He looked almost the same as David, but for some unknown reason, my heart started beating loudly as I took in all of him, while my eyes began to water. There was something about him that I couldn’t explain, but it felt like I was longing for him.
He stopped in his tracks as his gaze fell on me and his jaw tightened.
“Theo! Look who’s here? Veronica’s daughter! Nadia, this is my brother, Theo. We grew…”
I didn’t hear the rest of David’s statement because everything after became a blur. Theodore suddenly appeared in front of me. His hands flew to my arms, holding me tightly as his eyes watered. “Nadia? Did you say your name is Nadia?”
I nodded my head, but I couldn’t find the words to say anything as I stared at the hazel brown eyes in front of me. His eyes reflected my own.
“How old are you, Nadia?”
“I just turned 22 a few weeks ago,” I answered as I finally let the tears from my eyes fall. I could hear his heartbeat, and it was in sync with the loud beatings of my heart.
I knew right then and there that he was the man I had been looking for all my life.
His arms wrapped around me as he pulled my head into his chest. “Nadia…” He was mumbling my name as if it were a precious thing. “Do you know who your father is?”
I shook my head. “Mom died while giving birth to me. I was raised by her fated mate until I was five years old.”
He let go of hugging me and cupped my cheeks. His tears were streaming down his face. “I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know. Do you feel it?” He took my hand and placed it in his heart, and I kept nodding my head as my tears continued to pour out of my eyes, my sobs almost choking me.
“Yes. I feel it. Where were you when I needed you?” I asked him the question I’d been wanting to ask him all these years. I was finally letting all my emotions out as the man in front of me wrapped his arms around me once again, pulling me into his chest.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Let me explain. Let me explain... if I only knew, I would have done everything in my power to take you. Now I know why the Goddess didn’t bless me with another pup because I abandoned you. I’m sorry, Nadia.”
He cupped my face again, tilting my head up to look me in the eyes. Our faces were wet with our tears. “I have no idea...”
Chapter 99
RILEY.
“Veronica and I grewup together. We were good friendsuntil we just found ourselves falling for each other. The relationship was new when the attack happened. For weeks, I tried to find where she was.
David met Camilla, and they moved to the Black Shadow Pack. I eventually found Veronica. Something happened between us but I couldn’t stay with her. I was keen to know more about the condition of my old pack but I told her I would come back for her.
But she was gone when I came back. She found her mate and decided to go with him. I didn’t bother to ask what pack she moved on to. I was heartbroken, but I knew what I signed up for when we dove into this relationship.
I moved on and started my life with a new pack. I was left alone on my own. I still wanted my pack and my territory back, but I had no one. And then I met Laura—my mate—and decided that maybe her being human was a sign that I was bound to just let go of my pack. But in the back of my mind, if I get an heir, I would try again to take back what was mine.
Laura and I were not blessed with a pup. Again, I took it as a sign that I was not bound to have a pack. I had learned to accept that.
Eight months after I last saw Veronica, David received a letter from her, but it was addressed to me. I had no idea how she found out where David was, but somehow she did. She wanted to meet with me. She wrote that she just wanted to catch up and that if I had a mate, she was definitely welcome to join us.
Laura and I traveled to the meeting place on the day she told us to. But she didn’t show up. Now I understand why. She died before she got the chance to tell me about you.”
These were Theodore’s words as he tried to explain why he had never found out about Nadia. But the moment he heard Nadia’s name, he knew she was his.
While they were together, they were scared that Veronica might get pregnant because he had forgotten to take precautions the first time they did it. And while thinking about it, Veronica asked him what name he wanted for a girl. He asked her why a girl and not a boy—Veronica said her bloodlines usually produced females. Theodore just shrugged it off and said he would name her Nadia.
I pushed the door leading to the back part of Jacob’s packhouse. I saw Theodore outside, smoking by himself. It was almost midnight, and Nadia was still with Clair in the packhouse nursery, where the three pups were.
“Do you mind if I join you?” I asked as I stood beside him.
“Not at all. You’re just the man I’ve been wanting to speak alone with,” he replied and handed me a pack of cigarettes.
I took one and gave it back to him before he lit the cigarette for me. I stopped smoking a long time ago, but tonight I didn’t stop myself from taking one. Maybe it would make the conversation with my father-in-law flow more easily.
“Tell me about her. Why did she ask me that question? Did she have a hard life?”
