25. Fears

Iwrap my fingers around Dante's hand, holding onto him for support. I know if Annie didn't just come out with the truth instantly, it has to be something big. Oh Goddess, hopefully Charlie isn't sick, anything but that.

Let her be alright.

To Nefeli and me, she is like our own pup. Please don't let me fail her.

"Thanks to Dave's meditation techniques, I was able to focus on where I heard about Charlie's issue," Annie says. "I know who told me about the nose bleeding and the purple eyes."

"Who?" Liam asks.

"Silas," she says. "The co-leader of Sunset Hills pack." She turns to us. "You remember when Liam's brother Finn went on his mission to save this secluded pack? The alpha's son, Benjamin, was a bully, but he was also a victim, abused by his father for many years. We decided to place him in a new pack."

"Right," Liam says. "I was looking for packs to take him in, but after talking to him and realizing how detached he already was, I felt like putting him into a regular pack might have meant the end for him. He was only eighteen, and his father was brutal towards him. I wanted him to have a real chance."

"Sunset Hills is that pack led by a former rogue and a coven leader," I say, trying to recall what I know about that very special pack. "Marcellus is the werewolf's name, I think. Aren't they a pack for outsiders?"

"Yeah, they are. Marcellus comes from a complicated background," Liam says. "He and his twin brother were supposed to lead a pack together, but then there was quite a messy story concerning his mate. It's actually a very sad story. Marcellus is a fantastic young man, very kind and generous. He left his family and pack then."

"And the vampire?" Dante asks.

"Is a pureblooded vampire who was fed up with his elitist coven and built his own."

"Right," Annie interrupts him. "And Silas was the one who told me about it. When we brought Benjamin to him, I chatted for a while with him. Vampires receive their power at age sixteen, and it normally begins with weird bleedings around their sixteenth birthday. Their eyes will turn into a shade of purple then."

None of us say a word, silence engulfing us as the clock continues to tick. "What?" I finally whisper. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

"I did," Annie says. "I remember it clearly now. I was curious because it was my first time talking to a vampire, and Silas was very forthcoming and polite. He is one of the very few vampire allies we have. And I remember he truly appreciated that we respected his and Marcellus's pack. He told me nose bleedings, but also bleeding out of eyes, mouth, and even ears can happen. Not excessively, but it does happen."

"But Nefeli can feel her wolf," I say, my voice trailing off. "Goddess, her father, the one we are looking for, it means he is a vampire!"

Liam furrows his brows deeply. "She is a hybrid," he says. "One of the tests I had the infirmary do on her is actually to see if there are other supernatural ancestors in her lineage. This will verify it, but I'm sure Annalise is right."

"Do we really think her father is out to kill her?" Dave asks. "Maybe he wants to find and abduct her."

"You are right, let's not jump to conclusions." Liam grabs Richie's phone and zooms into the picture again. The man he coincidentally photographed has long hair and is dressed in a long, elegant coat, but other than that, it's hard to see anything. "Ancient vampires like Silas do wear their hair long," he says thoughtfully. "So, this guy could be one too."

"If this man was a good guy," Dante says, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Then he would have protected Candance; he would have saved her from being killed. But instead, she hid from both him and her former alpha. She didn't trust him to protect her."

"Dante is right," Annie mutters. "Candy did everything to make sure Charlie's identity remained hidden. Either she didn't know what he was, or she knew and wanted to keep Charlie away. That said, going by how careful Candy was and how aware, I doubt she didn't know."

"I want to take this issue to Silas. I am already regularly in contact with him to check on Benjamin," Annie says, turning towards Liam. "Liam?"

I can see how torn he is, like every time she suggests something that might put her in danger. But he respects her too much to prevent her from doing what's necessary. Annie knows how to handle difficult political relations. She was born an omega, but so far, she has put everyone in place who looked down on her.

"Take Jun with you," he says.

"I want to come too," I say promptly.

"Of course," Annie agrees.

"Then I will help Stella and our IT team in their search for Imogen," Dante says.

"Oh, the IT team!" Dave beams. "Why don't you ask Dalila for help, the future luna of Emerald Moon?"

My head perks up at the mention of her name. She is indeed one of the future lunas of the twin alphas from Emerald Moon. Our packs are allies, and the young twin alphas are friends with Liam. I've heard that Dalila is an IT genius.

"Good suggestion," Liam says. "I will give Anthony and Henry a call. I trust them and their mates. Dalila might be able to find Imogen even with the little information we have." He furrows his brows. "Jun," he says. "Tell Levi I want him to visit Richie tomorrow and have him make a phantom picture of Imogen. He has no photo of her, but he for sure knows what she looks like. Once he is done, he is to bring the picture to me. I will send it to Dalila."

"Yes, Alpha!" Jun says, instantly leaving the room.

"I will check on Stella's progress," Dante says. "And then see how the investigation on site progresses with our team at the warehouse."

Liam nods his approval.

"It's too late for us to head out to Sunset Hills," Annie says to me. "I will send Silas a message and ask him if we can meet tomorrow."

"I will be ready," I promise her.

Silence engulfs us again as we all think about the worries and tasks ahead. We need to find Imogen, the man in the picture who hired her and her team, and Charlie's father. And…

"I will need to tell Charlie she is a hybrid," I say quietly. "It's another piece of news I have to break to her, and I don't know how."

"I think all you can do is be honest," Dave mutters.

"You are right, and I can't postpone it for too long. I will tell her tomorrow," I say. "After Annie and I return. I want to make sure Dante and I are there to protect her."

"Make sure to tell her about the one hybrid she already knows," Annie says. "Jazz! She knows Jazz and finds her cool. And tell her about Celine and how awesome she is."

