novelraw Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Cherry
Still dazed but obviously feeling flustered about zoning out, my nanny readily agreed. But Fern stomped her feet, point blank, refusing to go to her room. It was only when I suggested they make some chocolate milk and have a tea party with her teddies that she submitted. I also had to agree to her demand that once Bert and I had talked business, I’d let her say goodbye to him.
Once again, I scowled at Bert, annoyed that he’d somehow managed to get Fern to like him in one brief meeting. Thoughts about how impossible it had been to get my daughter to warm to any of my past suitors made me even more angry with him.
Finally, safely coaxed into her room by Lara, and with the door shut, I was left to confront Bert.
Shrugging off my jacket and slipping out of my heels, I padded into the living room. My hands settled on my hips. “You know, it’s rude to barge into someone’s house uninvited.”
He shrugged. “Kinda gave up on ever getting invited after the first five years.”
My face blanched at his retort and the doleful look in his eyes.
The truth was, I hadn’t dared invite Bert or any of my old friends from the pack to visit me. I hadn’t dared to disclose the fact that I had a daughter, knowing they’d be suspicious about who her father was.
And… rightly so.
I hadn’t even told my own dad that he had a granddaughter. Instead, I’d managed to meet him during business trips at fashion shows over the last few years: once in Milan and Paris. He’d tried to persuade me to come back for a Christmas or his birthday a few times over the years, but I’d always told him I was too busy with work. Guilt gnawed at me. Not just because of the little time I’d spent with my dad over the years but because I’d deprived Fern of having a granddad. But the danger the Starsmoon Pack posed was too great a risk. A threat that had now morphed into a very real one, standing in the shape of this man.
Realizing he might be here to take Fern back to Lord Hills, I tried to tread carefully. Perhaps if I appealed to him and our old friendship, there was still a chance he’d keep my secret. “I’m sorry, Bert–” I began.
“Don’t worry,” he interrupted, not meeting my gaze. “I’m only here to ask you to visit Lord Hills on behalf of our future Alpha. Dylan’s going to be named Alpha in a few days’ time. You know every pack member has to swear loyalty to him at his ceremony–”
“I left the pack,” I blurted out.
“Pack rules still apply. Every wolf born into a pack has to swear loyalty to a new Alpha, even if they don’t live within that pack.”
I bit my lip, discomfort at the thought of going back, making me argue. “Don’t you think that’s a little outdated?”
Bert sighed. “I don’t make the rules, Cherry.”
I started to wring my hands. They wanted me to return to Lord Hills after all these years?
I frowned confusedly as I realized Bert could just have called me to tell me this. There must be more to his visit than this. “Why didn’t you just call?”
My friend’s blue gaze fell to the floor, and he shrugged again, not seeming to know what to say. “I guess I thought the news that you were expected to come back… might be better delivered in person… by a friend.”
Relief sluiced through me. Bert wasn’t here on Dylan’s orders or the old Alpha’s to claim Fern as part of their bloodline. They still didn’t know that Fern was Dylan’s daughter. If Bert had known, he wouldn’t just be demanding that I visit Lord Hills.
Caution still trilled in me, but I felt my guard lower as I realized Bert was here for me. My friend had flown out here to have this difficult conversation with me in person rather than over the phone. Warmth stirred through me. It was touching that after all these years and with so little contact, he’d gone out of his way for me.
More than anyone else, Bert knew how torn up I’d been during my year of trying to live with Dylan, trying to make a go of things, and how much it had hurt to leave the pack. He’d been worried about my well-being enough to come all the way here to deliver this news that definitely stirred up all those difficult emotions I’d buried in the past.
Tears prickled behind my eyelids, and I launched myself at him, throwing my arms around him.
With a surprised, “Ooph,” his arms closed around me too. “I’ve missed you,” I croaked.
He breathed me in deeply. “I’ve missed you, Cherry.” The scent of grassland and wooded slopes washed over me as my friend’s scent blanketed me. Warmth fluttered through my chest, and I felt as if a little piece of my childhood had returned to me with my friend.