Felipe was sweet and curious. He asked me tons of questions about school, my family, what games I liked to play. I could see why Nahuel thought he was human. His mind wasn't accelerated like a hybrid's and his heartbeat was stable but his proportions were slightly off making him seem too chiseled for a child but too young and innocent for a teenager.
Nahuel kept to his word. At 5pm I would stop by the restaurant and sit with Felipe while Nahuel made our dinner. Felipe was such a smart sweet kid. His laughter was contagious and filled me with so much light. The first dinner Nahuel would come to the table with our food uncomfortably. It was an awkward dinner to say the least but the following day I had Felipe and I were both laughing so Nahuel couldn't help but smile and ask us what was so funny.
The rest of the week went like that and I could tell Nahuel look forward to my visits. Felipe absolutely adored me. He said that I was his favorite person in the world after his father. Hearing him say that filled me with so much joy that I wondered if he really was my imprint. Felipe was like the light, shining through the clouds that constantly hovered over me. But then Nahuel would come home. I would take one look at him and be filled with longing. Every look and every touch Nahuel and I shared made me feel whole. Every night that he bid me goodnight at the door, I would walk to my car slightly heartbroken.
On Friday of the second week, Nahuel came home to find Felipe and I asleep on the couch. We had just finished watching the latest Disney movie. I didn't even feel him come in until I felt someone take Felipe from my arms. I woke up startled.
"Its just me." Nahuel said softly when my hiss made Felipe stir in his arms. I blushed.
"Sorry. He wanted to watch a movie and I figured it be ok since it wasn't a school night." I whispered to him embarrassed for not having Felipe tucked in bed already.
Nahuel smiled and nodded going up the stairs to take his son to bed. I followed him and helped him put Felipe in bed. I removed the covers while Nahuel carefully placed his son on the bed and then he tucked him in. He kissed his head so tenderly that it made my chest soar with affection. My feelings for the boys were always dull but there were certain moments when it was so sharp it actually ached. That was one of those moments. Nahuel looked up at me with a perplexed expression.
"Let's head back down." He said softly. I walked out and he closed the door behind me.
"His teacher called. She very impressed with Felipe's school work." Nahuel told me. I smiled proudly.
"He's such a smart boy." I said.
"Would you like something to eat before you leave? Coffee perhaps?" He asked me. I nodded and sat on the kitchen table.
"His last babysitter just sent him to do his homework and checked it afterwards. Thank you for taking your time with him. I really appreciate that." Nahuel said as he started the coffee.
"Its really my pleasure. I'm here for you. Whatever you need." I told him. Nahuel leaned against the counter and stared at me.
"How is your mother?" He asked me. I tried not to let his question bother me but it did.
"She's fine. Happy. She misses me though, a lot." I told him trying to swallow the angry jealousy that flared in me.
"I can only imagine and she has two of you to miss." He said contemplating.
"Yeah but at least Emma is just a short drive away. I on the other hand…" I shrugged. He poured coffee into mugs and added cream and sugar how I liked it. Then he sat with me on the table.
"Why did you go so far from them?" He asked me, genuinely curious.
"You know I have a twin right?" I started. He nodded.
"Seth, one of my father's wolves, imprinted on her since she was a baby. I grew up with Seth in my life. I loved him just as much as my sister did when we were little. He loved us both but he had only imprinted on one of us. I grew up knowing that he was never really mine, but neither was my sister. They shared something that I could never be a part of. As we grew older and their feelings about each other began to change, it got even more confusing." I told him. His brows furrowed.
"But none of your father's wolves imprinted on you?" He asked me. I shook my head.
"No. I always wondered what was wrong with me but as I grew older and began to understand what the imprint actually was, it began to make sense."
"What made sense?"
"The wolves imprint to secure their bloodline. My skin… I'm like female vampires. There's no way that my body can accommodate that no one imprinted on me. I left because I couldn't bare it anymore. I didn't have an imprint, I didn't even have a sister, so I left them so that I could learn to be alone." I told him. He looked at me contemplating.
"Or you left because you were in love with him too." Nahuel surmised. I nodded.
"I thought I was in love with him. Its so hard to distinguish my own emotions form my sister's at times but once we were apart, it all became very clear. I was jealous of what they had but I was also angry and resentful because imprinting took my sister. I had to share her all my life and pretty soon she will get married and have kids and she would leave me all together. I had to learn to cope with that." I told him. I saw him tense.
"Is that your way of telling me that I must cope with my son leaving me as well?" He asked angrily. I felt the tears sting my eyes and I shook my head.
