CHAPTER 004
CHAPTER 004
Emilia Susannah Caine. He liked the name. Emilia is after a childhood friend he lost to cancer, and Susannah is after her mother.
He finally managed to take her home, returning shortly after the full moon to collect her from the hospital.
Mrs Grace was doing an outstanding job managing her.
Gabriel gradually saw less crying from his daughter, but something told him this would only be one source of worry for their future relationship.
Emilia was much like any newborn; all she did was eat, sleep, poop and cry and took each task seriously. Emilia even appreciated all that being an infant involved!
After her donor gave up milk for donation purposes, Gabriel and Rebecca supplemented it with formula to provide enough nourishment. She fed on bottle after bottle of donor's milk that couldn't sustain her, and even then, they supplemented it with formula to stay alive during daytime nap times and whenever no noise made an impression in the house during these periods. When Gabriel first changed her diaper, he was mortified after calling in his doctor-did baby poop have to look green?!
The doctor said everything was normal. Her smelly diapers became an obsession for him—his werewolf smell could pick out their scent from half a mile away! Additionally, they could tell when it was time for another change without even checking her diaper first!
Emilia had an odd concept of time: sleeping during the day while terrorising them at night. They didn't sleep one wink for her first two nights at their new house!
No matter what he did or tri, despite all his best efforts, ed he just couldn't get Grace to sleep through the nig.s; Grace already had enough on her plate during the d, and she wasn't ain-houses employee!
One factor that led to his considering hiring a nanny was this.
Grace had become too old to care for a newborn infant.
Grace had proposed adopting Ms Wyatt because she believed she could benefit from such an arrangement, given that she had already donated milk. Gabriel initially expressed reservations but ultimately honoured Grace's request and extended an offer.
Loretta Wyatt was an e. There wasn't much information he could find online about her; no social media accounts existed. He ran through the city database, and his information returned with grainy pictures from her driver's license. At 22, she looked young yet mysterious, with dark locks and large hazel eyes, but something dark seemed to lurk under the surface, too.
Gabriel could see from her information that she did not appear to have any criminal past, yet something about her made Gabriel suspect there may have been more to her life than what was presented here. Given that she had been pregnant despite miscarrying it and even having lost that child, Gabriel knew there must have been either family or an intimate partner somewhere around for her.
He asked his lawyer to draft an agreement that anyone could easily accept, then drove over to Jay's diner, where she worked, to present it to her.
He could clearly see her working from his car in the parking lot. Her petite frames seemed unrecognisable from when she had given birth two weeks prior, yet as they watched, she moved gracefully with no expression on her face. Intelligent and quick-witted, yet with eyes that showed signs of despair, this woman hadn't given up hope.
He was very intrigued with her. Very curious indeed.
Slowly, he made his way out of his car and towards the diner where she waited.
As he approached, he caught a whiff of her scent. It was particularly intriguing. It smelled of herbs with blood-like overtones and subtle lavender undertones.
He looked back at her again; she wasn't showing signs of bleeding anywhere - except on her period! Being a werewolf could sometimes prove challenging - it meant being able to detect sickness in someone's body, blood in someone else's veins and emotions through taste on his tongue - just among many other senses!
He found it much simpler for himself to determine whether someone was a werewolf than it would be for someone less powerful to detect. However, even this wasn't impossible, mainly because he was considered an Alpha.
His exceptional senses, particularly his keen sense of smell, proved both valuable and troubling to him.
"Ms Wyatt are you Ms Wyatt?"
"Grace calls her Lori," he decided instead of using her full name as Grace had named her in his mind.
"Yes," She replied without pausing or looking back.
Are we allowed to meet for conversation at some location?" "Can we meet to chat?"
Gabriel was instantly stunned when she turned her gaze towards him; Gabriel felt an unseen force had created an invisible connection between himself and this woman before him.
He swallowed uncomfortably as he observed the woman before him.
Mate. She was his mate.
As he looked into her eyes again, there was no recognition in them. Being human would mean not feeling that pull of mating; thus, it might take weeks, months, or even years before she realised who it was for herself before ever knowing. She must first fall deeply in love with him before realising she knew.
Gabriel was left confused as he returned to his car, following her instructions to wait until the end of the shift for her arrival. Many questions ran through his mind, such as, Why me and Why her? He found himself lost in thought as they continued walking towards each other's vehicles—why her and me?
