Chapter 18

Gabriel

I left Ellie with Mom and followed Dad into his office.

He gave me a smirk. “I’m sure you didn’t leave Ellie with the cookie monster just to hang out with your old man.”

He gestured to a chair, so I took a seat.

He retrieved a bottle and two glasses from the cabinet behind him. Setting them on the desk, he poured us both a drink.

“How’s she doing?” Dad asked, sliding the glass towards me.

I grabbed the glass and took a gulp, feeling the burn as it hit the back of my throat.

“Good, and not so good,” I answered.

Dad frowned, waiting for me to elaborate.

“She’s adjusting. I told her about the adoption...told her I’m her daddy now. She even calls me daddy...” I trailed off.

“But?” Dad prompted.

“She has nightmares. She gets panic attacks… Sometimes over the simplest things.”

Dad took a gulp of his drink.

“Like what?”

I shook my head. “The first time she had a bath. When I took her to see Erik to check her wound, she freaked out. I know she hasn’t had the best experience with him, but still.”

Dad leaned forward, glaring at me.

“What did he do?” he growled.

I rolled my eyes. He’d only met the pup once and he was already in full-on protective mode.

“She had a fever, he had to take her temperature. I don’t think she’d ever seen a doctor before, so he decided to take it anally.

“She struggled so we held her down...” I paused, knowing Dad would lose it when I told him.

“He found scarring...in her rectum. She was also whipped at some point,” I added, trying to keep my voice steady. It was hard enough thinking about it, let alone talking about it.

I watched as Dad’s eyes turned black. His canines elongated. The grip on his glass was so tight that it shattered in his hand.

A deep growl rumbled from his chest.

“Dad! This isn’t helping.”

I watched as his eyes returned to normal, along with his teeth. Blood dripped from his hand where the glass had cut him.

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood away. His hand was already starting to heal.

“How long ago?” he growled.

I shook my head. “I don’t know. A year, maybe more... There’s more...” I added.

He narrowed his eyes, waiting for me to continue.

“She was taken from her family, her parents. They must have been sick because they died.

“If she lived with her parents, and her brother did too, there’s a chance that she came from behind the wall.”

He stared at me.

“So her parents handed her over to the sadistic bastards that run the camps and they raped a child?”

I couldn’t answer. I didn’t want to answer.

I finished my drink and quickly changed the subject.

“Erik took some blood, he said he found something unusual. I have to take a swab at some point,” I pulled the kit from my pocket.

Dad looked at the kit in my hand.

“What kind of unusual?” he asked.

I shrugged. “He wouldn’t say anything in front of her.”

He pointed at the kit in my hand. “That’s a DNA kit, Gabriel. Why would he need to do a DNA test?”

I sighed. “I don’t know,” I said, my teeth clenched.

He shook his head.

“Come on, let’s go find your mother,” he growled, “and don’t you dare mention this to her, you understand Gabriel.”

I nodded. This was definitely something Mom didn’t need to know.

We walked through the living room, then headed for the kitchen. The only evidence of a full plate of cookies was a few crumbs.

The plate sat on the table next to a half-finished glass of orange juice.

“Maybe they’re in the garden,” Dad suggested.

I nodded and started to follow him. That was until I heard a scream. A scream that could only belong to Ellie. It wasn’t a playful scream filled with laughter. It was a scream of terror.

I pushed past Dad and ran towards the dining room. The French doors were already open.

Mom was standing there, a look of shock on her face. Ellie was on her knees, sobbing.

“P...Please don’t...I’ll be good,” Ellie sobbed.

I ran over to her and wrapped my arms around her.

“Sshh pickle, it’s ok. I’ve got you...daddy’s got you,” I soothed.

I glanced at Mom.

“I didn’t do anything Gabriel. I was just showing her the garden, and the swimming pool.

“I just said she could go in after lunch if she wanted to...Then she just screamed and started sobbing,” she blurted, a horrified look on her face.

I gently picked her up and started to rub her back.

“D...Daddy!” She sobbed, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist.

I rubbed her back gently.

“Tell me what happened,” I whispered.

Her little body shook as she sobbed.

“Th...they threw me in...It...It was cold,” she sobbed between gasps for breath, “th...then he held me under...I...I couldn’t breathe.”

