Alexanderâs POV
âThey are coming out soon,â Alpha Nathan mumbled.
I looked toward the entrance to the cabin and took a deep breath. I hoped that Hunter managed to convince her that none of us blamed her for what happened.
âWe are going to go to the packhouse,â Hunterâs mom added, making me furrow my eyebrows.
I looked at them in confusion. Why were they leaving?
âSophia is worried that I would blame her for killing that piece of trash,â Alpha Nathan said after he saw us looking at him with confusion on our faces. âHunter told her that Iâm not blaming her, but he says that it might be better if she didnât see me now.â
I shook my head and looked back toward the entrance. Of course she was afraid of Alpha Nathanâs reaction. I wouldnât be surprised if she didnât believe Hunter when he told her that Alpha Nathan wasnât angry at her.
âHunter says that she is really tired,â Janet mumbled quietly. âShe needs to rest. We can see her later.â
âThank you for being here,â my mom said softly.
I glanced at her and saw her approach Janet. She hugged her tightly and Janet smiled.
âOf course, Emma,â Janet said. âSophia is important to us. She is our family too.â
Emma let Janet go and looked at Alpha Nathan. He smiled and pulled my mom into a hug. I tensed up a little. I couldnât help it. I knew that Alpha Nathan wouldnât hurt her, but my instincts won over my reason.
âThank you, Emma,â Alpha Nathan said quietly. âThank you for forgiving me for what I did. I wouldnât be able to raise my son and watch him fall in love with your amazing daughter if it wasnât for your generous heart.â
My mom patted his back gently and smiled.
âYou are welcome, Nathan,â my mom said and let him go. âYou didnât deserve to be cursed and you didnât deserve to suffer because of someoneâs greed. I am glad I forgave you because you raised a wonderful son. I know that my daughter will always be safe with him and I have both you and Janet to thank for that.â
Alpha Nathan nodded and pulled my mom into another hug. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
I glanced at my dad. I could tell that he wasnât very comfortable with what was going on. His instincts were as strong as mine were.
Uncle Andrew and Mason kept glancing between the entrance to the cabin and my mom. They were the only ones who still didnât get a chance to hug Sophia and I could tell that they were impatient to do so. On the other hand, I could tell that they were watching Alpha Nathan carefully.
I wondered if we would ever get completely comfortable around him or if our instincts would always win over our reason. I knew that he wouldnât hurt my mom, but my body reacted anyway. I was ready to fight him if he tried anything. I was ready to fight anyone. No one hurt my family. No one.
âCome on, Nate,â Janet said softly. âLetâs go. They will be out in a minute.â
Alpha Nathan let my mom go and nodded. He looked around, smiled at us, and took Janetâs hand in his.
âWe will see you at dinner,â my dad told them.
Alpha Natan nodded and started walking away, holding Janetâs hand in his.
I looked away from them and took a deep breath. I watched as my dad pulled my mom to his chest. He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He relaxed instantly and I smiled. My dad adored my mom and I couldnât believe that there was a time when he didnât want her. I couldnât believe that he rejected her at first.
âSoph!â Mason exclaimed loudly, making me look away from my parents and toward the entrance to the cabin.
Hunter and Fia walked outside. Hunter was holding Fiaâs hand tightly. She looked exhausted and she was leaning on Hunter.
âMason!â Fia said, reaching out for him.
Mason picked her up and hugged her tightly.
âOh, Soph,â he said, breathing heavily. âI missed you so much. I thought that I lost you. I thought that I lost my best friend. How would I handle Alex without you? How?â
I rolled my eyes and Fia chuckled.
âI donât know,â she said. âItâs a good thing I came back.â
Mason kissed her temple and lowered her down gently.
âOh, you have no idea, Soph,â Mason said as he smiled and caressed her cheek. âI would go crazy without you here.â
Fia smiled at him and looked at our uncle.
âHi, my little girl,â Uncle Andrew said, his voice trembling.
He approached her and hugged her tightly.
âYou are back,â he said quietly. âOh, you are really back.â
Fia smiled, but I saw tears fall on her cheeks.
âI missed you, Uncle Andrew,â she said quietly.
âOh, sweetie,â Uncle Andrew said as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. âI missed you too.â
My uncle looked up at my mom and a tear fell on his cheek. When Fia went missing my uncle told me that it brought back all the memories of my mom being gone. I couldnât even imagine what he went through. My mom was taken twice. He didnât know where his sister was or if she was alive and it happened twice. I barely survived being away from Fia once. If it happened againâ¦
âDid you eat, princess?â my dad asked Fia and she shook her head.
Sophia. I mind-linked her sternly.
She looked at me and let Uncle Andrew go.
âIâm tired,â she said. âI really want to go to bed. I will eat later.â
âThe food is cold anyway,â Hunter said and took Sophiaâs hand back in his.
He pulled her closer to him and kissed the top of her head.
âOkay, honey,â my mom said and approached her. âPromise me that you will eat when you wake up.â
Fia nodded and smiled. âI promise, Mom.â
My mom kissed Fiaâs forehead and pulled her into a hug. She took a deep breath and looked at my dad. I could tell that they were mind-linking. My mom looked a bit worried and my heart raced. I would have to ask her what it was about. Was it because Fia didnât eat or was it something else?
Mom let Fia go and smiled.
âLetâs get you home, honey,â my mom said softly.
I could see the worry on my momâs face and my stomach twisted painfully.
What the hell was going on?