Chapter 2 The Deal
1038 Words
After breakfast, I took Cecilia out to the Garden at the packhouse, intentionally choosing this time when the other kids weren't outside. Since Cecilia was weaker and often needed to rest, the other children had started to shy away from playing with her. As a mother, I felt it was my duty to protect her spirit for the little time she had with us, so I decided not to take her out when the other kids were present.
The other difficult part was that she couldn’t stop telling me about the things she wanted to do with her Daddy, which made me happy to be back at the house.
I spent the entire day with her, and in the afternoon, my best friend Sasha came to visit us. It was always heartwarming to see how much she adored Cecilia, and their laughter always lifted my spirits a little.
While Sasha was with Cecilia, I fulfilled my promise to my daughter, knowing it would be hard. I hadn’t yet shared Cecilia’s sad request with Sasha; instead, I asked her to stay in the room with her while I dealt with something else.
I took a deep breath after stepping out of the room and stood against the door for a few moments, regaining my composure. It took me a while to take the first step.
I knew Liam was in his office at this time. Even though he wasn’t a good partner and father to us, he was a dedicated Alpha of the pack, working tirelessly.
As I walked across the packhouse, I recalled our first meeting. I’ve always loved speed and racing; I learned to drive at a young age, and motorcycles and fast cars were my weaknesses. The late Alpha favoured me and often referred to me as his heir, so my training began early. However, that didn't stop me from spending hours at the speedway.
After I lost my parents, it was challenging to overcome my grief. Sasha understood my passion for racing and bought tickets to the National Racing World Cup to cheer me up a little, and that was the place I met Liam. His dark hair, blue eyes, and impressive physique captivated me, and he looked at me with the same admiration I felt for him.
He wasn’t hesitant at all. He asked me out on a date where he kissed me first.
We hadn’t planned on starting a family yet; it just happened. I became pregnant early, and he was over the moon when I shared the news.
Liam expected our daughter with the same excitement, and he loved and cared for Cecilia when she was a toddler, embodying the perfect father. I believed it was hard for Cecilia to realise that her loving Daddy had abandoned her for another little girl. But she was only a kid, and she hoped she could win back her father's love.
When I reached his office, I knocked and walked in. He was sitting at his desk, focused on his laptop. He glanced at me briefly and sighed.
"Serena, I still have a lot to do, and I want to finish early today," he said, keeping his gaze on the screen.
"I just want to talk to you quickly," I replied.
"Can’t it wait? I’m really too busy," he said, still not looking at me.
"No, it can’t wait. I won’t keep you long," I insisted.
He sighed again, finally looked at me, and crossed his arms. "What is wrong?" he asked.
"I want to talk to you about Cecilia," I began.
"Serena, I really don’t have time for this now," he said, attempting to turn back to his computer. His dismissal frustrated me, so I moved to sit at his desk. He looked at me in confusion.
"I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and you wouldn’t believe what she told me," I said, trying to capture his attention.
"I don’t care, Serena. Just because she is ill doesn’t mean I’ll spoil her as you do. I won’t buy anything extravagant," he replied, making me count to three in my head to stay calm.
"Liam, do you even know your daughter?" I asked, which made him look at me again. "Cecilia didn’t ask for a present; she told me she doesn’t want you to buy her anything. She wants you to spend her birthday with her. That’s all," I said, struggling to hide my anger.
"I’ll attend her birthday anyway," he said coldly.
"Yes, you’ll be there with Chloe, allowing Tiffany to steal your attention," I retorted, which visibly irritated him.
"Tiffany is my daughter too, and I couldn’t be with her since she was born. I think she deserves some attention as well," he argued, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
"Liam, Cecilia is your daughter, too. She will be six years old, and soon she won’t be with us. I can’t believe you can’t do at least this for her," I said, feeling tears welling up.
He stared at me, clearly contemplating how to refuse my request. Just then, my wolf had an idea. It pained me, but I thought that once Cecilia left this world, my life would essentially be over. I couldn’t bear the thought of watching him take another she-wolf as his Luna and make his only daughter his legal heir, effectively pushing me out of my marriage and home.
"Alright. Let’s make a deal then," I said, and he raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
My heart raced in my chest, and the pain was nearly unbearable. Even though I knew he didn't deserve a single tear, it was still difficult to cut all ties with him and my home.
"If you fulfil this wish of Cecilia’s and act as her loving father for the three months she has left to live, I will give you what you want the most," I proposed, noting the change in his expression.
"After Cecilia is gone, I’ll divorce you and leave this place. I’ll disappear from your life, giving you a clear path to introduce Chloe as your mate at the succession ceremony and to live with them as a family. What do you say?" I asked him.
- Writer
