CHAPTER 3

5 years later

Emily felt a gentle nudge and opened her eyes to see two pairs of identical curious blue eyes staring down at her. She chuckled when she noticed the excited smile of the twins face when they saw she was finally awake.

“Good morning, Mommy!” They chorused loudly and Emily winced at how loud they were.

“Good morning, my loves but please don’t be so loud so early in the morning. What time is it?” She asked, stretching her hands over head.

“It’s seven o’clock. It’s time to get ready for school!” Quinn said bouncing on the bed, her blonde curls bouncing with her.

“Okay, okay. Let me get up” Emily said, getting out of the bed. “Have you brushed your teeth?” She asked them before kissing them on the foreheads and heading to the bathroom.

“Yes” Finn replied, bouncing after her to the bathroom. He was usually quieter than his sister. “Uncle Ryan helped us brush our teeth and take our baths”

“That’s good. When I finish brushing my teeth, we’ll have breakfast, okay love?”

“Yes, Mommy”

She quickly brushed her teeth and took a quick shower before putting on a simple dress and a cotton cardigan over it. She tied her long blonde hair into a ponytail and applied lip gloss to her chapped lips.

When she got out of the bathroom, the twins were no longer in her room so she walked out to the bathroom to the kitchen where they were seated on their seats, having breakfast.

Ryan walked around the counter to hand her a cup of coffee and gave her a knowing smile “Hey, you. Ready to face the day?”

“You are the best” She said taking a seat and digging into the plate of breakfast he pushed towards her

“And no, I’m not ready for another hectic day both at the office and handling those two. Thank goodness for the school”

“Don’t let them hear you can’t wait to get rid of them” He said with a chuckle before sitting down and eating his breakfast.

Emily and Ryan were childhood friends from her previous pack and he had been there for her through the worst times of her life, even abandoning his old life to start all over with her again here in Manchester.

A lot of people often thought Ryan was the father of her twins because of how fiercely protective he was of the twins but they were never anything romantic and never thought of it. He hadn’t found his mate yet and she hoped he did soon so he would also have someone to take care of him and love him as well.

They finished their breakfast to see the twins playing over their food.

“Munchkins, are you done with your food?” Ryan asked, leaning over to ruffle Finn’s hair and he was not happy about it.

“Uncle Ryan!” He whined with a pout “You are going to mess up my hair for the first day of school”

“Sorry, my prince” Ryan apologized with a mock bow.

“How about me? I’m a princess too” Quinn complained and Emily picked her up and twirled her around the room and she giggled and shrieked excitedly.

“Okay, we have to leave now so we arrive on time. Grab your backpacks and jackets munchkins” Ryan announced and Emily dropped Quinn and the twins ran to their room to get their jackets while she grabbed the keys.

They arrived at school on time and Emily packed at the entrance and opened the door for the twins. She hugged and kissed the both of them before ushering them towards their teacher who was waiting a few feet from them.

“Bye, Mommy. Bye, Uncle Ryan. We love you” They said with a wave which Ryan and Emily returned.

“Bye babies. We love you too” Emily said and watched them walk into the school with their teacher before getting back into the car.

“They are growing up so fast” Ryan said with a smile. He was still looking at the gate which the twins disappeared into.

“Way too fast. I want them to remain my little buttons for ever” Emily said with a little pout.

They drove to their workplace, a small advertising firm where Emily worked as a graphics designer and Ryan worked as an accountant. They bid each other good bye and headed to their separate department.

Emily entered her cubicle and turned on her computer so she could check her emails. She answered the important ones from her superiors first. When she was done she decided to call her father.

She knew he would probably not pick like he has been doing for the past year but she wanted to try. Maybe today would be different, she told herself before picking up the phone and dialing his number.

Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when the call went straight to voicemail. She shouldn’t be surprised since this was the new norm but she couldn’t stop the hurt that curled around her like a second skin.

Emily decide to shake off her sad thoughts and dialed her brother, Liam instead. He was the only one who still kept in touch with her even though their father had forbidden everyone from keeping in contact with her.

Liam picked up on the first ring and it brought a smile to her face. “Hey, sis! How are you and the twins?” He was always so warm towards her and his voice always made her miss home.

“I’m great lee” Emily said with a smile, traces of her sadness, gone “How are you? How is the pack and everyone at home?”

“We’re doing fine. Nothing major to report.” He paused and added softly “Have you called dad lately?”

“I did and it’s still the same. He won’t pick my calls at all. Does he say anything about me at home?”

“No, but he has been grumpy today and he is usually like that when he sees your calls”

“I call him every two days so maybe it’s starting to piss him off”

“I’m sorry about dad. He’s still stubborn as ever.” She sighed again.

“It’s okay, lee. I’m used to it by now.”

“How is mom? Is she doing okay?” Emily asked changing the topic as she no longer wanted to talk about how her father’s actions still hurt her.

“She’s here. Would you like to talk to her?” Liam asked and Emily nodded happily before remembering he couldn’t see her.

“Yes, please” The phone rustled a little before he mom’s voice floated through the speakers.

“Emily, I’ve missed you so much, my baby”

“Hey, mom” Emily said with a smile and tears welled up in her eyes. It’s been so long she talked to her mom and she missed her a lot. “I’ve missed you too. Are you okay? Are you eating well?”

“I’m fine baby. I should be asking about you and the twins. I hope you are leaving well. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to let your brother know”

“We are managing just fine. I can’t even dare to ask for help from the pack, dad would be furious if he found out that you still kept in contact with me” Her mother sighed

“I know your father is being so difficult but please be patient with him. I’m sure he would come around soon”

“Mom, it’s been five years, he would have forgiven me since if he wanted to” Emily choked out as she realized that it was the truth, her father had no plan to forgive her.

“He will. Just be patient. Everything will be fine soon”

Emily wanted to argue and tell her she was past her patient level and that she didn’t believe that everything will be fine soon but she kept quiet and listened to her mom.

She ended the call with a promise to get in touch with them soon. Emily turned to focus on her work for the day, hoping that someday, she would be able to reunite with her family again and get her dad’s forgiveness.