Chapter 154
CAMILLA’S P.O.V: A FEW MONTHS LATER
Aurora was turning one and the entire palace was in complete disarray as we struggled to get everything in motion. One would think that a child’s first birthday would be a small and intimate moment between family but she was the princess, nothing was done in moderation. I remembered Audrey’s birthday and how despite wanting it to be kept hidden, it still managed to be a lavishevent.
“Is the cake decorated yet?” I asked as I poked my head into the kitchen. The maids were fussing over the cake that still hadn’t been completely iced yet. “What the hell have you been doing? It is almost time for the party, I asked you to do this ages ago.”
“It will be done soon, your majesty,” one of the older maids bowed. I knew I was a nightmare to be around in this time but Aurora was my child and I wanted this to go smoothly.
I left the kitchen to check on the decorations. The party was going to be held in the park just behind the palace. Everyone was unofficially invited and I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about that but it was tradition and there was little I could do in regards to it. Her subsequent birthdays could be kept smaller but this one had to be extravagant.
“Camilla,” I felt hands wrap around my waist and Ryker pulled me to a stop. I hadn’t even noticed him approaching because of how busy I was. “Have you considered taking a step back and letting everyone do what they are good at? You have done everything you can do, just let them deliver.”
“Someone is going to mess something up, I can feel it,” I grumbled knowing exactly how insane I sounded but not caring.
Ever since I woke up, I had this nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong. It was the very reason I went to everyone individually to ensure that they were doing exactly what they needed to. Everything seemed to be going according to plan but my feeling hadn’t left me. It was like a noose around my neck that tightened with each passing second. It could have just been nerves but I was not willing to leave anything to chance. Everything had to be perfect.
He sighed and took the checklist I had created from my hands. He ran his eyes over it and shook his head to himself. I expected him to hand it over to me once he was done but to my surprise, he just folded it and put it in his pocket. I tried to reach out for it but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me flush against him. My breath caught in my throat as his eyes trapped mine.
“Everything will be fine,” his voice was soft and filled with quiet reassurance. “You haven’t even spent the morning with your daughter. She hasn’t stopped calling out for you.”
Guilt filled my entire being as his words settled. I let out a sigh and agreed to follow him. He led me towards the private living room where the girls were seated with Christine and Juan. Over the past few months, Juan and Christine had gotten closer and they officially mates less than two months ago. I had never seen Christine look so happy. She still lived in the palace but there was an entire wing dedicated to her, Juan and any future family they might have.
Juan was deep in conversation with Audrey and I saw her crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance. They got along the most or the least depending on the circumstances. They always had the most absurd arguments ranging from whether chocolates were nice to what kind of animals would make the best pets. I could only imagine what they were talking about but I knew she was in safe hands.
My eyes found my youngest who had a wide grin on her face as she waddled over to me. She took her first steps last month and it was the greatest thing of my life to be able to watch it with Ryker next to me. Once she was close enough, I picked her up and kissed all over her cheek.
“Mama,” she garbled and my heart swelled even more. As she spoke, Audrey’s eyes found mine and she sprinted across the room and buried her face into my thighs.
“Where have you been? I was looking for you.”
“I’m sorry, I was trying to do something for the party.”
Both girls were dressed in elaborate princess gowns. Audrey’s was a light pink color with glitter all over the skirts while Aurora’s was a bright yellow color that looked like it resembled the sun. I caught Ryker’s eye and I could tell that he was thinking the same thing I was- how lucky we both were.
“We have a few hours until the party, don’t we?” I asked and Audrey nodded. “Well then, you can tell me all about the conversation you’re having with Juan.”
It turned out to be just as absurd as I thought and by the time they managed to come to an amicable agreement, I already had a small headache. The only reason they stopped their argument was because a maid came to inform us that everything was ready.
Audrey was more excited for the party than anyone, she was the most amazing big sister and she had completely taken up everything pertaining to her little sister, she all but pulled Ryker and I out of the room and towards the front of the palace where a carriage was waiting for us. The venue was not far but I didn’t feel like walking in the massive dress I was wearing.
By the time we got there, I was stunned. All my worrying had been for nothing because it was pure perfection. We had gone for a sun themed party, everything was bright yellow even down to the massive birthday cake. I couldn’t stop my lips from pulling into a smile as I took it in. Ryker was holding Aurora who was trying her hardest to grab whatever was within her reach.
The whispers started as soon as we arrived. People were straining for a glimpse of her. Just like I did with Audrey, she rarely stepped out to see the people and it was more for her safety than anyone it was more for her safety than anyone else’s. Seeing them was always a privilege to the pack and I could tell because of how enamored they were by her. She seemed to flourish under the attention and smiled at everyone who came remotely close. Things seemed to be going perfectly but I couldn’t brush off that uneasy feeling in my chest.
“Camilla,” I nearly jumped until I realized it was Christine that was standing next to me. “You’re on edge, are you alright? You haven’t seemed yourself since this morning.”
“I’m fine, it’s my daughter’s birthday, I just want everything to go fine,” I lied. If she didn’t believe me, she didn’t let it show, she just hummed and nodded.
“I wanted to tell you something, but you have to swear not to tell anyone, not even Ryker, I don’t want Juan finding out until I tell him myself,” she began and my eyes widened in shock.
“Are you pregnant?” I whisper yelled and she took an alarmed step back.
“No,” she said quickly with a small awkward laugh. “Juan and I said we were not ready for that right now. I probably shouldn’t have started my sentence the way,” she ran her hands through her hair. “It is related to that though, I was considering going off my tonic. I just didn’t know how he would
react to it.”
I sighed and placed both hands on her shoulders. “Juan loves you and that man is amazing with children. I am sure that he would want a family with you. Just talk to him, Christine. If this is something you want then he would be more than happy to listen.”
“Are you sure?” she asked and I nodded.
“You can talk to him now if you’d like but I think he is rather preoccupied by a group of children,” I gestured to a spot behind her where Juan was sitting in the midst of ten kids showing them magic tricks. I saw her features soften as she took him in. “You deserve this, Christine. You deserve
everything, down to children of your own.”
I squeezed her shoulder once more before walking away to find Ryker and our daughter.
The party actually went well despite my uneasy feeling. We cut the cake and Aurora blew out her candles. We were returning to the palace with two sleeping children and I had to admit that my unease was probably my worry. Ryker’s hands were intertwined with mine and my head was nestled against his shoulder as the carriage moved slowly so as not to wake the girls.
“I’m kind of glad it is over,” I mumbled and I felt rather than heard him laugh. His chest shook as he tried to smother the sounds. “I had forgotten just how tiring kids birthdays are.”
“Don’t be tired just yet, we have another in about six months.”
I nearly groaned. “Who told us that having two children was a grand idea?”
He laughed. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a whine that came directly from Audrey. Our eyes snapped to her as we noticed her starting to stir in her sleep as if she were having a nightmare. I immediately gathered her into my arms trying to calm her down. She had never gotten a nightmare in her life and yet, here she was thrashing in my hold.
“You’re fine, sweetheart,” I cooed as I stroked her hair. “Mummy is hair, please wake up.
She let out an ear splitting scream that roused Aurora before she jerked awake. It was a chilling sound that I felt directly in my bones, one borne of undiluted fear. When she noticed me, she threw her hands around my shoulders and began to so b.
“It was so scary, mummy.”
“What was scary?”
“The person.”
“I don’t understand you baby, what is wrong?”
“Someone is coming, I saw them.”
