Page 122 of An Omega for the Lycan Prince

Emily’s eyes shine with pride when Daisy praises her little flower crowns. She reaches out her small arms toward me, and I carefully pull her up on my lap to hug her.

It's only then that Emerson finally allows his guard to come down and looks at me through apprehensive eyes. Daisy checks me over, too, her eyes lingering on the bruises on my neck and face.

“I’m all right,” I say quietly.

Daisy’s eyes fill with tears. “It shouldn’t have happened,” she mutters. “It’s not fair.” I wonder what she really is talking about. About me? Or herself? Liam told me her pregnancy took a toll on her body. And I know from Flora that a second pregnancy might be too dangerous for her.

I take her hand into mine. “It’s not,” I admit. “It’s indeed not fair.”

She nods through her tears before showing me a careful smile. Then she and Emerson pull a chair towards my bed so she can sit down. The tension around her is gone suddenly, and she starts talking to me, asking me how I’m feeling and what happened.. I tell her everything, and saying it out loud makes me feel relieved and weirdly empowered. Daisy’s and Emerson's presence is soothing, and it helps to have them around.

Emerson listens quietly, sometimes asking a few questions. It’s like he doesn’t want to ruin the sudden improvement of his mate’s mood. He smiles when she smiles, his eyes beaming when she chuckles slightly, looking soft when she voices her worry for me.

Goddess, they are so cute!

They are not the only ones who come to see me; there are a lot of visitors during the day.The doctor and nurses make sure that they don’t stay too long. Liam doesn’t leave my side for most of the day. When I woke up for the first time, it felt like a dream, like an out-of-body experience. But my aching body told me it wasn’t. I know he was sitting next to me, holding my hand, and talking to me.

Warmth fills my heart whenever I think of it. I try to think about Liam mostly so that the darkness won’t linger for too long. Leah is almost at her usual strength again, her healing powers kicking in fully. The bruises on my face have almost disappeared, and the rest of my wounds are healing too.

“Liam?” I sit up a bit.

Liam’s head shoots up. “Do you need something? Is everything alright?” He is extra protective now, barely leaving my side. I can’t blame him, though, and honestly, I feel safer with him around me.

“I’m fine,” I chuckle softly and take his hand. “Please take me to see Aurelia and Nox.” Aryanna has recovered enough to be allowed to go home. Liam grumbles and argues for a bit before he gives in with a sigh. “All right,” he mutters. “But just because I want you to finally sleep well again. I know you are so worried for them. It keeps you awake.”

He helps me up and into a soft bathrobe before taking my hand and carefully leading me towards the kids’ rooms. I could walk faster… I’m not that weak anymore, but I don’t want to strain his nerves any more than they already are.

“Annalise,” he pauses. He looks at me, frowning a bit, before shaking his head.

I know what he wants to ask. “Yes,” I say immediately.

“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask,” he chuckles. It’s the first real laugh I have heard from him since he found me.

“I do,” I smile warmly. “Yes, I want to stay here with you. I want to move to Silverlake.”

He halts, his eyes widening, and for a moment, I can see a hint of Fenris in them too. They both look so happy. “You mean it? I didn’t know how to ask you. There was no way I would have let you be alone again now that we are mated and you were abducted. I need to have you close to me.”

“I’m your mate. You could have insisted.”

“I didn’t want to,” he says in a matter-of-fact tone. “I wanted you to… want to come here, not be forced to.”

I lean against him, sighing happily when he pulls me in his arms. “I’m proud to become a member of the Silverlake pack. I don’t want to leave your side either. There is no way I could go back to how things were before… although before was only four days ago.”

“You don’t know how happy you just made me,” Liam mutters into my hair, and I can hear the relief in his voice.

I grin. “Wow, wonder what your reaction will be if you ever propose, and I say yes. Or if I tell you one day that I’m pregnant.”

He smirks. “Both are events I’m looking forward to.”

Here it is again, his seductive and teasing smile. I can’t wait for us to go back to normal again. Good thing that it seems we are slowly getting there.

When we reach Aurelia’s room, she sits in her bed, her eyes lighting up when she sees me. “Annie!” she blurts out. “Man, why do you look so much better than me!? Fucking wolfsbane.”

I chuckle. “Maybe because you were the one who ripped through a bunch of guys without your wolf form.”

“That was cool, huh?” she grins.

I check her over carefully. Her arm and wrist aren’t fully healed yet, and her upper body is wrapped in bandages. She is right. Wolfsbane is a pest. “You were fantastic,” I tell her honestly. “And so brave. Who knows what would have happened to me without you?”