Clara was still clinging to Randolf’s arm, her small face full of hope. “Please, Daddy? Just for a little while?”
Rachel’s smile slipped for a moment, and I saw the tension in his posture. He hated being put on the spot, especially in front of his pack members. I could feel the anger starting to grow inside of him, the annoyance. Clara had no idea what she was stirring up.
I had to fix things before he unleashed everything on her.
“Clara, come here,” I called softly, trying to distract her. "Here, let us start to open your birthday presents."
But my daughter was persistent, her attention fixed solely on her father.
"Daddy, please!" She urged. "Just this once."
Randolf finally looked down at her, his eyes cold, and I knew that he'd reached the peak. "Enough." He snapped at the child. "Find something else to do, will you?"
“But Daddy, it’s my birthday,” she insisted, her voice dropping into a whine. “Just once, please?”
Randolf shot an angry glance at me, silently telling me to control my daughter. He was not a man who liked to be pushed, especially not by a child, even if that child was his daughter. I reached out to intervene, but Clara was already climbing onto his knee, her small hands gripping his shirt.
Suddenly, he growled. The sound was sharp, cutting through the chatter of the party, and drawing all eyes to us.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
Haley's Point Of View.
Silence followed.
The only thing I could hear was the odd, rushing sound in my ears. The only thing I could see were the shocked faces of the birthday guests, and my daughter's distraught expression.
I hurried forward to comfort Clara who was on the verge of tears. Slowly, she backed away from her father. Her small frame trembled, and her little hands clutched the hem of my dress.
I wrapped my arms around her, trying to soothe her. “Shh. It’s okay, sweetheart. Everything will be fine.”
Rachel suddenly appeared beside me, holding a small bag of candies. Her eyes shone with something I couldn’t quite place. “Here, Clara. I brought these for you. They’re your favorite.”
Clara’s eyes brightened a little, and she took the candies with a hesitant smile. I’d noticed Rachel’s disdain for my daughter several times before, but tonight was different. She seemed almost... genuine.
"Thank you, Rachel,” Clara mumbled.
Rachel forced a smile. “It’s my pleasure, Princess. How about I persuade your father to take you for that run?"