CHAPTER 47: Father and Daughter

CHAPTER 47: Father and Daughter

Kaia's POV
The bad man's knife was cold against my throat. I was so scared I couldn't even cry anymore.
"Please," Mommy begged, her voice shaking. "Please don't hurt her. I'll do whatever you want."
"No, Georgia!" the nice man—Daddy—shouted. "Don't agree to this!"
But Mommy wasn't listening. She was looking at me with so much love it made my chest hurt.
"I'll stay with you," Mommy told the bad man. "I'll be your mate. Just let my baby go."
The bad man smiled. "Smart choice."
He started to lower the knife, and I thought everything would be okay. But then something crashed through the cave opening.
My cousins! Emma, Kelvin, and Kelsey ran in, shining with their bright magic.
"Let our sister go!" Emma yelled.
The bad man's face twisted with anger. "I told you to come alone!"
"I did come alone," Mommy said quickly. "The children followed on their own. I can't control them."
"Then you should have tried harder," the bad man growled.
He threw me across the cave. I hit the wall hard and everything went dark for a second.
When I opened my eyes, everyone was fighting. Daddy was striking the bad man in his wolf form. My brothers were throwing magic. Mommy was trying to reach me.
"Kaia!" Daddy's words cut through the chaos. He changed back to human and ran to me. "Are you hurt?"
I touched my head. It hurt a lot and my hand came back red with blood.
"I'm scared," I whimpered.
Daddy picked me up gently, even though the fighting was still happening around us. "It's okay. I've got you. You're safe now."
"The bad man said he's my real daddy," I said, confused. "But you're my daddy. Right?"
Daddy's face did something weird. Like he was going to cry but was trying not to.
"I'm your daddy in all the ways that matter," he said firmly. "Blood doesn't make a family, Kaia. Love does. And I love you so much."
"I love you too," I said, holding onto him tight.
An blast of dark magic threw everyone backward. The bad man was standing in the middle of the cave, looking more powerful than before.
"Enough!" he roared. "I'm done playing games."
He waved his hand and suddenly Daddy couldn't move. None of us could. We were all frozen by magic.
"Here's what's going to happen," the bad man said quietly, walking toward us. "I'm taking Kaia with me. If anyone tries to stop me, I'll kill all four children. Starting with the weakest."
His eyes landed on me. I was the smallest. The youngest. The best.
"Don't you dare," Mommy said through tight teeth, fighting against the magic holding her.
"It's already decided," the bad man said, reaching for me.
But then something amazing happened. Daddy broke through the cold spell. I don't know how—maybe it was because he loved me so much, or maybe he was just that strong.
He grabbed me and ran toward the cave exit. "Georgia! Kids! Run!"
The spell broke fully. Everyone started running.
But the bad man was faster. He appeared in front of us, blocking the exit.
"You're not leaving," he said dangerously.
Daddy put me down behind him, protecting me with his body. "Yes, we are."
"Then I'll kill you first," the bad man said. "And make Georgia watch."
They started fighting for real this time. It was frightening. They moved so fast I could barely see them. Claws and teeth and blood everywhere.
Mommy was fighting too, using her magic to protect my brothers when the bad man's power lashed out at them.
I felt useless. Everyone was fighting to save me, and I couldn't do anything.
But then I remembered what the Moon Goddess said. We were Chosen Ones. Special. Destined for great things.
Maybe I was special too. Maybe I had power I didn't know about.
I closed my eyes and thought really hard about helping my family. About saving them like they were saving me.
Something warm started growing in my chest. Not painful like when Grandmother tried to hurt us. This felt good. Like sunshine.
I opened my eyes and they were glowing gold. Not white like my brothers' magic. Gold like the Moon Goddess.
"Kaia?" Emma gasped. "Your eyes!"
I raised my hands and golden light shot out, hitting the bad man in the chest.
He flew backward, crashing into the cave wall so hard the rocks cracked.
