Octavia
Blood, she needed blood. My daughter clung onto me as I rushed into the dining room. Goddess, her heartbeat was so faint. “Laria! Bring me some blood. AB negative, she needs as many nutrients as possible.” It was the most expensive and rarest blood we had. I’ll use every drop if I need to.
“Yes señora!” Laria ran towards the kitchen.
“Kain, I need you to bring Dr. Morales.” He swiftly left to get the family doctor. Gabriel and Daunte came in and hoovered. She flinched when they got too close. “I think she’s afraid of men, so try to be gentle.”
They sat down slowly, Gabriel watching us with cautious eyes. I don’t have time to worry about him right now. Getting our daughter help was my only concern. Kain returned shortly with Dr. Morales and Laria.
Dr. Morales immediately started her exam. I signed to my baby, “Sweetheart, I need you to drink this.” I poured blood into a cup and offered it to her. She frantically shook her head. “It’s ok. You won’t get in trouble. Take a sip.” She carefully sipped the blood then started to chug it. “That's my girl.” I murmured, pouring her another.
Her bruises began to fade, she sighed with relief. Raven came running in, ready for breakfast. His skip came to a halt when he saw us. “Mama, who’s this? Why does she look like Papa?” he asked, his eyes wide with wonder. Gabriel ran his hand through his hair while Daunte laughed.
His sister hid behind me, peeking her head out to ogle him. I grabbed both children’s hands,“Raven, this is your sister.”
Raven’s eyes bulged, “Sister?!” He jumped up and down and did his little dance, he suddenly stopped. “Wait, is she my little sister or big sister?”
“Little sister,” Gabriel answered.
The amount of joy that filled Raven’s face made him flush with energy. “I’m a big brother!” He ran around the table twice before stopping.
I sat him down, “Raven, Mama needs you to listen very carefully. Little sister can’t hear very well, ok? Do you think you can be patient and help her feel comfortable?”
Raven enthusiastically nodded, scooting closer to her. He signed, “Sister, what’s your name?” She shook her head, not understanding.
“Oh baby, she came from a place where they didn’t treat her very well. She doesn’t have a name yet. I’ve been calling her Baby.”
“That’s ok, I’ll call her Sister for now.” he shrugged. I laughed, I wished I could be as carefree as him.
Dr. Morales sighed, “Señora, she’s in bad shape. I’ll need to have a few tests done on her and hook her up to some fluids.” she pointed to Baby’s ears, “I need to get a good look at her ears to see how bad the damage is as well.”
“Do whatever you need to do and if it's possible, do it inside the house. I don’t want her anywhere near those people.” Gabriel ordered. I didn’t look at him but I nodded my agreement.
Dr. Morales gathered her items and began to set up her equipment with the help of the nurses. “Is it ok if I give her a quick bath while you’re getting everything ready?” I asked. Dr. Morales handed me some antibacterial soap and shooed us away. Gabriel kept his distance, making sure we never left his sight.
It wasn’t a quick bath. I had to change the water twice because of how dirty it was. I lost count of how many times I had to wash her hair and I held back my tears as I washed her boney body.
Gabriel left a few times while I was brushing out her hair, mortified by how many bald spots she had. They must’ve been pulling her hair out by the handful. I wanted to kill them.
Gabriel returned with a bag full of items, “These should fit her. I had the staff set up a bed in Raven’s room for her. It’s stocked with some more clothes and anything else she might need.”
Gabriel was always a good father. It’s too bad he was a sh*tty husband. I grabbed the bag from him and grunted my thanks. “So, it’s the silent treatment now?” I ignored him, getting Baby dressed to return to the dining room. I didn’t have anything nice to say so it's best if I said nothing.
The day was long. Dr Morales ran multiple tests and declared our baby girl healthy enough to stay in the villa. Baby’s hearing diagnosis was worse than what I expected. She had mimicked the motions of her ears getting boxed in when I asked her why her ears were bleeding.
My hatred for that pig grew. He was literally hitting her with so much force he ruptured her eardrums. Dr. Morales stated that her eardrums have been ruptured too many times that the scarring was most likely permanent. My heart ached for Baby, she went through hell. It was already late in the evening when everything slowed down.
Baby and Raven played with each other, their quick friendship eased my worries. Kain plopped down next to me. “Raven even knows sign language. A five year old is officially smarter than me.” he joked, making me giggle. “I was pretty surprised back there, in the lobby. I never knew you could be so ruthless.”
I huffed, “I am the wife of the most notorious gang in the nation. I only did what any mob wife would do.” Kain roared with laughter. Gabriel glared at us.
Daunte came over, “Hey, Abel is back from his trip, he’s called for a family meeting.”
I groaned, “Kain, can you stay with the kids-.” He was already next to them , making silly faces at them. I shuffled my feet towards Abel’s office, hoping he wouldn't be too mad.
Abel was furious. “I want to know exactly what happened and why there is an injured Alpha lying in my hospital!”
When no one spoke, Daunte stepped up. “Gabriel's cousin and mate showed up demanding that he take responsibility for the pack.”
“Mate? Don't you mean ex-mate?”
We turned to Gabriel, who cleared his throat, “I never actually rejected her.” I turned away, unable to look at him.
“Ay dios mio.” Caleb exclaimed.
“How did he end up in my hospital?”
“Gabriel had a secret love child with her and they tried to blackmail him into fixing their pack.” Daunte continued.
Abel turned pale, "What? You have a child? Are you sure?”
“Yes.” My voice was resolute.
“Then, Octavia beat the sh*t out of him for abusing said love child. His femur was broken in two different spots,” Daunte finished.
Caleb looked perplexed, “Abused?”
