Chapter 57

Anika:

My chest tightens at the sight of Isabel’s tears.

“Bel, sweetheart, talk to mummy. What did you see?” I whisper, brushing her damp cheeks.

She stiffens as the sobs break off into shaky breaths.

Slowly, she pulls away from my embrace. A few tears still trail down her face.

“You.. you..” she gulps. “You were stabbed by a big scary man.”

My heart skips a beat.

“W..what?”

“He.. he was so scary, mum.” she stammers through muffled sobs. “He a..ppeared when I was playing with you, and dragged me away from you. Then, he..” another gulp. “He.. stabbed you.”

I shut my eyes close, not wanting to even imagine that.

My heart is pounding so loudly in my chest now.

After a few seconds, I open them. Then, I lean in towards her. “Did you… see his face?”

“No,” she nods. “He wore a mask. All He said was that I… I was his property and I don’t deserve to be with y—”

“It’s okay, baby.” I cut in softly, pulling her into another tight hug before she can force out another word. “No one’s taking you away from me, alright?”

I pat her back, over and over, trying to soothe the tremors shaking through her tiny body.

I’m still patting her when the door suddenly creaks open. And for a split second, my heart skips.

Twice.

Her nightmare has me rattled now too, dragging fear into my chest like it’s real.

I turn slowly toward the door.

“Matteo?”

His expression tightens. “A-Anika? What happened?”

His eyes flicker from me crouched low on the floor to Isabel’s tear-streaked cheeks, and I can’t tell if he’s more startled by her broken sobs or the fear written all over mine.

Either way, he closes the distance in a few quick strides and crouches down to our level.

“What happened?” he asks again, his gaze locking with mine. “I thought you’d already left for work.”

“I was about to,” I say, "But then Jenny called me. Isabel had a terrible dream, and it really shook her.”

“Oh, goddess.”

Concern flashes across his face as he shifts his full attention to Isabel. She’s staring up at him with wide, glassy eyes, her little body trembling as though the only thing she wants is the safety of his arms.

And then she moves. In a heartbeat, she launches herself against Matteo’s chest. He catches her effortlessly, his strong arms curling protectively around her small frame. One hand rubs soothing circles over her back as he whispers, “It’s okay, Bel. You’re safe now. Nothing’s going to hurt you, I promise.”

Isabel only nods against his chest.

Her tiny fingers fist his shirt as she buries her face deeper into him.

Goddess. Watching her break like this feels like my own chest is splitting in two.

I should be more shaken by her words. By the thought of being stabbed. Or having her ripped away from me.

By a… masked man? The image alone sends a cold ripple down my spine.

“Hold up!” I push myself to my feet, realizing Matteo has already scooped Isabel into his arms and is now heading toward the door. “Where are you two going? School?”

“School?” he echoes with a playful scoff. “Hell no.” Then, He tilts his head down at Isabel, lips tugging into a grin. “Or what do you think, Isabel? Do you wanna go to school today?”

She shakes her head so fast her curls bounce.“No! I don’t want to.”

“Good.” His grin widens as he hugs her closer. “Then let’s go someplace better than here.”

She suddenly pulls back. “Where? The park?”

“Whoa,” he chuckles, brows lifting. “I was actually thinking of something else… but that’s where you wanna go, huh?”

“Yes!!” she exclaims so loudly and brightly, you’d never believe she was the same little girl sobbing in my arms moments ago.

Matteo laughs, lifting one hand. “Well then—”

She slaps her tiny palm against his with a triumphant smack.

“The park it is!”

“Yay! Thank you, Alpha Daddy!” She squeals and immediately wraps her arms tight around his neck.

My heart melts. Like, really melts. The sight of her smiling again after all that fear—it almost undoes me.

I clear my throat, trying to ground myself. “Okay, Matteo. But… don’t you have an important meeting in, like, ten minutes?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. That can surely wait. This—” he hugs her closer “—is much more important.”

“You sure? I mean, I just saw Damon waiting for you outside. I can take her if—”

“Well, if you wanna come with us,” Matteo cuts me off smoothly, already turning with a squealing Isabel perched in his arms, “then meet us in the car in five.”

I can’t help the little defeated chuckle that slips out as I watch them disappear through the door. My heart does a flip-flop.

If there’s one thing I’ll forever thank the goddess for, it’s bringing Matteo into my life.

“You really are lucky, Anika. Matteo is such an incredible man.”

I turn to find Jenny smiling at me as she walks closer.

“He sure is.” I can feel the grin tugging at my lips, foolish and wide. “And you’re such an incredible grandmother, Jenny. Thank you… for always looking out for us.”

“Anytime.” She gives my hands a gentle squeeze. “Also, once you’re back from the park, there’s something I need to share with you.”

My brows knit. “What’s that?”

“It’s about your parents’ death.”

“Oh, Grandma.” I let out a light chuckle.

Her face hardens. “What? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten what we talked about the first time you came into this pack.”

“I've not—”

“You can’t let your parents’ murderers walk free, Anika.” Her voice drops. “They were killed in cold blood. You owe it to them to seek justice. Promise me you’ll—”

“Sure, sure, Jenny. Don’t worry.” I cut her off quickly, pressing a kiss to her cheek before darting toward the door. Better to leave now than let her pile on more words that twist the guilt in my chest.

The moment I step out of the packhouse, I spot Leah still lingering beside my car.

She’s pacing back and forth now. Scratching her head like she’s lost her mind.

I hesitate. No, she hasn’t.

She's probably just troubled. And honestly, I don’t want to pry. If she’s fine, then she’s fine. The last thing I want is to step on her privacy.

Still, I hurry toward her. “Leah?”

She jolts at the sound of my voice, then quickly forces a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Hi, Anika.”

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting. I was, uh… attending to Isabel.”

“Yeah, no worries.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, her tone a little too rushed. “We can go now, right?”

“About that,” I pull my keys from my bag. “Can you head to the hospital first? I’ll meet you there in about an hour. There’s something I need to take care of quickly.”

Her eyes widen immediately.

Like I’ve just handed her a weapon and told her to do the unthinkable.

For a beat, she just stares at me.

Then,

“Sure, sure.” She says with a forced smile.

But I notice it.

The way her hands tremble as she takes the keys, pulls the car door open and slips inside.

I watch the vehicle roll away, unease curling in my stomach.

Shít. I hope I haven’t just made a terrible mistake.