A Faraway Place

UNKNOWN

Three days had passed since the stranger arrived, and the house was quiet. Max had been by her side all day, as neither of them had gone to school.

Max had even skipped his training. He was always there, and they spent their time doing all sorts of things together.

The best part was that he didn’t push her to see the man who looked like her dad or talk to him again. So, by the third day, she was almost back to her usual cheerful self.

It was morning, and she was snuggled up on his chest while he read her a story.

It wasn’t bedtime, but now that they were spending more time together, he would read to her during her playtime too.

Before, he’d never do that. Not only because there wasn’t enough time, but because he insisted on saving the fairytales for the evenings.

When she saw him close the book, she frowned. He kissed the top of her head and gently rubbed her back.

“How about we go for a picnic?” he suggested.

“It’s late,” she responded.

“It’s only eleven, little one.”

“Then it’s too late. It won’t be fun.”

“Oh, you little monkey,” he said, tickling her sides. “You only find it fun when you make me get up at six-thirty in the morning!”

“Yes,” she squealed amid her giggles, and he showered her cheeks with kisses before he stood up, carrying her in his arms.

When he set her down on a chair, she felt a twinge of disappointment. If she had her way, she would never leave Max’s arms, because it was the safest place in the world.

As she watched him pack their picnic basket, she knew something was off.

She slid off her chair and tugged at his T-shirt. He looked down at her with a smile.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m packing our food?” He chuckled, looking puzzled.

“Then where are the sweet and savory pies, the fruits, the sandwiches, and Leslie’s lemonade?”

“Well, baby, I’m not the best cook, but we will have fruit. I think I saw some candy bars around, and I’m making us sandwiches now, so I think…”

“You’re going to feed us fruit, terrible candy, and plain sandwiches?” she asked, shaking her head in disapproval. “Boys are useless.” She rolled her eyes, and Max laughed.

“Oh, really? Then what would you like, Your Highness?” He bowed dramatically in front of her, and she had to suppress her giggle as she walked to the fridge and pulled open the door.

She smiled.

Everything they needed was there, except for the pies, but she could do without them just this once.

She started grabbing things with her small hands and handed them to Max, who placed them on the table while watching her, amused.

“Now what?” he asked, smiling when she was done.

“Bring me the Nutella, too,” she commanded. “I can’t reach the cabinet yet.”

MAX

I never thought I’d enjoy being bossed around by a six-year-old girl.

As for my wolf, he was completely smitten by her cuteness, like a lovesick puppy, begging me not to let her go.

I didn’t want to, but I had no right to keep her either. Not when she could have a real family, related by blood.

My uncle could offer her an aunt and uncle.

They were good people and would take care of her. Besides, by human law, they had the right to be her guardians. All I could do was give Estella a sense of choice.

So, I took us on a picnic. I wanted her to be happy and relaxed for this.

The weather was perfect, the sandwiches she’d made were delicious, and we played a lot before she collapsed on the blanket, giggling.

I lay down soon after, reaching for the photo in my pocket. I had asked her uncle for proof, and he gave me the picture, threatening to kill me if I lost it.

I held back from telling him that I could take him down before he even tried to attack me and promised through gritted teeth that I’d take care of it.

As soon as I lay down, she snuggled up to me and rested her head on my chest, as she always did. I hated to admit that I loved it, and I would miss it when she was gone, but it was true.

“Darling,” I started softly.

“Mmm,” she hummed.

She usually felt sleepy after playing, but I couldn’t let her sleep this time. She had to be awake.

“Remember the other day when I took you to see Anna’s twins?” I asked.

She perked up immediately.

“Yes! They were so tiny and so alike that I couldn’t tell which one was Jace and which one was Harry,” she said excitedly.

“Do you know why you couldn’t tell them apart?”

“I just told you, silly! They look the same!”

“The correct word is identical. You know, twins aren’t always identical.

“They might not look the same at all, or they may have small differences in appearance like lighter hair color for one sibling or different eye color…

“Let’s say gray instead of brown.”

She sat up from my arms instantly and looked down at me, upset.

“Daddy didn’t have any family,” she shouted, and I cursed under my breath at how smart she was, only because I knew it wouldn’t help right now.

“He did, darling.”

She shook her head frantically, and I reached up to pull her back into my arms, and thankfully, she didn’t resist.

“He had a brother and a sister, almost identical to him,” I explained.

“But twins are two,” she mumbled, confused. “Aren’t they?”

“Your dad and his siblings were triplets. It’s the same as twins but with three babies.”

“Daddy never mentioned a brother or a sister.”

“Sure thing, he didn’t,” I agreed, nodding. “But they were real. Your dad was the only one with brown eyes. Look.”

I pulled out the photo from my pocket and held it up for her to see.

“Can you point out your dad?” I asked.

She nodded, and her finger landed on the man to the left. Honestly, if it weren’t for their eyes, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. Luckily, the photo wasn’t in black and white.

“The one on the right is your Uncle Julian,” I explained. “And the girl in the middle, that’s your Aunt Estella.”

“I have an aunt too? She’s so pretty,” she exclaimed. “And I have her name… but I’m not as pretty.”

“No, you’re even prettier,” I whispered, planting a kiss on her head.

“When will I meet her?”

I hesitated, remembering what Julian had shared about the other Estella’s death. There was no way I could share that story with my little girl.

