CHAPTER 173

CHAPTER 173


Ileus' POV

I did not know how long I sat there, but I felt hollow and empty. My wolf growled in pain inside me. The last time I had felt this way was when I lost Reika, my late wife, and now I was about to lose my princess again.

Why... why did it seem like I was so unfortunate that I always lost the people who meant the entire world to me?

Why... why did it feel as though the Moon Goddess hated me so much that she took away everything that made me happy?

“But how come... I couldn't feel the betrayal through the bond?” I murmured, still trying to convince myself at all costs that it might not be true.

“I think it is the work of black magic,” Lilith replied quietly. “I strongly believe Addams must have used black magic to manipulate you.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and let her overwhelming words crash into me. She was right. He must have used black magic to manipulate our bond.

And I would not even deny the fact that I had once thought that Reika shared no resemblance with me, but the fact that she had the same brown eyes as my late wife stopped me from thinking too deeply about it. I thought it was the Goddess' way of returning my first love to me, so instead of suspicion, I felt fulfilled.

And again... more than once, I had experienced that unfamiliar feeling with my little girl, especially since she seemed to show signs of inheriting a stronger wolf than expected, but I had waved it away with the thought that she was just an infant and that as she grew older, we would connect properly and she would then get her wolf.

“But you have magic too... how come you couldn't sense the manipulated black magic?”

My brows narrowed at her. “How do you know I have magic? I don't think I have ever mentioned that to you.”

She blinked hard. “Yes, you haven't... but I love you so much that I made some inquiries about you so I could know you better, and that is how I got to know that you are also a magic wielder. A unique trait of the royal family, isn't it?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes.”

Silence fell between us before I spoke again, deciding to open up to her.

“Though nobody knows... not even me until a few months ago, but I had already lost my magic powers.”

Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. “How?”

“At first, I thought it was because of the pain of losing my late wife, but later I discovered that I had lost my magic powers long before then. All those times that I hurt her over and over again, I had been gradually losing my powers, but they disappeared completely after her death. I guess it was one of the many prices I had to pay for betraying my woman.”

She did not say anything for a long moment. She looked too shocked, and I wondered why.

“Are you okay?” I had to ask when I noticed the pain in her eyes.

“Of course,” she swallowed hard. “Do you really think that they knew about it and decided to exploit it?”

I shook my head. “Maybe they did... I think Addams knows. As a magic wielder, he should have sensed some magical presence from me, but when he realized I had none, he must have figured out that I had lost my powers.”

She nodded slowly, and the room fell into another silence.

I did not realize when Lilith sat beside me. I only felt her steady hand on my shoulder.

“I know this is a lot, Ileus,” she began gently. “I know you are heartbroken right now because I know how much you love and adore your little girl, but you should know that this is not the end of the world for both of you. Biologically, you might not be her father, but in every other sense, you are her father... a very good one at that.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I shook my head.

“No... Lilith, I'm not her father.” I stared at her through my blurry eyes. I was barely holding back my tears. “I know you're only trying to calm me down, but let's face the truth. I'm not her father. No amount of love or care that we have for each other will replace that. If the truth comes to light, everyone will know the truth, and sooner or later, Addams will come for his daughter.”

“Really?” she snapped, as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing. “You mean to tell me that you are going to hand over your little girl to that asshole? Even if he is her biological father, we both know that neither he nor Ariadne deserves to be her parent. Those two are wicked and self-centered, and handing Reika over to them would ruin that little girl. Would you fail your little girl like that, Ileus? No... she doesn't deserve that.”

Of course, Lilith was right yet again.

My sweet baby girl didn't deserve that. I might not be her biological father, but that changed nothing between us. I would keep loving and protecting her as though she were mine. Maybe when she came of age, I would reveal everything to her and give her the choice to decide between me and her biological father.

“You are right, Lilith... but what should I do now?” I asked, confusion crashing down on me from all sides.

“Good... that should be the question to ask. From what I discovered, Addams and Ariadne are planning to reveal the truth to the public very soon in order to prove to everyone that you are impotent.”

“What?!” I jumped to my feet. “Are you serious? They would reveal the truth to the public without caring about how it would make their daughter feel?”

She stood as well.

“Yes, and you shouldn't let them do it. If they tell everyone, they won't only hurt you but Reika too. Everyone will come to know that she is a bastard, and that label will never leave her. She won't be able to live a normal life.”

I cursed under my breath. I couldn't believe that they would stoop so low as to hurt their own child. That was ridiculous, and it was the last straw for me.

No... no harm would come to my baby girl. She was my first child, no matter what happened.

“I should arrest them before that happens and make them pay for betraying me like this.”

“Yeah, you should do that. A Luna cheating on her mate is a serious crime. No one needs to know that Reika is not your child.”

I nodded and grabbed her hands gently.

“Thank you, Lilith.” My voice cracked with pain. “You are such a good woman. If it were another woman, she would have wanted me to disown Reika so that we could both start all over again, but you are entirely different. You love and care about my daughter, and I love you even more for that.”

She gave me a faint smile.

“No, I wouldn't do that. I know how much you love her, and again, even though I did not get to raise my own child, I was once a mother, even if only briefly, and I wouldn't want any child to live such a tainted life.”

I stared at her for a long moment without speaking.

Just a moment ago, I had felt as though my entire world was crashing down, but now I felt like I could survive anything thrown at me, even death... with Lilith by my side.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

She opened her arms.

“Come here.”

I stepped into her embrace, and she wrapped her arms tightly around me while I rested my head against her chest, finding comfort and solace there.