Chapter 81 My Family
ADRIANA
Betty didn’t say anything to me at all. But the way she looked at me formed a knot in my stomach and it didn’t just sit well with me.
She’d been acting off lately and she didn’t bring my breakfast up anymore, she never responded when I said hi to her in the mornings.
Before I could walk up to her to ask her if there was a problem, she walked away like she didn’t even see me standing there.
Seeing that Leo was still shaking badly, I decided to deal with that later and take him upstairs first.
He was sobbing quietly when I dropped him gently on the bed.
I pulled him closer to me, placing his head on my chest.
“It’s okay. Nothing will happen, I’m here. Daddy’s here.”
I rubbed his back until I felt his tremors start to soften, and then he finally went quiet.
I knew Hannah wasn’t exactly a nice person but why would she extend such a disgusting attitude to her nephew? Didn’t she feel bad for him that both his biological parents were gone?
Shouldn’t she be the one taking care of Leo like he were hers? Or what exactly could he have done to her for her to hate him so much?
He was just a kid who needed all the love that he could get from the people around him and the fact that she was even blood related to him should have made her want to protect him.
But no, she just had to be the kind of person that she was.
I mean, who on earth decides to pick on a child out of everyone else?
If not that Elijah had made a promise to Liam, I’m very sure that he would have kicked her out by now because she was annoying him as well.
But unfortunately, he was big on his word and we were stuck with Hannah.
I didn’t leave his side even after he fell asleep. I couldn’t bring myself to. Leaving him alone was giving Hannah a chance to harm him. And since he couldn’t fight for himself, I’d be there for him.
I fell asleep beside him an hour later.
And by the time I woke up to an almost familiar face, I wondered if I was dead.
“Hello again.”
I knew that voice.
I turned around immediately, the deep frown and displeasure very evident on my face.
“You.”
This damn wolf or spirit or whatever she was was pissing me off.
“Listen, you can be mad at me but I don’t have time to waste. Just listen to me then you can say anything you want to say.”
When I didn’t respond, she continued urgently.
“Those people I told you were after you, they’re coming very soon. They’re hell bent on finding you and the only reason they haven’t found you yet is because they can’t sense me.
“But this is the time I’ve been waiting for. Adriana, they will kill you if you don’t listen to me. You don’t know anything about your powers and I’m here to help you.
“We have three weeks before the next full moon and within that time, they will find you. They know you’re alive because you’ve shifted for the first time already.
“It’s just a matter of time before they trace your exact location. The fact that they have an issue with Elijah makes things even easier for them to come here and kill you.
“You are the one that will save yourself and this pack.”
Out of everything she said, only one thing seemed to stick.
“Why am I the one that will save this pack?”
“You have a very important role here, Addy.”
There she was with her cryptic parables again. I wasn’t even ready to deal with this so I just moved on.
“So what’s going to happen right now?”
“I’ll teach you how to hide my presence from people. I’ll be with you but no one will know. I have to prepare you for what’s to come.”
Well, it’s about time she did something useful. I was beginning to feel like I had a vegetable for a wolf.
“You know I can hear your thoughts right.”
I snorted.
“I know.”
“Go back to sleep. I’ll be there when you wake up.”
I squinted my eyes at her suspiciously.
“Like I haven’t heard that before.”
“I promise, I’ll really be there this time.”
I decided to give her another chance.
“Okay then and please, quit the parables. They’re quite annoying and unnecessary. If you don’t want to say something, don’t bother starting it at all.”
She nodded and smiled.
“Okay then. Go back to sleep.”
I woke up later and Leo was already awake, on the floor playing with his trains as usual. There was a knock on the door and it startled me, maybe because I had just had a dream like that.
It was a maid and she just peeked her head in.
“I wanted to tell you that it’s time for dinner. The Beta is waiting downstairs.”
I nodded at her and she closed the door quietly.
My dream. So was Yara here now? I tried calling her name in my head but there was no response.
Why wasn’t I surprised? I was used to the disappointment.
“Ready for dinner?” I asked Leo.
“And ice cream?” He added hopefully.
I got off the bed, carrying him from the ground and making him stand.
“Not a chance. You had ice cream already.”
“But I didn’t finish everything. I ate only one scoop,” he signed.
That was true but I didn’t know how I felt about giving him ice cream at night.
“I’ll think about it though.”
He was still trying to convince me when we got downstairs.
Hazel was rolling her eyes at something Aiden said and I wasn’t even surprised. That was how they always were.
“About time. We thought the little Alpha would keep us starving forever.”
Hazel started to tickle him and I quickly removed the lid on his plate.
“It’s your favorite, pasta.”
He didn’t waste another minute as he dug in and I couldn’t help but stare at him as he struggled to fit a full spoon into his mouth.
“You know he’s not the food right?” Aiden teased me.
I shook my head at him and started to eat too. Hazel’s words played in my mind again.
He truly was the little Alpha and he was going to take over from Elijah later on.
He deserved it.
“Leo, I’ve been learning signing too. See.”
We looked at Aiden as he signed “I’m a fat pig.”
Hazel, Leo and I laughed loudly as Aiden was so confused.
“Why? What’s funny? Didn’t I get it right?”
I cleared my throat.
“What do you think you signed?”
“I’m a good boy. That’s what Hazel told me it was.”
No wonder. I looked at her and she shrugged, enjoying the shame that she had brought to him.
“Don’t tell me that’s not what it means.”
I shook my head.
“Not even close. You said you were a fat pig.”
Before he could say anything, Hazel placed her hands over her ears.
And since I knew that Aiden was going to curse, I covered Leo’s ears.
And he did curse at her. Badly.
“Now you know better than to ask me to help you with things like that. No one taught me how to sign. Why should I teach you?”
They ended up going back and forth about times when they helped each other and I could see the chemistry between them.
I wished things were really easy for Elijah and me. I wonder how he’s doing where he is. Does he miss home?
I really hope he comes back soon.
These people were my family now. I would protect them.