Chapter 74

Elijah

Thea’s laughter rang out through the house as she darted behind the couch. Her stuffed bear, newly dubbed Mr. Snuggles, was clutched tightly in one hand. For my part, I had been tasked with “the hunt”—her words, not mine—and despite the sharp ache in my knees from crawling around on the floor for the better part of twenty minutes by now, I was enjoying myself more than I would have liked to admit.

It wasn’t often that I had a chance to spend the evening with my daughter, just the two of us. And it was nights like this that I felt as if I could actually let down my guard.

“Mr. Snuggles won’t save you forever, Thea,” I growled, doing my best impression of a wolf on the prowl. My fingers flexed toward her as I reached around the edge of the couch, but Thea giggled and bolted away just before I could snag her. “You’re only delaying the inevitable.”

“You’ll never catch me!” she taunted, her little legs carrying her across the living room with surprising speed. She disappeared behind the armchair, and I sighed, leaning back on my heels.

“Alright, honey, it’s time for a break,” I said, standing.

Thea pouted as she poked her head out from behind her hiding place. “But you didn’t even catch me yet!”

I shook my head as I straightened, trying to ignore the popping in my knees as I did. “Sorry, but this old wolf needs to rest for a few minutes. You’ll understand when you’re my age.”

With that, I made my way over to the sofa and plopped down, reaching for my glass of water. Thea grumbled something incoherent from behind the armchair, still refusing to leave her spot. But I couldn’t help but feel a smirk tug at the corners of my mouth as I heard the robotic “Mommy and Daddy love you, Thea!” coming from her bear.

Still, I knew that this was the calm before the storm. While tonight felt like a much-needed relief, there was still so much to think about. Things had been chaotic lately, between the photograph debacle, pack responsibilities, and… well, Agnes.

Agnes. Just the thought of her was enough to set my nerves on edge, but not in the way I had expected. She had gotten under my skin lately in ways I didn’t entirely understand. Lately, it seemed she never left my mind, as if she had taken up permanent residence there alongside Thea.

But before I could dwell on it further, Thea’s voice broke through my thoughts.

“Daddy, do I have to see Olivia again?”

The question caught me off guard. I froze, my fingers tightening around my glass of water, before slowly turning my head to meet her gaze. She was standing in the middle of the room now, her expression unusually serious for a five-year-old. Mr. Snuggles dangled limply in her grip, forgotten. For now, at least.

“Where did that come from?” I asked carefully, setting aside my glass.

She shrugged noncommittally, but the way her eyes darted to the floor told me all I needed to know. “I just don’t like her. I have much more fun playing with you and Agnes.”

I sighed and passed my hand over my face. It wasn’t the first time Thea had said something like this—she never even referred to Olivia as her mother, always by name or simply ‘that woman’—but there was a weight to her words now that hadn’t been there before.

Standing, I walked over and knelt in front of her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

“I know you don’t,” I said softly. “But she’s your mom. I think it’s important for you to have a relationship with her.”

Thea’s brow furrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. For a moment, she looked so much older than her years, a glimpse of the strong-willed woman I knew she would someday become.

“But I do have a relationship with my mom,” she said firmly. “Agnes is more of a mom than that woman ever was.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I blinked, struggling to find a response. Thea just stared back at me, her chin jutting out in defiance, as if daring me to disagree with her.

And truthfully, I couldn’t.

“Thea,” I began, but the words wouldn’t come. How could they? What could I possibly say to that? She wasn’t wrong—not entirely. Olivia had never been the mother that Thea deserved.

And as for Agnes… Agnes had stepped into that role without a moment’s hesitation, filling a void that neither of us had realized was there. I knew she didn’t just do it because she thought Thea might be her missing daughter, either. She genuinely loved Thea regardless of biological ties.

Because Agnes was just a good person.

The type of person I wished was Thea’s mother.

But still, Olivia was Thea’s biological mother whether any of us liked it or not, and I couldn’t ignore the mate bond—no matter how much I wanted to. My jaw tightened at the thought of our last encounter, the kiss that had lingered too long and left me questioning everything.

Had she manipulated the bond that time? Had she always been manipulating it?

Who was I kidding? Of course she had.

I didn’t want to be a slave to her forever, of course. If there was a way to sever the bond, I would take it in a heartbeat. But the consequences… they weren’t something I could ignore. The risk to Olivia, to Thea, to me… it was too great. At least for now.

“Daddy?” Thea’s voice broke through my spiraling thoughts again, bringing me back to the present. Her small hand was now cupping my cheek, her brow furrowed with worry. “Are you okay?”

I forced a smile and nodded, placing my hand over hers. I hated seeing her like this—serious beyond her years, aged by the stress she’d endured so far. It made me feel like I’d done a downright shit job of protecting her.

She didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t push. Instead, she threw her arms around my neck, squeezing me tightly. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too,” I murmured, hugging her back. And as I held her, I couldn’t help but think of Agnes again. Of the way she had integrated so seamlessly into our lives, becoming a part of our family without even trying.

“Mommy and Daddy love you, Thea!”

I leaned back a little at the sound of the muffled teddy bear, realizing that it had gotten squished between us. My eyes flickered down to the small plush, and I felt my heart stammer a little in my chest.

But then something changed.

A sudden wave of panic crashed over me, like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head. My wolf growled low in my chest, a warning that sent every nerve in my body on high alert.

Something was wrong.

The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. My heart suddenly began to race, and I pulled back from Thea, my hands gripping her shoulders. “Sweetheart, I need you to stay here,” I said. “Stay inside the house with Beta James and the servants, okay?”

Thea’s eyes widened in alarm. “What’s happening?”

I didn’t know the answer to that; I just knew, somehow, that Agnes needed me.

Now.

Without a word, I kissed Thea’s forehead and stood, my wolf’s growls growing louder in my mind. I couldn’t explain—not because I didn’t want to, but because I… couldn’t. Instead, I simply turned and rushed out of the house, Mindlinking my Beta to keep an eye on Thea until I returned.

Agnes needed me. I didn’t know how I knew, but I did.

And nothing was going to stop me from getting to her.