Sold To The Alphas I Hate-Chapter 348: Cookies

Eira’s POV

The next morning, when I woke up, I found myself looking forward to visiting the home where I had once lived. After getting ready, I stepped out of the room and saw Raven waiting for me.

My son was always an early bird, while his mother preferred to sleep late whenever she could. Once again, he wore one of the outfits I had bought for him.

I could not help but stare at him in quiet awe. My son looked like a little gentleman, handsome yet incredibly cute at the same time.

I knelt in front of him. "Good morning, my baby."

Alright, maybe I sounded like a cringe mom, but today I could not stop myself from calling him that.

He gave a small nod and picked up a card from the table, offering it to me. I took it gently and opened it.

It was a birthday card he had made himself.

He had drawn a picture of me on the front. It was not perfect, but to me it was the most beautiful thing in the world. He had drawn me the way he saw me.

A woman sitting by the window, a cat resting in her lap while a dog sat faithfully beside her.

On the other page, he had written a few words.

Happy Birthday, Mommy.

My eyes turned moist the moment I read it. He had called me mommy. Even though it was written instead of spoken, it meant everything.

I looked at him with teary eyes, though they were filled with happiness, and a soft smile curved my lips.

Unable to hold back any longer, I pulled him into a hug, feeling his small, warm body against mine. "Thank you so much, Raven. Mommy likes it the most."

When I released him, he stared at my teary face and quietly handed me a tissue.

Such a little gentleman. I smiled again, my heart impossibly full.

He picked up a small, beautifully handmade bouquet from the table and held it out to me.

"You made this?" I asked softly, wiping my tears away.

He nodded.

"It’s so beautiful. These are my favorite flowers," I told him.

For a moment, I realized I had almost forgotten the little things I used to love, yet saying it felt natural.

Raven glanced toward Kael.

"Daddy told you?" I asked gently.

He nodded again.

How did Kael even know that? Well, he once said he had liked me long before everything changed, so perhaps he had noticed the little things about me back then.

Somehow, I felt certain that these five men knew more about me than I knew about myself. In the past, the thought of all of them wanting me would have terrified me, but now it felt like the most fortunate part of my life.

I looked at Kael. He offered me a soft smile. "I told him because he asked me. He woke up early and collected them himself from the garden behind the house. Then he made the bouquet for you."

Kael had once told me he built this house for me, planting my favorite flowers all around it.

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to Raven’s forehead. "Thank you for putting in so much effort. I’m going to preserve these for a long time so I can always look at them and remember they were the first gift from my son."

Raven seemed pleased with the idea, though his gaze lingered on the flowers thoughtfully. I did not know how, but I could almost hear the question forming in his mind. Maybe it was just a mother’s instinct.

"You are wondering how to preserve them?" I asked.

He nodded, curiosity shining in his eyes.

"We need to dry them in sunlight," I explained gently. "I’ll teach you later. For now, let’s put them in a vase."

Together, we arranged the flowers carefully in a small glass vase.

Breakfast was ready soon after, and we moved toward the dining table. Lucian and Roman were finishing setting the meal when a familiar scent drifted toward me from the kitchen. It did not come from the dishes on the table.

"What is that?" I asked softly.

"Jason made some cookies," Lucian said as we watched Jason pull a tray from the oven, his gloved hands steady.

The scent was the same as the cookies I used to bake.

Jason placed the warm tray on the counter and set a plate in front of me. "Let them cool down a little," he advised calmly.

My gaze stayed fixed on them, my heart tightening with emotion. I used to make these exact cookies. They looked identical. Another piece of my past standing quietly in front of me.

Impatient, I picked one up anyway and blew on it a few times before taking a bite.

It melted in my mouth.

Memories rushed back all at once. Learning to bake them for the first time. My failures and small victories. Sharing them with Alice, who would sneak some to her brothers. And my first Moon Festival, when I had spent hours in the kitchen making a batch just for him.

Silence settled over the table for a while, as if no one wished to disturb me.

Kael picked up a cookie and offered it to Raven. "Try it."

I returned to my senses and looked at Jason. "Where did you get the recipe? That day we tried to make it, but it didn’t turn out the same."

"Just found it somehow," he answered vaguely. "I’ll give it to you later."

"Somehow?" Rafe chuckled as he grabbed one from the plate and took a bite. "Tasty indeed." He glanced back at Jason. "How does one get something somehow?"

Jason gave him an unbothered look. "Stuff another one in your mouth and keep it shut."

As usual, Rafe refused to stay quiet. "Do you mean spending the entire night in your old home’s kitchen, going through trial and error until you recreated the exact taste?"

So Jason had worked on it himself, recreating it only from memory?

Jason remained calm and simply said to me, "Eat before this bastard finishes them all."

"Way to ignore a brother who helps you earn brownie points because you are too selfless to do it yourself," Rafe commented lazily. "Is this how you are going to win her heart by not letting her know a thing?"

"Focus on your own issues," Jason replied without looking at him. "Instead of making my brother chase after you every now and then."

Rafe smirked shamelessly. "That is your brother’s problem, not mine. He loves running after me even when I tell him to leave me alone."

Lucian picked up a cookie and shoved it into Rafe’s mouth. "You should keep your mouth shut at least seven days a week."

That made me chuckle. Seven days a week meant he would never speak again.

"All of you have ten minutes to finish breakfast and get ready to leave with us," Kael said, cutting through the noise. Then he looked at me gently. "You and Raven can take your time."

They immediately focused on eating, understanding the unspoken meaning behind Kael’s words to keep things calm. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

I preferred it that way too, before anyone said something too bold in front of Raven.

After breakfast, we left for my old home. Later, we were going to meet Alice and Kael’s parents as well. Raven had yet to be introduced to them as their grandson.

And I was more curious to know what was left of me in that home. My room, did it still have my belongings. If yes, then I will bring them with me.

My secret box. It must be still there right? Must be.

Who would take an interest in an old, worn out box?