Chapter 181
I blink at her.
She blinks at me.
And then I turn to Laura.
“Oh dear, Violet honey.”
Laura scoops Violet in her arms much to Violet’s protest as those chubby hands make grabby gestures at me. She’s whining, fussing in Laura’s hold when I find new profound confidence inside me. Shakily, I stand and reach my arms out to the child. She immediately halts her fussing, big eyes blinking and starts leaning into my arms when she sees them extended her way. The sour look on her face wiped clean and in place a look of content.
Laura doesn’t miss the change of expression and takes it in kind.
“My niece Violet really seems to like you. She usually doesn’t take to strangers.”
Laura says, easing the toddler into my arms.
Violet’s small body radiates with warmth. The softness of her little form a comforting, nostalgic feel when she clings onto my neck. Her little head settling at the crook of my shoulders. The feel of her silky hair tucked between my neck and shoulder makes me freeze in slight concern. This was the first time I held a child since then. I didn’t have the courage to do so before.
“Shall we? The men must be antsy waiting for us. Hopefully no one broke anything yet.”
Violet tightened her hold around my neck, nuzzling her little face into my hair. It took all I had not to think about how Lila used to do the same. The feeling of a child pressed up to me was almost too unusual after everything that happened. The trauma of the last time I held a child and what followed still fresh in my memory.
A wound that was so deep it couldn’t even scar.
Laura and I walked down the stairs side by side, loud murmurs of conversation and
After Breaking The Mark: His Desperate Chase
Chapter 181
bustling sounding from where we were. I could hear Weston arguing with Emerson, Isaac cutting in a few times to ease the the tension but overall was sure the argument wasn’t anything alarming. After hearing the words “Ironman is better“, I was sure it wasn’t anything life threatening.
We walked into the living room, Stefan and Raizel talking in the corner of the room while the other three was huddled in the center. Xavier crawling on the floor looks up when he senses us and starts going my way when he sees Violet in my arms. ‘He’s still looking up at me, grabbing onto my legs that he uses as leverage until he’s unsteadily standing up. Those
uffy cheeks puff when he starts bouncing on his feet.
“Up. Up.”
Violet pulls from my neck and stares down at Xavier in scrutiny,
“No.”
It’s that one word that catches everyones attention. Emerson is the first to respond.
“D–did Violet just talk?”
Isaac goes next.
“Holy shit your neck-”
Then goes Weston,
“Awww, look at how cute they are. Alpha, Alpha! Take a picture. You know you want to.”
I drift my gaze to Raizel and he openly stares. His father looked at him strangely, noticing the shift in his mood. Raizel’s eyebrows scrunched together like he was seeing a confusing puzzle at hand. His firm body tight and upright. He slowly walks over to me, blinking as he stares down at the dress. The look of pure disbelief laced in his expression,
“That dress-”
He mumbled, trailing off at the end. He looked so shell shocked. The words he wanted to say escaping him as he stared. I could feel his wolf’s excitement reach me but from the look on his face he looked utterly confused. Laura who hadn’t really noticed the grave look on Raizel’s face gushes in glee,
Desperate Chase
Chapter 181
D
“Oh, that old thing. It was a gift from your grandmother. She wanted me to pass it on to my daughter as an heirloom, but seeing as you would never wear it I gave it to Selene-”
“No,”
Raizel shakes his head, his hands lightly gripping my arms. Violet who’d been peacefully cocooning herself into my chest makes a face at Raizel. She grabs onto the neckline of the dress, small fingers curling into the fabric tightly. His expression and tenseness setting her
off with alarm,
“That dress, I- I’ve seen it before.”
He swallows thickly, eyes searching mine with determination overpowering everything else in his eyes. There’s a mixture of emotions flooding out of him. Panic. Confusion. Intrigue.
Hope.
Glimmering, thick hope.
“Rome, have you been going through my closet? I hadn’t taken it out since I was pregnant with you-”
“The vision.”
He cuts her off sharply, not looking at his mother. It’s like something triggered the change in the air. I feel everyone tense aside from Isaac, the kids and I.
“The vision with the witches. I saw it then. The silhouette I was chasing after”
his gaze falls to the pure white fabric draped over me. Lifting one hand, he holds the strip of apparel in between his fingers. A look of astonishment written on his face.
“-she was wearing it.
“1
Raizel’s eyes never left mine.
The heated fix set deep in his expression never wavering from the evident confusion he felt.
I didn’t understand why he looked at me like that. Why it seemed like he couldn’t believe I was standing there or why he stared after the dress like it was some magical thing balancing on a thin beam of needing to be destroyed or worshipped. That alone set me on edge.
After Breaking The Mark: His Desperate Chase
Chapter 182
