Forgive me

Part 7 Bond

"But mom, I saw Mia preparing the basket, I know we're going on a picnic, Uncle Arden promised me!" , Hope looked pleadingly at Emma, despite her determined little voice. "Hope honey, you know how busy Uncle Arden is and we hardly ever see him, besides, Mia didn't mention anything, did she?", she stroked her daughter's hair gently, while her gaze was directed at Mia, who just turned away head, smiling enigmatically, continuing to work in the kitchen. A rough cough was heard from the door, to which Emma jerked suddenly,seeing a tall man with blond hair and eyes, whom she recognized as Beta, standing still. "Devek!", Hope suddenly broke out of her hand, running into his arms, which surprised Emma. "Hey, pumpkin" he laughed happily, lifting Hope into his arms. "Ready?", he whispered to her, looking at Emma, ​​who raised an eyebrow questioningly, to which he became serious and cleared his voice, gently letting Hope out of his hands, which was still clinging to his blond hair . "I'm sorry Luna, Alpha ordered me to take you both to him, I'm Beta Derek by the way," he laughed sheepishly, extending his hand to her. Ema smiled, seeing his reaction, then readily extended her hand. "I'm sorry about Hope, she recently lost a tooth, so the letter R is difficult for her, I'm glad Derek, and please call me Emma," she demanded, with a determined look. "Oh, I don't mind that about the little pumpkin, my Mate laughs at it, and I like to see her happy," he laughed, leading them to the SUV. "I see that my daughter has settled in quite well, she knows more people than I do," she stated, looking questioningly at Hope, who lowered her head, knowing that Hope hangs out a lot with Emma, ​​who takes her everywhere with her, while she goes to the library, to investigate, but also to avoid Arden, honestly, however, she wanted her daughter to know that she must not cross some boundaries, that is, she must know that she must turn to her for everything, even though she had no threats here, and Ema wasn't afraid for her, not here , but she could never relax, wherever she was, she felt restless, not even knowing why. "I'm sorry mom," she said, hugging Emma tightly, "but I know you know where I am at every moment," her little girl, rather mature for her age, declared. It was probably because both of her parents were strong Alphas, although Emma assumed, that Hope's biological father was also an Alpha , she wasn't sure.

We're here, Luna," Derek cut her out of her thoughts when she looked at him questioningly. "What did I tell you about that a moment ago?". "Mom," Hope pulled her by the arm to whisper in her ear. "Derek has to call you Luna, Uncle Arden demands it, only he can call you by your name, but when he's not around, so can Dev," she laughed, raising her eyebrows, looking at both of them, while they tried not to burst out laughing, but Ema pulled herself together and confirmed her words in all seriousness. The sight in front of her left her breathless, while in the distance she could hear a car driving away, as well as Derek, leaving them alone with Alf, whom she didn't bring right away, because a huge waterfall, flowing into a clear pond in front of her, took her breath away, instilling peace in her soul, while she hugged her daughter, no less excited, by the sight itself. "Oh my God," she whispered, and then jumped, frightened by the silhouette emerging from the water. "Oh God!" she clutched her chest as she saw Arden coming out of the lake in just his swimming trunks as Hope ran happily towards him. "Uncle Arden, I knew you remembered," she yelled, jumping into his arms, while with a confused smile on her face, he quickly lifted her into his arms, when her small arms found themselves around his neck, challenging him, to now unknown feeling towards the child, which was not his, but he felt more than if it was. His gaze was directed towards Emma, ​​who was measuring him, confused by the reaction he caused in her, and she was not sure whether his bright gaze scared her or lured her to him completely, because those very same eyes were, after all, totally different. , because Arden's, regardless of his behavior so far, were honest and bright, like Hopina's, not cold, like...her father. She swallowed, shuddering, which he noticed, sending Hope to the log cabin next to , to prepare for a swim, approaching her slowly, the water draining from his wet, dark hair. She panicked at his appearance, which broke down all her walls, and when he touched her, sending strong sparks through her body, she was no longer aware of anything except his proximity. "Are you okay?", his husky voice echoed through her body, sending blood to her cheeks as he gently moved her hair from her face, feeling it all burn. She only managed to nod her head in confirmation, avoiding his piercing gaze, and he also pulled away abruptly, putting his hands behind his back. "You can change in the log cabin," his voice sounded serious, until his gaze remained the entire time on her, who was rapidly moving away towards the log cabin.

She closed the door, leaning against it, trying to catch her breath, when her daughter's happy laugh brought her back to reality. She was already dressed in an adorable bathing suit, rolling around happily in front of the big fireplace where the fire was burning, and Emma could see how cozy and beautifully decorated the log cabin really was, with lots of space, and simple and tasteful. She sent Hope out to Arden, while she also changed into a black bikini, which she found on the bed, quickly finished the bathroom, checking if everything was okay, and she was surprised that he knew exactly what her size was, and he also had a good taste, she had to admit, shaking her head, when she caught herself thinking about him. When she appeared at the door, Hope waved cheerfully at her from the shallows, while Arden's gaze measured her, slowly, from head to toe, until their eyes met for a moment, making her feel excitement and fear, but of a completely different kind. , and when she saw his almost imperceptible smile in the corner of his lips, she felt, in his bright gaze, trust, and looking at him with Hope, she knew that he would not hurt her, not in the way she had always feared.