Would he stay here and raise the children further, or would he leave like what he planned from the very beginning? Darius actually didn't know.
"I'll decide when I return."
That was all Darius said before leaving the room on his own. As if on cue, an Omega maid soon came to his side to make sure he wouldn't get lost. She escorted him all the way to the gates of the estate. When Darius exited the gates, he gave the estate one last look and left in the direction of Rica's house.
The coastal city barely changed, and since a new Alpha had taken charge of the werewolves, Darius felt more at ease with any of his former packmates seeing him. Even if they confronted him, he could simply shake them off through words or whatever method they preferred.
As for his dilemma, he still had no answer deep in his heart. Heh, no… deep in his heart, he wanted to watch these three grow up and hit higher heights than he had. Dylan was Delta, while Adrian was born Alpha. If anything, Darius would love to hear about Adrian finding or gathering a pack of his own. After all, Nicholai was far too young and powerful to be replaced in this generation.
Megan, of course, would be an adorable Beta if she would stay as one. Based on genetics, she could either be any of the three ranks that manifested in her family. It was very different with Darius.
"Man, I can't let them go." Darius chuckled to himself as he walked along the block leading to Rica's house. "If I stay in Nicholai's mansion, I would have to bow down to him, right? I can't even think of defeating him or snatching the pack from him. Not letting them stay with him was also out of the question. Dammit, Miss Nikita, can't you send a message for me?"
Darius walked up to the steps of the house and rang the doorbell. It was already past noon when he returned to the lawyer's house. His tummy suddenly grumbled at the scent that wafted through the crack of the door.
Rica smiled at him with a defeated expression. "Do you know? The two wouldn't even eat without you coming back. You should have called me if you're not planning to have lunch here."
"…sorry, I wasn't even thinking of the food earlier. I haven't eaten yet, either." Darius scratched his head. "Am I still allowed to eat with you?"
"Of course, Megan told me you're coming back, so I'm reheating the food."
Rica let him in, and Darius walked to the table. He sat next to Megan, who grinned at him widely, the father returning it with a smile. "Hey, sorry for making you wait. Are you hungry?"
Megan shook her head before latching on to his arm as she giggled loudly. "Dylan said I should eat a lot, so I can wait for Daddy! Daddy, Daddy, is it true? Our new house has a huge garden and a big chimney like you promised? When are we going to our new house?"
"New house?" Rica served the food, with Adrian helping her, just like in the morning.
"…my wife's brother… I met him just earlier. He didn't like what their mother is doing to his nephews and niece either, so he reached out to take them in." Darius just felt like using the same story in front of the kids, but his gaze sure sent a message to Rica. However, he had no idea how much of this would she regard as the truth.
"That's great! Let me know if the problem persists. I will be happy to help you." There was a smile on Rica's face. Then, she sat down and cut up the roasted chicken that Megan eyed so much. "How about this? Adrian, Megan, you should take a bath before leaving, so you'd be more presentable upon seeing your uncle and the new house."
Megan shifted her excited gaze at Rica's face. "We can use the tub?"
"I say why not, honey? I'll help you get it ready after we eat." Rica nodded with a big smile, and the girl started cheering in her seat.
However, when Adrian placed her share of the chicken on her plate, she quickly attended to it. She held the fork wrong, but she was trying to eat on her own. Adrian also placed Darius's share on his plate before giving Rica hers. He was the last to have some… which he hungrily devoured.
Watching them made Darius smile. When he looked down at his own plate, he portioned the first bite quite smaller than normal. He glanced at Megan, who was doing a bad job at eating; however, she was managing to feed herself. A smile graced his lips.
…
"Is it really their uncle?" Rica sat with Darius at the lounge while they were waiting for the kids to finish getting dressed. She would help them out, but she chose to make time for this conversation.
"Yeah. I know the man, too." Darius leaned on the soft back of the couch. "He's the leader of the wolves in these parts, so it's better for them to stay around him. They would be safer than with me alone."
Rica glanced at him. She then crossed her arms under the bust before leaning against the couch as well, almost imitating the man. "Are you going to leave them to their relative now? I don't know anything about werewolf society, but those kids are already too attached to you. Also, they're just too young to lose a parent—the only one. If you leave them now, they would never understand that it was for their own good.
"All that they will remember is that you abandoned them. You threw them away when it got convenient."
"…you think so?"
"I am a child advocate attorney. I have seen how separation impairs the children. Even if the parent has chosen to leave them behind or not, there will be damage that will take a lifetime to repair. Sometimes, it will dig so deep that generations are not enough to make it go away." Rica turned to him. "Whatever your real name is, don't wreck these children open… please."
Darius only moved his head to look up at the ceiling. Wrecking things open… he seemed to have done that before. He then looked in Rica's direction and smiled. "He's right… you are important to the rogue community. Don't stop looking after and helping the special-type children that come your way, okay?"
"Daddy! Daddy! Do I look good?!" Megan ran down the stairs with her wobbly legs before jumping up and down to show off her blue sailor dress. "Will Uncle like me, too?"
"You're so adorable, Megan!" Rica laughed at her enthusiasm before beckoning at the girl to help fix the collar her jumping ruined. The lawyer also combed the hair that had gotten disarrayed. That was why Darius opted to always tie Megan's hair.
Adrian, in his black long-sleeve pullover shirt, went to sit next to Darius. He then whispered to his daddy, "Daddy, Megan said Dylan is waiting for us there. Is it true? I thought he's in this place called a hospital."
Darius frowned a little before shaking it out before Adrian noticed it. He then smiled. "Yeah, Dylan is with your uncle, so… behave really well, okay?"