Annie is right. Celine is one of our closest friends. She is an alpha of a werewolf pack but at the same time a hybrid and part witch.

"She needs to know that nothing is wrong with her," Dante says. "That hybrid or full werewolf, it doesn't matter."

I nod. "You are right. We need to try to make sure she understands that this is just news. No bad news, nothing horrible, just an answer."

It's late at night when Dante and I return home. I briefly checked in with Charlie, but she was already deeply asleep. Tomorrow she will be allowed back home, and I will need to tell her the truth. Even more important for Annie and me to talk to Silas.

"What a day," I say.

"For real," Dante agrees. "But you know what? Things are moving now, and all thanks to your gut feeling."

"Yours too," I say, smiling a bit when I feel his arms wrapped around me from behind. I lean against his chest, letting the warmth of his embrace engulf me.

"No, Ella, credit where credit is due. You pushed for this to happen, for us to go out and lure out Richie. Your instincts told you that something is off with her and that something is probably going on with her father. You knew we had to act now."

"So, you think I'm right and Charlie's dad is up to no good?"

"I absolutely trust your instinct," he says before he presses a kiss against the back of my head.

His words make my heart beat faster in joy. To this day, I still have trouble fully believing in myself. Nefeli and I have both worked so hard to become the best beta to Annie, the best version for us. Annie was the first person who saw the good in us and the potential. And then Dante came along and just accepted me the way I am.

"How tired are you?" I ask.

I can feel his lips turning into a smirk. "You know sometimes you are just too tired to sleep," he says. "Or you are preoccupied with thoughts so that sleep won't take you along."

"Are you saying you are preoccupied?" I ask. "What are you thinking about?"

"How incredible you look in that dress."

I chuckle softly. I almost forgot I'm still wearing my flashy red piece of glitter. Dante's words pretty much told me we are on the same page here, so I turn around in his embrace and jump into his arms. He has expected my move, easily catching me. One of his hands gropes my ass while the other shoves the dress up.

"Short dresses are clearly approved by me," he says. "More practical than I thought they are."

"Good to hear that." I grin. "But how are you going to get my underwear off?"

"Easy," he says, shoving me against the wall. His hands keep me in place while he moves his head between my legs, using his teeth to tug my panties down. We are both quite athletic, and Dante has a lot of strength, but unfortunately, neither of us is a circus artist, so eventually Dante has to put me down.

We both laugh, and I use the moment to wiggle my panties down and kick them into a corner. I lean against the wall, closing my eyes while Dante kisses my stomach. His lips move further downwards until his head is right between my legs. I spread them further for him to have better access. His hot tongue moves over my lips. He uses his thumbs to pull them apart, plunging his tongue inside me. His thumb moves to my clit, circling it, while he pushes one of the fingers of the other hand inside me as well.

My breath hitches when he continues to finger me while his tongue now teases my clit. "Oh fuck," I moan. "I need you inside me."

Dante smiles, leaving my core and starting his journey back up, kissing his way up to my breasts. It's almost excruciatingly slow. The fucking tease. Before I can complain, he scoots me up again, pressing me against the wall. He fidgets slightly before I see his pants drop down. I bury my fingers in his hair, closing my eyes and feeling how he pushes his dick into me in one go. His head rests between my breasts, and he takes advantage of this position, making sure to suck at my nipples, licking and biting at them, while I can do nothing but just hold onto him.

"Fuck yes," I moan when I feel how he picks up the pace of his thrusts, burying his hard dick deep inside me. One of his hands rests against my ass, massaging my sensitive flesh, while his other hand moves between our bodies again to find my clit. He is completely in charge now, giving me everything I ask for and more.

All these sensations are almost overwhelming me, my walls clenching around his dick. I can feel his cock pulsating inside me, indicating how close he is. My body tenses as my orgasm washes over me, making me tremble and moan his name. Dante fills me with his seed, keeping my body close and leaning us both against the wall while he comes down from his high.

"You are so hot," he says. "Fuck, Ella. My beautiful mate, I love you."

"I love you too," I say with a smile, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

Dante lets me down again, grabbing my hips so I won't stumble. He makes sure I go to the bathroom to get a bath while he cleans up behind us. Half an hour later, Dante joins me in the tub, sitting behind me and pulling me into his arms. The warm water engulfs us. I don't know what it is, but suddenly I feel so vulnerable.

"D," I start. "Do you think I'd be a good mom?"

Dante is silent for a while, clearly surprised by my question. "Where did that come from, Ella?"

"Just answer it, please," I say.

"Ella, you already are a good mother. You are everything to Charlie. This alone is proof of how good of a mother you actually are."

I turn in his arms to look at him carefully. "Do you think you'd be a good dad?"

A hint of pain flashes through his eyes.

"You don't…" I look at him. "Is this the reason you are not pushing for a pup?"

"It is." He looks sad. "Because I already failed once."

"But don't you see it?" I ask him. "How good you are with Charlie? How you were never upset that she pushed you away first? You were patient and understanding. You and Sylvan immediately accepted her as yours, just like that."

"But that's because she is ours," he says. "She is your niece, and with that, she is also our family."

"Exactly." I smile. "If this makes me a mom already, doesn't it make you a dad too? Every child would be incredibly lucky to have you as their father. I know you would be kind and patient and love them unconditionally."

For a long while, Dante doesn't say anything. He just keeps looking at me before his eyes fill with tears. "I'm terrified," he admits.

"I know," I say quietly. "I don't want to push you, but I want you to know I'm ready. Whenever you are, we can try for a baby."

"I want a pup," he says. "I want to have a baby with you."

"Are you sure you are ready?" I ask him.

"No," he says, but he smiles a bit through his tears. "My fear is part of me, but my wish for a family with you is bigger."