Page 18

Happy new year Guys,????????. Guess what???

My name on is #24 in strong female tag among 6.5k books. I'm so excited and maybe a bit scared but anyways, Let's get this.

Aegis's Point Of View.

Life has been good lately.

So much so that I can’t stop smiling no matter how hard I tried. And I’ve tried a lot.Humming to myself, I kneaded the cinnamon dough on the already floured counter. Little clouds of flour puffed into the air with each fold I turned around dusting my nose and cheeks. It reminds me of a joke Elijah made and I smile. Why does everything remind me of him?.

“Mommy, am I doing it right?” Cece asked breaking me out of my thoughts. I bit my lips in amusement at the sight of her with a total flour covered face and a watered down version of a piece of dough paste in her hands.

“Yes baby. Of course”

“Mommy you’re lying. I’m bad at this”.

“Okay maybe. But you can dust flour on the baking pan the way we did to the counter. You can do that, can’t you baby?

“Yes mommy. But can I do it later? My wrist hurts.”

“Of course baby.”

And with that,she was out of the room. Probably to go play with the other children.

“You’re going to wear that smile right off your face if you’re not careful.”

I turned to find Elijah leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed and a playful grin pulling at his lips. The twinkle in his eyes told me he’d been standing there for a while.

“Someone’s got to make up for your serious face, Mr Big Alpha Sir,” I teased, winking at him.

He laughed out loud. “Is that right?” He pushed off the door frame and sauntered to me. “And here I thought I was the cheerful one in this relationship.”

I wiped my flour-covered hands on my apron and replied with a smirk on my face. “Oh sure. You’re a big ray of sunshine.”

He stepped closer locking his gaze to mine. “I am whenever you’re around.”

Heat bloomed in my cheeks and I rolled my eyes to cover my blush. “Smooth.”

“I thought so,” he chuckled.

Leaning on the counter beside me he watched me. His fingers dipped into the flour all of a sudden and before I knew it, a handful of white powder landed right on my face and clothes.

“Elijah!” I squealed and swatted at him. “ God,you’re worse than Cece!”

Completely unrepentant he grinned st me. “I’m just keeping things fair.”

I grabbed a pinch of flour and flicked it at him. It landed with a soft puff on his cheek and he froze. He blinked and a look of exaggerated horror crossed his face. “Did you just declare war on your Alpha?”

I backed away slowly giggling uncontrollably. “Maybe.”

His eyes narrowed playfully. “You realize there’s no escaping this kitchen, right?”

I feigned a gasp. “Are you threatening me, Mr Alpha Sir?”

He took a step forward with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Oh no,I wouldn’t. It’s not a threat. It’s a promise.”

I barely had time to react before he lunged, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me off the ground. I shrieked, laughing uncontrollably as he spun me around. My feet kicked in the air, and I clung to his shoulders, my stomach fluttering from the joy of it all.

“Put me down!” I gasped between laughs.

“Surrender,’” he demanded, his own laughter rumbling against my chest.

“Never!” I declared, still giggling.

He finally set me down but he didn’t let go. Instead, his hands settled on my waist to keep me close. Our eyes met in the small space between us. The world outside the kitchen faded away.

“I love seeing you like this,” he murmured, his thumb tracing small gentle circles along my hip. “Happy. Free.”

My smile softened, and I leaned into him. “I’m starting to feel like myself again.”

He brushed a strand of hair from my face. “Good. Because you deserve to be happy, Aegis. You deserve everything.”

My heart swelled and I tilted my head up, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw. “You make it easy.”

He bent his head, his lips capturing mine in a slow, tender kiss. The kind of kiss that whispered promises and spoke of forever without saying a word.

He rested his forehead against mine and his breath warmed my face.

“Stay with me,” he whispered. “Not just tonight, not just here. Stay with me, always.”

I nodded, my voice caught in my throat. “Always.”

A smile broke across his face, lighting up his eyes. “Good. Now how about those cookies you promised?”

I laughed, the giddy feeling in my belly returning tenfold. “You’re lucky you’re cute, or I’d make you wait.”

He pressed a kiss to the tip of my nose. “I’m more than cute, and you know it.”

“Fine,” I teased. “You’re teeny tiny bit handsome AND cute.”

He stepped back before clapping his hands together. “That’s what I like to hear. Now, let’s bake.”

We worked side by side. His hands would occasionally brush against mine as we rolled the dough and cut out shapes. Every stolen glance, every shared smile made my heart race.