“She doesn’t want to see me?” she asked, her voice filled with disappointment.

“No, sweetheart, it’s not that,” I reassured her.

“Is she blind?”

Her question caught me off guard. The things kids come up with…

“No. The truth is, your aunt had an accident when she was very young, and your dad and uncle, like grownups often do, started blaming each other and stopped talking.

“That’s why you have her name, and why you didn’t know about your uncle until he showed up.”

“Did he come because I don’t have parents?”

“He was called because of that, yes.”

“He came to take me with him?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to leave,” she whispered, her fingers gripping my shirt, and my wolf wanted to snatch her up and run, just like when she was about to be taken to the orphanage.

“Well, it’s safe to say that a lot of people, including me, don’t want you to go either, sweetheart.

“But since your uncle is here, it would be nice if you could talk to him and get to know him before you decide what you want to do.

“There’s no rush. He’ll be here for a while. I can call him whenever you’re ready to see him. How does that sound?”

I gave her an encouraging smile, but she didn’t return it.

“Sounds okay.” She shrugged. “Can I have another Nutella sandwich?”

PATRICK

When I called Julian to tell him that Estella was finally ready to meet him, I swear the man practically jumped for joy.

I let him know that this time, the meeting would be at the pack house, and the social worker would be there too.

It was wrong to do it without her the first time. The planning was a mess, and that was mostly my fault. But this time, we’d do it right.

The social worker arrived quite early, and she asked to speak with Estella alone before the girl saw her uncle. It didn’t take long, and Estella seemed relaxed after their talk.

Right now, she was sitting on Max’s lap on the couch.

~“Are you okay?”~ I asked my cousin through our link.

~“I’m good,”~ he replied with a small nod.

The moment Julian walked into the office, Estella tensed up and wouldn’t look at him.

We had told the social worker all about her uncle’s previous visit, so she wasn’t surprised by Estella’s reaction.

Only Julian looked a bit hurt, but he sat down next to Max on the couch anyway. Clearly, he wanted to be close to his niece.

“Hi, Estella,” he said gently.

“Hi,” she mumbled into Max’s chest.

“I’m sorry if I scared you or made you feel sad the other day. It was silly of me to show up like that.”

“It’s okay. Max explained everything, but you look like my daddy, so…”

“I know. I don’t mind. I’m just glad you wanted to talk to me.”

“Max said I should.”

Julian shot my cousin a silent thank you, which was returned with a dark look meant to hide his pain.

I have to say, he was handling it really well. I don’t know if I could be so level-headed in his shoes, but my guess is no.

Willingly giving up my mate and encouraging her to go and live on the other side of the world… Nope. The mere thought was unsettling.

“I’m really sorry I didn’t come for you sooner, but I didn’t know.”

“I had Max and Eva, and Patrick, and Howie, and Leslie and Cal. I wasn’t lonely.”

“I’m so glad you had so many people to care for you when I couldn’t.”

“They’re my friends,” she said simply.

“Of course they are, sweetie. Patrick’s dad is my friend too, you know.”

“Really?” she asked, shifting a bit in my cousin’s arms, turning her head towards Julian but not daring to look at him.

“Yes, he and his wife are with my family now.”

I almost let out a sigh of relief that he didn’t use the word “mate” to describe my mom.

Goddess knew how we managed to hide the fact that this was a werewolf pack from the human social worker.

I had to warn every pack member, and I changed the training location, so it wouldn’t be in plain sight when she entered our territory.

“You have kids?” she was now asking Julian.

“Yes, triplets, do you know what that means?”

“It’s like twins, but with more babies,” she said, and Julian laughed.

“Exactly. You’re very smart,” he praised.

“Of course I am,” she said smugly, turning a bit more towards her uncle. “But Max is a very good teacher. He’s a bad cook, but he’s a good teacher. And handsome.”

She whispered the last part, looking up at Max in adoration. My cousin was taken aback, he blushed, but he chuckled to cover it up and lightly pinched her cheeks.

Well, that was a first. I found myself wishing Eva was here to witness it, but she'd gone off to keep the pups entertained, thinking it best to keep the meeting from getting too crowded.

Julian continued to chat with Estella about his wife and kids, and slowly, the little girl gathered the courage to face him.

It was clear as day that this was hard for her, but Max was there, holding her close and soothing her with gentle strokes on her back.

“Can I meet your kids before I decide if I want to live with you all?”

“I have some pictures I can show you, sweetheart,” Julian offered.

“Pictures are only good for seeing if they're pretty. I won’t know if I like them enough to be friends,” she said, her tone serious.

“I understand, but I came here alone.”

“Okay, then let’s go to your house,” she insisted. “Will you take me, Max?”

“Sweetheart, that’s a long trip,” my cousin gently explained.

“Why? Where do you live, Uncle Julian?” she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

“In Australia.”

“Where’s that?” She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

“It’s far from here,” Max whispered into her hair, and my heart twisted at the sadness in his voice.

“My house was far from here too, but here I am.”

As Julian began to explain just how far Australia really was, Estella’s demeanor shifted. She closed off again, sinking deeper into Max’s comforting embrace.

“I understand,” she finally said, her voice devoid of any emotion. “Can we wait until my birthday?”

Julian nodded, a smile on his face, but the little girl didn’t seem relieved. Quite the opposite, in fact.