Her Real Identity

The next morning, Aereza reached that hut where she used to live with her grandmother Wren. Her home, the only place where she could afford to fall down her rigid walls of bravery and courage. The hut was made up of wood and mud. The place was very small but it was big enough for Aereza to breathe in relief unlike the rest of the whole world. She entered the hut and saw her grandmother cleaning the floor. 

"Grandma," she uttered in her displeased tone. Wren looked at the door and she finally exhaled a breath of calmness by watching Aereza standing there in front of her completely alright. Whenever Aereza would step out of that door, Wren always used to feel that terrifying fear of something wrong happening to her. Although she had full trust in Aereza's fighting skills and sharp mind, Wren still felt that fear for her granddaughter because she knew how immoral and brutal the outside world was. What brutality this world had done to her granddaughter, Ivory, it was still refresh in her head and always managed to ache her heart in pain. It had been 9 years since she had held her granddaughter Ivory's lifeless body in her arms but those scars of the past's wounds were still fresh and uncured and Wren knew, for Aereza, even those wounds of their painful past had not healed, not even a little. Instead, it was turning more deep and incurable with every passing day, for her.

"I have told you so many times that you don't have to do any work, grandma," Aereza took that broom from her grandmother's hand. Growing age had started overpowering her grandmother's physical strength and Aereza didn't want to take any leniency towards it. Her grandmother was her whole world, her entire life, the only person whom she loved more than anything in this world. Her only family. Her parents, her best friend, her guardian, her grandmother was her everything. The only reason which made her smile and happy.

Wren passed her a smile, witnessing that concern on her face for her.

"I am fine, Reza," she told her but Aereza shook her head. She made her grandmother sit on the bed and kneeled in front of her on the floor.

"I know you are fine and I want you to turn more fine, so that's why you are not going to do any work," she said, faking her strict tone. Her grandmother beamed. Her smile made Aereza smile too.

"Okay now sit. I will massage your toes with that special oil," Aereza uttered and then got up on her feet. Wren smiled, watching her take out the bottle of homemade oil for the rack. Aereza had prepared that oil, using different kinds of essential herbs in order to soothe the pain and swelling in her grandmother's legs, toes and other body parts. Not just war skills, Aereza also possessed a good amount of knowledge about nature and its blessings to the world.

"Lay down," she said to her grandma. Wren laid down on the bed. Aereza sat beside her. Pouring some oil in between her palm, she started rubbing it on her grandmother's slightly swollen toes. Aereza was massaging her grandmother's feet when she heard her asking

"Why didn't you come back home last night, Reza?" 

Aereza's hand halted, hearing her question. Last night…. whatever had happened to her last night and what could have happened, all these things were still haunting her. But she didn't want to make her grandmother worried, so she let it slide and lied.

"Princess Alexandria told me to help her in choosing her clothes and jewelleries for her mating ceremony and it turned a bit late last night, so she told me to stay with her for the night," she uttered, looking down while again starting massaging her toes. Aereza used to spend her nights in the castle but only if she would need there for some relevant work otherwise, no matter how late it would turn in the night, she always managed to head back home to her grandmother during night after finishing her work which was serving the royal family, especially Princess Alexandria. Aereza's work was to protect and make sure about Alexandria's safety and protection and she was doing her work with her full sincerity and efforts and in return, she got paid for it by the Alpha King Alanso which she used for her and her grandma's livelihood.

"You know that you can tell everything to your grandma, right?" Wren uttered because she could sense something off in her answer. Aereza sighed because she knew her grandmother would find out she was lying. Looking upward at her, she uttered.

" Princess Alexandria had escaped last night from the castle to watch some kind of valley but I took her back to the castle before something wrong could happen to her," this time she told her the half truth. The revelation widened Wren's eyes.

"You are alright?" She tried to get up but Aereza didn't let her.

"I am completely fine, grandma as you can see," she said with a smile. Wren exhaled in relief and that was the reason she was afraid to tell the entire truth to her grandmother. Aereza was sure her grandmother would get worried a lot after knowing whom she had met last night and she didn't want to take a risk with her health when it was already so tender.

"Okay, now you take some rest. I will do the cleaning," she said, grinning. Her grandmother nodded at her without defiance because she knew Aereza would not let her do a single work anymore.

After a while, Aereza was dusting the toppest shelf of her grandmother's almirah while standing on a stool. She remembered she had bought that almirah for her grandmother with the very first payment she had received from the Alpha King for serving his family. She had bought it so that her grandmother could store her different kinds of potions there. Now Aereza knew what her grandmother was but it didn't change the fact a bit for her that her grandmother was still fairy to her because nothing could make her change her mind about that.

