I am still contemplating what to do when Flora takes my hand.Let her do her thing,she appeases me.Elden thinks the same.
I glance at him, noticing his reassuring nod. Then, it strikes me. Since when can Flora link me? I am not a pack member yet.
I can’t link you,she says simply.Meaning, technically, I am not linking you.
My mouth drops open. What?!
I have no time to act on my surprise, though. Faye is more important. My eyes dart back to her right at the moment when Celine hands her the doll. “That’s a beautiful doll you have here. Does she have a name?”
“Mimi,” Faye says, taking her doll back and hugging her.
Celine shakes Mimi’s hand with a finger. “It’s nice to meet you, Mimi. I am Celine.”
“Mimi is a good girl,” Faye immediately starts to explain. “She always stays in her room and doesn’t cry.”
I blink at her words. Huh? Never heard that before.
“And she likes to draw. Oh, and she likes Frozen and ice cream.”
“Does she?” Celine asks. “That’s funny. I like ice cream, too.”
“What’s your favorite ice cream?”
“Chocolate-mint,” Celine answers.
Faye grimaces. “Yuk!”
I can hear Marius chuckle next to me. “Don’t worry,” he tells Faye. “I had the same reaction. Tastes like toothpaste.”
Faye giggles. “I like chocolate.”
Celine reaches out her arms. “Do you have a name, too, sweetie?”
“I am Faye,” Faye says, and then, to my utmost shock, hurries into Celine’s arms and lets herself be picked up.
She is a very sweet and bubbly child, but she usually does not seek other people’s embrace. She barely lets me cuddle her. Usually, she only wants Marina’s arms. She grasps Celine’s shirt, balling her hands into fists before crying into her neck. “They took mommy away!”
“What?” Elden asks.
“I am so sorry, Alpha,” the nurse whispers. “It was an emergency. She… she… collapsed.”
Celine glances at us before gently stroking Faye’s head. “You want to see your mom, don’t you?”
Faye nods.
“The doctors are looking after her,” she says softly. “Can you stay a little bit with me? And once they have made sure she is comfortable and asleep, we can go and see her.”
“Will you come with me then?” Faye begs. “Please.”
“Yes,” Celine promises.
“I have linked her nanny, too,” Flora mutters. “But she will want to stay with her mom. I will make sure we have a second bed prepared for her.”
Elden furrows his bushy brows, for a moment, his gaze seems to be far away as if he is looking at something I can’t see, similar to Flora during the meeting. “Yes,” he says. “We should definitely do that.”
He and Flora exchange a look that I don’t understand. No one does, it seems, because the others are looking equally as confused or anxious.
thirty-two
