Chapter 167 167
“Your mother was having one of her human deficiency moods again, so I brought her here,” Fernando said simply.
“Dad?” Damien stared at them, utterly baffled by their sudden appearance.
“What dad?” Sofía shot back, narrowing her eyes at her son as she folded her arms across her chest. “Did you honestly think he would refuse me when I asked him to bring me here?”
“Mom, you know this is risky,” Damien tried to reason, tension creeping into his voice. The very last thing he wanted was for his parents to cross paths with her.
“Oh, hush,” Sofía dismissed him with a flick of her hand as she stepped forward. “Move aside and let me feel human for once. Living around you lot for so long, I swear I’m starting to feel like a shifter myself.”
With that exaggerated complaint, she walked past him, forcing Damien to step aside and allow them into the house.
He shot his father a pleading look.
Fernando merely shrugged.
None of them could stand their ground when the queen of the pack had already made up her mind.
Mathieu, who had been sitting on the sofa, jumped to his feet the moment the strangers walked in. His eyes widened at the sight of the petite woman entering the house with a towering man behind her.
“Oh, hello there,” Sofía greeted sweetly.
The boy simply blinked at her, unsure what to say.
Damien stepped forward when Mathieu glanced at him for guidance.
“Hi,” the boy murmured shyly, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other.
“Mathieu, go call your sister,” Damien instructed.
The boy nodded immediately and dashed up the stairs to fetch Jacqueline.
“He’s sick?” Sofía asked quietly, turning her attention back to her son.
Damien nodded.
“I’ll speak with Cécile about it,” she said firmly. “She always has something up her sleeve. I’m sure she can find a way to cure him.”
Damien had already considered that option himself, but the risks were too high.
Either Cécile might end up harming the boy instead of helping him… or their carefully guarded secret could be exposed.
Fernando wandered farther into the room before dropping down onto the settee.
“Why don’t you come back to the packhouse, son?” he asked, glancing around the house.
The place was small, but it carried a certain warmth simple, yet comfortable.
The real reason Damien stayed away from the packhouse had nothing to do with size or convenience.
It was the memories.
The happy ones from their childhood.
They made everything hurt far more than he could bear.
Before Jacqueline even came into view, her scent reached him.
Then he heard it the faint quickening of her heartbeat as she approached, walking behind her brother.
Sofía’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the girl stepping into the room.
She was beautiful.
Jacqueline glanced toward Damien instinctively. He cleared his throat.
“Come meet my parents,” he said. “This is my mom and dad.”
A bright smile spread across Jacqueline’s lips as she stepped forward.
Sofía grinned right back at her. The girl had the most beautiful smile she had ever seen.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Ruiz,” Jacqueline greeted politely as she approached.
“Oh please,” Sofía waved the formality away. “Call me Sofía. And you can call him Fernando,” she added, pointing toward her husband.
“Mom, this is Jacqueline,” Damien said. “And her brother, Mathieu.”
Jacqueline extended her hand for a polite handshake.
Instead, Sofía pulled her into a warm hug.
Sofía was short and softly built just like…
Jacqueline stiffened slightly.
Then a wave of nostalgia crashed over her so suddenly it made her chest ache.
She felt like… mom.
Tears rushed to her eyes before she could stop them. Instinctively, she hugged Sofía back, clinging tighter than she intended.
Sofía noticed the shift immediately. Gently, she stroked the girl’s hair as Jacqueline buried her face into her shoulder, trying desperately not to cry.
But a small sob escaped her anyway.
“Hey, sweetie… shhh,” Sofía murmured soothingly. “It’s alright.”
Jacqueline was a little taller than her, forcing Sofía to bend slightly as she held her.
Damien watched the scene in stunned silence.
Why was she crying?
His wolf stirred uneasily inside him.
After a moment, Jacqueline pulled back. Sofía cupped her face tenderly, wiping away the tears sliding down her cheeks.
“Why are you crying, dear?” she asked gently.
“You look like our mom,” Mathieu mumbled quietly.
The boy’s own eyes had filled with tears.
Jacqueline tried to wipe her face, but more tears slipped free.
“Come here, bunny,” Sofía said softly, giving him the affectionate nickname as she opened her arms.
Mathieu ran straight into her embrace and immediately began crying too.
No matter how hard Jacqueline tried to control herself, it was impossible.
Sofía had the same height and body type as Édith. Even the warmth she radiated felt painfully familiar.
Sofía’s own eyes grew moist as she gently smoothed Mathieu’s hair. The boy eventually pulled away, moving to cling to Jacqueline instead.
“I’m sorry, we just…” Jacqueline’s voice trailed off.
Fernando rose from his seat and walked toward them.
Like his wife, he ignored the offered handshake and simply pulled Jacqueline into a brief side hug.
“Come on, Mathieu,” Jacqueline urged softly.
The boy wiped his tears and greeted Fernando properly.
Sofía returned to the settee and patted the empty spaces beside her. With a tilt of her head, she gestured for the siblings to sit.
They complied.
Jacqueline sat on Sofía’s left, while Mathieu settled on her right.
Fernando took the single-seater chair nearby while Sofía began chatting warmly with the two siblings.
Damien leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, silently watching.
The happiness lighting up Jacqueline’s face was genuine.
Yet there was pain mixed into it too.
Seeing that combination twisted something deep in his gut.
He found himself studying every detail of her face every subtle shift in expression with the sharp focus of a hawk.
Then a strange sensation prickled across his senses.
He felt watched.
His olive-green eyes snapped toward his father.
Fernando was staring at him intently.
He had clearly noticed the way Damien had been watching Jacqueline.
Damien immediately looked away and made sure not to glance at her again while his father was present.
“We can go shopping tomorrow,” Sofía announced cheerfully.
“I… uh…” Jacqueline hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Sofía had already told her about the upcoming celebration her wedding anniversary. She was hosting a grand party at their manor just down the street.
She had invited both Jacqueline and Mathieu.
But Jacqueline had nothing appropriate to wear, and she wasn’t sure Damien would even allow it. He had been extremely strict about her leaving the house.
“I will not accept a refusal,” Sofía declared firmly. “My daughters and I are going shopping tomorrow, and you are coming with us. You’ll pick out a dress and share in my happiness.”
Jacqueline paused, thinking it through.
They wouldn’t be leaving town, so it was safe.
Damien probably wouldn’t approve of her going out.
And most importantly… she didn’t care.
“Okay,” Jacqueline finally said with a smile.
Sofía’s face lit up with delight.