Chapter 21

Selena’s POV

I didn’t know what I had expected but it definitely wasn’t that he would walk through that door

Leaving just sisi and I in the room

I watched him tho

He seemed hesitant

Was he expecting me to protest?

To maybe try to stop him

But instead I sat and watched till the door clicked shut behind him

And the silence that followed was different

It felt like a breath that had been held for too long. It was heavy like a weight that was pressing over Everything that was left unsaid.

I didn’t move.

More like I couldn’t.

Sis was in my arms, her body climbed to me

Amd I couldn’t lie

I liked how it felt

Natural

Like she belonged here

Her position was funny

She had one hand near her chin like a fist while the other kne was loosely clutching my shirt

Her breathing was streaky now it’s been like thst since the past hour

And it brought peace to my soul

Everything about her

How peaceful she looked with her eyelashes resting on her cheekbones

Too peaceful even

My fingers instinctively traced lines on her back, as if touching her made it more real.

It was the way her tiny gram fit into mine, like we had done this before.

Like I was meant to be here all along.

But somehow all I could think about was hiw close I had come to losing her.

The way her limbs had jerked multiple times

Her pupil had rolled up and her white eyes were the only visible oart.

She had gone limp in my arms

I’d screamed her name like it could fight the Moon itself.

I could still taste the herbs I’d placed on her tongue, still feel the bruising sting in my knees when I’d collapsed to the floor, whispering prayers I barely remembered. Not to Cassian. Not to any Alpha. But to something older. Wilder.

I exhaled shakily.

My arm shifted just enough to tuck a loose curl behind her ear.

She didn’t stir.

And somehow, that broke me more than anything else.

A soft knock came at the door.

My whole body tensed. Not in fear—just instinct. I curled Sisi tighter into me without thinking.

The door creaked open, quiet but hesitant.

“Forgive me, miss,” came a voice—warm, feminine, unsure.

I looked up.

It was one of the older maids

She was short, plump, and usually very quiet in the hallways.

And also when we had breakfast

Her apron was freshly ironed , her white hair pulled into a neat bun.

She had eyes that reminded me of my aunt’s

They were kind, tired, and filled with stories she didn’t say out loud.

“I didn’t mean to intrude,” she added quickly. “I was just… checking on her.”

“She’s okay,” I whispered. “She hasn’t woken yet, but she’s breathing fine.”

The woman stepped in gently, like she was entering sacred ground. She shut the door behind her, her eyes falling to the child in my arms. She clutched a folded blanket to her chest like it was armor.

“Thank the stars,” she murmured. “You don’t know how loud this palace felt last night. No one said anything, but… we were all listening. Waiting.”

“She scared me,” I admitted, my voice rough. “I didn’t know if she’d come back.”

“She did.” The woman came closer and set the blanket on a nearby chair. “And she came back to you.”

I looked down.

“She’s still holding on to you,” she said quietly.

“She hasn’t let go since it happened.”

The woman slowly sat on the edge of a chair near the bed, her knees cracking slightly as she lowered herself. Her gaze never left Sisi.

“You have no idea what that means,” she said after a long silence.

“I don’t,” I confessed. “Not really.”

“She doesn’t let anyone hold her. Not for long. She flinches. Pulls away. Even with me—when she was smaller, she’d sit in my lap for a minute, two at most, then bolt.”

My fingers stilled on Sisi’s back. “So why now?”

“Because you didn’t ask her for permission.” Her voice was soft. “You just gave her safety. And she accepted it.”

I blinked at her,

Her words were heavy for me to process

I didn’t even want to

But I was forced to

“She just… reached for me,” I murmured. “I didn’t even think. I caught her, and… she clung to me like I was the last solid thing in the world.”

“Because maybe you were.”

My throat burned.

“That’s because you see her,” the woman’s voice was tender. Like a pat on the head or that hug you need after a long day. And for some odd reason, I saw myself leaning into it.

“Not what she lacks. Not what she fails to say. You saw the child, not the curse.”

