Marisol wasn't just any hybrid. Her father was a hybrid from the mountains, but he'd only inherited his wolf abilities and Lilian was able to harness witchcraft.
Nicole was a powerful witch bane as well as a powerful wolf. Marisol, being their only child, inherited both qualities. She was destined for greatness.
Yet, beneath the pride that swelled within Nicole's chest, the nagging worry persisted. Something felt off. It was an instinct, a mother's intuition that whispered of unseen troubles. Nicole observed Marisol's every move, scrutinizing for any hint of distress or anomaly.
The pack members around Marisol displayed a mixture of admiration and respect, their eyes reflecting the pride they felt for their future Alpha. Marisol, aware of her audience, performed with a confidence that bordered on regal. She was not just a leader in the making; she embodied the qualities of a queen destined to guide her pack with wisdom and strength.
The training session ended, and the pack members dispersed, acknowledging their Luna with waves, hugs, and cheers. Nicole, on the other hand, approached her daughter with a bright smile.
"Marisol, you were remarkable as always," she praised, eyes squinting with traces of her amusement.
"Thank you, Mom," Marisol replied, grabbing a bottle of water to chug down its contents.
There were a few bruises on Marisol's body that were healing slowly. Nicole ached to tend to the bruises, but she'd learned the hard way not to smother Marisol.
"Stop looking at me like that," Marisol murmured like she could hear where her mother's train of thought was headed.
Nicole sighed, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at being so easily read by her daughter. "What? Are you going to give me a lecture on my overprotectiveness now?"
Surprisingly, Marisol burst into laughter at the comment, her hazel blue eyes dancing with mirth. Nicole felt
her own smile grew impossibly wider at that, feeling relief and joy at the sound of her daughter's cheerful laughter, like the little jingles of a bell, reaching her ears.
It'd been a while since anyone had made Marisol so amused to the extent of uncontrolled laughter. However, there was a flicker of something indefinable in those eyes, a fleeting emotion that once again, wriggled away before Nicole could begin an attempt to decipher it.
"Mom, stop staring at me like that." Marisol groans after her laughter dies down, "Always so sentimental." She adds and Nicole actually rolls her eyes this time.
"The list of things you will not let me do seems to be growing. So now I cannot smile at my daughter who's making me proud?" She muses, earning a huff.
"You know what I'm talking about," Marisol replies, already walking to stand next to her mother and together, they silently begin to walk, leaving the training grounds behind as they did.
Although the silence was comfortable, Nicole internally debated rousing the topic that had been a cause of worry for a while now, not wanting to disrupt the tranquility of the moment.
"Okay, I've got to go prepare for the ball. I'll be meeting with Estella and the team to discuss other things next." Marisol said now that they were out in the open again, turning to face her mother with a loud clap of her hands.
"You sound like you'd rather do something else," Nicole quipped.
Marisol sighed, "There's a concept called rest Mom. You know, resting after such an intense session?"
Nicole raised a brow at that, "But you arranged your schedule yourself. And I seem to remember you brushing me off when I complained about how tight and unflexible it was."
Marisol purses her lips at that before nodding reluctantly, "You have a point there."
"Is everything alright, sweetheart? You seemed upset earlier." Nicole asked in a heartbeat, jumping at the slight opening in worry.
Marisol hesitated, her gaze momentarily darting elsewhere. "It's nothing, Mom. Just pack matters and responsibilities."
Nicole stays silent for the next few moments as she studies her daughter, recognizing the familiar deflection. She was her mother's daughter after all. Marisol had inherited not only her physical traits but also a knack for shielding her emotions.
That trait had served her well a few years back, but it had also been toxic and had denied her a few things.
"Marisol, you can always talk to me. You know that, right?" Nicole reassured tone almost in a whisper as she reached out to gently cup Marisol's cheek, still a bit damp from the proof of her hard work.
Marisol nods, the mask of composure slipping for a moment as she breathes out a smile. "I know, Mom. It's just... I've been feeling different lately, and I can't quite explain it."
Nicole's concern deepens, brows creasing as she steps even closer. "Can you try and explain just what you mean by 'different'? Is it physical? Emotional?"
"It's hard to put into words, Mom. Like something is changing somewhere in me, but I just can't put a finger on it." Marisol admitted, her voice a whisper carried by the wind.
Nicole's mind is immediately thrown into a whirlpool, considering the possibilities. Werewolf physiology was complex, and subtle changes could indicate various things. Were her powers coming to light? She needed to consult with Liam.
"Let's find your father. We'll talk to him together," Nicole suggested, keeping her tone as soft and comforting so as to maintain their little bubble of privacy and vulnerability, but something seemed to snap in Marisol as she was blinking and stepping out of reach the next second.
Her walls coming back up, if the way her gaze gardens before she masks it with an obviously forced smile was anything to go by.
"Ah. I'm running late, Mom. And so are you. Besides, I don't think it's that big of a deal. It could just be that I'm overreacting to the pressure from all the preparations. I'm sure it's that. But I'll talk to him later, I promise." Marisol rushed out.
"But-" Nicole started to say,
"Bye, love you," Marisol interrupted, leaning in to leave a hasty kiss on her mother's cheek before dashing away.