Gabriel ended the important call and stepped back into the room. Without wasting a moment, he walked outside to check on Amelie. But as soon as he crossed the doorway, he froze.
Amelie suddenly threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. Caught off guard, his breath hitched and his steps faltered.
Her face was buried against his chest, and before he could think, his arms moved on their own, wrapping protectively around her.
"Did David say something he shouldn’t have?" Gabriel asked gently.
Amelie took a step back, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I cursed my family for the first time," she confessed.
Gabriel’s gaze softened as he noticed the faint traces of tears on her cheeks, she had cried before seeking him out.
"I trust the Moon Goddess will punish them," Amelie muttered, her fists clenched tightly.
Gabriel’s voice dropped lower. "Has he left?"
"Maybe," Amelie replied with a sigh. Just then, her stomach growled loudly, and her hands flew to her abdomen in embarrassment.
Gabriel offered a small smile. "Let’s have breakfast," he said softly. Placing his hands gently on her shoulders, he leaned in close to her ear. "Let go of that anger... the Moon Goddess will make them pay in her own way," he whispered, keeping the darker thoughts in his mind to himself.
As they stepped into the living room, Amelie noticed her father had already left. She felt relieved. She followed Gabriel to the dining table, and the two settled into their chairs.
The maids began to serve the food, and Amelie wasted no time, immediately digging in. Gabriel paused, watching her with quiet amusement as he held his spoon but didn’t eat yet.
Noticing his gaze, Amelie looked up, still chewing. "Why aren’t you eating?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It’s good to see you enjoying the food after what happened," Gabriel said.
Amelie slowly swallowed the food. "Umm... I feel hungry after such arguments," she told him. "Also, it feels wonderful to have a nice meal after someone angers you. It works for me whenever my mood turns off. What about you? A lot happened earlier. Is that why you aren’t eating? In sorry it all happened because of me," she said, lowering her eyes.
Gabriel chuckled at her, shaking his head. "That’s not true. I enjoyed watching you eat. And it’s good you eat something wherever you get upset," he replied before he began eating.
Amelie passed a faint smile to him as she resumed too.
~~~~~
"What were you thinking, Mabel? Calling Alex and David without even talking to me first?" Raidan carried a disappointed gaze at her. "You should’ve discussed it with me. Or better yet, asked Amelie directly. She wouldn’t have lied."
Mabel set her glass of water down with a sharp clink. "And yet she hid it from us last night," she said. "Gabriel chose a woman who’s already pregnant with another Alpha’s child. Do you really want your son tied to someone like that? She sensed his scent, or maybe she just used that as an excuse to get close. I know the kind of woman she is."
Raidan’s frown deepened. "You think Gabriel is that easy to fool? Plenty of women have tried to manipulate him with the same scent bond story. None of them succeeded because he never felt it. But this time, he did. And that means something. Let him follow his instincts. Besides..." His voice softened slightly, "you’ve never really been there for him. So, it’s not good to argue with him over his choice."
"So, you want Amelie to be a part of this family?" asked Mabel.
"As long as Gabriel is happy, I will. That child has suffered a lot," Raidan stated. "We heard Amelie’s part too. Alex rejected her. And I personally asked Alex about it. He admitted all of his crimes. Amelie isn’t at fault in my eyes."
Mabel didn’t say a word after that. ’Seems like the Moon Goddess wants to keep them together. My attempt failed. Gabriel found his way to the woman from whom he was supposed to stay away,’ she thought.
~~~~~
"Amelie is pregnant. That means I’ll be an aunt!" Katelyn exclaimed with delight, her eyes lighting up. "I love kids so much. Brothers, please try to convince Mom to give her blessings to both Gabriel and Amelie."
She watched them as they personally checked the gifts arranged for the invited guests.
Dominick lowered the notepad in his hand and sighed. "Don’t forget, the pup doesn’t carry Gabriel’s blood. Mom will never accept Amelie into this family because of that."
"Oh, come on! We live in a modern world. Who even cares about that stuff anymore?" Katelyn rolled her eyes. "Her ex was a real bastard, honestly. And to make it worse, her own sister went after him? Both of them are pathetic."
She let out a sigh, her expression softening with concern. "Poor Amelie. Even her father seemed toxic to me. Why do parents hurt their own children like that?"
"Gabriel is being treated the same way or even in the worst possible way by our mother," Casaio murmured. "Lester, you should confirm all these gifts," he said, handing back the notepad to the butler.
"That’s also true," Katelyn agreed.
Then, a small smile tugged at her lips as she added, "Brother Gabriel must like the strong, resilient type. That’s probably why he saved her. Otherwise, we both know he never steps in unless someone really catches his eye."
"No. He saved her because of that special connection he felt," Casaio said, slumping into the lounge chair with a heavy exhale. "Gabriel wouldn’t have even looked twice at Amelie if something deep hadn’t pulled him in."
"Oh." Katelyn tilted her head curiously, then smirked. "By the way, when are you getting married? Brother Casaio have been with Zilia for years now."
Casaio’s smile faltered. "She’s... not ready yet. She wants to focus on her career before stepping into the palace life."
Dominick, who had been silently listening, glanced up. "You know Mom gave you both just a year."
"I know," Casaio muttered in a lower voice. His lips pressed into a thin line as his gaze drifted toward the window, but his mind was clearly somewhere far away, lost in thoughts he didn’t express.