“It was obvious. Her clothes were worn and tattered. She’s extremely malnourished. There was blood coming out of her ears and bruises all over her body.” I answered.
“She's also partially deaf or might have a permanent hearing impairment that was a direct result of the abuse.” Daunte added.
Abel leaned forward, “What’s her name?”
“She doesn't have one. They've been calling her ‘it’ or ‘girl’.”
“Can she talk?”
“No, but she communicates through sign language. She doesn't know a lot but enough to tell me the basics.”
“Well done, mija. Thank you for protecting our familia. I trust that I can leave her in your care?”
“Of course, Abuelo.”
“When can we see her?” Caleb wondered.
I shrugged, “She’s very skittish and a little weary of men, but she opened up to Kain quickly. I think after some rest she should be fine to meet everyone in the morning.”
“Gracias, mija. Now, what exactly are these people wanting?” Abel demanded. Daunte quickly explained the situation. “Ok. Gabriel, I need you to send out scouts to the pack and investigate. Once we confirm the territory's condition, then we will act.”
“I already told them that we would not waste our time and resources on them. They don’t deserve it.” he responded harshly.
Abel scoffed, “You’re not understanding the situation, mijo. Noctem was built for your grandmother. Everyone was hers to control. I simply ran the underground business while she managed the rest. No one made a move or made decisions without her approval, including myself.
“Octavia has taken over that role. She runs two-thirds of this clan and everyone respects her. Noctem was never a patriarchy, this clan has and always will belong to the Señora of the House. I have no right to stop her and neither do you. If she says we are helping, then we are helping.”
“But-”
“No buts. Octavia, we might need assistance from Wisteria. Can you make the arrangements?” I nodded, watching Gabriel’s face crumble in defeat. “Good. It's getting late. Lets get some rest and regroup in the morning. I'll see everyone at breakfast.”
I was out the door before Abel finished his sentence, Gabriel was right behind me. “Octavia, stop.” I kept going. He grabbed my hand, “Octavia!”
I yanked my arm away. “What?!” I hissed.
“I can explain.”
“You told me that you lost your mate.”
“I did.”
“You made it seem as if she had died!”
“She is dead… to me.”
“That’s not the same thing and you know it.”
“She means nothing to me.”
“Then why are you still mated to her?!” He remained silent. “You lied to me.”
“You made your own conclusion.”
“But you never corrected me! You intentionally let me misinterpret and-and choose to omit the truth! That makes you a liar.” I turned on my heels and left him behind.
For the rest of the night, I put all of my energy into getting the children settled and in bed. They decided to sleep in my room, one on each side of me. I could smell Gabriel before I heard his footsteps. He knocked twice and waited. He started to turn the door knob. “Don't you dare.” I warned him.
“I just want to check on the kids,” he replied softly.
I sighed, “Come in.”
He opened the door and tiptoed over. He sat at the edge of the bed and stared at his daughter. He ran a finger over her birthmark, “She's looking better.”
I grunted. He placed his hand over the kids' intertwined fingers. “They're already inseparable,” I told him. A range of emotions flashed across his face.
We sat in silence for a few minutes then he got up to leave. He paused at the door, “Can I sleep in here tonight? I can sleep on the floor.”
I was still mad at him but I couldn't help the exasperated giggle that escaped. “What, why?”
Gabriel furrowed his brow, “I want to be here when they wake up. I feel like I need to be here just for tonight.”
“Fine.” I sighed, he seemed to be telling the truth.
“Ok, I'll be right back.” He left, returning shortly with his pajamas on and a blanket. Gabriel looked around for a place to lay down. I rolled my eyes, “Just get on the bed.”
His eyes grew wide, “What?”
I carefully wriggled my way out of my position and pushed the kids into the center of the bed. “Words cannot express how furious I am with you, but I won’t deprive you of an opportunity to bond with your children.” I pointed, “You better stay on your side.”
He stared at me for a moment and nodded, I shut off the lights and we got under the covers. Gabriel draped his long arm across the children, letting out a hearty sigh. “Thank you.” he murmured. I turned away from him, holding back my tears.
Gabriel
I woke up to Raven climbing over me, his face flushed with excitement. “Sister! Sister look!” He held up a children’s book about birds. Octavia was gently brushing our daughter’s hair back into a neat bun, successfully hiding her bald spot. Raven was flipping through the pages and then he started to sign. I didn’t know what he was saying but he kept flipping back and forth through the pictures.
Octavia covered her mouth, tears in her eyes. I quickly sat up, “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, her eyes on the children. “He’s giving her a name.” Raven pointed at a raven then signed. “He said his name is Raven.” He turned to a new page and signed again. “And her name is Dove.”
Our daughter picked up the book and pointed to the photo. She looked confused and mimicked Raven’s signs. Raven squealed excitedly, “Yes! I’m Raven. You’re Dove. This is Mama.” he signed and spoke aloud. Octavia repeated the movements. “And this is Papa.” Raven motioned to me. He showed me the sign for father and nodded when I did it correctly.
Dove looked at everyone and motioned our names. Raven had to show her a few times how to do hers but when she got it, she showed us the sweetest smile. The two of them jumped up with glee then took off to Raven’s room. Octavia was quietly sobbing. I clasped her hand, “Are you ok?”
She looked down at our intertwined fingers, then slowly pulled away. “I’m fine. The kids are ready for breakfast. Please bring them down. I’m sure if they don’t appear soon Abel will come looking for them.”
“You aren’t coming?”
She shook her head, “Not right now. I need to be alone for a moment.”
“Octavia-”
“Gabriel, please just leave me alone.” her voice was cold as she turned away from me.