It had been a long-time since Rebel accepted the fact that she'd never see her biological parents again.

And even though she didn't have her "real" mother and father, Henrik and Selene were perfect enough on their own.

Her aunt and uncle loved her, despite the war that took away Yvaine and Ludis and changed the course of their lives.

Yes, she wished she got to meet her parents. Speak with them, interact with them. Be with them.

However, Selene told her that they both died as heroes. They died fighting for the kingdom they represented (which was more or less the truth). Died fighting for the citizens of their empire.

In fact, because of her parents' bravery, her aunt and uncle escaped with her. Their courage allowed the three of them to forge a new life on a new continent—Sangrea. Their new home.

The thought gave the little girl some peace.

Rebel just hoped they knew how proud she was of them and, in turn, that they were proud of her wherever they may be.

She, Selene, and Henrik had each other and their cottage in the middle of the Elmhurst woods—and that's all they ever needed. Just the three of them.

"One, two, three. Come out, come out, wherever you are, little wolf." Henrik's low voice announced.

Rebel giggled softly from her place under his and her aunt's bed, reasoning that he would never find her there. Or at least she had a few minutes until he did. And even by then, she'd hear his heavy footfalls.

The two were in the midst of a game of hide-and-go-seek. One to test Rebel's knowledge of the stealth tactics she's learned throughout the past seven months. From both Selene and Henrik to see if her skills were up to par. Without another word, she agreed to the challenge. Because on the line was the first pick of the batch of cookies her aunt was making.

It was her turn to hide. Rebel had found her uncle within ten minutes.

Those cookies would be hers.

She just had to wait and be observant like Selene had taught her these past months.

Patience is key in anything. Be calculated, be smart.

Rebel watched, her blue eyes glued to her aunt and uncle's white bedroom door for any indication that he was going to burst through the door and find her.

Creak. . creak, but the footsteps became dull. Henrik was heading towards her room on the opposite side of the house. It was the obvious choice for a hiding spot.

Why was he checking there?

Maybe to fake her out?

And unfortunately, her suspicions were correct as he opened the side door.

She held her breath. Her brain fired with possible escape plans. All she had to do was remain out of Henrik's grasp. As long as the former warrior didn't tag her, Rebel's clock would still be ticking. She knew she could do that.

"Henrik, Rebel—" Selene's voice called from the kitchen, "put your game of hide 'n seek on pause come get your cookies. They're almost ready."

Rebel frowned at her aunt's statement.

The little girl had no intent on giving up. It wasn't in Rebel's nature to lose, no. Even at her young age, she knew winning had value. Besides, beating Henrik would be immensely satisfying.

More than words could describe.

Maybe that was all a part of the fun.

Rebel listened as Henrik's footfalls thudded against the wooden floorboards. He was going towards the kitchen where the cookies and Selene were.

Slowly, she crept out of her hiding spot, making sure to be cautious with her steps before she sprinted towards the living room.

"Aha, little wolf," Henrik declared, catching sight of Rebel's red hair flowing behind her. Immediately, he jumped over the couch and ran over to get Rebel in his arms.

At the sight of her uncle, Rebel giggled, picking up a pillow as she bolted towards the kitchen to the safety of Selene.

Henrik was hot on her tail, and she would do anything to lose him.

Her uncle stumbled on his feet, trying to get her. Rebel took this opportunity to fling the pillow at his beefy chest. The plush pillow collided with him with a thud, causing him to release an "oof."

Rebel laughed at the sight, the sweet, melodic sound spilling from her mouth. The five-year-old was having such a good time laughing that her stomach began to hurt, and she fell on her rear, landing onto the carpet.

It took only a few moments for Henrik to catch up to the tiny redhead, scooping her in his arms. He placed a kiss against her red locks and assured her that he won.

Only time would tell as he made his way to the kitchen with Rebel in his arms.

Although, Rebel was pretty sure she had one. Not him.

Selene widely smiled as she saw the two walk into the kitchen.

Henrik sat Rebel on the counter next to a large metal bowl of chocolate chip cookie batter. There were still remnants of the uncooked dough sticking to the sides. Rebel licked her lips at the tasty sight before lifting up the sleeves of her long-sleeved shirt, ready to dip a finger into the batter.

