Twist Of Fate

Chapter 41 Sirus

I am under no illusions. We will either succeed or we won't. For all intents and purposes, this is essentially turning into a suicide mission. I corner Eve's little friend Magda outside the kitchen after breakfast at the mess hall.

"You can portal, yes?" She nods hesitantly. "Good. Would you be willing to help Reece and me save Eve's life?" She nods rapidly. "Excellent! Be ready at five in the morning tomorrow, outside the gym." I turn to walk away.

"Not so quick leech, I want an explanation before I agree to whatever it is you have going on," she growls. I sigh, she's not going to be as easy as I thought.

"Swear, even if you decide not to go ahead with it that you will speak to no one of what I have said."

"I swear," she says openly curious. So I fill her in on the why and then the how. She stands quietly mulling over the information I've just dumped on her. "Your right, he's definitely up to something. Fuck it, I'm in!" She offers her hand to shake on it, which I take briefly. I speed off into the forest and seek the quiet to compose my letter. We will be lucky to make it out alive and there is so much unsaid that I still need to say to her. I plan on spending this afternoon with her, just talking, telling her more about my life, learning more about hers, enjoying being in her presence, and having some sort of father-daughter moment. I've urged Reece to leave behind a 'just in case' letter as well. Better to be safe than sorry. Actually, I should get Magda to do it as well.

I spend all morning pouring my thoughts onto paper. My letter quickly becoming a book. I still don't think I've written everything I should. I'm sure I've left some important things out, but I hope at least the guts of it are there. I box it up and write 'open me.' and the date for the day after the planned surrender. I hunt down Magda and tell her what we are doing. Her face turns serious and she scurries off to write her letter. I find Reece writing his letter in one of the spare rooms at the pack house.

"I told her I was making some plans for the surrender. It wasn't a complete lie, so I don't think she caught it," he says with a sigh. Reece's letter is looking just as thick as mine. "I'm sure I'm missing some stuff, but this is pretty much everything I can think of."

"Magda will bring her letter this afternoon," I inform him. He nods and adds his letter to the box.

"Who will we give it to for safekeeping?" He asks, pointing to the box.

"There is a lovely old she-wolf I've been helping. She doesn't pay much attention to the goings-on of the pack and says she's too old for drama. I think she would be ideal. She will hear if we are missing and will get it to Eve on the due date. If we make it back we can always retrieve it prior."

"How old are we talking? Will she even remember to do it?" Reece laughs.

"Body is failing but the mind is not," I reassure him. Magda finds me an hour later and adds her letter to the box, tucking it at the bottom. I raise my eyebrows.

"Your letters are more important, she should read them first," she explains. I shrug. As long as Eve gets them, I'm not bothered whose letter gets read first. I seal the box and head off to old Miss Delphin's cottage. I stay for half an hour and have a cup of tea with the old duck before I take my leave. She assures me she will have it to Eve by eight in the morning the date I have chosen. I am honest and tell her I am going on a dangerous mission soon and I want to ensure a farewell letter gets to my daughter, in the event I don't make it. She tells me I better make it, because who else was she going to wrangle in to do slave labor in her garden?

After bidding her farewell, I set off to find my daughter. I find her finishing up patrol.

"What are your plans this afternoon?" I ask.

"Don't really have any. Maybe hit the gym, clean my weapons, and check on Max's group. Whys that Daddy-o?" My heart clenches at the now familiar term. While it's not quite Dad and she says it mockingly, it's her way of acknowledging what I am to her. I've loved it ever since she started using it, which means I get pissy when she doesn't.

"Would you consider maybe spending the afternoon with me? I packed a picnic," I say, holding up a basket.

Oh, I love it." she says clapping delightedly. " I haven't had a picnic in... well nearly forever. Maybe when I was eight or was it nine?"

"Well, then today is definitely picnic day. Where should we have it?"

"Let's head to the river and sit on the bank by the trees." She says, already on the move, eyes dancing with excitement. Part of me wonders if I could just knock her out and keep her away from the surrender point, so I don't have to risk leaving her and missing any more of her life. But that would break the fragile bond we have formed. I can not do that to her. I will step up and protect her from the enemy, even if it costs me my own life. So I tuck my hands into my pockets and stroll beside her as though I have all the time in the world. I eat lunch with her under the tree. I marvel at her strength and beauty, proud to call her mine, while we talk about anything and everything that comes to mind.

"Eve, when this is all properly over, what do you see in your future?"

"Serious pants on huh Daddy-o?" She laughs. She flops back on the grass thinking. It's quiet with the exception of the water running over rocky patches and the birds and insects creating the music of nature. "I guess I'd like to see the races integrate more, maybe form a combined council of the races to rule. Keep the Alphas, the Kings, and Queens. They serve their purpose and the world is too big for a single ruler. I don't want to be stuck to a throne. I want to live and enjoy life. Maybe have some kids down the line once it's safe again."

"Grand babies." I sigh happily. Now there was a solid reason to come back. To watch mini Eve's run around and grow up. Give them all the things I hadn't been able to give her. "I like the sound of that. We could have a whole football team of mini versions of you running rings around everyone."

"I said some, not a mini army, and way down the line," she laughs.

"I'm so grateful I found you, Eve. You are the light in my dark world." I say, grabbing her hand.

"Very serious today aren't you?" She says, turning her head to the side to look at me.

"Just wishing I hadn't missed out on so much," I admit.

"Coulda, shoulda, woulda. It is what it is Daddy-o. We found each other in the end, not in the most orthodox way mind you, but when have we ever done things easy?" She smirks. I squeeze her hand. I made this girl. She's a part of me with a spirit so bright she's like a beacon. Fuck, I'm so proud of her. I desperately want to be here to see what she does in the future. Watch her mold the world into a strong and beautiful place. Watch her men keep her happy and dote on her. Making sure no harm comes to her. My heart is so full of love for this girl it wants to explode.

I swear to myself, if there is a way to return to my daughter, then I'm taking it, but not without Reece. She will never forgive me if anything happens to him. Her first love, her always. She had told me stories about their early budding love and the way they had tried to evade their true mates each year. Reece had to come home first and foremost and then hopefully me.

With such a bright future ahead I really hope we make it.