Chapter 3

Adelaide "That's pretty common to have." She told him. "It is, but when Derek found out, he didn't want much to do with him. Penelope is constantly on the road, so she's hardly ever home to see him either." He said. Adelaide sat up, looking at him. "Wait, they just abandoned him?" She raised her voice. "No, he's with a nanny most of the time. She adores him, so he's getting the attention that he needs." He said, but Adelaide didn't feel right about it. "That's not fair though. He can't control what he's born with. He's still their child." She grabbed the blanket, pulling some of it onto her lap as she crossed her legs. Geoff crossed his legs as he sat in front of her. "Adelaide , it's not that simple." He tried to explain, but she shook her head. "It is simple. How do you think he feels, Geoff? He doesn't see his parents at all. He doesn't receive the love from a parental figure. It's not fair to him." She exclaimed. He reached over, wiping the tears from her eyes. She didn't even realize she was crying. "To be honest, I never considered his feelings. I haven't seen him in a year." He ran his fingers through his hair, "I never questioned his lifestyle since I've been occupied with mine." He admitted. "You've been fucking around most of the time." She shot at him. She gasped, covering her mouth, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!" "You're right though. I've been busy trying to find a partner, I completely neglected my brother." He looked away for a moment. "You know, this is probably the first time I've opened up like this to someone. Well, except for Damion." He said. "Really?" She asked, sitting a bit closer. "I don't have anything scheduled. I'm all ears." She said as she pushed her hair behind her ears. He chuckled at her, taking the rest of the blanket she wasn't hogging and piled it on his lap. "Are you sure? It could get boring." He warned her. She smiled at him. "Being with you is never boring." October was rushing by faster than she imagined. Halloween just wrapped up when Penelope stopped by, along with an unexpected visitor. "Adelaide ! Darling, it's so good to see you." She said as they embraced. Adelaide smiled at her before looking down at the small boy that was tucked behind her shyly. He had the same jet black hair as the rest of his family, his eyes crimson, just like Geoff's. "Hello there, you must be Elias." She crouched down to his level. "I'm Adelaide . I'm so happy you came to visit." She smiled at him. He still looked at her with a bit of fear when his eyes shifted behind her and they lit up instantly. "Geoff!" The child cried out as Geoff walked down the stairs. He dashed around Adelaide and got scooped up into Geoff's arms. "Elias, you're getting big. Are you eating good?" He asked him. Adelaide straightened up, watching their interaction when Penelope leaned over to her. "He'd make a great father, don't you think?" She asked in a whisper. Adelaide felt her face grow hot at her words, but the woman wasn't wrong. He looked so natural with Elias. Geoff turned his gaze over to her. "This is Adelaide . She'll be your sister-in-law now." He told him. Elias still looked uncomfortable, but now that he was in the safety of his arms, he seemed more relaxed than before. She finally took notice of a stuffed animal that was tucked just inside his jacket. "Did you bring a friend along?" She asked him. He looked confused until she pointed at his jacket. He pulled out a stuffed lamb that seemed to have seen better days. "Elias, I told you to throw that away. It's filthy." Penelope said as she reached for it, but he yanked it back and stuffed it away. He started to grow irritable in Geoff's arms. "It's okay." Adelaide chimed in. "Your friend is special to you, right?" She asked him. He nodded, his body still showing signs of distress. "If you'd like, I can wash your friend for you. You can even watch him get clean. What do you say?" She asked him. He hesitated, looking at Geoff instead of Penelope. "Go on, I'll be right there." He told him. Elias looked back toward Adelaide and nodded. Geoff set him down on his feet as Adelaide walked toward the kitchen. "Follow me." She called back to him, listening to his small feet patter against the tiles as she lead him off to the laundry room. "Does your friend have a name?" She asked him as he sat on an overturned laundry basket. His eyes were solely on the toy as it swirled around in the wash. "Momo." He said softly. "Oh, I like Momo. It's a good name." She said, sitting down with her back to the wall. She didn't have experience with children that had ADHD, so she had to do her research and ask Geoff questions regarding his behavior. As long as she played her cards right, his visit should be smooth sailing. Hopefully. "Do you eat with Momo to?" She asked him. "Yeah." "What do you two like to eat? I can make it for you." She said. He hesitated, his eyes flickering away for a moment. "Hot dogs." He finally said, his eyes returning to the wash. Good, something easy. "That will be the menu then today." She said with a smile. "You don't smell like a wolf." He said to her. "Yeah, you're right. I'm human. You have a good sense of smell." She complimented him. "My dad doesn't like humans." He told her. Adelaide frowned, looking at him. "I've met your dad before. He can be a scary man, but I think deep down, he has some good in him." She said, trying to convince herself more than the child. "He is good." He said softly. When she looked at him, his eyes looked so sad. "I'm sure he is." She looked around the room. "What kind of things do you like to do for fun?" She asked him. He was quiet again. "Hide and seek. Paint..." He started listing off his interests when Geoff popped into the laundry room. Elias' eyes lit up again, rushing over to him with his arms outstretched. Geoff picked him up easily with one arm. "Hey, I was going to make some food. What are you hungry for?" He asked him. "Oh, I got it. He talked about hot dogs earlier." She told him. "That doesn't sound too bad." He said. "Hey Elias, mom is waiting back at the foyer. Can you go see her off real quick?" He asked him. Elias looked back over to the washing machine. "Don't worry, I'll keep my eyes on Momo the whole time." Adelaide saluted him. Elias still hesitated, but left reluctantly. "You amaze me yet again." Geoff said, his arms wrapping around her waist, delivering kisses over her face. She giggled at him. "For what? Cooking you hot dogs?" She joked. "I've never seen Elias get along with someone so quickly." He told her. "I don't think we're quite there yet." She said, stepping out of his arms for a moment as she noticed his keys. "Are you heading over to the pack house?" She asked him. He cocked his head to the side. "Did you forget?" He asked her. She stared blankly at him, trying to recall what he was meaning, "I have to go visit the other Alphas." He reminded her. Her lips made an "O" shape as she recalled that information, until it settled in on what he really meant. "You're leaving now? I thought we had more time." She said to him. He shook his head at her. "Afraid not. I'll be leaving after lunch." He told her. Adelaide felt a weight latch on her heart, making it sink down into her stomach. Geoff lifted her chin. "I'll be back before you know it." He told her. She nodded, but it didn't stop her from missing him before he is even gone. "Will you be back in time for the ceremony?" She asked him, playing with his shirt. "Yes. Hopefully I shouldn't be away that long. I'm leaving Damion behind to help you." He told her. Right. Not only does she have a ceremony to plan, she also has to learn everything she can about his kind, and find a way to win his people over. The thought process alone gave her a headache. "Okay, be safe." She said, smiling up at him. He cupped her cheek, leaning down and kisses her softly. A single stray of a tear rolled down her cheek. Just when they were getting along so well. "Geoff, I'm hungry." Elias said from behind him. Adelaide pulled away, peering around her Mate to see Elias peering around the corner with curiosity. "I'll go start lunch then." Adelaide said, brushing passed Geoff and over to Elias. "Would you still like those hot dogs?" She asked him. He gave a faint nod. She smiled at him. "Coming right up." She shimmied passed him and back into the kitchen. Her stomach churned uncomfortably as she started to cook. She was far more stressed than she wanted to admit right now. Where should she even start? Geoff will be gone, she'll have Elias with her. She isn't a planner, but she knew who was.