Chapter 3

— Natalie— 

Five Years Later. 

At the terminal of the Dellmore international airport, my little boy was doing what he did best, being the centre of attraction. I gave him some money to go get some snacks and as he made his way back to me all eyes at the airport terminal were on him, he had on a white shirt and blue overalls and on his legs he had his favourite nike sneakers on. 

My boys were cute and handsome, I mean their curly lashes or their emerald green eyes that I'm pretty sure they got from their father, a man that after all these years I still can't seem to remember. 

I was a wolf without a pack, it wasn't easy working and taking care of the boys but I did it, and when they were old enough, I enrolled them in a training center for young wolves, which gave me the time that I needed to enroll back in college. Back in Delmore, I was studying to become a doctor, my mom came from a long line of healers and she taught me everything I know about traditional medicine and the human body and also the wolf anatomy, but I knew that if I wanted to practice my craft, I had to get my degree and that was exactly what I did. 

I had two more years left in my programme so I finished them off and graduated and it wasn't long that I started getting clients from all over the world, but I knew that I couldn't let Yara know that I was alive, it would ruin my whole plan. So I had someone make me some very expensive and life like masks, they made me look pretty ordinary. 

But after five years, I finally had all the resources that I needed and it was time I came home and finally got my revenge. I had no idea what Yara did with my children but I know for certain that they are not dead, if they were I would've felt it. There's a bond between mother and child, especially werewolves, the same bond I feel with my sons, I feel it when it comes to the children that my sister took from me, that's how I know and I am confident that they are alive. 

“You okay baby?” I ask Clayton who has been so focused on playing his games on his tablet since we got to the terminal that he hasn't bothered to look up.

Clayton is the quiet one, but he's also the thoughtful one, unlike his brother Xavier who is the adventurous one of the two, but I'm not complaining. 

“Yes mummy, I just have to pass this stage.” He says not even looking up from his tablet. 

Xavier finally gets back to where we are with his snacks in hand and I can immediately feel the stares. It's nothing I'm not used to, I mean I get it, if I saw a child as handsome as Xavier running over to a woman who looked like me, I mean I would also stare. The realistic mask that I wore was so good, everyone thought that's how I really looked. 

With my super hearing I could hear what most of them said even though I tried to tune them out, they were wondering if I was the nanny or how it was possible for someone as ugly as I was to give birth to two handsome boys. 

“Did you get everything that you needed baby?” I asked Xavier. 

“Yes mummy and I also got the snacks for you and Clayton.” He says with a proud grin on his face. 

“You are such a good big brother.” I tell him as I take the snacks from him and put them on the chair. 

“Mummy, the people are staring again.” He tries to whisper but his voice just comes out the same and it makes me smile. 

“I know baby.” I tell him. 

“But do you really have to wear that ugly mask here to?” He asks me. 

I've done my best to explain to the kids why I have to wear this mask and even though they understood at the time, they're still kids. 

But it's not just the mask, I wear the mask and being a very skilled doctor I was also able to device a scent, that hid my actual scent from anyone that would recognise me. 

I mean even if my face was different, people who knew me or who I'm related to, can easily recognise my scent and I can't let that happen, especially when it comes to Yara, she thinks that I'm dead and I want it to stay that way. 

“Are you trying to say I'm ugly bubba?” I ask him with a raise of my eyebrow. 

“Of course not, you're the most beautiful mummy in the whole world and I want everyone to see that.” He says and I swear my heart melts on the spot. 

“You are so sweet.” I bend down and kiss him on his cheek but as I stand up, someone runs into my legs and I look down, shocked to see a little girl clinging to my legs. 

She looks up at me, eyes the same colour as mine with tears welling up in them. “Mummy.” She calls me. 

Her calling me her mum, I don't know why but I felt this tug in my heart. She's just how I imagined my little girl would be. But I immediately shake my head, as much as I would like this little girl to be my daughter, she isn't, I mean it would be too easy. I probably look like her mum and she's lost. 

I squat so I'm on the same level as she is. “Hey baby girl, are you lost?” I ask her. 

She just shakes her head, “Mummy, Mummy.” She says again as she pokes me in the chest. 

“I'm not your mummy baby, but I can help you find her.” I tell her but again all she does is shake her head as she clings to my arm. 

“Sophia!” I hear a man shout as he runs towards us. 

“Oh thank God.” He exhales in relief as he gets to us. 

I know all about stranger danger and I wasn't about to hand this child over to this man, and it was also clear that she was here with her mother. 

“Who are you exactly?” I asked the man and he looked affronted but I didn't care. 

“My name is Steven Bowers and that little girl holding your hand is my niece.” He tells me, I listened to his heartbeat and it was steady so either he was a very good liar or he was telling the truth. 

“I take it you're with her mother?” I ask him and he looks confused. 

“I'm sorry, I don't understand.” He tells me. 

“Sophia ran up to me thinking I was her mom, she started calling me her mommy. Do I look like her mother?” I ask him because that would explain her confusion. 

“I'm sorry but that's not possible.” Steven tells me. 

“Are you calling me a liar?” I asked him. 

“No, not at all but the thing is Sophia has aphasia, since she was a baby she hasn't spoken to anyone, which is why I'm finding it hard to believe that she called you her mother.” He tells me. 

My heart breaks as I look down at the little girl, I squat down again so I'm on the same level as her. “Is this true Sophia?” I ask and she looks at me and nods her head. 

“Is this man really your uncle?” I ask her, she looks at Steven then back at me and she nods her head. 

“Well he looks really worried, so why don't you go with him.” I tell her and immediately tears well up in her eyes. 

“I want to tell you something Sophia, something my mother told me. She believed that they were coincidences and there was fate. I believe that me meeting you here today is fate and do you know what that means?” I asked her and she shook her head. 

“It means that this isn't the last time we'll see each other, I'll see you again Sophia, so you don't have to be sad ok.” I tell her and she slowly nods her head. 

I take her hand and give her to her uncle. “She's a special little girl.” I tell him. 

“Yes she is, I didn't get your name.” He tells me. 

“It doesn't matter, goodbye Steven.” I tell him and then I turn around and head back to my kids, Xavier was now the one on his tablet while Clayton looked at me with a curious look on his face. 

“What is it my love?” I asked him. 

“That little girl.” He says. 

“Yeah, what about her?” I asked him. 

“She looks like you mummy.”