t really an option. Especially not when I still bore the mating mark of another woman, a mark that Olivia could take advantage of if she wanted and break Agnes’s heart. Which was something Olivia would do if she knew I’d actually fallen for Agnes.

But my wolf had other ideas. “You’re being cruel to a good woman,” he growled. “Agnes is your Luna now, and she is already a better Luna than Olivia ever was. You could unmark Olivia and mark Agnes. What’s stopping you?”

I clenched my jaw, ignoring the voice of my wolf as best I could. It wasn’t that simple. Nothing about this situation was simple. Even if my wolf thought Agnes could be my chosen mate, the reality was different.

Her wolf was nonexistent, hidden by magic that we haven’t even begun to figure out how to unravel. And because of that, she couldn’t handle the weight of a true mating bond. And as for Olivia…

Well, rejecting Olivia could kill her.

That wasn’t a risk I could take. For Thea’s sake, I couldn’t be responsible for her mother’s death, no matter how strained or dysfunctional our relationship was. Losing Olivia would be devastating for Thea, even if she didn’t realize it now.

Everything I did, every decision I made, was for Thea. It had to be.

“Daddy, you’re being quiet,” Thea said suddenly, tugging at my hand. “Are you okay?”

I forced a smile, pulled out of my thoughts, and looked down at her. “I’m fine, sweetheart. Just thinking.”

She tilted her head, scrutinizing me. “Are you thinking about Mommy?” she asked innocently.

The question caught me off guard, but before I could answer, we arrived at the ice cream stand. A perfect distraction.

“What flavor do you want?” I asked, gratefully redirecting her attention. She pressed her face to the glass, her nose practically smushing against it as she examined the colorful rows of ice cream.

“Chocolate!” she declared after a moment. “With sprinkles!”

“Chocolate with sprinkles it is,” I said, placing the order. I added a plain vanilla cone for myself, handing her the first scoop as soon as it was ready. We found a small table nearby, Thea swinging her legs as she licked at her ice cream enthusiastically.

“Where’s Mommy?” she asked between bites.

“She’s… resting,” I said, trying not to sound put off by the second mention of Agnes. But Thea, in typical fashion, wasn’t easily fooled.

Her brows furrowed, and she looked up at me with a concern far beyond her years. “She seemed sad earlier. Did she cry?”

I hesitated, caught between wanting to protect her and not wanting to lie. “Maybe a little,” I admitted softly.

“We should go see her, then,” Thea said firmly, hopping off the table and to her feet. “When I’m sad, she hugs me and makes me feel better. I wanna do that for her.”

Her words hit me harder than I expected. It was obvious how much Thea adored Agnes. In many ways, she loved her more than she ever had loved Olivia. The bond they had formed was undeniable, even in such a short amount of time.

“We’ll see her soon,” I promised, finishing the last bite of my cone. “But first, finish your ice cream.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

After Thea finished her cone, I cleaned the sticky sugar from her cheeks and led her back toward the hotel. On the way, a flower seller approached us, her cart overflowing with vibrant blossoms.

“Would you like a flower?” she asked.

“No, thank you,” I said automatically, steering Thea past her.

“Daddy, wait!” Thea tugged on my hand, stopping us in our tracks. She looked up at me with wide, pleading eyes. “We should get one for Mommy. She likes flowers, doesn’t she?”

“Thea…” I started, shaking my head. “We don’t need to—”

“Please?” she interrupted. “It’ll make her smile. You want her to smile, right?”

I sighed, knowing I couldn’t win this argument. Thea had a way of convincing me to do just about anything with those big saucer eyes of hers. She could tell me to murder a puppy and I might at least consider it if she asked sweetly.

“Alright,” I relented, pulling out my wallet. Thea’s grin was worth every cent as she carefully selected a single red rose from the cart and I handed the seller a couple of bills.

However, by the time we returned to the hotel room, Agnes was fast asleep on the bed, curled on her side with her face buried in the pillow. I quietly set the rose on the bedside table, my gaze lingering on her tear stained pillowcase.

The sight made my chest ache, the guilt from earlier tightening its grip on me.

Had I been too harsh? Too distant? My wolf certainly thought so, his low growl echoing in my mind. “Fix this,” he urged angrily.

I brushed a hand over my face, suppressing a heavy sigh. Maybe my wolf was right. Maybe I had been too cruel, too quick to draw lines where none were needed. Agnes didn’t deserve that—not after everything she’d done for Thea and for me.

At the very least, I could do something to cheer her up and apologize for making her cry.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my phone and made a quick call, arranging something I hoped might help repair the damage, if only a little. Then I sat in the armchair by the window and flipped through a book, not really reading the words on the page, as I waited for her to wake up.

When she finally stirred, blinking groggily as she sat up, I stood and crossed the room. Her eyes met mine, confusion flickering across her face, quickly followed by pain. But before she could tell me to go away, I handed her the rose.

“Get dressed,” I said. “We’re going out for dinner. Just you and me.”