Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"These are beautiful," Selene murmured, her fingers grazing the strange petals of a rare, mountain-blooming plant. She stood amidst the sprawling fields, a calm she would never admit to settling over her. Not because it would wound her pride, but because peace itself unnerved her. It made her feel like something darker lingered just beyond the shadows.
Alexander watched her closely, noticing the subtle shift in her expression. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she almost seemed... happy. A flicker of warmth stirred in him, too-an unfamiliar sensation after eight hundred years of relentless purpose. His sole mission had been to protect the firstborn of his father, and now, here she was: safe, in front of him.
"I want to know everything," Selene said, her voice steady but edged with demand. "From the beginning. And if you leave anything out-"
"I won't," Alexander interrupted gently, gesturing to a weathered bench nearby, perched on the edge of a hill that overlooked his village. "Sit. It's a long story."
Selene hesitated, then took a seat, her posture guarded. Alexander joined her, the weight of the past heavy in the air between them.
"Father never wanted children," he began, his gaze distant. "His only goal was to find his mate, the one destiny promised him. But after years of searching, he grew desperate. His advisors suggested children-something to ground him, to give him purpose. So, he agreed. My mother, Cassandra, was from his sister's pack. Their union was never about love-it was a means to an end."
He paused, glancing at Selene, but her expression was unreadable.
"He only wanted one child to secure the future of his pack while he continued his search. Fate, though, had other plans. Nicole and I were born minutes apart. He wasn't the man you remember, Selene. He loved us."
Selene's eyes flickered, but she remained silent as Alexander continued.
"For a time, we were a family-a happy one. Father almost forgot his obsession. He doted on us, cared for us, like any father would. But when we turned twenty, everything changed. He withdrew, throwing himself back into the search for his mate. Nicole and I... we blamed ourselves. We thought we did something to drive him away, so we dedicated our lives to finding her, too."
He shook his head, a trace of bitterness creeping into his tone. "But no matter how hard we searched, it didn't matter. One day, she just appeared. She showed up on our doorstep, demanding a child from our father, swearing he'd protect her. He was blinded by her, Selene. He didn't know what she was-an Aradia. And he had no idea about the curse that comes with an Aradia pregnancy."
Selene's fingers twitched in her lap. A strange, unfamiliar feeling rose in her chest, and she pressed her lips together, casting her gaze downwards.
"Deva," Alexander said, his voice softer now. "Your mother. She left just a month after we found out she was pregnant. Father... he was consumed by rage. He didn't just look for her, Selene. He hunted her. Eight months later, the bond told him she was dead. The day you were born was the day she died. And that broke him in ways none of us could have predicted."
