SWNOVELS Chapter 85
Chapter 85: Theo
I sat on the porch beside my dad, listening to the sound of the crickets and frogs under the moon’s light. He had been thinking coherently for a couple of days now, and I was ready to ask him about Ayla and her father. I had discussed it with my mother first, and she agreed something was going on that we needed to know about.
“Dad,” I started, “do you remember much of what you said the day after your episode?”
He sighed. “I remember the thoughts that kept going through my head. Not really if I spoke them or to whom.”
“You told Ayla you should have taken her in,” I informed him. “That you had failed her and that the goddess was punishing you for it.”
Dad’s demeanor shifted.
“Dad, you know something about Ayla and her family. Something very important. I need to know what that is. Is it because Jack was the Onyxcrown Alpha?”
He looked at me. “You know about that?”
I nodded. “Ayla told me, but that’s about all she knows about his past. I think you know something about hers. Something about who she is.”
Tears filled his eyes, surprising me.
–
“I’m sorry, son,” he said. “I’m so sorry. It’s my fault. This affliction” he indicated his swollen knees – “is my punishment. But the goddess is punishing you too. My mistake robbed you of your mate.”
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“Wait, what?” My heart started racing. “What are you talking about, Dad? You didn’t do anything for me to lose my mate. Why would you even think that?”
“Jack was a friend,” Dad said. “A good friend. A good man. When he found his mate here, he came to me. It was a huge risk for him, but he told me who he was, and he pledged his loyalty to me as his Alpha if I swore to keep his identity hidden. Him the Alpha of all Alphas – swearing to serve me.
I gripped his hand, offering support to help him continue.
–
“He came to me one day,” he explained. “He said his oldest daughter had shifted for the first time. He was so proud. But he was worried as well. Do you remember what I told you about why the Waar P*k targeted the Dominis family?”
“They were the oldest bloodline, thought to be favored by the moon goddess herself,” I stated. “The society believed they were creating that image themselves in order to gain power over the other packs. They believed the Alpha Dominis wanted to become king.”
My dad nodded. “But there was more to it. Many of the pack leaders knew Alpha Alexander. He was a peaceful man. He often gave up more in a compromise than any other. But the Waar P*k found out about a legend. A tale passed down within the Onyxcrown Pack.”
“What tale?” I asked.
“I had heard it before,” my father said. “It was a fairy tale. A bedtime story told to children. The moon goddess would bless the line of her most faithful wolves by becoming one of them.”
“The Blessed One,” I whispered, looking to my mother standing behind Dad.
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“But it was just a myth,” Dad said. “Even Alexander didn’t believe it would happen. It was just a nice pack tradition.”
“But the Waar P*k Society used that to gain followers and take them out,” I said.
“Yes,” he confirmed.
“What does that have to do with Ayla?” I asked.
“Jack wasn’t a believer either. Not until his family was killed and his pack destroyed,” Dad said. “Even then, he admitted it was more of a hope. Something to cling to when he felt the loss the strongest. So, when his first child was born on the autumnal equinox, under a full moon, he said he had a feeling she was the one.”
“Ayla?”
“He wasn’t sure until she turned thirteen. When she shifted for the first time. After that, he was positive,” he explained. “He was
ed that
the Waar P*k would come looking for her. There were still rumors that they never disbanded and were hunting down refugees. He was terrified they would find her and kill her.”
Dad rubbed his knees absently, working out some of the stiffness.
“He planned his own death,” he whispered. “He knew he was walking into a trap.”
“What?” I said incredulously. “How could he do that? What about his sister? Her mate? He would orphan his own children? His own niece?”
“They weren’t supposed to be there,” my dad rushed. “He didn’t know they were part of the trap. Lily was supposed to bring Marie and the kids to me so I could help them relocate. Marie didn’t know about any of it. And when they didn’t take Mina too, we hoped they either didn’t
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know the kids existed or didn’t know where to find them. Harry and I decided the safest thing for them was to leave them where they were and keep watch. But we couldn’t get close. They would be watching
s.”
us.
He had done the right thing, but I understood why he was beating himself up about leaving the family to fend for themselves. I understood more than he knew. It explained so much of what he had been going through since Ayla left the pack. But there were still some things I didn’t understand.
“Why was Jack so sure Ayla is this Blessed One? Do you believe it? What about Kylee?”
He shook his head. “There’s only one. It’s not Kylee. I believe Ayla is… special. She’s different. Jack said part of the story said they would know the Blessed One by her wolf. He didn’t tell me more than that, and I’ve never seen Ayla’s wolf.”
He may never get that chance because of me.
“Dad, why do you think you lost me my mate?” I asked.
“He brought Ayla with him that day,” he replied quietly. “He said he knew you two were going to be fated. When I met her that day, I knew he was right. But when that didn’t happen, I knew it had to be my fault.”
My mother was quietly crying behind him, her hand resting on his shoulder.
“Dad, you didn’t cause me to lose my mate,” I said. “I promise she’s out there. And if I don’t end up with her, the only person I’ll have to blame is myself.”
“Theo, you have to protect Ayla. You can’t tell anyone about this. If
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they find her, they will kill her.
“I swear I won’t ever let that happen,” I promised.