"No Nahuel. I've already been through this hell and I am never going to let you go through that." I told him with a fierceness that I could barely recognize. He looked into my eyes and I couldn't help my hand reach out to his. He took it and his thumb stoked over my skin.
"Its getting late. You can have the guest room if you'd like." He told me. I smiled and nodded. He looked at me, seriously for a long time.
"It really is a shame. You would have been a great mother." He told me. I smiled shyly trying to control the emotion inside me.
"Thank you." I said softly. He got up and took the empty mugs to the sink before he was about to leave but my question stopped him in his tracks.
"Are you still in love with my mother?" I asked him. He turned around to look at me.
"Why does that matter?" He countered. I felt the tears sting my eyes but I refused to let them escape.
"I guess it doesn't in the grand scheme of things but right now it matters to me. Are you?" I asked him more firmly. His expression became hard.
"I thought your mother was meant for me. She was the only being on this planet compatible with me. She was my equal and I thought that meant we were supposed to be together."
"Did you love her?" I asked him.
"Not the way she deserved. I guess that's why fate chose someone else for her. Someone who was worthy of her. Someone who wasn't…" He stopped himself and I saw the emotion in his eyes. I could see the sadness and regret which answered the question I first asked. He still loved her, that part was obvious.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." I said quickly not wanting to hear more. He looked at me perplexed.
"Why did you?" He asked me. I looked down at the floor, my cheeks flaming. He closed the distance between us and touched my cheek. I felt my heart nearly rip out of my chest with excitement.
"Fate didn't choose me for your mother for the same reason it didn't choose me for you. I'm a monster. I've killed and destroyed from the moment I was conceived." He said while he stroked my cheek.
"What if it did?" I whispered leaning into his touch. When we touched, it was like every part of my body tingled and healed. Felipe's presence felt like pure light but Nahuel touch felt like warmth, as if the light was burning inside me instead of shining on me.
"Somedays I do wish things were different, but they're not. We are who we are Ella." He whispered. He was so close to me that I could feel his breath against my skin. He let me go and turned to make his way upstairs. I didn't stop him this time. I could barely breathe.
In the morning, I woke up extra early and I decided to make breakfast. I hadn't made breakfast for more than one person in a long time but living with wolves meant that I was used to cooking for ten. I tried to be as quiet as possible as I scavenged the fridge for ingredients. I decided for Spanish omelets.
I was whisking the eggs when I felt Nahuel behind me. I nearly jumped when his arms slipped around me and his hand began guiding my whisk.
"You must whisk in rapid strokes to let the air into the eggs." He said. His breath was right next to my ear and I shivered. He cleared his throat and moved aside to dice the vegetables.
"I can do that. Just have a seat and relax." I told him. His head tipped to the side and he looked at me with the corner of his eye. He was smirking.
"Very well." He said with a tone of amusement and he sat on the chair I usually sat in to watch him.
"What are you preparing?" He asked me.
"Spanish omelets it's a family recipe." I told him. He smiled at me.
"I'm looking forward to it then." He told me. I diced the vegetables and was about to pour them into the eggs but Nahuel cleared his throat stopping me.
"What?" I asked him narrowing my eyes. He smiled smugly.
"You might want to sauté those lightly to bring out the flavor." He suggested. I rolled my eyes and put some butter in the pan to sauté the veggies. I added some salt pepper and paprika to the eggs and poured them onto the pan. I flipped the first omelet and then folded it with some cheese on the inside. Felipe walked into the kitchen just them.
"Eggs! Yummy!" He said and sat next to his dad.
I prepared the rest of the omelets and set them on plates. Then I made a stack of toasts. We sat at the breakfast table and had the meal I had just prepared.
"I know its not as fancy but I hope you two like it." I said shyly. Felipe bit into his omelet and toast and smiled at me in approval.
"Its delicious." Nahuel said with an amused smile.
"Are you going with us to the Zoo?" Felipe asked me. I looked at Nahuel uncertain.
"You should come with us if you're not busy. I have the day off today so we'll be having some family time." He told me and then smiled at Felipe. I was touched that he would include me in his private time with his son.
"Well if you are ok with it, I would love to go with you." I told him. Felipe bounced in his chair with excitement and Nahuel chuckled.
Throughout the day, I noticed that Felipe was really curious. He wasn't shy at all. He asked questions to the tour guide and told his cute opinions like a champ. He was so smart and every time he spoke, Nahuel seemed to swell with pride. Nahuel was a confident man and his son reflected that. However, he wasn't as talkative as his son. He was reserved but not shy. If I had to describe him, I would say quiet and calculating. He was the type of man that took his time to understand and formulate his opinions. He liked to stop and observe. He did that throughout the day. He watched the animals, his son's reaction to the animals, my own reactions.