Chapter 40 - His Blood
Aero
We didn’t stay any longer inside Calahiem’s cave. We hopped realms to Earth, to Florida specifically under Serena’s lead. I was cool with it since she was with me; however, my attention wandered to the people who came with us: Elijah, who joined us when we were at Ehnrelil’s plaza where a portal to Earth was nearby, Adamar who looked consciously silent since he returned to our group, and that woman—his so-called true mate who disappointingly joined us.
Whatever happened between them during the time they left us, I could only imagine. But it definitely changed Adamar’s mood. With his poker face on, I couldn’t tell what he was feeling, but I was sure of one thing: this ship was a mistake.
I could say this because he kept on tossing the woman glances during our travel—longingly, might I add&mdas
Chapter 41- Awkward ReunionSerenaThe ease of which we found Aero’s real mother, I could deem lucky, but I never thought it would all lead us back to Earth. For a daughter of the Alpha and Luna of the Bastion Pack, why would she hide on Earth? Or was this where she was banished by King Gideon?High Elder Geraden never spoke of the reasons after he gave us her address. Said that it was hers to share. He wanted to let Aurora accompany us though, for safety reasons he said, but I had a feeling the reason was far deeper than this. He was too secretive, too vague. I sensed something odd that instant.This was verified when we finally saw Donna.I was ecstatic to meet her, but I didn’t expect this kind of twist. Aero had a half-sister, and this time, it wasn’t some made-up truth. By blood, they were truly related.
Chapter 42 – A Mother’s SacrificeSerenaAn audible gasp escaped from my mouth, and I raced to cover it with my hand. I heard Elijah and Adamar wince. I saw Donna stiffen. Aero himself was frozen, his eyes constricted with surprise.“How dare you speak to our mother like that!” Aurora shouted, shooting daggers through her eyes as she stood face to face with Aero.The latter growled and returned her glares with equal force. “You don’t have the right to talk to me like that or slap me! I am your alpha king! I hold power over you!”“You are my brother first!” she cried out, her eyes welling up with tears. “And I implore you to listen. Our mother, she’s in pain too! Our mother suffered too!”I held Aero’s right elbow to stabilize him. Make him feel that
Chapter 43 – Making WavesSerenaThe next day, Aero seemed to be back to his normal self—at least by my standards. We made love in the morning, he did his alpha king duties after lunch and we made love again in the afternoon. He didn’t open the subject about Donna and Aurora, and neither did I.We didn’t need to. I could sense his fragile heart slowly mending, accepting them. He just needed more time, more understanding, and more patience. Eventually, he would fully welcome them into his life and I was certain that would happen, maybe not now, but soon.Since our quest was over, I returned to my luna duties too, and this involved preparing for the annual harvest celebration of Phanteon to be held this evening. This would be my first time attending to such an event, so I felt excited about it. In addition, Aero and I planned to announce my preg
Chapter 44 – A Turn of EventsSerena“I am no son of a majestic, respectable alpha king,” Aero continued. “I am a son of a scheming, ruined alpha king. I have recently uncovered the truth about my father, King Gideon, and my so-called mother, Queen Olivia. She is not his true mate, and she is not my real mother.”A collective gasp was heard from the audience, and their faces contorted with confusion. Elijah, who sat near the stage, tipped his chin down and placed a hand on his chest. He was urging my husband to continue, despite the fact that this will eventually demote him to a non-royal. He was cool with it. He didn’t care.“Rhea is with me.” I remembered his words when we were still on our way to Donna’s house with the car he rented. “I’m complete with her. I don’t need a royal s
Chapter 45 – The Finding of the QueenAeroThe annual harvest celebration would have been the perfect way to reintroduce my real mother to my people, but I didn’t bother to invite her or my half-sister. I wasn’t ready to see them again. I needed time to process the truth; that instead of a half-brother, I now have a half-sister and instead of my mother all alone and exiled, she happily lived on Earth with a new partner.I felt happy for her. Really. She deserved this wonderful second chance at life. It was just me and my juvenile temper that needed to be appeased.Yesterday’s revelations were too much for me to bear. I was aware it clouded my mind and almost drove me berserk. Luckily, my salvation—Serena—remained by my side and kept me sane. She helped a great deal with my journey through healing. I wouldn’t be in control of
