Dominick returned from the private airport after seeing off Gabriel and Casaio in the private jet. He went straight to find Alie and found her in the large corridor where she stood by the open gallery, showing Noah the serene beauty of the night sky.
Noah was held securely in her arms, his tiny finger pointing at the crescent moon as he gurgled happily, srized by the light.
Dominick paused, a genuine smile softening the lines of worry on his face as he watched the peaceful sight. He approached slowly, stopping a careful distance from them. Ashna, the attendant, dipped her head in a swift bow, while Alie turned.
"Brother Nick, you returned," Alie said, the breeze gently ruffling the edge of her long skirt.
"Yes. And Gabriel explicitly asked to tell you this: Do not go anywhere alone, even when you are within the palace walls."
Alie chuckled softly, her eyes holding a touch of distant sadness even as she kept a firm, protective hold on Noah. "That’s so typical of him," she murmured, finding comfort in the routine nature of his worry.
"I heard about Juniper’s family," Alie said as she referenced the difficult subject. "Her brothers used her account to fund the Betas. Are you still interrogating them?"
"Yes, I am," Dominick confird, his jaw muscle twitching tightly with poorly concealed anger. "I can’t believe this was happening right around . I never once truly saw any of their real faces." The admission was laced with professional failure and deep personal frustration.
Alie shifted Noah slightly in her arms. "Brother Nick, about June, are you truly hoping to end things?" she asked, her tone gentle but probing. "I know she made so very terrible mistakes, but as Gabriel told that she was an orphan, I believe sothing terrible must have happened for her to act like this."
"Should I carry Noah for so ti since we are having this serious talk?" Dominick offered, slightly extending his arms. He saw Noah’s huge, sparkling eyes were fixed on him, seemingly fascinated by the conversation.
"Yes, why not?" Alie agreed easily, carefully transferring the warm weight of the baby. Noah settled effortlessly into his second uncle’s arms, imdiately comfortable.
"I’m your Uncle Nick, Noah," Dominick said, his face softening completely into a genuine smile for the pup. The young one simply gave him a wide, toothless smile in return before his tiny hand shot out and grabbed one of the ornate golden buttons on Dominick’s tunic, holding it fast.
"Give us so privacy," Dominick instructed Ashna. The attendant imdiately bowed and quietly slipped away, leaving the gallery.
"Alie, you’re too kind," Dominick said, watching her carefully. "I suppose Gabriel must be telling you this all the ti."
"Ah, yes," Alie murmured, her gaze distant, reflecting on her past wounds. "I forgave my family and sister. But it wasn’t easy. Because I have Noah and Gabriel, I felt I shouldn’t keep that anger in my heart." She paused, her voice tinged with regret. "Flora is still bearing her share of pain," she asserted, a clear reminder that peace hadn’t co without cost.
"You shouldn’t forgive people easily, Alie," Dominick advised, the word forgiveness seeming like a dangerous luxury to him. As he spoke, he gently began to caress the small back of Noah.
"I am not asking you to forgive Juniper, Brother Nick," Alie clarified, her voice softening with understanding. "Definitely, she did the worst possible things."
Dominick shook his head slowly, his gaze drifting from Noah’s sleeping face to the dark night sky. "It’s over between and her. I don’t intend to nd my relationship with her, no matter what her past was.I loved her with all my heart. But she didn’t have trust in , not even a bit."
He shifted the baby slightly, the motion seeming to ground his anger. "It’s not like we t just in one month and got married. We were together in a relationship for years before finally marrying each other. But Juniper chose to hide the fact that she was an orphan, taken in by the Vittileo family. Out of everyone, she should have trusted her mate. But she betrayed , Alie."
His expression darkened, the real core of his pain erging. "And worse, she took pleasure in others’ pain. I saw it well with my own eyes, and I felt it." He held Alie’s gaze. He explained the irreversible reason why Juniper and he could never be together again.
"I understand, Brother Nick," Alie said softly, her gaze filled with empathy. "I pray to the Moon Goddess that you heal fast and find peace in your heart."
"Thank you," Dominick replied, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked down at the child resting safely in his arms, the mont lending him a rare vulnerability. "I... I never said this to Gabriel before, but I always laughed at his situation. As you know, my relationship with him wasn’t that good in the past. It only turned a lot better just after your arrival in his life."
He sighed. "I never truly understood his pain of not being able to find his mate. I think I finally do now." Alie’s brows furrowed together, feeling the depth of his belated pain and regret.
"And I’m happy for Gabriel. Truly happy," he confessed. "He found you, Alie. You brought him a comfort that none ever could. You didn’t hide the truth from him about your pregnancy, about having Noah with another man. Gabriel was always so cautious about even associating with won. Now, I know why. And with you, he found the entire world he was missing."
"Brother Nick," Alie interrupted, biting her bottom lip, needing to clarify the truth. "I initially lied to him. I an, I didn’t tell him right away that I was pregnant. But shortly after he brought to San Ravendale, I told him." She asserted the facts, then spoke from the heart. "Gabriel healed and he completed ."
Dominick humd when Noah’s voice grabbed their attention.
"Pa!"
"Yes, we are talking about your father," Dominick told the boy in his arms.
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