Chapter 72 – Redolence of Recurring Romance

[I feel so lonely here! I have to go there, ugh! I need Anna — and you, of course!] Gushed Izzy from the other line. Leal chuckled and shook her head to little Anna by her side who pointed to a toy. They’re currently at a mall in Bern, and Izzy was just blabbering about how much she misses the two. She last visited them on Christmas, which was already a few months ago.

“You can visit us anytime, Izzy, it’s just expensive so I always tell you to just FaceTime us,” she said, the three of them stopping in front of an indoor children’s’ playground. Anna squealed and jumped up and down, looking up at her meaningfully.

She didn’t even notice where they were going because Big Rory was the one leading the walk! Gosh, now she can’t not let Anna play.

[Why is she squealing? Is there a celebrity there?]

“Izzy, why would Anna recognize a celebrity? A cartoon character, more likely so.”

She darted Rory a questioning look who replied with a grin and led Anna inside herself.

“Look, I’ll talk to you later. Or just text me when you’ll go here. I have to guard Anna. You’re going alone, right?”

There was a pause. [Right.]

“Alright,” Leal nodded, her alert hawk eyes tailing Anna inside the jumpy castle. “I have to go. Bye, love you!”

They bid their goodbyes before Leal followed the two inside. She was greeted with Rory waving farewell to Anna who was giddily nodding. Confused, she looked at Rory.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Oh, hey! I told her she can go have fun and we’ll have a little talk,” said Rory while winking at one of the staff. The said staff was quick to accompany Anna. “The staff will babysit her and call me if anything happens.”

“W-What?”

She couldn’t process it quickly enough because Rory already pulled her out of the indoor playground.

“Come on!”

“Will she be fine?” she worriedly asked, looking back at her giggling daughter. She looks fine, but she just can’t leave her daughter alone in such an environment where she can fight other kids, knowing her daughter’s surprising limits. Will the kids around her be fine?

Leal sighed upon inhaling the smell of freshly-brewed coffee. Knowing Rory’s personality, she would never go to a coffee shop without having to talk about something serious. She could still remember the last time Rory brought her to Starbucks when she was asked about Anna’s father. Surely, it’d be something as serious today.

“You know, we could’ve just tagged Anna along. I’m pretty sure this talk won’t last long,” she started. “Plus, we’ve only finished lunch. Anna still needs to burp.”

“Come on, Leal.” Rory rolled her eyes, sipping on her own coffee. “This is a serious one, stop diverting the topic.”

“Well, what is the topic?”

Rory sighed, sitting upright. “Are you sick?”

Leal, taken aback, stilled for a moment before distressedly drinking her coffee. What a question. Wow.

“W-What do you mean?”

The big woman’s squinting eyes pierced her slightly widened ones. “We’ve all been meaning to ask you this. Do you think we’re gonna let those random blood puking and chest tightness pass? Do you have a sickness? What is it?”

Her sudden continuous inquisitive questions threw her off-guard. She knew someday they were gonna speak about it but she never expected it to be today when her alibis weren’t prepared. Gosh. What should she do now?

Masking her surprise, Leal forced out a chuckle and shook her head. “You’re overthinking again, Rory. I’m not sick, don’t worry. They’re just... random.”

Rory replied with an are-you-f u cking-kidding-me? look. “Who f u cking pukes out blood and laughs it off? Leal, just tell us if you have cancer or something. It’s better to tell us early than dramatically drop it when you’re, like, critical!”

“I promise it’s nothing worse, Rory,” Leal replied, maintaining her calm tone. “But to assure you, I’ll try my best to avoid more blood-puking sessions. Alright?”

Big Rory remained glaring at her, before huffing and drinking her coffee.

“Fine,” she grumbled.

“Thank you. Are we done now? I’m worried about Anna.” Although she can hear her daughter’s giddy giggles thanks to her enhanced hearing, she’s still bothered with not seeing her for too long. Who knows? She might be giggling while throwing a playmate.

And because of these enhanced senses, roaming around and enjoying the noisy world has also become a burden to her. Every little squeal or heavy noises hurt her ears, every slight movement from meters away catches her eye, and every object whipping the wind reaches her touch. Especially in noisy cities like Bern, it feels as if her ears are about to bleed. In Lauterbrunnen, though, it’s always peaceful. Like the woods, where she’s supposed to be.

“Leal? Hey!”

Leal blinked out of her train of thoughts and looked back at Rory who was waving her hands in front of her.

“Y-Yeah? Sorry?”

“D a mn, stop spacing out. You look freaky. I was asking if you’d like something to take out.”

