Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Chapter 16
Alice had shifted into her wolf form. The blood on her lips was a tell-tale sign, as her fangs had come out and pierced two identical
holes in her lips.
“Alice,” I said, kneeling down so we were face to face, “tell me what happened, honey p>
Alice’s voice shook as she told me about her afternoon. “I was watching a cartoon on the TV, Mommy, and there was this bad guy who was so mean. I got so angry, and then… and then it happened p>
“Your wolf came out?” I asked, sure to keep my voice calm. I didn’t want Alice to think I was mad at her.
“Yes, Mommy. My wolf came out, and I messed up the house so bad. I hid in here because I was afraid you’d be angry with me p>
Alice bent her head, not meeting my eyes.
“Oh, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “I’m not angry with you at all. I’m just glad you’re okay p>
Alice nestled closer into me, her frightened sobs transforming into hiccups as she calmed.
“Maybe you shouldn’t watch those cartoons anymore. There’s no reason to be upset. Cartoon bad guys always get their
punishment in the end,” I explained.
Alice nodded vigorously, her face serious.
I went to tidy up the house, throwing away items that couldn’t be salvaged and keeping the ones that could. Alice helped me,
carrying her own trash bag to put toys in that couldn’t be super glued or stitched back together.
My heart warmed with pride once more, this time for the girl my daughter had become.
“Thank you, Alice, for helping,” I said. “You are my little angel p>
I woke up the next morning and got ready for work. Although it was Saturday, I had a shift to work. Such was the life of being a
healer.
As I got ready to go, Alice clung to me, not wanting to let go of my leg.
“Can I go with you, Mommy?” she begged. “I want to see where you help people! And also, I don’t want to be here by myself.
Please, Mommy, can’t I come with you p>
I considered her plea. It would be easier to keep an eye on her if I brought her with me, and I wasn’t eager to leave her home alone after yesterday. Especially if Alice herself was already feeling scared about what might happen.
“Alright, honey,” I said. “You can come to work with me today p>
Once we got to the hospital, I set Alice up with her toys while I reviewed patient files. I’d taken to keeping my office door open, and every once in a while a nurse would pass by and remark on how cute my daughter was.
As I reviewed the files, I could see Alice playing with her ball out of the corner of my eye. The ball bounced, rolling out of the open
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Chapter 1
office door, and Alice chased it out into the hallway.
Julian’s POV
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I’d just arrived at the hospital for a budget meeting. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Healer Amanda as I walked through the first floor.
My thoughts were interrupted as a ball rolled to my feet, followed by something bumping into my leg. I looked down to see a little
she-wolf at my feet.
The girl picked up her ball and looked up at me, tilting her head back to see my face.
She had a pair of large, clear blue eyes, a doll-like small nose, and pink lips.
“Woah,” she said, “you’re as tall as a skyscraper p>
My heart immediately softened. Grief had tendered me toward children. After experiencing the impossible loss of two children, I
couldn’t help but see each one as a tiny, living miracle.
I gently scooped her up off the ground, and the girl giggled.
“Now you’re as tall as me,” I said, my voice filled with an unfamiliar warmth. As soon as I’d picked her up, an inexplicable sense
of closeness washed over me. I felt that the girl sensed the same closeness, and she climbed onto my shoulders.
“I feel so tall I could touch the ceiling!” the girl said, reaching her hand up towards the tiles.
I hopped a bit so her hand grazed the ceiling. To my delight, the girl giggled with her own joy.
“I’ve been here all day,” she said. “I haven’t had anyone to play with. Can you play ball with me p>
I checked my watch. I’d much rather stay here and play than go to my meeting, but alas, I wasn’t only a grown up, but an Alpha. I
had fifteen minutes before the meeting started. That left me plenty of time to stop and play for a while.
I set the girl down, and we spent a while playing a game that involved passing the ball back and forth to each other.
I checked my watch again. This time, I really had to go.
“Where are your parents?” I asked. “Don’t wander off, so they can find you p>
“My mommy works here,” the girl said, her voice filled with pride. “I won’t get lost; I’m very smart p>
I smiled at her confidence, passing the ball back to her. I turned to a nurse who’d taken a seat on a bench in the hallway.
“Keep an eye on her, okay?” I asked. “Don’t let her get involved in any mishaps p>
The nurse nodded, taking my orders seriously and setting her sights on the child.
Reluctantly, I turned to go. Before I could walk away, I felt a tug on my sleeve, I looked down to see the child looking up at me, her
eyes wide.
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Chapter 16
“I like you,” she said, the same confidence filling her voice. “Can you be my daddy p>
I chuckled. “You can’t just choose a daddy at random. That’s not how it works p>
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The girl’s face fell, her lip sticking out in a pout. “Then can you be my pretend daddy? I don’t have one. We’re having an open house at my school and everyone else’s daddy will be there. They all bully me because I don’t have one p>
Thesitated. Typically, it would be strange if a random man turned up at school for a kindergartener who didn’t belong to him, but I
was the Alpha, and that meant that I was afforded certain exceptions.
What good were those exceptions if I couldn’t use them to help adorable little wolves like this one?
I double checked my schedule to make sure I was available for the school’s open house on Monday. I was available at noon.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll do it. Which school do you go to p>
The girl shouted the school’s name at me, clapping her hands with glee.
I couldn’t help but think about Amber and our unborn child. If they’d survived, our kid would be about this little she-wolf’s age.
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