Chapter 76 Father, Betrayed Me

Chapter 76 Father, Betrayed Me
KING THEORON'S POV

I knew what I had to do, though it tore at me with every passing second. Taking my daughter back to Aurelia without her mate would break her heart, but the weight of my crown left me no choice. The Astor family of the Thunder Howl pack was cursed, its shadow stretched long across generations, and the thought of my daughter’s pup inheriting that curse filled me with dread. Aurelia could not gamble its future on uncertain blood. My kingdom had to continue ruling the continent, and the only way to ensure that was to secure a rightful heir.

Yet even as I told myself this, my feet betrayed my turmoil. I paced back and forth, my steps sharp against the floor. My eyes kept finding their way back to the sight that pained me most: Reika and Apollo holding hands, fingers locked as if letting go meant death itself. Their bond was unshakable, I could see it, feel it. And every time I looked at them, I saw a reflection of my own past.

My daughter’s eyes burned with the same devotion my queen once gave me. Lyanara. My heart squeezed painfully at the memory of her name. 
She was my mate, my blessing from the Moon Goddess. We had been perfect together, two halves made whole, ruling Aurelia with love and strength. Her kindness had been unmatched, her heart always turned toward our people. And then, too soon, she was gone. The wound of her loss never healed; it lived inside me, a constant reminder of the cost of love.

Now, here stood my daughter, my Lyanara’s daughter, staring at me with that same fire in her eyes, bound to a man whose family carried darkness in their blood. How could I allow her to risk everything? How could I let Aurelia suffer the same fate?

“My King.”

The voice cut through my reverie. I turned sharply to Apollo, whose strength seemed to defy the weakness still etched in his body. His grip on Reika’s hand was fierce, unyielding. His piercing-green eyes locked with mine, filled with a plea that carried more than just desperation; it carried resolve.

“Please allow me to take care of your princess,” he said, each word steady, though I heard the strain in his tone. “Allow us to build a family together in the Thunder Howl pack.”

Reika’s hand tightened around his, and the sight of their unity pierced me deeper than any pain I had felt.

Apollo’s voice grew firmer, his chest rising with the weight of his vow. “I love Reika with all my heart, and I will give my life if any harm comes to her.”

His words hung heavy in the air, and I studied him closely. His plea was not hollow; it burned with conviction. Yet conviction alone was not enough. As the king, guardian of Aurelia’s future, and father to the only heir left of my bloodline, I have duties for my people.

For us, the needs of the people outweighed even the bonds of the heart. I knew what it was to love fiercely, to lose painfully, and still to serve. That was the weight of the crown.

I wanted to give him what he asked for. I wanted to provide Reika with everything she longed for, to spare her the pain of losing the mate she clung to. But doubt gnawed at me. The curse was real. The history of the Astor line could not be erased by words of love or vows made in desperation.

I stood there, torn between the heart of a father and the duty of a king. And as I looked at them, my daughter and the man she loved, I knew this was only the beginning of the battle between love and legacy.

“I believe you, Apollo,” I said quietly, my gaze steady on him. “But for us, the Lycans, duty to our people must always come first. You know I understand you more than you may realize. But for me, it is my duty to serve my kingdom and my people, and only Reika can continue that legacy for the Kingdom of Aurelia.”

"My King," Apollo spoke. "Reika is not avoiding her birthright to rule Aurelia, but I don't think this is the right time. We have just started our own family."

I let my eyes shift to my daughter, the very image of her mother in youth. Her spirit, her fire, they belonged to Aurelia as much as they belonged to her mate. It was not something I could deny.

Yet my thoughts turned back to what I had uncovered since arriving in Thunder Howl. “But I have learned about everything that happened in your pack,” I continued, my voice hardening. “You used to have surrogates. And one of them was Sophia.” I narrowed my eyes, gauging his reaction. “Why don’t you take her as your Luna?”

The words had barely left me when Reika’s voice tore through the air.

“Father!” she cried, her voice breaking with rage and anguish. “How can you do that to me?” Her eyes brimmed with tears, glistening trails slipping down her cheeks. “I am Apollo’s Luna and no one else. We will soon have a child who will rule the Thunder Howl pack. How can you think of another woman replacing your own daughter?”

Her cry pierced me. The pain in her voice, in her eyes, tore me apart. It was as though I had struck her with my own hand. My daughter, my precious child, looked at me not as her father but as her betrayer. Her body trembled as she clung tighter to Apollo, her sobs shaking her shoulders.

Apollo wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close, whispering softly against her hair, though I could not hear his words. He stroked her back gently, his eyes flicking to me with a quiet fierceness, silently begging me to stop. Reika buried her face into his chest, her voice muffled but still trembling with fury and heartbreak.

I stood frozen, my chest aching. I had spoken as a king, but I had wounded her as a father. Lyanara’s face flashed before me, the way she once looked at me when I faltered, when my duties weighed heavier than our bond. The resemblance in Reika’s eyes now was unbearable.

Then Apollo’s voice broke the silence, steady though his hand trembled as he soothed my daughter. “My King,” he said firmly, “Sophia is pregnant with Ex-Alpha Martin’s child.” His jaw tightened, his voice edged with the iron of his wolf. “I cannot let that evil child rule my pack. I am not done with Sophia and Martin; they will both be punished.”

He looked at me directly then, and though his body was weakened, his spirit was not. “Please,” he added, softer now, “let us talk about this matter when I am well. Again, thank you for healing me, my King.”

I did not answer right away. My heart warred with my mind, my duty with my love. I looked once more at Reika, my daughter, who clung to her mate as though he were life itself, and I wondered if the Moon Goddess was testing me once again.