Everyone stared at me in shock.
"How did you do that?" Kelvin asked.
"I don't know," I said, looking at my bright hands. "I just wanted to help."
The bad man got up slowly, looking at me with something new in his eyes. Not anger. Fear.
"Impossible," he whispered. "Golden magic. Only the Moon Goddess has golden magic."
"Maybe the goddess gave it to her," Oracle Mira's voice said. She'd arrived at the cave entrance with Anna and Daemon. "Because Kaia is special. Blessed."
"She's mine," the bad man said. "My girl. That makes her power mine too."
"She's not a thing you can own," Daddy said furiously. "She's a person. A child. And she doesn't want you."
"What she wants doesn't matter," the bad man said. "I made her. She belongs to me."
"You didn't create anything," Mommy said fiercely. "You attacked me. You abused me. You took something that wasn't yours. But you didn't make Kaia. I did. I carried her. I gave birth to her. I raised her. She's mine. Not yours."
"We'll see about that," the bad man said. He started singing in a weird language.
Dark symbols emerged on the cave floor, forming a circle around me.
"What are you doing?" Daddy demanded.
"Blood ritual," the bad man said. "Since she shares my blood, I can claim her magically. Once the ritual is complete, she'll have no choice but to follow me."
"No!" Mommy screamed, trying to break through the circle. But it shocked her back.
The symbols started shining. I felt something pulling at me. Something trying to get inside my head.
"Fight it, Kaia!" Emma shouted. "Don't let him in!"
I tried to fight, but the pulling got stronger. I could hear the bad man's voice in my thoughts.
"You belong to me," he whispered. "Accept it. Obey me. Love me."
"No," I whimpered. "You're not my daddy. You're the bad man."
"I'm your father," his voice declared. "Your blood calls to mine. You can't resist."
He was right. I could feel my blood answering to his. Recognizing him. Wanting to follow.
"Kaia, look at me!" Daddy's words cut through the bad man's whispers.
I looked at Daddy. His eyes were full of love and fear.
"You choose your family," Daddy said. "Blood doesn't matter. Love does. Do you love me?"
"Yes," I sobbed.
"Do you love your mother and your siblings?"
"Yes!"
"Then hold onto that love," Daddy said. "Let it fill you up. Don't let him take it away."
I closed my eyes and thought about my family. About Mommy's hugs. About Emma reading me stories. About Kelvin and Kelsey making me laugh. About Daddy calling me his princess.
The golden light inside me grew brighter, pushing away the bad man's magic.
The blood rite started breaking apart. The marks cracked and faded.
"No!" the bad man shouted. "How are you breaking it?"
"Because love is stronger than blood," I said, my voice booming with power. "And I choose love."
The ritual shattered totally. The bad man fell backward, looking shocked.
But then he smiled. A mean, scary smile.
"Fine," he said. "If I can't have you through magic, I'll take you by force."
He lunged for me, moving faster than light.
But someone was faster.
Daddy caught him mid-leap, knocking him to the ground. They rolled across the cave floor, fighting furiously.
Then Daddy did something I'll never forget. He shifted into a form I'd never seen before. Not just a cat. Something bigger. More strong. A Lycan form, but stronger than regular.
"True Alpha form," Oracle Mira breathed. "The mate bond unlocked his full potential."
Daddy was winning now. He pinned the bad man down, his jaws around the bad man's throat.
"Yield," Daddy growled. "Or die."
"Never," the bad man spat.
Daddy's jaws tightened. One more second and the bad man would be dead.
But then the bad man whispered something that made everyone freeze.
"Kill me, and you'll never know the truth about that night six years ago. You'll never know who else was involved. Who else hurt Georgia."
Daddy's jaws softened slightly. "What are you talking about?"
The bad man smiled through his pain. "You think it was just me and you? You think only two guys touched her that night? Oh, Jared. There were three of us. And the third one? He's someone you trust. Someone close to you. Someone who's been lying to you for six years."