I continued rubbing her back. Those bastards had almost drowned her. I was so angry, my wolf was angry too. I had to contain him. Me growling and letting him out wouldn’t do my pup any good.

“It’s ok pickle, no one’s gonna hurt you anymore. I won’t let them, nor will anyone here, I promise,” I whispered.

I carried her back inside the house, with her still clinging onto me.

What happened to her Gabriel? Why didn’t you tell me?

Mom’s angry voice echoed in my mind.

I sighed.

“I’m sorry, Mom. She’s been through a lot. I didn’t want to upset you,” I replied through our mind-link.

I glanced at my mother. Her eyes were dark, a storm brewing as she glared at my father. I could almost hear her giving him a piece of her mind through their own mind-link. He’d probably fill me in later.

My mother was the type who’d want to cross the border and handle the bastards herself. But for now, she’d have to settle for giving my father an earful.

I walked back into the living room and settled down on the couch, cradling her on my lap.

Her sobs had quieted to a whimper, but she was still clinging to me.

I pulled out the swab kit. I didn’t want to do this now, but I needed to get it to Erik.

“Open up, pickle. Let me take a look inside,” I coaxed.

She released her hold on my neck and rubbed her eyes.

“Why?” she mumbled.

“I just need to make sure you didn’t hurt yourself. Then I’ll have Nana make you some warm milk and honey. You like that, don’t you?” I said, trying to soothe her.

I glanced at my mother and she nodded, heading into the kitchen.

Ellie nodded and opened her mouth.

I quickly swabbed the inside of her mouth and sealed it in the container.

“All done,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She rested her cheek on my chest while we waited for my mother to return with the milk. My father had joined her in the kitchen. Their voices were hushed, but I could still hear them arguing.

I hoped Ellie couldn’t. She needed calm right now.

After a bit, my mother returned with the milk. I could tell by the look on her face that she was upset. I wondered what my father had told her.

“Here you go, sweetie,” she said softly, handing Ellie the cup.

Ellie lifted her head from my chest. Her big blue eyes met my mother’s as she accepted the cup of warm milk.

“Thank you, Nana,” she whispered.

My mother gave me a look, then gently stroked Ellie’s hair.

After a few sips of the milk, she handed the cup back and rested her head on my chest again.

“Feeling sleepy, pickle?” I asked.

She nodded gently.

I stood up and laid her on the couch, using a cushion as a pillow.

My mother disappeared for a moment, then returned with a blanket to cover Ellie.

I sat on the edge of the couch, gently stroking Ellie’s forehead. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.

I stood up and turned to my parents.

“I need to talk to Erik. Can you watch Ellie?”

My mother nodded. “Don’t be gone too long, Gabriel. I don’t want her to be stressed if she wakes up and you’re not here.”

I kissed my mother on the cheek.

“I won’t be. Besides, she likes you. What happened by the pool wasn’t your fault. There’s just so much we don’t know about what she’s been through. She’s slowly opening up to me.

“I hope one day she’ll trust me enough to tell me everything. Until then, I just have to pick up the pieces.”

My mother wrapped her arms around me in a rare hug. I wasn’t sure if it was for me or for her.

“You’re doing a wonderful job, Gabriel,” she whispered. “She’s a very lucky little girl.”

I nodded. I wasn’t sure she was that lucky after everything she’d been through, but maybe her luck was starting to change.

I ran to the hospital as fast as I could. I needed to give the swab test to Erik and find out why he wanted it.

He was in his office when I burst in.

Before he could say anything, I spoke.

“I can’t stay long,” I said, handing him the kit. “Ellie had a panic attack. The bastards tried to drown her. It all came back when my mother showed her the swimming pool.”

Erik looked shocked and nodded.

“You’re probably wondering why I asked for this,” he said, holding up the swab test.

I nodded, waiting for him to explain.

“I tested a blood sample when you first brought her in. It’s standard practice when we have a...rogue,” he said, raising his hands. “I know she’s not a rogue, but...well, anyway...the results were unusual. I just wanted to double-check.”

I frowned. “Unusual how?”

He sighed and gestured to the chair.

“It might be a mistake, a compromised sample,” he said, hesitating. “But if it’s not, then Ellie is a hybrid. Half human, half wolf.”