Hiding the Alpha’s Heir

“Oh, is this my baby Saoirse?” Desmond asked, looking at Saoirse in my arms after he carefully put down Sander to the ground.

Nodding, I spoke. “Yes,” I said softly as I wiped the tears. I turned to Saoirse who was slightly tilted her head, looking at her Papa. I gently held her hand. “Sweetheart, honey.” She looked at me. “That’s Papa, hmm?”

“Da-da?” She pointed at Desmond. I nodded and smiled. At that moment, Saoirse clapped her hands. “Da-da!” she exclaimed.

Desmond cried more when our daughter reached out to him. “Saoirse…” He hugged her with so much gentleness. “You have grown up so well, my daughter…”

I placed Sander by my side as I watched them having a reunion. I looked at how he adored Saoirse as he sniffed and kissed her forehead. Saoirse giggled after that.

Then Desmond’s eyes lingered on me which made my heart skip a beat. I decided to curtsy before him. “Greetings, Marquis Verlice.”

There was melancholy written in his eyes when I greeted him formally. “Greetings to you, too, Lady Beryl.”

“Why too formal?”

We both turned our heads when Sander spoke, arching his eyebrow. With what he said, his pack members were staring at me.

Damn it… I must teach this little man when to speak.

“Desmond, I mean,” I said through a smile. I had to show that Desmond and I were going to get along from now on.

“Seraphina.” He nodded.

I almost inhaled sharply with the way he mentioned my name. There was pure sensuality that brought shivers down my spine. I did not know if that was my imagination but I was certain that my wolf squirmed under his gaze.

After that, his pack members greeted us with respect. Desmond even introduced me again to his twins, Harolyn and Hezekiah, as soon as we arrived at the manor which surprised me upon knowing that they were living with Desmond for the past two years.

“Greetings, Lady Seraphina.” I was greeted by Harolyn who was growing more beautiful, bestowing me with an orchid. “Papa said that you like orchids. I hope it is to your liking.” She curtsied before me.

I softened, seeing that even though a portion of her facial features had Hazel’s, she grew more respectable than her mother. “Thank you, Lady Harolyn.” I accepted the orchid flower from her, smiling.

“Greetings, Lady Seraphina.” I glanced at Hezekiah who bowed his head before me. “He bestowed me with a yellow rose. “I have heard from Papa that you like any flower that is yellow. I hope a yellow rose is to your liking.” He smiled.

Hezekiah… He also had a few portions of Hazel’s facial features however most of them were from Desmond. No doubt. He and his twin had the Verlice blood running in their veins especially since they inherited the amber eyes that only belong to the Verlice family.

“Thank you, Lord Hezekiah.” I smiled. I glanced at Sander who was looking at his half-siblings. I could tell that he wanted to play with them but he didn’t know how to approach them. “Sander.”

He snapped back. “Yes, Mama?”

“Aren’t you going to greet your brother and sister?” I urged him to step forward. The twins already greeted him while Sander remained hesitant with them. “Come on, sweetheart.” I smiled gently, nodding my head.

Sander inhaled and exhaled. Just before he could say anything, the twins ran into him and hugged him. “Brother Sander, we miss you!” they said in unison as they fell to the grass.

At that moment, I saw my son start shedding tears as he hugged them back. “I… I miss all of you, too.”

Sander knew that they were his half-siblings but he had a soft spot for them. He told me how he got along with them whenever he was staying here for four days back then.

In order not to interrupt their beautiful reunion, I returned to the manor and met Elron who just bowed before me to greet me.

“I am going to look for Desmond and Saoirse,” I told him when he asked if there was anything he could do or if I needed anything that needed his assistance.

“They are in Luna’s Garden, my lady.”

Nodding, I went there to see Desmond lifting Saoirse from left and right while Saoirse was giggling so loudly. Desmond turned himself around and sat on the grass. Then he lifted our daughter before he kissed her on the cheeks, forehead, nose, and lips.

“You look so much like your Mama, sweetie…” Desmond said dreamily before his eyes settled on me. “S-Seraphina…” he said, surprised. I could hear his heart hammering inside his chest as I took strides in his direction.

“I see that you are going well with Saoirse,” I said, thanking myself that I found my voice because I was too mesmerized by how handsome and how he grew mature now than before.

And damn this heart of mine… Why was it beating so loud just by being a little distance from him? Has my heart ever reacted like this?

“Indeed…” Desmond paused and looked like he was mesmerized just by seeing her. He suddenly scratched his nape, seeming like he wanted to say something but he couldn’t. “Um… You… You have grown more beautiful, Seraphina…” As soon as he said that, his ears had grown red.

