Chapter six

Sean put on his clothes and picked up the bunny he had got in the woods and then walked. He put on the hood of his hoodie with his head bowed and the bunny tucked in his arms. His senses were on high alert and being a wolf, he could hear ten times better than an average human so he focused his attention on whisperings, wanting to know who to avoid and when to start running. Luckily, he got to their neighborhood without being spotted and nothing said about him other than the human wondering what could be his problem.

He smiled when he saw the person he was looking for and walked up to her. “Hello Milly.”

The little girl turned and on seeing him, she retreated a step back. “My mommy said I should stay away from you.”

Sean smiled, “why, did I do anything?”

“She said you are strange; your entire family is strange and she said that I should stay away from you.”

“Well, you can go back to staying away from me but just give me your attention today, okay?”

The girl glanced around them and then back at him before nodding. “What is it?”

“The thing is, my mom told me that you are looking for your Mr. Whiskers.”

“Yes, your daddy took him.”

“Are you sure. You are six years old, Milly, surely you don’t think my father can jump into your room through your window, or do you?”

“But I saw him…”

“You saw him or you saw someone that looked like him?” he raised an eyebrow.

The girl frowned and he could see that he was getting to her. “But…but…”

“It’s impossible, Milly, you know that. If you ask me, I think you had a dream, a bad one in fact. Your mommy told you to be afraid of us so naturally its understandable if you have a nightmare about your scary neighbor, don’t you think? Look at me, Milly, do I look scary to you?”

The girl looked at him, from his messy hair to his gentle brown eyes, she sighed and shook her head and Sean smiled at that. “No tell me, you have seen my mom, does she look scary?” He asked. Milly pictured Irene’s beautiful face and shook her head again. “Now my dad.” Sean added but he could see the girl was hesitating in answering and he doesn’t blame her. Although Humans are pulled to nightwalkers by their halos but they still can’t resist the fact that there is something dangerous about them. He knows that because he used to feel like that about Nightwalkers. Apart from their dead plant scent, their beauty doesn’t mask the danger that surrounds them. “Well, that’s by the way, look at what I got for you,” he brought out the bunny he has been hiding behind him all along and the girl’s eyes lit up.

“For me?” Milly asked, her hand reaching to take the bunny from him.

“Yes,” Sean replied with a smile. “I went into town today and when I saw him, I almost thought it was Mr. whiskers, don’t you think so too?”

The girl gasped in her happiness, however, right before her hand touched it, she withdrew. “My mommy will not be happy if she knew I took something from you.”

“Hmm, yeah, that’s a problem. But don’t you want him? You can name him Mr. Whiskers and from what my mom told me, Mr. whiskers is missing, your mom will naturally believe it’s him when you show him to her. You don’t think she would know the difference do you? I don’t think she will too because I don’t.”

He could see the joy returning in the girl’s eyes right before she said, “especially if I give him a bath before she comes back.”

“That’s the spirit,” he grinned and the girl finally took the bunny from him. He watched her cuddle up to the little creature with a smile and he just couldn’t stop from thinking about Monica and his pup. They still don’t know the gender but something tells him it would be a male. It’s normal for the Beta to have a son that would take his place but he doesn’t mind if his skips a generation and give him a daughter instead. He would love her nonetheless. “Alright, go in and give him a shower before your mom comes back.”

“Thank you,” Milly said and he nodded. Watching with a sigh as she ran into the building. He glanced around him before looking up at the house and when he saw a particular bright blue eye staring down at him, his heart palpitated in joy and he was running into the house, running past a shocked Milly and only stopped in front of their door. He pushed open the door and there she was, right there by the window, smiling at him.

“Wow,” he said, “you look energized,” he commented, going in and shutting the door behind him.

“Now I understand what he means by being full after feeding. You feel like every part of you is now alive and working,” Aliyah sighed. “I can’t believe I now feed on blood.”

“It’s temporal. It would stop immediately you put to bed, we all know that.”

Aliyah nodded and turned back to the window. “I saw you with that girl,” she chuckled, “you are going to be a great dad.”

“You heard us.”

Aliyah touched her ears, “wolf ears.”

“Not at all. I think Nightwalkers this time,” he said.

Aliyah frowned, “Sean, we hear more than an average human.”

“I know, but considering the distance, you shouldn’t have, unless you are an alpha. But in this case, we know you are currently experiencing the nightwalkers powers so it most certainly be it.”

“It’s not the baby’s powers,” Irene said, coming out of the kitchen. “It’s Aliyah’s.”

Aliyah glanced at Sean with an ‘I told you so look’. “But she doesn’t hear that far before,” Sean said.

“Indeed, but just my blood merging with Edward’s gave me the nightwalker’s immortality, then talk about his mate. Definitely you must have noticed an increase in her speed when Edward had only just marked her.”

Sean thought about it, the day he had seen her in the training arena just after the blood moon and how he had noticed she was faster than usual. “Indeed,” he smiled, “so, she got a little of his sharp hearing?”

“And his immortality if you ask me. Meaning that she would live longer than an average wolf. In fact, she might even live as long as a nightwalker.”

“Whoa, gotta get me a nightwalker,” he said and Aliyah chuckled. “I like that.”

“What?” she turned to him.

“I haven’t seen you smile in a long time. Perhaps being thirsty all along made you cranky.”

“Shut up,” she rolled her eyes but he laughed instead. “I saw him last night,” she sighed and hugged her arm, “it felt real and I guess I woke up with the happiness he gave me in the dream.”

Irene smiled and went to her, hugging her. “Don’t worry, when he is born, you will have all the happiness you need. Trust me.”

Aliyah nodded with a smile. “Where is Rasmus, I haven’t seen him today.”

“Wow, are you asking about him because you have forgiven him?” Sean asked.

“No, I’m asking so that I will know if he has gone off to get instruction to betray us again.”

“Come on Aliyah, surely you don’t think he would ever do that again.”

“I never thought he was going to betray Edward in the first place so pardon me if I refused to trust him again.”

“Aliyah, he has been trying really hard these past days,” Irene said.

“I didn’t ask him too, and besides, he owes it to Edward to protect us.”

“So you believe that he asked him to protect you but not that he forgave him?” Sean raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t doubt that he forgave him but that doesn’t mean that I have. Because of him, Edward is gone, he…” she choked in her tears.

“Alright that’s enough, take your time, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind but don’t just start crying again,” Irene said, holding her hands.

Aliyah nodded, “but seriously, where is he?”

“We are low on cash so he went to the palace to get some gold from Edward’s treasure room.” Sean provided.

“What, but that place is swimming with witches and rogues?”

“Yet he went there because he knew that even though you can’t live in a palace like the princess you are, you deserve a little bit of comfortable life. He is risking his life for you, Aliyah, think about that in your quiet time,” Irene smiled. “Come lie down, you will need your strength.” She started leading her to their room. Aliyah glanced back at Sean and he offered her a smile which she returned softly and followed Irene into the room.