Chapter 46 – An Enemy of the KingdomSerenaDizziness and disorientation soared inside my head the moment I peeled my eyes open. I found myself in an unfamiliar bed inside a stuffy room, with no idea about the time or day, and with me, in an awkward position. My feet dangled at the edge of the bed and I lay on my side as if I was simply tossed in the mattress with no care for my delicate condition. My belly had grown three times its size in a matter of days. It was clear to see. Didn’t that matter for my captor?Slowly, I sat up and studied my prison. Yes, prison. I figured it as much after remembering how swift and sneaky I was kidnapped. I didn’t even notice the danger I was in while I was inside the backstage room. Aero didn’t even sense it because if he did, he would have alarmed me or curb the sinister plan himself. As to how my kidnapper did this feat, I cou
Chapter 47 – The Secretive Alpha KingSerenaI had to eat the food my captor gave me. I had to.My babies were hungry. I was hungry, so we couldn’t honestly decline clean and unpoisoned food. I considered this a blessing already. If my captor chooses to, he or she wouldn’t need to nourish me. He or she would just let me rot away inside this room.The barrier around the house also hindered me from summoning food for myself. It would have been just a snap of my fingers and food would be available. However, now, I couldn’t and this made me feel undoubtedly helpless.As to the pill, I didn’t drink it. It would have helped with my babies’ growth, but my gut told me not to.Now, as I sat near the sole window of the room, I watched the outside world—which to me wasn’t much. Like I said
Chapter 48 – The Worried FatherAeroPresentIt turned out Dr. Nancy Rutherford’s real name was Hilda Watercress.I continued to read the letter and found myself wiser every second that ticked by.‘Hilda is a legitimate gynecologist, Your Majesty. She is a family friend and yes, I also invited her into my cruise shi
EpilogueSerena“Ryland! Raziel! Rule! Be ready!” Aero roared as he paced in front of them, acting as game master in this friendly competition of brothers. He was dressed in nothing but trousers while the triplets, as usual, copied their father, acting as if their pre-pubescent muscles could contend to Aero’s bulging ones. The three were lined up within the yellow line, ready and waiting for the red flag to be released.I sat on the stone bench outside the mini arena of Alchidna just observing them. On my lap was Scarlett, trying to shake her baby maracas to the best of her ability. She just turned two five days ago while my triplets reached their teenage status a month before that.Scarlett was a heaven-sent to Aero and I. We were never sure what gender we would be blessed in my second pregnancy, but luckily, it was a female. A princess. Aero let me name her, and I used the Earth name of t
Chapter 57 – Baby StepsSerenaAero broke our kiss when we arrived in our favorite spot in the hot spring.“Welcome back,” he greeted and gave me a wink.I chuckled at this and turned to face the area where we made lots of cherished memories together—well, mostly hot ones.“Don’t just stare. Go and dip. You need to rest. I’ll massage you.”Hearing this, I tossed him a disbelieving look. “What? The great alpha king wants to massage me?”He pulled down his pants and straightened before me with pride in his eyes. “Yes, but you should know I only do this to the woman I love.”“Well then, massage away, my dear alpha king,” I answered before I bit my lower lip.My heart fluttered when he touched me again, first to caress my shoulder and next to trace the mate mark on my neck and the crescent moon mark on my wri
Chapter 56 – The BeginningAeroI didn’t doubt Serena when she said she wanted to deliver our children in a cave and with me assisting her. She trusted me with our sons’ lives. She didn’t second-guess me, so it was only right I shouldn’t second-guess myself too.Obviously, this wasn’t what we planned at all, but considering the circumstances, this was the best we could get. Serena seemed contented, so I was contented.Seeing her in pain, it sliced me to pieces. I wished I could fight this battle with her. I wished I could feel the same pain as what she was feeling, but I knew this was an obstacle reserved only for her.When our firstborn arrived, my happiness was over the moon.A father. The word echoed in my head repeatedly.I couldn’t believe I am a father now.I wanted to celebrate, but I knew it was best to do so later. Serena was due to deliv
