“I don’t think you need to be worried. Faye has a serious trauma, but I think with the right people around her, she will grow and flourish. Just like I did, you know? I hated everyone when I came to live with my parents, and didn’t trust anyone. But now I do, and I was much older than Faye.”
“Flora told me she will make sure Faye is safe,” I say.
“If Flora says so, then she will be.” Well, seems like no one doubts Flora, so I guess I can start to feel a bit optimistic, too.
We have made it to the top floor, almost to the door of the alpha suite, when I hear light footsteps and the door being opened. “Gwen!” Faye runs to me, throwing her arms around my waist. “You are here!”
She looks so relieved to see me that my heart melts. I don’t know what kind of fears I truly had and what I was so scared of, but when Faye takes my hand and pulls me along to play withme, it’s like a rock falls off my shoulders. Iwillalways have a place in Faye’s life, just like Flora said.
Flora greets Charlie and me with a smile before we join Faye, helping her with the puzzle she has been working on.
She looks much better than yesterday. She is still a lot more quiet than before, and more antsy, but Flora told me it will be an up and down. I am just glad to see her engaging in a game.
Faye also seems to be happy to see Charlie, wanting her to play with us. It obviously helps that Charlie has a little brother and knows how to handle young kids. For two hours, we play with Faye, until she is so tired that Flora takes her to her bedroom for a short nap.
“She is so cute,” Charlie says. “Poor girl, she went through so much.”
“Yes,” I say quietly. “She was devastated yesterday. I know, she still is, but I am glad that Flora managed to gain her trust and helped her come out of her shell.”
“It will be quite the path ahead of her,” Charlie mutters. “It’s going to be an up and down. I still mourn my mom sometimes.”
“Same for me with my dad,” I admit. We exchange a short look, neither of us saying anything. We have both lost a parent; we know what it means to deal with such a loss.
When Flora returns, she brings some tea with her. “That smells lovely,” Charlie exclaims. “Almost a bit like lavender. My favorite scent.”
Flora looks at her, tilting her head to the side. “This is not a lavender tea, darling.”
“It isn’t?” Charlie blinks, sticking her nose into the air to take a huge sniff. “It’s just… so…” She lets out a deep sigh. “So…” Her voice trails off, and she stands up abruptly. “I need to find that scent!”
forty-one
Maddox
*GWENDOLYN*
Charlie hurries out of the door and down the staircase. I chase after, trying to keep up with her as well as I can. “Charlie? Slow down a little.”
“It’s just...“ She halts so that I can catch up with her. When she looks at me, I swear something purple flashes in her eyes. “That scent. It’s…heis here!”
“Your mate, right?”
“It has to be!”
“Then let’s search for him.” I pause. “This floor is inhabited by members of the alpha family and their ranked members.”
“Yeah, no use staying here,” Charlie agrees. “A lot of them are mated. And those who aren’t definitely aren’t my mate either. I know all of them.”
“Good, then next floor,” I command. “If you smell him here, he has to be in the packhouse.”
Together, we hurry down the staircase to the next floor. The warriors live here, but unfortunately, Charlie’s mate isn’t among them. The next floor brings us no success either. Once on the second floor, however, Charlie halts abruptly. “Here,” she says.
I look around to check where we are. Since I am relatively new to the pack, I still lose orientation easily, especially in the packhouse. Once I‘ve checked our surroundings, I can’t help but furrow my brows. “The meeting rooms and offices are here.”
“Right,” Charlie says before looking at me. “And?”
“I am not sure.” I shrug. “Doesn’t necessarily mean anything. A lot of pack members come here to talk to the betas or the luna, or even the alpha.”
“True,” Charlie says. “And?” She asks once more.
