Chapter Ten

With a heart full of hope, the Alpha walked into his cabin, hoping that his mate would not object to his absence. Monica was flipping through a magazine on their couch, with baby Helena in a pink bassinette beside her.

“Your friend Julia has not been playing nice,” Raul stated, sauntering towards his living room. “I ought to punish her somehow.”

“Punish? Julia?” Monica’s usually sweet voice went up an octave, her eyes widening, as she brought her attention to his face. “Why? What did she do?”

“It’s not what she did. It’s what she didn’t do,” He clarified, his lips curving into a bitter smile, as he drew closer to her. “She knew where Helena has been all this time, and she didn’t tell anyone.”

“Oh, my God!” Monica whispered, raising her hands up to her temples, as she stared at him in disbelief. “Why would she do that?”

“It’s not her fault,” Raul shook his head sideways, surprised that Julia hadn’t even confided in her friend, as he seated himself next to her. “Helena made her promise not to tell anyone. She’s in Jamaica.”

“J-Jamaica?” Monica stuttered, sliding her right hand down her face. “Please, tell me you’re not joking.”

“Why should I?” He shrugged his shoulders, leaning closer to her.

“This is fantastic!” She exclaimed as a glorious smile burst out upon her lips. “I’ve always wanted to visit the tropics.”

Her words shocked him to his very core. Incredibly enough, the love of his life, the nature enthusiast, the wolf lover, was thrilled by the idea of flying to Jamaica. However, the idea of a long flight to the Caribbean with their infant daughter did not go down well with him.

“Are you sure?” Raul asked as his voice softened and he reached out his hand to her wrist. “I mean, little Helena is going to be a handful in the flight over.”

“It won’t be as difficult as you might think,” Monica said, her tone of voice sweet, as he wrapped his fingers around her hand. “The flight isn’t that long. Plus, think about how happy Helena will be to see her. Come on; we’ve never really had a honeymoon. What would be better than a few days in the Caribbean?”

Her persistence and the sweetness that was written all over her face – the same expression that had made him fall in love with her in the first place – proved too much for him to resist. As usual, Monica was right in everything. Before she could even complete her last sentence, he had started picturing the moment when the witch would take his baby daughter in her embrace.

“Ok,” Raul sighed, as the corners of his lips quirked up into a smile. “Let’s do it.”

“Yes!” Monica cheered, her eyes sparkling with excitement, as she threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“Thank you for being born,” he whispered, losing himself in her big, hazel eyes, as he tilted his head down. It was at that moment that he discovered the most important reason for his decision. That blissful look: that smile that graced her face; those quivering lips that sent chills rippling across his skin. There was no better mix than the one of happiness and beauty, and the Alpha was once again witness to it. Sadly though, a faint noise, along with a barely audible cry, forced him to tear his gaze away from her, to look down at the bassinette. Baby Helena was squirming, holding her tiny arms up.

“I’m such an idiot,” Monica groaned, whirling her head around. “I should have kept my voice down. She needs her sleep.”

“Give her to me,” Raul urged, this time not at all annoyed by the interruption. Peace was flowing through his veins, as if his doctor had somehow injected it into him, just by staring at him. “I need to have a word with her.”

“Come here, my little cupcake,” she spoke in a mellow, motherly tone, picking her up by sliding her left hand under her head, and the right one under her bottom and her hips. Monica turned around as Raul held out his hands. Gently, she placed their daughter into her father’s arms. Raul’s heart fluttered, as his fingertips made contact with the fabric of her pink romper. Gazing into baby Helena’s almond-shaped, bluish eyes, he splayed his fingers, as he lifted her to his chest. Then, he slid his left hand along her back. The infant’s head and neck slid along his forearm, and made their way into the crook of his arm and elbow.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he murmured and smiled, his baritone dropping to a soft, loving whisper. “I have news for you. We’re going on a trip. That’s right. We’re going to take you to meet Aunt Helena. You’re going to love her. Don’t let those red eyes spook you. She’s a great woman. Loving, thoughtful, caring… that’s why we named you after her.”

“I just hope she agrees to fly back to New York with us,” Monica heaved a long, deep sigh, leaning her right shoulder against the couch. “I’ve missed her; the other girls have missed her as well.”

“So have I,” Raul confessed while removing his hand from the baby’s back, in order to bring it up to Monica’s face. “But, I have no illusions; chances are she won’t.”

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree,” she murmured, tucking her legs under her. “I mean, if she wanted to be here, she would be.”

“It’s not a matter of will, doc,” he declared, tracing his index finger down baby Helena’s cheek. The heaviness in her blinking told him that she was just seconds away from falling back asleep. “She needed to get away from things around here.”

“Personally, I wouldn’t do that,” Monica claimed, as her mate handed their daughter back to her. “I would seek help. The best psychologist in the world doesn’t compare to the support you would get from your loved ones. I understand she has been scarred, both physically and psychologically; but, she shouldn’t have abandoned us like that.”

“Why don’t you save that little speech for when we meet her?” Raul suggested, with a gentle smile on his face, as Monica set their daughter back down into her bassinette. “Call Julia and ask her to give you Helena’s address. I’ll call the airport.”

At that, Raul arose to his impressive, 6’4” stature, as a sense of anticipation engulfed him. At last, he would get to see his beloved witch again; and, despite his initial objections, he would be accompanied by his family. Instinctively, he began to think about Helena’s reaction upon meeting with her namesake. He had a very good idea about what it would be like. After all this time, she was bound to get just as emotional as he and Monica. Still, Raul preferred to push that thought out of his mind. He knew that, no matter how well he pictured this, it would be a thousand times less powerful than their actual encounter.