Chapter 54 – Precious SoulsSerenaA sound of a cry and a huff escaped my mouth when I realized who just materialized inside the cave. My husband, who looked so good, so handsome, but also so worried, stood before me. My heart instantly leaped in joy.Finally, he came and right on time.“You never called me,” he said as he stepped forward toward me.“I was about to,” I answered, half wincing, half smiling.His warm hand contacted my cheek, and I reveled in the feel that it brought.“How are you feeling?” His gentle eyes landed on mine. His other hand touched my contracting belly and moved it up and down the roundness.“Tired,” I replied. “I’m in labor, Aero.”“I know,” he simply answered. He looked so calm on the exterior, but I knew deep inside his many emotions were swirling
Chapter 53 –The Scent of the QueenAeroI must say, Calaheim did me a favor. The area where the portal ended brought me inside a house that sickeningly smelled like Sofia. I was in a foyer in what I could reckon as the second floor, judging from the nearby stairs I spotted and the grand chandelier hanging on a beam just leveled with my line of sight. Below me, I could hear a woman talking—or more like complaining—together with a man groaning in pain.I instantly recognized their voices. One was Dr. Rutherford or Hilda with a rougher tone now than before, and the second was from Viscount Daniel.Slowly, I inched closer to the stone balustrade to spy on the situation. The viscount’s rough state made me clench my hands instantly.He was shirtless and bloody, with his arms and chest wounded with a slicing cut of a blade. This blade was visible on Hilda’s hand. The edge was pointed to
Chapter 53 –ForgivenessAeroHadon was sneaky, but I was sneakier. What I did was to only use my enhanced sense of smell to locate him everywhere he went in Ehnrelil. I observed enough distance between us; hid under the shadows or behind the walls and watched his every move.First, Hadon went to the Council of Elders’ tower. Did some paperwork there until he left two hours later and went to the Rexhus Tower. There were priestesses in training there. He observed them with a disappointed face and demanded more from them. Like a boastful man, he showed his spells—cheap magic tricks that even a fae child could do. But there was one that caught my eye. It was the cloaking spell he used when he kidnapped Serena.I gritted my teeth while I watched him show it off to the priestesses. I wanted to rip his throat apart, but I knew I had to be mor
Chapter 52 –Tailing the FaeAeroQueen Adna looked morose when I teleported to her throne room. Gone was her beauty. Gone was her radiance. She sat on the throne, slumped, silent and without life. It was ironic to watch her like this because I knew, if I was a female version worrying about Serena’s welfare, I would look the same.When she noticed my entrance, she perked up and her expression lightened a bit.“Have you found her?” She stood and asked without delay.I shook my head and maintained my neutral face. My anger remained on the surface just waiting to explode; waiting for me to unleash it to the right person. I just needed to find this person first.“No, I still haven’t, but I found out who took her,” I answered.Queen Adna’s worried ex
Chapter 51 – The Luna EscapesSerenaLike what Viscount Daniel said, I ran—or more like plodded—as far away as possible from Sofia’s house.The house was impressive—that was my first impression when I first glimpsed it en route to my escape path. The walls were made of white bricks and it was covered in vines almost deliberately to camouflage it with its surroundings. It had a landscaped garden and toadstool pathways—a standard in every fae house, but hers was a weird dark violet. The house was surrounded by autumn-colored trees and lavender-green grass; quite picturesque if not for the owner and the people living in it.The bluish color of the barrier was visible around the house, yet I couldn’t quite figure out the depth of its coverage: how many kilometers it stretched or how high it reached the sky.D
Chapter 50 – Her Majesty’s SaviorSerena“What does it feel to be hopeless now, luna? It’s fun, right?” Hilda stated as she continued to stare down at me. Her mocking voice was dripping with confidence, so similar like her daughter’s. I wanted to lash out, give her a witty reply, but the state I was in reduced me into a moaning mess.I embraced my contracting belly and ignored her instead.“Your husband will never find you. You are doomed,” she continued, still with the viscount by her side, just looking at me with no emotion in his eyes. “My daughter’s house is imbued with her magic—from the surrounding landscape to this very building we stand, and with Hadon’s help, this place is forever hidden. No one can enter unless I will it so.”“Mhhhh!” A whimper of