Chapter 46 - Restless
~~~ Xander ~~~
I knew for a fact that this day would eventually come.
In practical terms, I have been preparing for it for a while, ever since Aria has desperately knocked at my door in the middle of one night twenty-one years ago. She was choking on her tears, mumbling about being chased and pleading to protect her unborn child and the love of her life, the Alpha King, Justin Morgan.
My sister, Faith, took her in. To tell the truth, it was as if my sister was waiting for her to appear, she was pacing at the door minutes, if not hours before Aria arrived.
It was not until later that I found out about Faith’s premonition regarding the child, the child with both vampire and werewolf blood, it was written in her secret diary.
“Aria came to us the night before her execution.” I broke the tense sound of silence.
All their attention is directed to me, and as much as I hate to remember what happened, they deserve to know everything.
“News about her unlawful relationship spread like fire across the magical world and when she came, she conveyed to us, to me and my sister, that she made an arrangement with the help of her brother and Alpha Austin to spare the life of her love, Justin. The title of the Alpha King that Justin possessed was to be traded for his life, in the process. Austin stepped in to aid his best friend, his soul brother, and they switched lives and even castles, homes. The idea that Aria and Gabriel presented to Morrigan, that ripping Justin of his status and also executing his family while he got to live was a suitable punishment for him.” I confess, still affected by the feelings from that dreadful and unforgettable night.
“I never wanted any of this.” Justin excuses himself to Allaya, his tone mirroring his broken heart.
“I know.” She assures him, then turns to Hayden’s father to show her gratitude. “Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I would not have a father and a brother now, so thank you.” She underlines with eyes glowing of unshed tears.
The atmosphere grows even more rigid as they await the rest of the story.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath before accessing the godawful things I have locked in an obscure part of my memory.
She begged with all her drained forces that we help her save her unborn child. She even knelt down before us. It was a crushing scene to digest, a scene one cannot even imagine. The despair plastered all over her entire being was more than one could take.”
I pause to calm my heartbeats and to check on my daughter. Though she is strong, she must be affected all the way to her bones. After all, she has all those memories too.
“Faith came up with a plan. A good plan. But not efficient enough to save Aria as well. It was conceived solely with the purpose to save the baby.”
“How? How was Allaya saved? I’ve watched the obnoxious execution. My sister died! There is no way the baby could have survived.” Gabriel shouts out, the tendons of his neck strained to the point one can feel like they will explode.
“Because there was no baby in her womb at the time of her execution.” I disclose, their eyes are wide open in confusion.
“But—” Gabriel utters conflicted.
He is blinking uncontrollably as his mind is trying to synchronize with the new piece of information.
“Faith used a very dangerous and powerful spell to transplant the unborn baby into her womb and make it look like Aria was still carrying the baby. And I helped her. My sister was already aware that she would die, she consciously settled with it. It was years later when I realized that after she had the premonition, my sister had decided to gift the baby with even more magical powers, for Allaya was set to do mighty things in our magical world. The child had a destiny greater than you, me, my sister Faith or even her mother, Aria. That is the truth.”
“Your mother was always this kind of person, sacrificing herself for the wellness of those around her.” Gabriel shares it with Allaya.
“She was kind and beautiful, the same as you are.” Justin cut in.
“How did my aunt die, dad?” Allaya inquires and even if the recollection of events is stinging painful, I am happy that she still sees me as her father.
“As I already said, she knew from day one that she was supposed to die. She has foreseen it all.” I continue.
“Morrigan wanted to drink the blood of the baby after her execution. So I am guessing that was when he realized there was no baby. He never told me a thing, but I recall him being nervous. I just thought it was because he was remorseful to have killed my sister, the one he loved, the one that has been his family. I have never suspected the truth, but now I can complete the puzzle. Am I right, Xander?” Gabriel concludes, and I might say correctly.
“Yes. They came after Faith, the monster understood that she was the only one that could have pulled something like this, so big. He killed her cold bloodedly, when I arrived at the scene, there was blood everywhere, everything scattered, definitely she went out with a hell of a fight. But they made a mistake. They didn’t make sure she died. So when I arrived, before giving her last breath, she gave birth to Allaya, transferring to the baby all her magic gifts. And with her little remaining strength, she placed a spell on Allaya to appear human until her 21th birthday, to not be recognized by anyone.”
“Father, it’s enough, it’s too painful for you, stop, please!” My child embraced my broken figure. “I feel so guilty, my aunt died because of me! And you raised me, loved me and protected me even when I was the reason behind your family’s tragedy.” She sobs and I wipe her tears.
“There is more, my sweet baby.” I kiss her forehead. “There was a piece of paper in my sister’s left hand, but it was not her handwriting. She must have had help. The message was short ‘Protect her with your life, adopt her and have her live like a human, until her time will come.’ I put the note on fire as soon as I read it. Until today I haven’t found out who was the one writing it, but I am grateful to that person.”
“And I will forever be indebted to you for protecting my daughter.” Justin declares, his words came out filled with gratitude.
“To get it out of my chest, I must divulge that at first, I could not even look at the baby, but after gazing in her big spellbinding beautiful eyes, I just knew that I would love her and protect her with all my heart, that she would always be my baby girl. I felt sorry that I’ve hidden the truth from you, but I had no other choice.”
I did. I actually had moments when I blamed the baby for my family’s tragedy, but she won me over and when I look back, I cannot imagine how my life would have been without her in it.
“You cannot take the blame for keeping my daughter safe.” Justin presses forward.
“Ever since I’ve welcomed the baby as part of my family, she was like a blessing that came into my life. I could never imagine my life differently, a life without my daughter, Allaya.”
~~~ Hayden ~~~
And I could never imagine my life without her, the supreme gift from the Moon Goddess, my mate, my love.
The one that completes my life, Allaya.
I sensed that she will play this huge role in my life from our first encounter, I just knew.
The air is swarming with emotions, more than one could mentally absorb. Lives have been ruined, lives have been sacrificed by that abominable devil, he won’t escape unpunished.
He fucking won’t get way with this!
He will fucking pay for the havoc he caused in my family! Every single person standing in this room is part of my family, even the vampire Gabriel, as he is her uncle now.
Out of nowhere, an odd intoxicating feeling is clouding my judgment, knocking the air out of my lungs, pulling the ground beneath my feet.
My body is flooded by an overwhelming urge, lust overtakes me and it takes every bit of self-composure I have in me not to get hard, I glance at my Allaya.
She suddenly falls to the ground, her face is red and she is storming from one side to another in some sort of pain, clenching her legs together.
“What happened, baby?” I strive to get to her, struggling with my own fight. “Are you feeling unwell?”
I cup her face and kiss her forehead, her body is mystified by fever. Her eyes peer into mine with a fuse of purity and… hot lust.
“What happened to her?” I growled, directing my attention towards Xander, when she failed to answer.
“She just turned 21 recently.” He states staring at his watch.
“And her mate is near.” My father forces the words down his throat.
‘Mine!’ Maddox is restless inside me.
FUCK!
She has gone into heat and we are surrounded by our family.