Page 31 of Reclaiming His Lost Mate
“It is done,” Lyvia said, and from the corner of my eye, I saw her retrieve a small rag to wipe our blood off the ceremonial knife. “I will leave you two to it now,” she finished, but I could barely acknowledge her when I was still staring into Alexis’s eyes, which were returning to their electric shade.
My heart thrummed with his promise, a reminder of the length Alexis had gone to prove his intentions to me and our child, and for the first time since he found us, I could say I had gained some clarity.
“So, what now?” I breathed out like someone who had just run a marathon up and down a steep mountain, and Alexis responded in the same breathless tone.
“Now, I hope you will let me show you how much I have changed and am no longer the twenty-five-year-old who was scared to repeat history because of his parent’s failure. Let me show you, Selina,” he murmured lowly, a bloody, calloused palm rising to stroke my cheek gently as he called my name like it was some delicate flower, “that what I feel for you is beyond supernatural or a just tug. That I will be a good mate to you, and a good father to our daughter,” he said, whispering the last part out as Mia emerged from the back of the store around the same time.
I melted into Alexis’s touch and his words, my body igniting with a ferocious heat upon contact. Although I had tried to guard my heart, his presence stirred something within me, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could ignore this feeling—or how much I truly wanted to.
Chapter 14
Selina
As I tucked Mia into bed, the warm scent of milk and the faint undertone of lavender wafted through the cabin, a comforting blend that usually calmed my nerves. Tonight, however, emotions wrestled for dominance in my chest, twisting and knotting painfully with each breath. Mia had fallen asleep mid-way through our story, exhausted from an afternoon of laughter and play-fighting with Alexis behind my shop.
Over the last week, since Alexis had sworn the blood oath, he’d slipped into our lives effortlessly. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, he took Mia to school and picked her up; with the mild weather we’d been having, they spent most afternoons in the garden behind the shop.
I couldn’t help but smile as Mia led Alexis on her favorite treasure hunt for “magical herbs.” The next moment, she’d pretend to be a spell-casting witch like Lyv while Alexis took on the role of the ruthless Alpha Reginald. As Alexis chased her around the garden, I marveled at how easily he connected with her—his laughterintertwined with hers as they created tales of enchanted kingdoms and brave warriors and a vivid picture of what could be.
I pulled the covers up around Mia, tucking her in. She shifted slightly, murmuring in her sleep, "Alexis… Daddy..." The world as I knew it splintered, flinging shards of anxiety through my chest. The statement felt prophetic. Wasn’t that exactly what Alexis was striving to do—to prove he could be Mia’s father? But could I really trust him, or was I courting disaster with every passing day?
Feeling the weight of anxiety pressing down on me, I quickly drew the door to Mia's room shut and grabbed my phone, dialing Lyvia—the person whose advice I could always count on. The phone rang twice before she picked up.
"Hey Selina, everything all right?" Her warm tone wrapped around me.
"Lyv, I'm fine, just... unsure," I said, feeling silly to be freaking out over Mia's sleep-talking. A heartbeat of silence stretched between us as I sensed her processing my tangled emotions. "Right, I'll be over in a few," she said, her straightforwardness wrapping around me like a much-needed embrace.
Lyvia lived in the magnificent six-story house built into the cliff, which I’d stayed in when I’d first arrived in Matsuna. It was over on the other side of town, and to this day, I don't know how she managed to get from the cliffside house to my log cabin so quickly. I imagined her soaring through the starlit sky on a broomstick, weaving amidst the silver-laden trees, gliding effortlessly down into my little valley.
Not five minutes later, there was a soft knock at the door. I wandered to the door, cracking it open, and there she stood, her enigmatic aura disguised by the thick parka jacket.
My friend didn’t carry a broomstick but a tub of ice cream. "Let's get chip-faced," she said with a smile.
I grinned, something easing in me, and I couldn't help but smile in return as I retrieved the spoons. We settled on the couch, our familiar space, and she curled her legs beneath her like a contented kitten.
After a few comforting mouthfuls of chocolate-chip-laced ice cream, I confided, "When Mia fell asleep tonight, she spoke in her sleep. She called Alexis’s name, then called him…Daddy.”
"It's natural. She's been spending a lot of time with him lately," Lyv said objectively.
I dug into the ice cream, feeling uncertain. Could it hurt to lessen the time Mia spent with Alexis? Trying to suppress that idea, my chest tightened further. It was impossible to ignore the happiness shining in Mia's eyes when she was with him—the way they’d giggled and spun stories made my heart ache.
"It's good for her to spend time with him," I affirmed with a determined nod, forcing a smile past the worry gnawing at me. I stared at the tub between us, contemplating my own hesitations. "She’s happy," I added, more to convince myself than anything.
I forced myself to bring logic into the conversation. "The Blood Oath Alexis swore means I know I don’t need to worry about him deciding what’s best for Mia without my say-so,” I continued, using Lyv as a sounding board, “But... what if Mia gets confused or hurt when Alexis goes away again?"
Absorbing my words, Lyvia scooped another spoonful from the tub, her expression thoughtful. “Perhaps. But lots of parents don’t live together and raise well-adjusted children.”
I nodded, words tumbling out faster than I could catch them. "I think that it's me I don't trust, you know?"
"You still love him?" Lyv asked.
You could always count on her not to sugarcoat things. That’s why she came armed with ice cream. I shrugged, unease creeping into my stomach. I really wasn’t ready to unpack that question. "I'm still attracted to him," I finally confessed. I was ready to admit that, wasn’t I?
A flash of Alexis, his storm-blue eyes, and his gray shirt and white-washed jeans earlier today came to me. He’d been roughhousing in the garden with Mia, the arms of his gray button-down shirt rolled up, the muscles of his forearms straining, his short dark hair becoming tousled in the breeze.
“Need something cooling?” Lyvia smirked knowingly, offering me the tub as a grin passed between us, breaking the heaviness of our moment.
I chuckled, taking a spoonful, but knowing there wasn’t enough icecream in the world to cool the heat in me that ignited at the mere thought of Alexis.