Elijah slipped behind me when the cookies finally made it into the oven, wrapping his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder blowing hot breath against the small of my neck.

“You know,” he said softly, “moments like this make me wish time could just stop right here, right now.”

I leaned back into him, lacing my fingers with his. “Maybe it doesn’t need to stop. Maybe we just need to savor every second.”

He squeezed my hand. “Then let’s savor them all. Starting now.”

He lifted me firmly on the counter and locked his lips on mine.

As the scent of baking cookies filled the air and the afternoon sun dipped lower in the sky, I knew that for the first time in a long while, I wasn’t just surviving. I was living.

With Elijah beside me, the future felt bright.

The oven beeped and we reluctantly parted. I went on to bring the cookies out and set them to cool.

Behind me, Elijah's deep laughter rumbled as he chased a giggling Cece around the kitchen. Her tiny feet pattered against the wooden tile of the kitchen and her dark curls bounced around wildly. Every now and then, she'd squeal in delight as he caught and scooped her up only to set her down and let her escape again.

"You can’t catch me, Daddy!" she taunted childishly sticking out her tongue.

"Oh, you think so, huh?" Elijah teased feigning exhaustion. "I guess I'll just have to give up and eat all these cookies by myself."

Cece stopped dead in her tracks narrowing her eyes in adorable suspicion. She stomped her foot with her little hands on her hips. "NO! Mommy and I get the cookies first!"

I laughed turning to see Elijah's eyes sparkling with mischief. He shrugged, a grin spreading across his face. "Okay but I tried, baby girl. You're just too fast for me."

She ran into his arms, and he lifted her high above his head, spinning her until her laughter filled every corner of the room. We were so happy. “Like a family” my wolf whispered wisfully across the panes of my mind.

Elijah set Cece down gently before walking over to me.

"You okay, love?" he murmured.

I nodded, my hands still in the dough. "I am now."

His lips brushed against my cheek. "Good. You deserve to be happy, Aegis."

Cece, not one to be ignored for long, tugged at my apron. "Mommy, can I have some cookies?"

Wiping a bit of flour on her nose,I smiled down at her. "Of course, sweetie. Come here." I lifted her onto a stool next to me.

Elijah chuckled, watching us with his arms crossed. "I don't know who’s more pretty, you or the cookies."

"Me, Daddy!"We all laughed at that.

Elijah leaned against the counter with something profound in his eyes even though his gaze never left us.

"I could watch this forever," he said softly.

I glanced at him with a smile tugging at my lips. "Who says you can't?"

His eyes darkened a bit but he quickly covered it with a smile. "You're right. I’m not going anywhere."

I reached out to squeeze his hand. "Good."

For the next hour, we ate silently filling the kitchen with the scent of cinnamon and chocolate.

When the cookies were finally cooling, we all sat on the floor, Cece nestled between us, munching happily on a slightly lopsided gingerbread man.

"Mommy, Daddy," she said through a mouthful of cookie, "can we always do this?"

Elijah's hand found mine, his fingers lacing through mine. "Always, baby girl."

Cece suddenly yawned rubbing her eyes. Elijah scooped her up effortlessly, cradling her against his chest.

"Looks like someone’s ready for a nap," he said.

"No nap," she protested even though she was already snuggling into his shoulder.

I smiled following them to the living room. Elijah settled her on the large sofa but she wouldn’t let go, with her tiny fingers clinging to his shirt.

The room was quiet except for the soft rhythm of Cece's breathing. Elijah's hand pulled me to him and traced slow, soothing circles on my back.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"For what?" he asked, his voice low.

"For this. For making me believe in happiness again."

He kissed the top of my head. "You brought the happiness back, Aegis. I just helped you see it."

I closed my eyes, letting his words wash over me.

Elijah shifted gently when Cece stirred, very careful not to wake her.

"You know," he said playfully, "I think we make a pretty good team."

I smiled back. "The very best team."

He leaned in to capture my lips in a soft and sweet kiss filled with unspoken promises. His forehead rested against mine when we broke apart.

"No matter what happens," he murmured, "I love you. Both of you."

Happy tears pricked my eyes "We love you too."

No matter what the future held, this happiness, this love, would stay with me always.

“Alpha we have an emergency at the West Border gate. A rogue has been spotted”.

With a growl, Elijah was off. He ran back though to place a quick kiss on my cheek.

Lesson number one: Alphas are really lovely people even the egoistic handsome ones.

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P.s if the book gets to 1.5k today. I'll update two chapters tomorrow..