Her Reign

Chapter 49

ALENA
My head is a mess. After sitting there listening to my father telling me about this woman who happens to be my great aunt and she is a witch, I don’t know what to do with that information. This is all so crazy. For years, I’ve been dead set on not wanting anything to do with my real father’s side of the family. The unnecessary pain that Stella caused my mother is unforgivable. It was heartbreaking listening to my mom tell me what happened then during her grieving process, she wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye to the man she loved. The man who loved her. Only a horrific person could do that to someone else.
Athenea scares me. I’ve spent my whole life around werewolves, and I’ve adapted but I know nothing about witches. Then on top of that, she’s a powerful witch. What if I were to give her a chance to be part of my life and it causes something bad to happen to my family? What if they try to take me away? I know the law but that doesn’t mean those people would play fair. She’s a witch! There are so many things she could do to hurt us.
If I had my way, I would choose to walk away and do nothing. I’d act like I’d never seen any of them but what if I do that and she blames my parents for keeping me away from her.
On the way back to the pack house, I texted Damon. I explained everything and he told me we would talk about it when he saw me. His last text said that he was waiting for me outside the pack house.
When the SUV stopped, he jumped up and started walking to the car. He opened my door and helped me out.
“Hey.” He whispered.
He gave me a hug before turning to ask my dad if we could go somewhere and talk privately. On any other occasion, I’m sure my father would have said “hell no” but I could see the understanding in my father’s eyes. He knew I needed this to clear my head.
“You guys can go to the alpha’s office and talk. It’s quiet and nobody should interrupt.” My dad said.
I gave both my parents a hug and kissed my brother on the head before walking away.
After the door closed, I walked to the window and looked out. I don’t know what to say.
“Alena. Come here.” Damon whispered. We both walked over to the couch, and I sat next to him while he wrapped his arms around me.
“First, I wanted to tell you that you are putting too much on yourself. It’s not your job to protect everyone. It’s not your job to figure everything out by yourself. Your parents are right there with all the same information, and you said they were going to meet her together. There is nothing you can do until that happens, so I need you to put it out of your head. Second, do you really think that your parents are going to let anything happen to you? I’ve seen firsthand how protective they are over you and that family doesn’t stand a chance.” Damon said.
“I know. It’s just that so much bad has happened recently and my family has been through so much but your right. I know I’m stressing myself out because I’m automatically thinking the worst.”
“So, I didn’t realize I was dating a witch. How does it feel?” He said laughing.
“Oh, shut up. I’m not a witch. I don’t feel anything like that. My scent is human so its clear it didn’t get passed down to me, but could you imagine. All the shit I’ve dealt with at school, I doubt they would have done everything they did if I had the power to turn them into kittens.” We both laughed.
We sat there for a while before saying goodnight and going our separate ways.
The next morning, I tried not to stress. My mom gave me work to do for the pack and it kept me busy. I really enjoy helping others. My job is usually to help the omegas get situated into their new lifestyle. I help them build their confidence and sometimes we even get to go shopping, find them better living arrangements.
I’ve also checked in on Mia during the day because she has been extremely sick. They have her in the hospital hooked to IVs to hydrate her. Her true mate is in the next room recovering from his extensive injuries. They took pleasure in torturing him while keeping him chained to a wall. That’s horrific on its own but because of their ignorance, they failed to realize that by hurting him, they were hurting Mia. Their bond is still intact because he didn’t accept her rejection and she didn’t willingly complete the mate bond with someone else.
The doctor told us that physically he will heal with scars, but the emotional and psychological ones will last much longer. I just hope that when he gets his strength back, he’ll be there for Mia. This wasn’t her fault. She is sweet and caring and deserves to finally be happy.
As I’m caught up doing paperwork in the office, the door opened, and my parents walked in. One look and I know it’s time. They want to talk. Ugh.
“Hey sweety, I just went over some of your reports and your doing a really excellent job. How are you doing with everything else?” My mom asked.
“Yeah, I’ve been working hard today. I’m almost done with my list of things to do.” I paused. “I’m ok. I was stressed but there is nothing I can do about any of it right now so I’m just going to let it go for now.” I said.
“You know we are here for you. Your father spoke to her over the phone this morning and we arranged to meet not far from here for dinner tonight. She knows that you won’t be there, and she said she understands. She knows this is not something that can be forced on you.”
“We are going to head out soon and we were wondering if you wanted to babysit your brother. He’s upstairs with Aunt Jess right now but when you’re done, you can get him from her.” My dad said and I nodded.
They both gave me a hug and left. I expected them to want to talk more. I’m surprised they accepted my vague response and didn’t push to get me to open up more. Maybe they are waiting until after dinner, so they have more of an idea or what to say.
After I finished everything up, I stopped by the hospital and the doctor told me that Mia’s mate Michael had just woken up. He doesn’t know what happened yet and since my parents aren’t here, I’m going to speak to him. I went to the room and lightly knocked on the door. I slowly stepped inside and walked to the edge of his bed. I pulled the chair to the side so we could make eye contact.
“Hello. My name is Alena. I’m the princess of werewolves. How are you doing?” He didn’t speak. He stared at me confused.
“My parents, the king and queen arrived at your pack the other day. We discovered what had happened to you and took you to the hospital. I just wanted to let you know that everything is going to be ok, and you are safe. Alpha Wilkins was killed during a battle against my parents.” I said softly. There was a long pause, I wasn’t sure if he was going to speak but he cleared his throat.
“He’s dead?” He asked.
“Yes. We found out that Mia wasn’t his mate. She told us what happened the day you discovered she was yours and I’m so sorry that you had to go through that. They will never hurt either of you again.”
“Where is she?” He asked.
“She’s actually here in the hospital. She’s currently pregnant and is very sick. Wilkins forced her to mate. He also tried to mark her, but it didn’t take so when she is strong enough, you will be able to complete your mate bond.”
“How am I supposed to do that? I don’t even know her. I’ve seen her for a minute before getting beaten and locked up. Now she’s having a child from him. Would she even want me?” His mind was in a tailspin.
“Calm down. She is extremely sick. We don’t even know if she will be able to carry this baby to term. She’s had three previous miscarriages. This baby is sucking everything out of her and she’s not able to keep things down. The doctors are working extremely hard to help her. Now, if she is able to carry to term, this child will be a part of her, your mate. My biological father died before I was born. When my mother found her mate, he took the responsibility of caring for me. I know it couldn’t have been easy, but he loves me as if I were his own. Regardless of what happened, this child is innocent. Now, I think we are getting ahead of ourselves, let’s get through one thing at a time. Do you want to see her? As her mate, you would be helping her just being there and as time goes on, we can figure out the rest.” I said
He laid there for a while before nodding his head. He slowly got out of bed with my help, and we walked to Mia’s room. I assisted him into the chair next to her. When he finally looked at her, tears filled his eyes. The next moment, she opened her eyes and they stared at each other, neither of them saying anything.
Several minutes later, he reached up cautiously and slowly held her hand.
“I’m so sorry that this happened to both of you, and I really hope that things change for the better as of today. I’m going to leave to give you some privacy. If you need anything, please let the nurse know and I will come back.”
I waved goodbye and left.