She was dusting the shelf with a cloth which made her cough a bit as dust was blowing from it. Aereza covered her nose and mouth and continued doing her work but then she used a little force to clean a certain place where some kind of paper and books were present and she ended up making some papers fall from the shelf. Aereza groaned in exasperation and tilted her head to look at her grandmother. She watched her sleeping. She was glad the sound of those falling papers didn't disturb her sleep.

Stepping down from that stool, she kneeled down on the floor and started collecting those scattered papers. She was gathering them when one paper caught her attention because her name was written on it with bold letters.

AEREZA KENSLEY 

Her eyes widened in shock because that was the first time she saw that surname attached to her name…KENSLEY...Until today, she knew that her name was Aereza Monroye then what was this? She turned bewildered too, watching her name written on that paper. It looked like some kind of letter. Placing the other papers on the stool, Aereza focused her gaze on that particular letter. Why is her name written on it? Is this for her? But if it is then why her grandmother has not given it to her yet? This letter seems quite old. 

Turning her head back again, Aereza glanced at her grandma. She was still asleep, so Aereza decided not to disturb her and started reading the letter on her own. Darting her curious gaze on it, she finally began reading it.

AEREZA KENSLEY 

I don't know when you are going to read this letter. I just wish I could tell these things to you in person, my princess but I am really very sorry. I can't. I don't even know whether I will be able to see you again or not but I just want you to know that I love you, my princess. Me and your father loves you and we are always going to be with you, maybe not physically but we will live in your heart, princess and whenever you will miss or need us, just close your eyes and look into your heart for us with a smile and you will always find us there waiting for you….. I am sorry…. Just forgive your parents for not being able to be with you, Aereza. We love you, our princess.

Your Mother……

By the end of that letter, her silver orbs were brimming with harsh tears. They had reddened her eyes and were on the edge of coming out. It is her mother's letter. She had written it for her but how is this possible that she knew in advance that they would never be able to meet her again. Her grandma had told her that her parents died in some natural calamity. Then how is it possible for her to write this letter to her and why her grandma had not given it to her yet? 

Aereza was gaping at that letter with her watery eyes when she noticed a tear falling from her eyes and falling on that letter. She immediately tried to wipe it until

"You were just one when they handed you to me, Reza," 

Aereza turned around and saw her grandmother standing in front of her. Wren's gaze softened, witnessing Aereza's glossy eyes. Aereza barely cried in front of anyone because it had gotten stored inside her head that falling her tears before someone would portray her as a weak which she didn't want to be. She didn't want to believe that tears were not a symbol of a person's weakness. In fact, showing your emotions to the right person could never make you feel weak, instead it will make you feel more strong but Aereza refused to believe this because she knew she was never going to meet that right person who would embrace her emotions instead of using it against hers as her weakness. Her grandmother was the only person before whom Aereza had cried sometimes, after Ivory's death.

Aereza gazed at her grandma for a moment before sighing and wiping her watery eyes. She didn't ask her any questions further, regarding this. Instead, she placed that letter back with those other papers and tried to place them back on their previous place but Wren stopped her by holding her hand. She made Aereza turn around and look at her. Wren found her trying to hold back her tears which ached her heart. 

Cupping her face, Wren wiped her eyes.

"I have told you before and I am telling you again, Reza. Your tears are not your weakness. You don't have to hold them back for any reason," Wren uttered, amiably. Her words made Aereza tear up badly. She hugged her grandma tightly and buried her face in the crook of her neck. The sound of her muffled sobbing filled Wren's eyes with tears. Sighing, she caged her back and let her take out her storm of emotions in her arms.

After Aereza calmed down a bit, Wren made her sit on the bed and she joined her by sitting beside her. She understood that Aereza wanted to ask her so many things but she was feeling too vulnerable to utter a single word at that moment. Telling her to lay down on the bed, Wren placed Aereza's head on her lap and then started telling her everything because she understood, now it was the time she should tell the truth to Aereza about her identity because she deserved to know this.

"Your father, Slade Kensley was the Alpha King of the Silver Shade Pack and your mother, Aria was his mate and the Luna of the pack," 

Aereza silently heard her Wren's each and every word while laying her head on her lap.

"Your mother was a human but still the Silver Shade Pack accepted her with their open arms because their Alpha and your father had given his heart to her. She was his destined mate and when your mother got pregnant with you, the entire Silver Shade Pack gleamed up with happiness and prosperity. Everyone was so happy and your father, his happiness knew no boundaries," Wren said, patting Aereza's head which brought more tears to Aereza's eyes.

"Everything was going fine. Your parents were just patiently waiting for your arrival until that one day, when your parents decided to go into those Crimson woods," Wren paused for exhaling a heavy breath.

"There your father did a mistake of killing a warlock who was the mate of the witch Sirena, one of the most powerful witches of that time and there she cursed you while you were breathing inside your mother's womb,"