Chapter 150: Book 2 - Chapter 56

Chapter 56 – The Beginning

Aero

I 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 deliver two more of our Little Ones, and she needed me to assist her.

During this time, I was conscious to mind-link Alpha Margaret. I wanted her here, maybe not instantly since she didn’t have a teleportation ability, but quick enough that she could take care of our babies while Serena and I address the threat outside the cave.

Alpha Margaret in return gave me instructions.

“Be gentle, Your Majesty. Hold their heads properly. Don’t pull. Let their bodies guide you.”

She advised well, and I did what she said as properly as I could.

As my sons landed on my hand, I choked back a sob. A sense of pride hit me for them and for my wife. Again, initially hating women, never in my life had I dreamed to become a father or even establish a family. I see now how idiotic I was at that time.

When our third son arrived and we were finally complete, Serena and I watched them with zeal in our eyes. Love. Overflowing love filled the air of the cave and nothing but that.

My sons were glowing, a sign of their half-fae blood. The differences of their glow made me wonder, too. What does it mean? What does it signify? Serena didn’t seem to mind. She was too engrossed with their existence that the details didn’t bother her, for now at least.

When Serena asked me to name them, I honestly panicked. I had put off choosing a name since I found out Serena was expecting. For me, this was the hardest obstacle for a soon-to-be-father. I didn’t want to mess it up. I didn’t want to combine mine and Serena’s names as what General Halcynos or Elijah suggested. I wanted their names to be unique. For my son’s to be themselves and not be attached to any traditions.

In the end, I chose what I thought fitted them and their position in life: Raziel, Ryland, and Rule. Strong names for my strong sons.

Serena loved it and she blossomed once they finally had a name.

I kissed her and my sons’ foreheads, showing that I love them. Serena did the same and with her kiss, I felt blessed. I felt I was luckiest man alive.

However, it wasn’t a happily ever-after for us yet. Danger still loomed outside and waiting for us. I admired Serena when she said she wanted to fight the beasts of Hadon. She just gave birth, yet she already wanted some action.

I couldn’t blame her. The sacrishas remained her headache even before she got pregnant.

With my sleeping triplets secured in my arms, I watched my wife as she prepared herself for battle. When she stopped just outside the entrance of the cave, I saw her stretch her hands and point it to different directions every so often, releasing beams of light as she did so. She pointed up and down, left and right, front and vice versa. Each release of beam was followed by strangled cries from the sacrishas. I bet they were toasted.

She was my badass post-delivery, newly turned mother, luna queen.

I wanted to watch her continue to slay, but from my peripheral vision, I noticed three shadows appear. I only expected Alpha Margaret to come, so who were these two?

“Your Majesty,” Margaret stated just as she neared me.

Following her was Farryl and my... I had to do a double take.

My mother...

I slightly nodded on her way and gave her a brief smile. She reciprocated it, neared me and squatted.

“Let us take care of your sons, my son,” she stated.

I stopped the sudden warm feeling from blooming in my chest. My mother came. She came here to support me. Here to be the grandmother that my sons deserved.

“Thank you for coming, mother,” I said, the words of gratitude flowing out of my mouth effortlessly.

It was sudden—her kiss on my forehead. I didn’t have the chance to relish or register it, but I was happy still.

“We will ensure they are warm and fed,” Margaret informed.

I let them scoop up my triplets one at a time. My mother took Rule. Margaret was with Raziel. Farryl held Ryland. My boys were still sleeping, thoughtfully silent despite the sudden change of arms.

Farryl nodded to me. “I will ensure they will be transported to the Phanteon castle safely, my alpha king.”

“Thank you, Farryl.” I rose to my feet and tipped my chin down.

She made a short wave of her hand and a portal opened in the spot where they stood. In a blink, they disappeared.

Once alone, I rerouted my attention to my wife, who was still throwing beams everywhere. I decided to approach her.

“Care to share the fun?” I asked, putting a cautious hand on her waist just in case she’d assume I was one of the enemies.

“Where are the babies?” was her quick question, throwing me an arched brow.

“With their grandma and aunties,” I told her with my hands crossed over my chest.

“Good!” she exclaimed. “If that’s the case, you take care of the mouse hiding somewhere in this forest.”

I knew right away who she was talking about. “Okay. Give me two minutes and we’re going to Mount Thersa.”

“Our hot spring, Aero?” She rewarded me with a naughty grin before tossing another beam somewhere overhead.

“Yes, for you to recuperate,” was my reply.

“Sounds good to me!” She summoned a ball of energy from her palm and released it like a grenade in the air. It exploded and reduced six sacrishas into minced meat, their spindly legs falling into the water.

“I’ll be right back,” I told her, teleporting to where I picked up Hadon’s smell.

True to Serena’s words, the old man was like a mouse, hiding against a gigantic trunk a kilometer away from the waterfall. Away from the real fight.

What a piece of shit.

“For someone who experienced an enlightenment journey, I expected you to be more courageous than this, High Elder Hadon,” I stated, making myself known.

He jerked backward and tossed me a frightened look.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” I chuckled. “It will only take me a wink to scatter your brain across this...“—I slurred and gestured to the grass in between us—“dry vegetation. You might help nourish the plants here.”

