180
ATHENA'S POV:-
Three months passed as I came back to Alexander's mansion. While Beta Eric, his family, Gamma Will and his family were taking care of me, the rest of the family was still standing against us but didn't say much because I was both their Luna and a born Alpha. I had two more months to go, for my baby to be born. Sensei told me, the shifter moms give birth in six months as the wolf babies only take six months to be completely developed.
Maybe that was the reason why my father thought that I was not his. My grandfather told me that I took twelve months to be born. Which was not even normal for even human babies.
After spending a whole day in my bedroom, I felt bored. I got up and walked downstairs. I was slow because my back was already hurting. And since Cynthia had all her attention toward the baby, she hardly gave me any strength to be able to heal from any of the pains. Cynthia told me that Aurora lost her two babies and both of them were practically killed by my father. That's why I understood her reasons why she was so concerned about our baby.
As I went downstairs, I felt a sharp pain in my back. Too sharp to stay standing on my feet. My arms immediately wrapped around my baby bump as I crouched down on the ground, trying to sit down. But as I lowered myself on the ground, the pain increased even more.
Tears rolled down my eyes and a whimper broke from my lips as the pain became unbearable. "Hey hey hey!!! Careful!" I heard a familiar voice calling me from behind. The next thing I knew, I was embraced in a pair of warm and soothing arms. Something that felt so familiar, yet I had never tasted it before. I turned my head and found Alexander's father, previous Alpha William standing by my side, holding me up on my feet.
I barely had my weight on my feet. He was holding me tightly in his arms. He then scooped me up in his arms and took me to the couches that were set in the hall. "Why would you come downstairs when Alex isn't home? You almost fell down if I wouldn't have gotten a hold of you." His father asked me in a calmed tone as he sat me down on the couch.
Before I could open my mouth to respond to him, he walked away. For a moment, I thought he was trying to be nice. But who was I kidding? They all blamed me as well for the sins my father had committed. The sins I also called out for. Smiling bitterly, I lowered my head. I had tears in my eyes but I hid them. "Here! Take a few sips!" I almost jumped as I heard him talking again. I looked up and found him standing in front of me, holding a glass of cold water in his hands.
The bitter smile that I had on my face, turned into something so sweet that I could feel it inside of my mouth. Thanking him for his care, I grabbed the glass of water from his hands and took a few sips. He didn't go away. Instead, he sat down beside me and started stroking my head gently. His chuckle made me turn to him again.
"What's wrong?" I asked as I saw something glistening at the corner of his eyes. He shook his head as he turned his face to the other side. When he turned back to me, his eyes were clear.
"Nothing! I was thinking, if your hair was any longer, you would have looked exactly like my daughter. You are even bestowed with our ancestral beast by the grace of Hecate." He whispered softly and my heart skipped a beat. To me, he was a father figure. And since I grew up without a father looking after me, I missed that feeling all my life.
"Everyone around me thought that Aurora was unlucky and I was born lucky. They just couldn't see that I am the one who was born unlucky." I whispered softly, in a sad tone.
"How so? You have Alexander by your side. And he loves you so much. Almost the exact same on the scale as he loved his sister. While my daughter got your fa… I mean, Oliver, who destroyed her." Alexander's father asked me in a confused tone. His tone turned bitter as he talked about my father.
"Yes! I have Alexander now! And I am more than grateful for the blessing. But I grew up knowing that my father hated me. The pack bullied me when I was a kid. Because my father talked around that he was sure I was not his." It was something I only told Alexander. That too when I first met him and he claimed that he was my mate.
"I never knew!" He whispered, wrapping one of his arms around my shoulders. I couldn't hold it against him. He lost his only daughter because of my father.
"I never really told anyone before. I think except for Alexander, no one really knows truly how I feel about my relationship with my father." I added, trying to stay calm.
Due to the pregnancy, I was very emotional. Little things would get me all teared up. "In that case, I owe you an apology." He whispered, making me turn my head toward him.
"I should have trusted my daughter because she entrusted you with something precious to her. She gave you Cynthia, the most powerful beast of the Woodfang family." My eyes widened in shock as I heard about Cynthia again.
She never told me much but I knew she was someone so special to the Woodfang family. "I know the way I treated you was wrong. And I know it will be impossible for you to forgive me just like that. But I promise to be there for you from now, like a father should be." I was joyous the moment I heard him. Tears welled up in my eyes and I didn't know when, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him.
"In that case, you are already forgiven." I whimpered, trying not to sob so loudly. It felt better to have him on my side. Although Beta Eric was kind, just like an older brother, along with Collin, I always wanted to bond with Alexander's father. Maybe, because I had been missing mine since I was born.
"You too! I can't believe this. This witch got you wrapped around her fingers as well, Uncle William?" Cynthia growled loudly the moment I heard Milana's annoying voice ringing in my ear. I wanted to give her a piece of my mind as she had dared to disrespect me, the mate of her Alpha. And that wasn't all, I was Alpha myself. And a low life like her should never have raised her voice in front of me. Growling in anger, I was on my feet, glaring at her angrily.
"That's enough, Milana! That's the last time I heard you disrespecting your Luna. Next time, I'll rip that tongue out of your mouth myself. She is the blessed mate of our alpha, and we must all respect the fate our goddess has written for our alpha." With wide eyes, I was looking at the man standing beside me. He had one of his arms wrapped around my shoulders as he scolded the woman he thought was a better fit for his son. Without another word, he pulled me back toward the staircase. While Milana was left behind, staring at William with surprise on her face.