Chapter 3

*Poppy*

I stood at the sink, washing the dishes after breakfast, looking out the window for my swift, agile little girl. She moved incredibly fast for a girl of almost five, rivaling an eight-year-old's strength.

My pride and joy just flashed past my window like lightning bolts, and all I noticed was her blonde hair floating in the wind.

"Gem, please don't run so fast. And don't get too far away," I lectured my naughty daughter, laughing as I heard her groan in exasperation.

"But I'm training to outdo Trevor in the upcoming races." Gemma climbed onto the bench by the kitchen window and stuck out her sweet, chubby, wind-red face, piercing me with her big, intense blue eyes.

"Honey, Trevor is ten years old and Alpha's son." I reminded her, leaning down to look at her through the glass. "Besides, no one will allow you to compete in senior events. Your age group is not yet allowed to compete in official ranking events, and from what Ms. Coltrane told me, you have been suspended from the event. Perhaps you would like to tell me something about that? Honey?" I smiled mischievously, knowing full well why my daughter had been left out of the event.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm assigned to the team that gives water to the players." Gemma quickly denied in a squeaky voice and avoided my eyes.

"I have to go to the training grounds because Trevor will show me how to run faster. I have to go now. Bye. I love you, Mommy." Gemma lied, quickly moving her little legs and running towards the school grounds.

I laughed at her attempts to deceive me. I had known for a week that she had been suspended for not listening to her teacher. I was waiting for her to tell me about it herself. I hope she didn't inherit her father's lying ways.

'NO. Her shame and desire to impress you keep her from revealing the truth.' Iris replied, laughing in my head.

"I hope so." I sighed, praying that she hadn't inherited anything besides her blue eyes and dimples from her father.

'We teach her to be brave, just, loving, and, above all, truthful. We won't let her become her father for even a second.' Iris growled, furious and ready to tear Gemma's father apart.

That's what he became—the father of our daughter. Not a former Alpha nor a former husband or mate. We don't even call him by name. For us, this man was no longer anything other than a genetic code, giving us our precious little gem.

That's why we call her Gemma instead of Justice. We have used her middle name for a long time, and Justice is known only to a few. And only a few know where these names come from. I will obtain justice for her because she is a gem to me.

I finished washing up and put the dishes in the cupboard before I started working. I have always loved handicrafts, and one of them turned out to be making jewelry. Although it is not a full-time job and the money is not great, it allows me to survive and develop my passion and the small business that I started, thanks to the support of Arthur and his wife, Daliah.

It was thanks to them, distant relatives from Tanner's mother's side, that I was able to get back on my feet and heal my broken heart. They welcomed me into their home with open arms and convinced their Alpha to register me in their pack under a false name. I didn't want Seamus to find me; I especially didn't want these good people to suffer on my behalf.

I have been featured in the Autumn Pack for five years as Penelope Hopkins. Poppy for short. A distant cousin from the West Coast who switched packs due to her mate‘s death. Although I know that if Seamus wanted to find me, nothing would have stopped him; after all, someone showing up out of the blue a few days after my disappearance from the Larch Grove Pack was suspicious, and any self-respecting Alpha would have sent out a message to all the packs.

My missing person report was never entered into the records, and my new Alpha never once received any request to help find me. This only reinforced my belief that I was dead to Seamus. It's just a pity that he didn't kill our bond like he should have.

'It's starting again.' Iris moaned and blocked herself as a slight spasm went through my lower abdomen.

I put everything down and clasped my hands on the table, resting my head on my fists, breathing through the throbbing contractions. They weren't as strong as in the past, but they resembled those intense menstrual pains.

"Hang in there, Iris. We'll be over this soon." I promised, breathing deeply, knowing exactly how Iris felt this pain.

Not only does she fully feel Ezra's, her soulmate‘s promiscuity, but she has also learned to take mine, or at least most of it. My Iris is a true warrior, silently suffering pain unimaginable to anyone.

"Poppy, I brought you some preserves. I made too much again, which doesn't fit in the pantry. Where can I put them?" Daliah's voice reached me from the entrance.

"Oh, Dear Moon Goddess, that good-for-nothing wolf again." Daliah quickly set the basket of preserves on the counter and walked over to me, rubbing my back.

"Where's your suppressant? You still have it, right?" She asked, concerned, uncovering the hair from my face.

"A few. Cabinet above the fridge." I instructed her and focused on biting my lip.

