I walk outside the house while cradling Ella against my chest. I donât know what happened, but she suddenly started crying and since then she is continuously crying.
Her cries are piercing through my heart.
She is nearly breathless from crying so hard, and I am feeling so helpless because I donât how to comfort her.
James walks to me with a worried look on his face, when he hears Ella relentless cries.
âWhy is she crying?â He rubs her back, trying to calm her down.
âI donât know...â I shake my head, tears welling up in my eyes, âShe was fine then suddenly she started crying and now she is not ready to calm down.â
âGive her to me.â He takes Ella from my arms and settle her against his shoulder and lightly rubs her back while talking softly to her.
Normally, James is the one other than me who can calm her down. However, it seems today even he is unable to stop her cries.
âIs she hurting?â He asks, âMaybe we should take her to the clinic.â
âYeah, maybe we should.â I nod my head.
Abruptly, her cries settle down and turn into quiet whimpers which also eventually stop.
I look at James in confusion as this seems weird. Because, suddenly, an hour ago she had started crying, and just like that she has calmed down and by looking at her it doesnât even seem until a few moments ago she was trying to bring the entire pack down with her cries.
She looking like a perfect angel in her Uncleâs arms.
Jamesâs eyes glaze over as he receives a mindlink.
âThey are here,â He turns to me and informs as he hands Ella to me.
I immediately understand who is he talking about.
Nodding my head, I carry Ella inside to get her ready to meet her grandparents.
âMunchkin, please donât shift when you will meet your grandparents.â I kiss her head as she hides her face in my neck, âBecause they will already be surprised to meet you, and I donât want them to have a heart attack when they will see you turning into an adorable pup in their arms when they will hold you for the first time.â
She has been doing this lately, I think she enjoys shifting into her wolf a lot. Fire and I couldnât be more proud of her. Sometimes I let Fire spend time with her when she turns into her wolf. Fire was beyond happy when Ella instantly recognized her and tried to reach her.
Normally, we donât introduce our wolves to our children until they are two years old. Because they might get afraid to see their parents shifting into an animal. But with Ella, there is no such word as normal. She completely defies everything.
Taking a deep breath, I kiss her both cheeks as I walk into the living room.
Instantly, the chatter stops as everyoneâs attention turns to me and the baby in my arms.
Arthur sniffs the air and his eyes widen in shock, while Julia looks stunned to even react.
Pups have a hint of their parentsâ scent mixed with their own which eventually fades away as they grow older. And by the shock on their faces, it is safe to say that they caught the hint of mine and Donovonâs scent on her.
My lips stretch into a smile, as I turn my baby into my arms so that they can see her face.
âElla meet your Grandpa and Grandma.â I meet their eyes with a smile, âAnd Arthur and Julia, meet your granddaughter Ella.â
But at that exact moment, my daughter decided it will be so nice to let them meet her wolf as well. As she started shifting into her wolf and within seconds I am holding a tiny grey pup. While dumbfounded Arthur is holding an unconscious Julia.
Well, at least the first meeting with them has become a truly memorable one.
Holding Ella, Julia is continuously crying after I have finished telling them how I got my Ella back. They didnât doubt anything, as I was worried they will think that I might have lied to them.
âIf I hadnât seen her shifting before my eyes, I could not have believed it, because it is impossible for such a small child to shift.â He shakes his head while looking at her fondly.
âShe shifts whenever she wants, and sometimes it takes a lot of convincing to make her shift back.â I lightly laugh as once it took me nearly one hour to force her to shift back and today she shifted back in just five minutes.
âThis is not fair...â Julia wipes her tears and suddenly speaks, sounding angry, âThis should have been a happy moment for my children and here they are separated and suffering in their own way.â
âMy son is lost, my grandaughter is away from her father...â She looks at me with sad eyes, âAnd you have to suffer so much, not only pain of losing your mate but even your child.â
âEverything was meant to happen, and we canât change that.â Biting my lip, I shrug, âI have learned to live with what I have, instead of focusing on what I have lost.â My heart twists inside my chest because the pain is still there, and maybe it will always remain there... my perfect life turned upside in a blink of an eye, how can I not feel hurt?
My attention turns to Ella who is now in Arthurâs arms.
âYou are my favorite pup in this whole world.â He kisses her head and I can sense his wolf coming forward because his eyes are flashing.
My heart warms looking at them, because of the love Ella is getting from her grandparents.
Even though she is deprived of her fatherâs love now, but there will never be lacking of love in her life. She will be always be loved and cared for.
âDonovon would have loved her so much.â Julia squeezes my hand as she looks at Ella with sorrow-filled eyes.
âOnly if he would have remembered her.â Swallowing, I push down my emotions as I recall his words.
I know he is under some spell, but this doesnât mean his words caused any less pain to my heart.
Wyatt came a little later than Arthur and Julia and was surprised to meet her. But when he found that Ella can shift, since then he is asking her to shift as Arthur has shown him Ellaâs wolf through mindlink.
âPlease show me your wolf, Ella,â Wyatt begs Ella, but she is looking completely disinterested in his pleas.
Should I remind him that Ella is a baby and canât understand what he is saying?
âElla...please,â He nearly whines, making us laugh looking at his this side as normally he is a lot more serious and reserved.
âShe is shifting.â He excitedly points at Ella as she lays on her playmat and moves her arms and legs.
âNo, Wyatt, she is just stretching herself.â I shake my head in no and I feel bad looking at his dejected face.
Maybe Ella didnât like not being the center of attention, even for a moment, as an angry cry echoes in the room, and a moment later she shifted.
Wyattâs face lights up as a kid in a candy store.
Surely, my pup loves attention. I roll my eyes at her fondly as everyone gathers around her showering her with compliments and praises.
Looking at her, a feeling of longing grips my soul as I notice how much her wolf resembles my Wolfie as they both share the same coat of grey fur.
Wolfie, please, come back to me.