Alethea
The moment I step into the room, she suddenly stops talking. Her eyes lock onto mine, and she turns toward me with a soft expression. “Ally.”
It all clicks. All those times she spoke to me with such motherly love, the moments where I could sense she was holding back, now make sense. She’s my mother. I feel a swirl of emotions, but I push them down for now. Right now, I need answers.
I look directly into her eyes. “Who was that?” With a steady voice though inside, I can feel the anxiety rising. I’ve had enough of the half-truths. I glare at her, silently warning her that I’m done with her lies. Even if it won’t change anything, it’s a reminder that I won’t just accept anything she says without questioning it.
“That was your father,” she says.
My heart skips a beat. My eyes widened in shock. I hadn’t expected it. ‘My father’? She was talking to him? I feel a wave of panic rushes through me.
She notices the panic in my eyes, and for a moment, her gaze softens. But I can’t bring myself to feel comforted.
I ask the questions all at once, my emotions bubbling up inside me, desperate for answers. “Does he know I’m alive? Does he know I’m with you? And what’s your relationship with my father?”
Selena sighs, her eyes heavy with understanding. “Yes, he knows you’re alive. And no, he doesn’t want you to come back to BloodMoon Pack. Believe me when I say he wasn’t happy with how you were treated there,” her voice tinged with regret.
“Oh,” is all I can manage to say. I want to scream, to demand more, but I don’t. It feels like I’m trapped, everything I’ve known and thought about my father suddenly shattered.
I think of the life I lived at BloodMoon Pack-the bullying, the loneliness. He was the head of the warriors, one of the most powerful figures there. How could he not have known? He could have stopped it, and still, he did nothing. The thought makes my heart ache all over again.
“I thought…” The words hang in the air.
Selena watches me carefully as if she can sense the confusion. “I know you have a lot of thoughts right now, Ally,” but don’t worry. In time, you’ll understand. Bit by bit, it will all make sense.”
I freeze, my mind trying to process her words.
“And to answer your other question,” Selena continues, “Yes, your father is my fated mate.” She smiles like she’s reliving an old memory, one that holds both pain and sweetness.
I blink, my mouth slightly agape. The realization crashes into me all at once. “How… How could that be? Sally wasn’t his fated mate, was she?”
Selena nodded slowly, “No, Sally wasn’t his fated mate.” She pauses, taking a deep breath before continuing.
“Drake and I met during one of my visits to BloodMoon Pack. It was a sight to behold, Ally, like nothing I had ever felt before. My wolf was screaming ‘mate’ in my mind. It was… overwhelming.”
Her eyes glisten with emotion as if the memory is still so vivid in her mind. I’m stunned into silence as she continues.
“Everything else faded away when I saw him. We couldn’t control the bond. We made love, and that led to you.” Her voice cracks slightly as she pauses.
I want to ask so many questions, but the pain on Selena’s face keeps me from interrupting.
“We had to reject the bond,” she says, with regret. “Believe me, it was hard. But I didn’t want to be the third wheel in a family that was already whole, especially when there were two daughters involved.”
She looks at me, her eyes filled with sorrow. “I feel horrible, Ally. Not because of you-no, But because I had to make love to someone who already had a family.
Someone who already had a life with Sally. It was a mistake, one I wish I could take back. But what happened… happened. And you came into this world because of it.”
I sit there, trying to process everything Selena has just shared, but it’s like my brain can’t catch up with the flood of new information.
She looks at me with an expression that is both gentle and apologetic, as if she expects me to be angry, but also wants me to understand.
“I tried to hide you away from him, Ally,” she says quietly. “But he found out. And he takes you away from me.” She pauses, her eyes full of regret. “There were so many things at stake, so many forces working against me. I had no choice but to let go, but… believe me, Ally, I kept tabs on you every day. I watched you grow up from afar.”
The sacrifices she must have endured, all to protect me. It’s almost too much to comprehend.
“It was painful,” she continues, her voice softening. “But who knows? I might find love again. But for now, I’m happy I have you in my world.” She winks at me, trying to lighten the mood, but everything she just said is too overwhelming.
I look at her, seeing her for the first time in a new light. Selena is a beautiful woman, and now I can see the resemblance between us more clearly-her striking eyes, her height, and the way she carries herself with confidence. I realize now why I’ve always felt a connection to her, even when I didn’t know the truth.
“Trust me,” she says, breaking my thoughts, “I was making arrangements to take you away the same night you were rescued. It felt like the whole universe agreed with me when Alpha Asher brought you to my doorstep.”
I freeze. “Asher?” I choke out. “The same Alpha Asher we both know?” I ask, struggling to piece everything together in my mind.
Selena nods, “Yes, the same Alpha Asher,” she confirms. “He brought you to me that night, Ally. It’s like fate had already decided how things were meant to unfold.”
And just like that, the memories rush back to everything that happened that night.
The shadow creature in my memory stands out in a way I can’t explain. It’s a feeling I’ve had before like it’s been calling to me all along. The sense overwhelms me, pulling me closer until I collapse from the shock.
Selena’s voice pulls me back to the present, steady and calm. “He didn’t know you were my child,” she says softly. “But when Alpha Asher found you passed out, he brought you to me so I could take care of you.” Her words feel like a puzzle piece slipping into place, but it’s not enough to clear the fog in my mind.
I feel a deep confusion settling inside me. So, Alpha Asher and I had met before the interview, before everything else happened. And yet, when we met again, he pretended like we were strangers.
The more I think about it, the harder it is to breathe. The truth feels like it’s just out of reach, taunting me with every unanswered question. My mind flashes back to the gala-seeing Asher with Maya, his chosen mate. The image of them together, but now, nothing about it makes sense.
Maya had threatened me before, telling me to leave BloodMoon pack because I was going to be Xavier’s Breeder. Now, Maya is Alpha Asher’s girlfriend. How did everything shift so drastically?
My heart twists painfully as the memories swirl together-Xavier, Maya, Asher. There are secrets hidden beneath all of this, secrets I don’t fully understand. But the question looms in my mind: Am I ready to uncover the truth?