“O-Oh..” Leal paused, sniffing around. Something smells so good in this shop. Or is it just her? “I think I’m craving for.. what is that smell?”

“What?” Rory joined her in sniffing the air. “I’m not sure what smell you’re talking about but I think those are muffins. I’ll go buy some.”

When Rory did leave to buy some take-outs, probably for the whole squad too, Leal thought to stand up and just wait for her outside. But that smell is really holding her back. It’s so delicious that she can’t pinpoint what it is. She just knows it’s... familiar.

With much hesitation, Leal finally mustered up the courage to leave the shop. She’ll have to look for that food some other time. She could barely hear her daughter’s giggle now because it was getting overlapped by the loud chatters of a male group nearby. Gosh.

She waited outside, holding to hers and Rory’s bags. Fortunately, the smell didn’t leave the air around her, which she can only inhale and not eat, unfortunately. She has to have her priorities straight.

“Rory, here!” She called Rory who just came out of the shop. They started walking back to the children’s’ indoor playground, chatting casually until Rory brought the topic back out.

“But, like, seriously, are you really fine?”

She looked genuinely concerned. Oh, if only she can tell her, then she wouldn’t feel so bad lying.

“Of course,” Leal smiled, lying through gritted teeth. “Don’t worry about me, I’m sure it’s something mild.”

Leal stopped in her tracks when a familiar baritone voice reached her earshot. Her eyes slightly widened as the delicious smell lingered around her again. Her arms that were linked to Rory stilled and tightened.

“Shut the fuck up, Ty.”

She couldn’t believe it. The delectable scent that she mistook as a delicacy, and the resurging feeling in her chest — those were the signs.

“Leal? What happened?”

Leal was sure he heard Rory. He had an enhanced hearing too. He was an Alpha wolf. And for sure, he also smelled her. Is this the time she’s been avoiding for years? Is this the time she’s been dreading, that she prefers to suffer than see his face and be reminded of the betrayal?

“D-Do you wanna go home, Rory?” Even with a shaking voice, she managed to croak out a question, a desperate plea lying underway. She wanna go home and hide Anna behind her. He can’t know. She can’t ruin their happy family. But she can just tell him that he’s not the father, right? But that would break her own heart.

If he can stomach cheating on her, she can’t. Even if they’re not together anymore.

“Why? Are you okay?”

“I’m... feeling under the weather suddenly,” she blurted out a rushed lie. Rory seemed to have believed it so she walked faster, abruptly pulling her because of their linked arms. Leal, who was acting to have an upset stomach, was surprised and ended up bumping to a wall in acting to have a painfully twisting gut.

“Oomf—” She was about to avoid the wall when the wall had hands and held her on the shoulders. Turns out, the wall was a person, and the rock hard person had electrifying hands that spread bolts of electricity all throughout her body. Who is he? Shazam? But why didn’t the bolts electrocute her?

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry!” She repeatedly apologized in German, avoiding the man in a suit’s face and keeping her head down, hoping for the man to pry his hands off of her.

“I’m sorry, Sir—”

“Schatzi.”

For the nth time today, she stilled.

“I missed you,” he whispered in German. “So much,” this time, it was in English.

The low pitch, the half-drunk voice, the lazy drawl, and the breathing pattern. It was him. The manly cologne, the expensive, elite all-black suit, and the aura. It was really him. He’s here. Her mate, the father of her child, and the love of her life is here. Oh, God so help her.

Suddenly, Axel was pushed away by a strong force.

“Get your f u cking hands off of her!” Rory screeched, pulling her behind her as she glared at Axel who was only a few inches taller than her, a six-foot-tall XL woman. Rory was was clearly intimidating, with a body full of tattoos, heavy dark makeup, and a boyish pixie cut. But, Axel being Axel, merely frowned at her with his group of muscular Upsilons behind him. Truth be told, only his presence alone can match Rory but with his muscular Upsilons, Rory just appeared like a street-gangster. No offense meant.

But what’s cool about street-gangsters, is that they fear nobody but the local cops. Other than that, nobody else. Rory, surprising not only their group but also every female swooning over Axel in the mall, advanced to him and swung a heavy right hand. Her fist connected to his jaw, with Axel reacting half a second late.

Nobody saw it coming.

Leal gasped, appalled, and unhesitatingly pulled Big Rory back with her enhanced strength. What a mess.

“Rory! Why did you punch him?!”

“Because—”

The whole mall, that was reigned by silence because of the shocking woman punching a handsome man’s face, was alarmed by a loud children’s scream. Both their eyes widened, with Leal blatantly ignoring the blood that oozed from her ears.

Anna!