This bastard can't even survive a day without sex. That's why I‘m surprised I haven't become addicted to these pills over the years. These are potent suppressants that not only relieve pain but also affect Iris. Hence, she decided to focus on relieving my pain so as not to take too many medications.

"Only five left?" Daliah fumed as she opened the bottle, "We have to do something about this, Poppy. At this rate, your heart will fail, or Iris will go crazy." She gave me half a pill and a glass of water.

I refused, but her stubbornness knew no limits, and I had to swallow the pill, praying that Iris wouldn't feel the effects so drastically.

"Now it's time for a nap, and I'll make dinner and watch our little Gemma." She grabbed my arm and led me to the bedroom.

I protested, but the pill had a rapid effect, and I started feeling sleepy after just a few moments. The pain disappeared completely, although the Iris blockade between us did not budge for a second.

"Where's our little blonde cutie?" Daliah asked, covering me with a blanket.

"Trevor." I managed to answer before I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

The smell of citrus fruits and the freshness of laundry mixed with chocolate cookies awakened me. Or, more precisely, the gentle poking of chubby fingers on my cheek and the melodic giggling of my daughter.

"You took a bath." I noticed before I opened my eyes.

"Hmm." Gemma confirmed, "And I had dinner. Now it's your turn, Mommy." She added and started to get off the bed, taking my blanket with her.

"And since when do we eat chocolate for dinner, young miss?" I asked, opening my eyes and quickly sitting on the bed to avoid missing her.

Gemma stopped walking. She stood in her favorite blue pajamas, her hair braided and a blanket in her hand, her back to me.

"Iris has a great sense of smell and even picks up raisins and nuts. You ate at least two cookies from the secret jar." I exposed her, and she gasped, let go of the blanket, and quickly ran away from my bedroom towards the kitchen.

"Grandma, she knows," Gemma exclaimed, making Iris and I laugh.

'Well, now you know who helped her.' Iris stretched and yawned in amusement.

"Time for a confrontation, then," I admitted, standing up slightly unsteadily. 'And how do you feel?' I asked her using our mind link.

'I've learned to bear it. Fortunately, the bastard doesn't last longer than thirty minutes. For some time now, his close-ups have been getting shorter and shorter. I don't know what to think, but I'm grateful. I didn't have to suffer for so long.' She admitted with a bit of tiredness in her voice.

'We‘ll end this soon, Iris. We will be free soon. I promise you this.' I confessed, slowly heading towards the kitchen, where, apart from the smell of my daughter, Daliah, and Arthur, I also noticed the mushroom casserole and a slightly nervous atmosphere.

"It smells beautiful. I'll forgive the chocolate as long as I can eat two plates of casserole." I confessed with a smile, trying to read the atmosphere.

Gemma was still hiding behind Daliah, peeking around her legs, her face covered in chocolate. Daliah stood tall at the table, dishing up the casserole with a slightly nervous laugh, and Arthur sat at the table, facing me, his eyes darting toward the table spot.

"What's going on?" I asked, suddenly nervous, "Did Gemma do something?" I added, looking at my naughty daughter, shaking her head as she put another piece of chocolate cake into her mouth.

"Sit down, honey. Gemma didn't do anything. But something happened, it's true." Arthur pushed back his chair and nodded at the table, where next to the place set for me was a thick, scarlet envelope with the royal seal.

My legs gave way under me, and my heart jumped. I had to grab a chair to avoid falling to the floor in panic. The answer came. I didn't expect it so early. It's only been seven days. I swallowed as I looked at my real full name written in black ink. I sat up and ran my trembling hand over the seal. I've heard rumors that bad news is delivered in scarlet envelopes. Was this what was supposed to happen to me? Have I just been denied a right explicitly designed for people like me?

"Refused." I stuttered out, more of a statement than a question.

"I don't know. You have to open it." Arthur replied, his voice equally stressed, and I looked at him.

His eyes were sad but full of hope, and his shy smile gave me courage. Arthur never liked guesses; he only accepted facts and said you will know them once you check them out. Then I glanced at Daliah, who had Gemma snuggling into her neck, nodding off. She also gave me a shy smile and stroked Gemma's head.

I looked at my unaware daughter and closed my eyes for a moment—for Justice, for my precious daughter. Iris and I repeated this, and in one move, I broke the seal on the envelope that was about to change my life completely.