Chapter 77 Child’s Destiny
Chapter 77 Child’s Destiny
REIKA'S POV
Thankfully, my father agreed to let the matter be discussed later, when Apollo was fully healed. Relief washed over me, though the storm in my heart had not completely quieted. The thought of leaving Apollo still haunted me.
But even as my father’s words lingered, it was something Apollo said earlier that filled my mind. I love Reika with all my heart.
I had never heard him say it before, not in those exact words. I knew he cared deeply, I knew he had protected me time and again, even risked his life for me. But to hear those words, spoken with such conviction and sincerity, sent warmth flooding through me. My chest fluttered, my cheeks burned, and I could not stop the butterflies that danced wildly in my stomach.
When we were finally alone, I curled up against him in our bed. His body was still weak, but he held me close as though he could never let me go.
My head rested against his chest, the steady thrum of his heartbeat grounding me. With every rise and fall of his chest, I felt safer, more constant, as though no curse, no king, no world could tear us apart.
“Everything is going to be okay,” he whispered, his breath warm against my hair. His hand moved slowly up and down my back, each caress soothing the storm within me.
I tilted my head to look at him, blinking back tears. His piercing-green eyes met mine, soft and unwavering, and I felt my throat tighten. He was the most handsome man I have ever laid my eyes on. Nothing has changed since the day I met him; he always took my breath away.
“I don’t want to leave you,” I confessed, my voice trembling. “I want to stay with you. Tiana wants to stay with Ragnar, too. And I can feel that’s what our pup wants.” My hand drifted down to my stomach, caressing the small swell as if to reassure the life growing inside me.
Apollo’s expression softened even more, and he tightened his hold around me. His warmth wrapped around me like a shield, a promise. I felt his lips brush the top of my head, lingering there before he pulled back just enough to see my face.
“Stop crying,” he murmured gently, wiping away a tear that had escaped down my cheek. “I don’t want to see you cry. We will get through this.”
His words sank deep into me, steady and sure, as if he were speaking them into the very fabric of fate. He pressed a kiss against my forehead, slow and tender, sealing his vow.
I closed my eyes, breathing him in, listening to his heartbeat, the rhythm that had pulled me back from despair so many times. My father’s demands, the weight of Aurelia, the curse of Apollo’s bloodline, none of it mattered in that moment. All that mattered was the man who held me, the pup who grew inside me, and the bond the Moon Goddess herself had woven between us.
And for the first time since my father appeared, I truly believed Apollo’s words. Everything was going to be okay.
Apollo was unusually gentle that night, more tender than I had ever seen him. His hand never left me, tracing idle patterns across my back, as though he feared I might slip away if he loosened his hold. His touch was warm, comforting, each caress reminding me that I was his and he was mine.
“You’re safe,” he whispered, his voice low and husky, the weight of exhaustion making it softer. His fingers brushed through my hair, smoothing the strands from my face before he leaned down to kiss my temple. “With me, you’re always safe.”
I let out a shaky breath, clinging to his words as though they were lifelines. My hand remained pressed to my stomach, cradling the little life growing inside me. Apollo noticed the motion and covered my hand with his own, our fingers interlacing. His palm was broad and steady, covering mine completely.
“Our pup is strong,” he murmured, his lips brushing my forehead. “Just like you. I can already feel it.”
My heart swelled at his words, tears stinging my eyes, though this time they were tears of hope. “And stubborn,” I whispered with a small laugh, “just like you.”
Apollo chuckled, a sound that rumbled softly in his chest, vibrating against my cheek where I rested. “If stubbornness keeps our pup alive, I’ll be proud of it.” His arms tightened around me, pulling me closer still, as if to shelter both me and the tiny heartbeat inside me.
In that quiet cocoon of love, his words washed over me, each one sealing a promise neither of us had spoken before: that we would raise this child together, no matter what trials came. Slowly, his breathing deepened, evening out into the rhythm of sleep. His heartbeat lulled me, steady and strong beneath my ear, and before long, I drifted into slumber within the safety of his embrace.
That night, I dreamed.
The Moon Goddess came to me, bathed in silver light, her presence both comforting and overwhelming. She stood in a meadow of stars, the night sky bending around her as if even the heavens bowed at her feet. In her arms, she carried a child, a boy with golden eyes like mine, bright and piercing, yet soft with innocence.
She placed him in my arms, and I gasped. His tiny fingers curled around mine, strong despite their smallness, and I felt the pulse of his wolf spirit already stirring within him. His aura glowed with strength and purity, brighter than anything I had ever seen. He was no cursed child. He was a beacon, a promise of a future unshackled from the chains of Apollo’s bloodline.
As I held him, visions swirled before my eyes, him growing, standing tall with the proud bearing of an Alpha, his shoulders broad like Apollo’s, his eyes fierce with purpose. I saw him leading not only the Thunder Howl pack but uniting wolves and Lycans alike, his voice carrying authority that commanded both respect and love. The people looked to him not with fear, but with devotion.
The Moon Goddess’s voice echoed softly in my mind: “Your child will not inherit the curse, Reika. He will inherit strength. He will break what was broken and heal what was torn apart. He will be the bridge between two worlds, the son of an Alpha and the heir of a Lycan. Trust in the path I have chosen for him.”
Tears slipped down my cheeks as I clutched him closer in the dream, overwhelmed by the certainty of her words. After my father urged me to go home, fear had shadowed my joy, the curse, the duties of kingdoms, the weight of expectation. But here, in the Goddess’s light, there was only hope, radiant and undeniable.
When I finally woke, Apollo’s arms were still wrapped tightly around me, his breath warm against my neck. My hand instinctively moved to my stomach, and I smiled through the lingering tears. Our pup’s future had already been written, not in darkness, but in light.