Elina POV
It's been a while since Louve left the mansion. The mansion fell back into its usual silence. A cold mist must have begun to spread across the courtyard, curling around the stone statues and ancient trees that surrounded the estate. The air carried the scent of damp earth and pine. The atmosphere was warm. I stood at the doorway for a moment watching the empty driveway. Louve always brought chaos with her... even when she didn't mean to. My gaze slowly shifted towards the black car parked near the steps.
Inside was the girl she came with yesterday evening; it's dawn now. She looks small, fragile, and terrified. I walked slowly towards the vehicle, my heels clicking softly against the marble pavement. The rays of the sun began to set as the morning dew set in.
When I reached the car, I bent slightly and tapped gently on the window. The girl looked at me immediately. Her eyes were wide, innocent, and curious, like a frightened deer ready to run at any second. I could see fear in her eyes.
Poor child.
I opened the door slowly so she wouldn't panic.
"Hello there," I said softly.
She didn't answer; she only stared at me. I could see the dirt on her cheeks and the faint bruises on her arms. Her small hands clutched the edge of the seats tightly.
"You don't have to be afraid," I told her gently.
"You are safe here."
Still no response. I sighed quietly.
Trauma does that to people, especially children. If I had been at that incident, I wouldn't have spared those men, I thought to myself.
I extended my hand towards her.
"Come with me. It's cold outside." After a moment of hesitation, she slowly stepped out of the car.
She was smaller than I expected—maybe ten or eleven years old at most.
I held her hands as we walked towards the mansion door. The lights from inside cast a warm glow onto the stone floor, welcoming us into the massive hall. The mansion always looked grand at dawn. Tall chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their golden light reflecting across the polished marble floor. The scent of baked cookies drifted faintly from the kitchen—Maia must have left them there. The place felt different.
Quieter.
Heavier.
Perhaps because of the news about Lynx, or maybe because of the child standing beside me.
I took her toward the sitting room near the fireplace. The fire crackled softly, filling the room with warmth.
"Sit," I said kindly. She obeyed.
I went to a small cabinet and poured a glass of warm milk, bringing it to her.
"Drink." She stared at the glass for a moment… then slowly took it.
"Progress," I assumed in my mind.
I sat across from her in the armchair. For a while, neither of us spoke. The firelight danced across the walls while the wind outside brushed against the tall window. Then I tried to talk to her.
"What is your name?" The girl lowered her eyes.
Silence.
I leaned forward slightly.
"You don't have to tell me everything," I said calmly. "Just tell me your name, okay?" Then, very quietly, she whispered, "...Rosa."
I blinked, surprised. So she could speak.
"Rosa," I repeated with a small smile. "That's a beautiful name."
She didn't react.
But at least she didn't look away this time.
"Do you remember where you live?" I asked gently.
Her expression changed; fear crossed her face again. She shook her head.
I sighed softly and leaned back in my chair.
Poor child.
Whatever she had gone through…it had clearly shaken her deeply.
As I watched her sitting there—small, quiet, holding the glass with trembling fingers—a strange feeling rose inside my chest.
A memory.
A painful one.
My mind hasn't crossed paths with it yet; I hadn't thought about it in years.
But the child's presence… the way she looked at me, the way she looked at the world with cautious eyes.
It reminded me of someone, someone so dear to me.
My daughter.
The daughter I left behind.
Eleven years ago. My gaze drifted toward the fire. Back then… I had no choice. The pack war had begun; there were enemies everywhere.
And a child would have been a weakness.
I still remembered everything clearly. That night. The rain was pouring from the sky. It was a deadly situation.
The smell of blood in the air.
I had carried my baby girl in my arms for the last time before leaving her in the care of humans far away from the pack.
"Maybe it was the right decision to make." I thought.
It was the only way to protect her.
She had been a school-age child, innocent and young. Leaving her to a different world. She was naive. But I still long for her every single moment in my heart.
I wondered sometimes…
What she looked like now.
How tall she had grown.
If she still had my silver eyes. If she ever wondered about the mother who disappeared.
My chest tightened.
If she were alive…she would probably be around Louve's age now.
Maybe twenty-one.
Maybe twenty-three.
My thoughts drifted back to the girl sitting before me. Rosa was watching me quietly now. Perhaps she observed that my mind had wandered. I could see the way she stared at me.
I gave her a small, reassuring smile.
"You're safe here, believe me, okay?" I told her again.
The wind outside grew stronger, rattling the windows slightly. I stood up and walked towards the window. I could see from the sky that the weather had changed. Supposedly, it was about to rain.
Rosa pulled her legs closer to herself.
"Come," I said gently. "I'll show you a room where you can rest." She hesitated again. Then I slowly walked towards her, bending down to look at her.
"Do you feel hungry?" I asked. She nodded.
I was relieved she was coming around. Maybe my patience was paying off.
"Alright," I said. "I will go grab you some cookies and berries. Let me take you to a room to rest," I told her.
As we walked down the long hallway together, I couldn't stop the strange thought forming in my mind. I started to reason that fate had a strange way of bringing people together. Perhaps this girl had crossed Louve's path for a reason.
And somehow…
I had the unsettling feeling that something much bigger was about to surface. Something that would soon shake the entire pack.
And perhaps… it would be a sweet disaster if both packs crossed paths.
As I directed Rosa, I began to think about her genesis: where she had come from and who her family was. I needed to gather all her information as soon as possible. "I don't intend to watch over her for long," I thought as we walked across the hallway.