Since he was a young wolf, he often wondered what kind of partner would come along; in his mind, this always meant another werewolf being his match—because that was precisely who his mate should have been!
The moon goddess often worked mysteriously and created complex situations such as this, making her tricky for us all.
He was very of the most substantiaheack, and he would never comprehend his Luna being wn in any way!
Nothing made any sense whatsoever.
He would keep this information to himself for now - at least until he knew how best to deal with it.
Moments later, she emerged from the diner wearing an elegant red dress and boots. Her loose locks were free from their ponytail, and she looked considerably prettier without her uniform.
He got out of his car and headed toward her door; as soon as he did, she showed surprise, yet she kept silent about anything wrong with him or opening any other doors that day.
His senses swarmed with images of her, now more distinctly intoxicated with a lavender scent that must have come from some perfume she had applied herself.
It would be difficult for him, however. If she were Emilia's nanny, he would have to remain far removed from her. However, denying his feelings toward her could become increasingly challenging if their mating bond strengthened further.
Lori had never come close to seeing such an amount in her lifetime - let alone possess it herself - yet this man offered it so generously that his daughter's caretaker would remain happy and secure. Lori found this unbelievable.
He could have chosen someone else - anyone better, instead of choosing Grace.
He decided she was his true love and chose her over him.
Maybe if they had known more of her history, they wouldn't have been so welcoming, or if they had known what she had done, they wouldn't have offered any help at all.
She dropped the contract onto her coffee table before picking up the phone again to call Fullers' home number - as always, it went directly to voicemail.
No one was answering her calls.
Lori felt it was finally time to confront them. Although she hadn't visited their house yet, she knew their address from seeing it written down somewhere, and the Fullers had always been highly formal with her, never inviting her over themselves.
Now is the right time.
She thought to herself as she entered her tiny room and chose faded black jeans and an oversized grey T-shirt from among the many that lined its walls after switching out her boots for flat shoes and washing her face before departing.
Fullers lived approximately twenty minutes from her in a different part of town.
She could still remember the first day she met Mrs Anne Fuller; that day was also when Mrs Anne Fuller discovered she was pregnant. Thinking she had stomach flu due to her inability to keep food down, Mrs Anne went into hospital thinking something must have happened and discovered three months pregnant! Due to irregular periods and ongoing bloody periods, she thought perhaps something wasn't right and wasn't pregnant at first.
At first, she considered an abortion as soon as she knew about it, but unfortunately, the thought alone of going through with one scared her.
Lori had received an adoption pamphlet from a nurse. She accepted it without question before walking out of her hospital room and down a corridor, where she encountered another thin woman, helping to retrieve and collect it before introducing herself and introducing herself.
Anne Fuller offered Lori a ride home, though Lori couldn't quite understand why she was so friendly towards her. When the two arrived at a fast food restaurant, the woman stopped by, asked Lori what she wanted for lunch (Lori was reluctant but felt hungry), and offered anything from fast food. While eating, Anne Fuller asked Lori if she were pregnant or considering adoption; when Lori nodded yes, Anne told the tale of how they've been trying for 10 years to have children without success! Anne Fuller then related her life story wherein Anne Fuller shared about herself: Anne told their life story of trying for 10 years unsuccessfully trying with no success while having nothing but patience by marrying him after having three children who had failed them both financially before handing over control to Anne Fuller to bear children from whom Anne Fuller.
She stated openly and instantly that she desired to adopt Lori's baby; Lori was unaware of all this sudden drama unfolding before her eyes.
At first, Lori was doubtful. Then, after researching, she saw just how many children were waiting to be adopted in her city alone. Lori herself had experienced how complex the system could be, yet she still knew exactly how significant her involvement could be in helping these vulnerable kids find homes.
Mrs Fuller became more insistent, offering to bring Lori food, calling daily to check in, and driving to doctor appointments; after three weeks, she gave in, knowing these people were good people who would care for their baby safely.
Within one week, a contract was created; Lori signed it, relinquishing her rights as a mother upon giving birth. According to The Fullers' agreement, she would no longer contact with or disclose she was his birth mother.
Lori had agreed with everything her daughter said and did for their child's best interest until inevitable tragedy befell the family, and she felt powerless over his fate.
Taxis stopped in front of Fuller's residence—an elegant white home with picket fencing, the kind you might imagine raising children in. The lawn had been beautifully maintained, and the lights illuminated, signalling to him that homecoming had arrived for his new tenants—the Fullers were home!