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Wolfy182: Well, what’s the worst that can happen? If it doesn’t work out, I will help you find another place in the city and drive you there myself.
Lilac351: You sound just like my best friend.
Wolfy182: I think I’m going to like her.
Lilac351: Ugh! Fine. We can do a trial run, lol.
Wolfy182: Amazing! I really do think this is the right step. I’ll try not to make you regret it.
Lilac351: So how do we do this?
We spend the next hour discussing logistics—how much time I need to pack, how much time he needs to get his house ready and work out who will cover for him. Turns out he is the Alpha of his pack, which throws me for a minute—talk about a mental downward spiral. It doesn't exactly reduce the anxiety of meeting him, but he uses such kind words, and tells me he's more than just the Alpha.
The following weekend, what little Maddie and I have is packed up into a few boxes by the door. We don't have much, anyway, besides my mismatched mugs from the thrift store and a few other items like toys for Maddie, all representing the little life Maddie and I had here in this city. I’m sure he has mugs and such, but I have to give up the apartment, so we are all in at this point. Paige came over to help me sort through everything. She gave me a pep talk every day, because I genuinely considered backing out, but I am taking this chance and hoping Maddie and I aren’t any worse for wear by the end of it. I’m leaving the big furniture behind. Honestly, the only thing I brought was the couch, and I found that on the side of the road, so no loss there; everything else came with the apartment.
After putting Maddie down for an early nap, I wait impatiently on the couch. My hope is to meet my mysterious man on my own first, then introduce Maddie to him. He said it was a bit of a drive to get to me but that he would be here by one o’clock. I keep checking my phone, anxious to finally meet the man who has stolen my attention for the past two weeks. A knock comes at the door, and I know it is finally time to take that chance. Someone must have let him in, because he didn’t call up on the intercom. Standing up on trembling legs, I take a deep breath. I can do this. Whatever happens, this isn’t as terrifying as the night I was rejected; it’ll be okay. I reach the door, place my hand on the doorknob, and take one more fortifying breath. I turn the doorknob and open the door, and there, standing on the other side of the door, is my past.
Eli Vale…my true mate…my daughter’s father. This can’t be real. Staring into those familiar hazel eyes, I am teleported back to when I first saw him and the shame and rejection that came later on. He steps forward and, barely above a whisper, says:
“Quinn.”
Chapter 4 - Quinn
I feel like my world is spinning out of control. How did he find me? This can’t be Wolfy182, can it? Have I been talking to Eli this whole time?
“Quinn…I can’t believe it’s you.” He starts to come into my space, but I back up on instinct. This has to be a nightmare. The man I have slowly grown to like is my true mate. Is that why it was so easy to talk to him? Is that why I felt a pull to talk to him daily? Is Seluna joking with me right now? Because she couldn’t possibly think this is okay. He destroyed me! It took me years to get over his rejection. Truthfully, I’m still not over it. My heart beats rapidly as Eli walks into my apartment, and I slowly back up. He is still the most gorgeous man I have ever seen, which twists in my gut. He is so tall and strong, though not uncommon for shifters, his presence just exudes power. The tattoos on his forearm turn me on more than they should. But those things aren’t what makes me stop. His dirty blonde hair, shaved at the sides and long on top, makes me think of Maddie. Those gorgeous and mesmerizing hazel eyes stare at me like they have for the past two and a half years. Eli pushes his hand through his hair as he looks me over from head to toe. He looks happy to see me, but also surprised, and I can’t blame him. I’m surprised, too, but I’m not happy.
“I thought I lost you forever. I looked for you and asked around to try and find you, but you just disappeared.”
The lump in my throat is making it hard to respond, but I have to; now that he has found us, there's a risk that my old pack could find us, too.
“I disappeared for a reason, Eli. Not that it matters; you rejected me, remember?”
His face falls as I am sure he remembers the night as vividly as I do. From the bedroom where I put Maddie down for her nap, I hear her calling my name. Great, well, this is going to get a heck of a lot more awkward. I turn around and head into the bedroom to grab Maddie from her pack-and-play. She is standing, holding onto the side, jumping up and down a little; I love it when she wakes up happy to face the world. I’m afraid I’m not so ready at the moment. This isn’t how I wanted Eli to figure out he had a daughter; in fact, I was hoping he would never find out. Not because I thought he didn’t deserve to know about her but because if my old pack found out about her, our lives would be at risk! My old Alpha is unhinged, and I don’t know what he would have done if he had found out about her. I need to tell Eli to go. Maybe he won’t figure out Maddie is his…hopefully. Walking back into the open space, I make eye contact with Eli just for a moment, because he looks at my beautiful girl in my arms, waving her penguin around and saying hi. It doesn’t take him long to see what I see every day: the shape of her eyes is his, and her hair is his hair…she didn’t inherit my dark brown hair, but a beautiful dirty blonde like her father’s. He looks at me and then looks at Maddie, stunned into silence. Maddie doesn’t realize what’s happening and is talking to fill the silence.
“Hewlo! This Pengy! Look! Look!”
As if shaking off a daze, Eli turns his stunned expression into a smile and comes closer to her. I don’t think my heart has rested since Eli arrived at my door. My head is starting to pound from the stress of this situation.
“Well, hello, Pengy. Nice to meet you.” Eli takes the little hand of the penguin to shake it. It shouldn’t look sweet, it shouldn’t melt my heart, but it does.
“What’s your name?”
“Maddie.”
Eli swallows roughly as he whispers her name. “Maddie…that’s a beautiful name. My name is Eli.”
I can’t handle this. I need to get Eli to leave, and I need to make a plan. Maybe Paige will let us stay with her until I can find another job in another city.
“Maddie baby, wanna watch a show on my phone while I talk to Eli for a second?”
“Yay!”
I get Maddie set up on the couch to watch her favorite Bluey episode and lead Eli into the kitchen, but before I get a word out, Eli turns to me with fire in his eyes.
“Is she mine?”
A moment ago, I was confident I could convince Eli to leave us and go back to his life, but I think I may have been wrong. I don’t want to lie to him; I mean, I can’t, because she looks so much like him. But he doesn’t understand. I did what I did to protect us. So, lifting my chin, I look him straight in the eyes and say with as much strength as possible what he knows to be true.
