Chapter 26

Elara

We ended up on a soft patch of grass, the sun warming our faces as we settled on a checkered picnic blanket spread out in the field behind the estate. Zoe and Ella squealed with excitement, running in circles around the basket while Annie hovered a few steps away, looking unsure, and Clyde stood with his hands tucked behind his back, that easygoing smile on his face.

Alaric sat down on the blanket, his expression calm but his shoulders taut. I felt his gaze flick to me more than once, as if he couldn’t quite decide what he thought of my new dress. I could almost feel Alaric’s thoughts buzzing around me: was he admiring the dress? Or was he just noticing how different I looked compared to what his mother had intended?

I didn’t ask. I had my pride, after all, and part of me enjoyed the quiet mystery of his lingering glances. If he had something that important to say, I had no doubt that the brooding Alpha would speak up eventually.

Zoe and Ella soon grew bored of just standing there and took off, giggling, to gather wildflowers. “Look, Mommy!” Zoe called out, holding up a handful of daisies. Ella was already twisting the stems together into a makeshift crown.

I watched them with a fond smile, grateful for the change of atmosphere. It really was a beautiful day outside, warm and sunny with the slightest cool breeze. Even Annie began to relax, settling onto the corner of the blanket with a tentative smile on her face.

Clyde removed his hat and set it down beside him. “Fine day,” he remarked quietly, his eyes lingering on the girls as they chased each other through the field. “I don’t recall us having a picnic like this before. At least, not since…”

Alaric cleared his throat, effectively cutting Clyde off. “Neither do I, Clyde.”

The gardener’s face reddened a little. Alaric’s tone wasn’t cruel, but it was clear that he didn’t want Clyde to finish whatever he had to say. He didn’t need to finish for me to know what—or rather, who—he was referring to.

Alaric’s late wife.

Had they had picnics like this, once, I wondered? Did she put on airy dresses and sunhats and prepare cakes and sandwiches? I didn’t know anything about her. And I was a little afraid to ask.

For a moment, we just sat in silence and watched the children weave through tall grass. Then a breeze whispered across the field, catching me off guard. My sunhat lifted off my head and soared a few feet away.

“Oh!” I scrambled up to catch it.

Before I could even reach it, Alaric was already on his feet. He snatched the hat out of the air with effortless ease. I paused, watching him walk back toward me. His eyes flickered down to the dress again, and then he stepped in close, lifting the hat to place it gently on my head.

“Careful,” he said softly, his voice low. Then, to my surprise, he adjusted the strap beneath my chin, his fingers brushing the underside of my jaw. That light touch sent a flutter through my chest, and I forced myself to hold still, tilting my head slightly as he fastened it.

I looked up at him, feeling a little shy under his scrutiny. He stood close, so close I caught a hint of his cologne mingling with the scent of fresh grass and lemonade from the picnic basket. His gaze wandered over me—over the dress, the hat, my braided hair—then returned to my eyes. My heart was pounding faster than I liked to admit.

“Where did you get this dress?” he asked quietly, finally breaking the silence between us.

“Annie found it in the spare closet,” I replied, swallowing. “She said I could wear it. I thought it was pretty.”

His expression went distant for a moment, as if searching for words he wouldn’t, or maybe couldn’t, say. “It is a nice dress,” he finally said. His tone betrayed nothing, no hint of whatever was going on inside his head.

There was another brief silence after that. “Elara,” he said tersely after a moment, “don’t fight with my mother. I already told you it’s easier not to.”

My shoulders stiffened. “So I’m supposed to just let her treat everyone like trash?” I asked, trying to keep my voice down so as not to alert the others. “Easier isn’t always better.”

He frowned, his jaw tightening. “You don’t know my mother. It’s simpler this way. Just… put up with it until she leaves.” And with that, he stepped back, leaving behind a faint tension in the air where he had once stood.

I watched him as he returned to the blanket, disappointment settling in my chest. Alaric might be willing to let Grace walk all over everyone to keep the peace, but I sure as hell wasn’t. Still, I bit my tongue.

Six months, I reminded myself. Just survive six months. For the girls.

After that, we settled back down at the picnic. I handed out sandwiches, lemonade, and small cakes. The girls were still busy making flower crowns, and Annie accepted a sandwich with a quiet nod. She didn’t say much, just nibbled contentedly, maybe glad to be included.

Clyde made a point of thanking me for the meal with a warm smile that set me right at ease. Alaric and Clyde struck up a conversation about the state of the greenhouse, which plants were blooming early this year.

Listening in, I could tell they had known each other for a long time. And for the first time since I had met him, I saw Alaric converse easily, his shoulders loosening a fraction, a faint, genuine warmth in his voice. I liked seeing him this way, more human and less guarded.

I made a mental note: if I was going to get through these next six months with my sanity intact, I needed more moments like this. Lighthearted chats, small gatherings, laughter between bites of cake. I could orchestrate that, couldn’t I?

The girls soon returned, triumphant, each holding a set of flower crowns. Zoe placed one gently on my head, giggling as she adjusted it. “Mommy, you’re a flower queen now!”

Ella smoothed a strand of hair around my ear. “So pretty,” she said.

I touched the flower crown lightly, smiling at their handiwork. “It’s lovely, girls. You did a wonderful job.”

Ella turned to Alaric next, clutching a second crown of wildflowers in her small hands. “Daddy, this one’s for you!” she said, stepping forward. She tried to reach up and place it on his head, but he caught her wrist gently, halting her movement before she could.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his eyes flicking uncertainly to the flower crown.

“I want to put the flower crown on you, Daddy!” Ella insisted.

Alaric’s face went a bit red at the notion, and he held her wrist for a second longer. He looked genuinely torn—the masculine part of him wanted to say no, I could tell, but another part recognized that these were his daughters, and they were offering something sweet and harmless.

“Here,” I said softly, reaching out. “Let me help.”

I took the flower crown from Ella’s hand and rose to place it on Alaric’s head myself. He tensed, his posture rigid, but didn’t pull away. I arranged it carefully, ignoring his faint scowl, noticing the flush spreading across his cheeks.

As my fingers combed through his hair, his eyes flicked up at me again, just as they had before. He seemed to be taking me in all over again, like an old acquaintance whose name ne was trying to place.

For some reason, as his gaze met mine and held it, my fingers stilled on either side of his head. I felt my heart quicken in my chest, my throat tightening for reasons I couldn’t quite comprehend.

But before either of us could speak, the girls flopped down onto the blanket and started fussing over him, calling him ‘Daddy the Flower King’ and giggling like mad.

Alaric sat stoically, chewing his sandwich as if he were enduring some great trial as the girls fawned over him. But he didn’t remove the crown. In fact, after a few moments, he seemed to relax a little, allowing the girls to have their fun.

The mood was light and warm—exactly what I’d hoped for. Annie smiled behind her lemonade cup, and Clyde looked thoroughly amused. I caught Alaric’s eye for a moment, raising my brows as if to say, ‘See? This isn’t so bad.’

He looked away, a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth, maybe the ghost of a smile he didn’t want to show.

Suddenly, Zoe and Ella whispered to each other and then rushed off a short distance away. They came back a few minutes later, each holding something small and green in their cupped palms. As they approached, I noticed they had woven tiny dandelion stems together, forming small rings.

Zoe held hers out toward me, and Ella offered hers to Alaric. Zoe cleared her throat and said, “Mommy, Daddy, you should put these on since you don’t have wedding rings!”