I looked down at Sisi’s small, quiet face.

“She’s not a curse,” I whispered.

“No,” the woman agreed, nodding firmly. “But that’s how she’s treated sometimes. As if silence is an illness. As if she’s less than whole.”

“She’s just a little girl,” I said. “She didn’t ask for any of this. Not the seizures. Not the silence. Not this… complicated world around her.”

The maid leaned forward. “What you did last night—it wasn’t just instinct. It was maternal.”

I let out a soft, bitter laugh. “I’m not her mother.”

“She thinks you are.”

My head turned sharply. “What?”

The woman’s eyes glistened. “She calls you Mummy.”

“I know,” I breathed.

She blinked rapidly, a shaky smile forming on her face. “We didn’t even know she could utter those words ?”

“Since the first day I got here. I’ve tried correcting her severally , but she acts as though she knows something that I don’t ”

“She does know. Maybe not with her mind yet. But with her spirit.”

I swallowed hard. “It didn’t feel wrong. It should’ve… but it didn’t.”

“Because in that moment, you weren’t just comforting her. You were home.”

I couldn’t speak.

“Some children,” the maid continued, “are born looking for their mothers. Others… lose them and start searching all over again. And when they find that feeling, they cling.”

“She’s not mine,” I said.

“Not by blood,” the maid agreed. “But bonds like these? They’re soul-deep.”

A pause.

“Do you have children of your own?” she asked, voice gentle.

“No,” I whispered.

I watched her expression soften

It seemed more like tears had welled up i her own eyes

I lowered my gaze.

“I never planned to be here,” I said. “I just wanted a job. A way out.”

“And yet, here you are. With a child who sees you. And a house that’s finally quiet.”

I didn’t know what to say

So I let us sit in silence

MTH is one was different tho

It felt reassuring

Like my life wasn’t as messed up as I thought it was

Like I had hopes of making it out a better person

Like I was a better person myself

Then the woman shifted forward.

“There’s something you should know.”

I looked up slowly.

“Cassian,” she said carefully, “he doesn’t talk much. Doesn’t show it. But he sees everything. Especially you.”

I gave a dry smile. “I don’t really care ma’am ”

“No,” she smiled. “He watches the way Sisi looks at you. The way she calms when you speak. The way she reaches for you.” She paused. “He knows he can’t replicate that.”

I blinked. “But I’m not—”

“No, you’re not trying to replace anyone. But sometimes… the person a child chooses speaks louder than blood.”

My throat tightened.

“I think he’s scared,” she added.

“Scared?” I echoed.

“Because he doesn’t understand softness. Not the kind you give her. Not the kind that doesn’t expect anything back.”

I said nothing.

The maid stood slowly, brushing her skirt down with trembling fingers.

“I only came to drop this blanket,” she said, nodding to it. “But I think I witnessed something more important.”

“What?”

“A beginning. A bond. Not by birth. But by something else the Moon stitched.”

She stepped toward the door, then paused.

“If she calls you Mummy again,” she said, voice barely above a whisper, “don’t correct her.”

I looked up.

“Just hold her tighter.”

The door opened with a soft creak.

And there he was.

Cassian.

Standing in the hallway. Silent. Watching.

The maid gave me a small glance that said be calm, then nodded politely to him and slipped out without another word.

He didn’t move for a second. Just stood there.

Then he stepped in, slow and quiet, his eyes locked on Sisi.

She was still sleeping, arms wrapped tightly around me.

“Good morning, Selena.”

My breath caught.

I blinked, startled. “Good morning.”

He nodded once.

he didn’t blink from looking at sisi

It was more like she was a silent connection we had to each other

A connection we were yet to admit

The door closed gently.

And I thought he was gone.

But no,

And he was finally inside the room

Staring at the both of us

And I couldn’t lie that it did nothing to me

But,

And I remained exactly where I was, with his daughter sleeping in my arms.

And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like a stranger in someone else’s life.

I felt… chosen.

I felt… needed.