CHAPTER 129:What If She Hates Me?
ADAM
Can I really face her?
The thought clawed at my chest as I stood in the shadows of the Bloodfang Pack garden, hidden behind a tall hedge. My breath caught the scent of roses and wet grass, but all I could focus on was her Selena moving gracefully through the garden, her belly round with child, her laughter soft as it drifted into the breeze.
She wasn’t alone.
A woman walked beside her tall, confident, steps in sync with Selena’s. From where I stood, hidden beneath the shadows of a fig tree, I could only see their backs, but something in the curve of the woman’s posture… something in the way the wind lifted her scent sharp, like crushed mint and warning bells froze me in place.
Then her voice sliced through the quiet, crisp and sure.
“I know you’re there.”
I flinched.
“Come out before I turn you into a lizard.”
That voice.
The world narrowed to a heartbeat.
It couldn’t be…
Angela?
My breath caught. It couldn’t be her not after what I was told. Not after the rumors.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” she snapped again, louder this time. There was steel in her tone, like the crack of lightning before a storm.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and stepped out from my hiding place, palms slightly lifted not out of fear, but respect. Reverence, even.
“I’m out,” I said quietly.
The two women turned in perfect sync.
“ADAM!”
My name ripped from both their lips at once.
Selena’s eyes widened. In the blink of an eye, she moved her rounded belly slowing her down, but not enough to stop her from closing the distance.
She reached me, arms flinging around my neck with a choked breath. Her warmth collided with mine, the contact grounding me like roots to soil.
“I missed you,” she whispered, voice trembling against my shoulder.
I held her gently, careful of her belly. Her scent brought back memories I had buried her strength, her laughter, her stubbornness.
Then my gaze met Angela’s.
She was alive.
“How?” I asked, taking a step toward her. “I thought Stephen killed you.”
Angela’s face twisted with something between pain and defiance. “No, my prince. He didn’t kill me,” she said, voice calm. “But he made me wish he had.”
I looked between them mother and daughter and saw something I hadn’t expected: peace. A fragile bond rekindled.
“You two made peace?” I asked.
Angela gave a small nod.
Selena brushed a stray curl from her face, the sunlight catching on her lashes as she turned to look at me. “What brought you here?” she asked with a half-smile. “Or are you stalking me now?”
I let out a short laugh, but it didn’t quite reach my chest. “I need your help, Selena.”
The teasing faded from her face in an instant, her eyes narrowing with quiet concern. “What’s wrong?”
Before I could answer, Angela’s gaze moved between us knowingly. “I’ll give you two some privacy,” she said with a faint smile, already turning back toward the house.
As her footsteps faded, Selena motioned toward the garden bench. I followed her, the wood creaking softly beneath us as we sat. Around us, the flowers swayed gently, the wind brushing over the petals like a whispered secret.
Selena looked at me expectantly. “Well?”
I stared down at my hands scarred, steady, but trembling now. I couldn’t find the right place to start. My tongue felt heavy. My chest, hollow.
Then I said it. “I… I have a human mate.”
She blinked once, clearly caught off guard. “Wait. What?”
I met her gaze, saw the way her smile had dropped completely.
“You’re serious,” she whispered.
I nodded slowly. “I met her in the human world. It wasn’t supposed to happen. I only meant to help her protect her from something. But… it happened. The bond. It was instant. Unmistakable.”
Selena didn’t speak. She just looked at me, eyes wide, lips slightly parted. Her silence was heavier than any words.
“What did you do?” she finally asked. Her voice was softer this time, edged with dread. “Did you stay?”
I looked away, guilt gnawing through my ribs. “No. I left. I didn’t know what to do, how to explain. I panicked.”
Her jaw tightened. “You just… vanished?”
“I didn’t mean to,” I said quickly. “I just Selena, she’s human. There’s no precedent for this. No stories, no rules. Nothing in our bloodline that says this can work.”
“Did you reject her?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. She means something to me something I can’t explain.”
Selena exhaled sharply, folding her arms across her chest. “And yet, you left her without a word. She probably thinks she wasn’t enough. That she imagined what you two had.”
I ran both hands through my hair, fingers clawing at my scalp. “I didn’t want to hurt her. But how do I tell her I’m not… like her? That I shift beneath the moonlight and answer to ancient laws?”
“You should’ve let her decide,” she said firmly. “She deserves to know. To choose.”
“She’s human, Selena,” I whispered. “She won’t live as long as we do. She’ll grow old while I remain the same. She’ll wither… and I’ll have to watch it happen.”