I certainly had shivers down my spine. Desmond was flustered… because he complimented me?

Hold on… Had he been like this before? This was the first time I had seen him shy. I knew that he was arrogant and mighty but was this the same Desmond I met in the past?

Why did he have a gentle yet firm feature? Where was Desmond that looked frightening just by glancing at him?

Mother… What did you do to Desmond while you were forbidding me not to see him even in the mirror lake?

“T-Thank you… You look beautiful as well.” It was already too late for me to realize that I had said the wrong thing to Desmond due to wondering where the original Desmond I had known.

He chuckled which made me embarrassed. “Is it? Thank you then.”

I really wanted to slap myself after that, feeling more embarrassed than before.

Later that night, we had dinner along with the twins. I had been wondering why Hazel was not invited here while Harvey was here. I could have sworn that there was tension between them. However, the twins might have already noticed it, or perhaps, they were pretending that they did not notice that there were some battles happening between Desmond and Harvey.

“Hezekiah. Harolyn.”

“Yes, Papa?” the twins asked in unison.

I glanced at Desmond who couldn’t get his eyes off Saoirse while he was the one feeding her. My heart melted because it seemed like he did not want to let go of our daughter.

“And Sander.”

“Yes, Papa?”

Desmond gently pinched Saoirse’s cheek before he glanced at Harvey and returned his glance at the three pups. “Mind if after this supper, you shall go upstairs?” The three nodded.

“Desmond.” I gathered his attention, still wondering why he wanted to have these three children go upstairs. Was there something we needed to discuss right now?

“Yes?” His amber eyes paid attention to me.

“Hezekiah requested to me that he wants to sleep together with Sander.”

Hezekiah approached me earlier before supper that he wanted to make a request from me. I wondered why he couldn’t utter the words to Desmond. When I asked him if Desmond was beating them, he was confused and answered no.

He wanted to take my permission but then, he asked a favor from me if I could talk to Desmond.

“I also want to…” Harolyn frowned. seeing it unfair. “Papa, I also want to sleep beside Brother Sander and Brother Hezekiah…”

Desmond shook his head. “No, Harolyn. You are a lady so you cannot sleep beside your brothers. You are turning 10 so it is not good that-”

“It’s fine if Harolyn can join them,” I chimed in. “I am certain that Hezekiah and Sander wouldn’t mind it.” I remembered Sander told me before that the three of them were sharing the same bed to sleep together.

The three of them had created a strong bond and I could tell that no matter that two years had already passed, their bond did not waver.

Bond… I almost inhaled sharply about it. It made me remind me about the mate bond I had with Desmond that was nearly possible to fix it, I believe.

Desmond was about to speak but Sander spoke promptly. “Hmm! I would like to have Harolyn with us. Right, Hezekiah? We will play in my room.”

“Yes, I second that.” Hezekiah nodded, pleading with me. It was as if he was charming me to persuade Desmond to agree.

I almost chuckled at the silliness of this child. No wonder he inherited Desmond’s mischievousness. Sander had that, too. It was a good thing that they did not inherit Hazel’s antics.

Speaking of her… I hadn’t heard from her ever since I returned. Was she the reason why she was not present here or because I was here so both of us would not collide and it looked like there was a heavy tension between Desmond and Hazel?

“Harolyn is still a kid. She should get along with her brothers.” To finalize that I was agreeing, I spoke up.

“She’s still a noble lady and she needs to undergo training lessons on how to become a proper one,” Desmond said, creasing his forehead.

“But I am doing well with my lessons… I even finished the handkerchief I am sewing today. I will present it to Countess Morou tomorrow… I just want to be with them, Papa…” Harolyn was on the verge of crying.

As a daughter from the noble family, just like Sander who also had undergone lessons that are more crucial to being the next heir-successorship training, Harolyn needed to learn how to be a proper noble lady.

Her lessons included tea ceremonies, poetry, calligraphy, flower arrangements, and playing instruments. Since she was a daughter of an Alpha, she also needed to undergo vigorous training on how to fight.

I felt bad for Harolyn. “Desmond.” My heart was feeling constricted seeing how Desmond was depriving the moments she would want to be with them.

Desmond looked at me, fighting a glance with me. I thought that this would be the first time we would argue but he nodded. “Fine, fine. You can sleep beside your brothers.”

That surprised me. Desmond agreed? He did not argue with me?

Harolyn’s face brightened up. “Thank you, Papa!”

After they finished their meal, they decided to go upstairs. But before that, the twins hugged me and whispered, “Thank you, Mama!”

What they said made me gasp. They both giggled as well as Sander after that.