"Uh, uh, little one," Selene tutted as she dried her hands with a kitchen towel before she softly slapped Rebel's hand away. Rebel groaned as she pulled her hand to herself. "You can't eat that, Bel. You'll get salmonella or some other form of food poisoning and be sick for days."

"I don't care. It looks tasty."

Selene scoffed, shooting the little girl a blank look. "You'll care when you're puking your guts out."

Rebel craned her head, seeing her uncle gleefully dip two thick fingers into the bowl before jamming it into his mouth. "Huh, what was that you said about being sick?" Amused cerulean blue eyes drifted back to her aunt's face. 

Selene let out an irritated sigh, shaking her head. Her niece and husband only gave her trouble. It was hard for the brunette to be the only person with common sense around sometimes.

At both Rebel's eyes and his mate's on him, Henrik's attention darted between the two. "What? Adults can't get salmonella, my love."

To this, Selene simply raised her hand and flicked her wrist, whispering a few words before the bowl was carried out of Henrik's arms and landed in the sink.

Yep, Selene most definitely needed someone else to keep her company through the chaos. Maybe, she would visit that farmer in town and get that kitten he offered her for a few gold coins. After all, she missed having a cat around.

And a cat would be far better behaved than Rebel and Henrik. That's for sure.

The kitchen timer went off with a loud beep. The cookie trays were finished.

Selene grabbed her oven mitts and carefully pulled out the trays, setting them on the stovetop afterward. "Let them cool down for a bit, guys."

"Aren't we forgetting to do something?" Rebel queried. "Selene, did I beat uncle Henrik's time?"

Selene grabbed her phone, comparing the times. A smile appeared on her face a few minutes after, "you did. Fourteen minutes compared to ten. Rebel, you win."

Rebel clapped and cheered at her victory. "That means I get first pick of the cookies!" She already had in mind of what cookies she'd choose. And by the aroma in the air, Selene had baked both regular chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies.

They were her favorite.

Eagerly awaiting the cookies to cool down, Rebel hummed a tune, watching as Henrik went to retrieve a box from the closet in the hallway. A red brow arched, questioning what her uncle was doing as he walked over to the little girl. Henrik presented Rebel with a black box.

"What's this?" She asked, picking up the box from his hands.

It was slim, rectangular, and had a golden ribbon tied around it. Selene sat a hand on her husband's shoulder. "It's a graduation gift for your stealth training from both Henrik and I. Open it, Bel."

Carefully, the little girl pulled the bow open and sat the box down on the counter next to her.

Inside the velvet box sat a silver dagger, its metallic surface glinting with the sunlight. Rebel picked up the weapon, inspecting the hilt. It had engravings of the moon and stars and letters in a language she didn't recognize.

"Ad astra per aspere," she mumbled, trying the words. They felt new on her tongue, but she swore she heard them before in distant memories.

"What does it mean?" She looked up at the two, running her thumb over the grooves in the hilt.

"It means 'to the stars through hardships." Selene brought out, her lips curling into a smile shining with pride.

The brunette tossed a glance at her husband, and he added, "We're going to be moving up with training, and you're going to start to self-defense and tactics." He beamed, looking back at Selene.

Her aunt continued, "you'll be learning how to use your fists and how to start using the knives. The dagger will serve as good practice and is your reward for all the excellent work you have shown." Selene pulled a spatula from the drawer setting it onto a metal tray. "You'll only use it under our supervision, of course, but we couldn't be any more proud of you, Rebel."

Gently, Rebel sat the dagger back in its place in the book, hugging Henrik then Selene after. "Thank you both."

"Of course, little one. I know your mother and father would be so proud of you, and they would want you to have it." Selene felt tears begin to form in her eyes at the thought of Yvaine, gently wiping a tear away. "It was actually your mother's before she met your father. Your mom was in the Eclipsis Officium too. She was a fierce fighter. A firecracker." Selene laughed softly at a recollection of Yvaine.

Rebel sadly smiled, watching as her uncle wrapped an arm around his wife, keeping her steady.

"I'm fine, you two, but thanks for checking up." Selene softly kissed Henrik's cheek then, Rebel's in appreciation.

So, the trio ate their cookies together peacefully. Looking forward to the days ahead.

Although fate always has a way of disrupting the peace at the most unexpected times.

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rebel's personality is a vastly different when she's older, and it'll be important to know these things later in the story.

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