He didn’t answer. He just pulled a golf-ball sized glowing ball from under his robe and held it up in the air. Before he could toss it to the ground, though, I teleported behind him and twisted both of his arms.

“No, you can’t do that to me again, old man,” I stated.

His reply came as a painful shriek that was harsh and damaging to my ears. “Aiyahhh!” However, at the same time, I relished it. I loved to hear this sound from those who wronged me, my wife, my sons, and my kingdom.

Hadon was no old man to me. He didn’t deserve my respect at all or my mercy.

“Un—hand me, you fil—thy beast!” he squealed and gave me a glare.

No. No mercy at all.

I scrunched up my nose. “Filthy beast?” Then a low chuckle escaped from my chest. “So you want my beast, huh?”

With that, I transformed into my lycan form. My hands became paws and its sharp claws instantly dug into his flesh.

“Argghhh!” he screamed again and hastily threw Elvin words I thought were the beginnings of a summon.

‘You must have forgotten I’m immune to magic, old man,’ I told him using telepathy.

His eyes constricted, most likely realizing just now how he made a grand mistake.

I towered above him like a Goliath to a 10-year-old David. Lowering my snout near his neck, I slowly bared my fangs and let him witness the sharpness of each enamel.

“Aero!” Serena, all of a sudden, materialized in the field with us. If she was here, then it meant all sacrishas had been wiped out. Good. And to think she didn’t even break a sweat.

I grabbed Hadon’s chest, dug my claws into the ribs and attempted to crack it open, but Serena managed to stop me by raising a hand. “Wait! I want to ask him something.”

‘Go ahead, my queen,’ I replied through our mind-link.

She stepped forward and looked up at Hadon, who was dangling from my hold.

“Why did you do it? Why did you open up a portal from Sattus to Ehnrelil and allowed these beasts to run free all these years?”

He wheezed first and coughed up blood before he answered her, “Because the fae realm has become polluted! I wanted to cleanse it!”

“Polluted? You are the one who is polluted!” She shouted back. “The other High Elders looked up to you! You were favored by King Alduin! Why would you waste your life?!”

“You! Because of you!” He bellowed while wriggling under my hold. “During my journey, I saw the future of Ehnrelil—you! A dirty mixed blood! I wanted you dead even before you were born!”

I wanted to rip his chest that instant after disrespecting my queen, but Serena once again stopped me with her hand up.

“Obviously, your plan got derailed. And you now look for an alternative. You sided with Geraden and Hilda. Tell me, were you brainwashed by them? Did you think they will ever become a better king and queen for the fae kingdom?!”

“They will be!” He wheezed. “They are the best!”

“You are delusional,” Serena calmly stated and released a sigh, pitying the man although he didn’t deserve any pity.

“I am not delusional!” Hadon replied in a raspy voice. “I merely see the truth! You don’t deserve to be the queen of Ehnrelil! You have a disgusting blood in you!”

That’s it. My patience snapped.

With one crunch, his chest opened. Blood splattered on the grass along with his entrails and this was followed by his brains when I crushed it with my claw. I released his lifeless body, and it dropped onto the ground with a splat.

‘I’m sorry, Serena. I can’t bear to stand hearing him demean you,’ I mind-link her.

She shook her head and pulled out an unaffected face. “It’s fine. His words are garbage to me, anyway. I only needed a confession out from him and I got it.”

She turned to a corner and called out a name, “Kelios.”

A man I knew to be the King of Sattus’s right hand appeared before us, floating five feet above the ground. He wore the garment of a grim reaper and held a scythe. I knew instantly what he was here for.

“You heard the high elder,” Serena stated. “I’m sure it’s enough to put him in Gehenna.”

“It is, My Queen,” he lowered his head and answered. “I shall arrange for this man’s soul to suffer forever.”

“He and Geraden would fit well in that land,” she added, just as I saw a feather-like object surface from Hadon’s remains. It floated towards Kelios and it was sucked by his scythe.

“A pleasure to collaborate with you, My Queen.” He turned to me and tipped his head. “Alpha King.”

I returned to my human form and responded with the same action. “Kelios.”

When he vanished, I walked toward Serena and gave her an arched brow.

“What was that?” I asked.

“High Elders in the fae realm, especially one that had undergone an enlightenment journey, are exempted to be in Gehenna once they die,” she explained. “I had to make Hadon confess to the grave crime he committed against Sattus, and that was to allow the sacrishas to roam in Ehnrelil. In that way, we can ensure he will suffer forever like Geraden.”

I whistled, finding this revelation unbelievable. “Hmm, good thinking, my queen, but remind me never to get on your bad side. You’re a sneaky one.”

She narrowed her eyes at me and placed her arms akimbo.

“I’m not alone! You were sneaky too when you changed those pills!”

Ah, yes. That.

I flashed her the best, most handsome grin I could produce. “Tell me you’re thankful I did so.”

She sighed, stepped closer, and gave me a tight hug. “Yes. I am very thankful,” she stated with her voice muffled by my naked chest. “You just saved us from a life without our children.”

“There. There.” I massaged the crown of her head and kissed it. “Let me bring you to our hot spring. You deserve a break, Serena.”

“I would love that, please.”

She tipped her head up and told me silently she wanted a kiss. Without delay, I gave it to her. A kiss that was full of pride, passion, and love.