The Alpha's Daughter: Whispers in the Wind [on hold]

Whispers in the Wind - Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Annie:

You hear things in this house. Things that you don’t want to know. Things that don’t interest you. Things that you wouldn’t have found out if people kept their thoughts safer. Sometimes, I wish they would just keep it to themselves.

I didn’t want to know.

People were moving downstairs; I could hear the echoes of their voices floating upstairs, bouncing off the walls. Rows probably; more and more rows. No doubt Rollo would go flying out the back door again.

Some days, I would look at Cathy, Sass and Trix and wonder why they stuck around. I knew that Cathy and Sass had mates within the pack, and I knew that they were unlikely to leave their children without dads.

But Trix didn’t have any ties. Or none that I had seen. It made me wonder why on earth she would stay in this house out of free choice. Surely there had to be something better than this.

Suddenly, the sounds of a screaming child filled the air, loud and piercing. I jumped, looking around for the source of the noise, slightly panicked.

“For the love of God, Jayden,” Sass sighed exasperatedly, walking past my door. “It was just a bloody tap!” I sagged slightly, relaxing back into the bed.

I had learned not to get involved; to stay clear of the discipline that Sass inflicted on her little boy, even if I didn’t agree with it. He had only been small when I’d arrived; this bright eyed one year old who had just mastered the art of walking. Jay was lovely; his eyes were a deep blue, and his hair was golden and soft.

Which made it even harder when Sass took out her hangovers on him.

I wasn’t sure if Luca knew what went on. Christ, I hope he didn’t; to have the knowledge that he condoned what Sass did would completely enrage me.

Walking carefully over to the door, I pushed it open, popping my head out to look around. Apart from Jay sitting in the middle of the hallway, everyone else seemed to have gone somewhere else. He looked up at me, a bruise beginning to form underneath his eye.

“Hiya, Jay,” I breathed, scooping him up. He trembled against me, his gaze sliding about in a distrusting manner. I jiggled him slightly, stroking the hair at the back of his head.

“Where Muma go?” he asked, looking up at me. God, his eyelashes were thick. They were going to be completely wasted when he was older.

“I think she went downstairs,” I murmured. I missed having a baby in my arms. Although there was about a year between Jay and Rosie, it didn’t fully take away the warmth and softness of a small child. There was just this…delicateness about them that you couldn’t get anywhere else.

It made me miss my daughter more.

“Jay no’ mean tae make noise,” he whispered quietly, burying his face into my shoulder. I closed my eyes, holding him close. How could anyone say this wee boy was noisy? I didn’t even know he’d existed until a couple of weeks ago! I thought that he was Trix’s; I’d never seen him with Sass before.

“Jay doesn’t make noise,” I told him, smiling reassuringly. He didn’t smile back, instead sniffling about for something to cuddle into. So, whispering soothingly to him, I carried him through to Rollo’s room, knocking on the door before going in.

I hadn’t been expecting him to be in there; I was just going to nab one of his t-shirts to give to Jay, but there he was, curled up in his bed, the duvet lying on the floor along with numerous garments of clothing.