Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose.

Chapter 444: Genesis.

Four and a half years ago...

It had been sunny out, just as it has always been ever since the beginning of this summer. The gardens below bloomed with beautiful flowers, casting an ethereal-like hue on the pavement out front and the clear skies, completely blue and utterly crystal, acted as the backdrop for the insanely beautiful view.

And yes, it was a beautiful sight.

But what was most beautiful wasn’t the flowers or the blue skies. It wasn’t the pretty teenage girls either which giggled to themselves as young lads passed by showcasing their well toned abs.

What was most beautiful was the joy in my heart, one which had begun and grown ever since I eavesdropped on my father telling his beta that he thinks I am now throne material.

In his words, he had said; "all his years of training have finally paid off and I think he’s the right fit for the throne."

Just like that.

He didn’t care that I was not his biological child. He didn’t care that people often whisper amongst themselves about how I could suddenly go mad one day just like my biological father did.

He didn’t care about anything else besides the fact that I was his and he was mine... and with this thought in mind, I skipped up the stairs with a particular bounce in my strides.

My smile was bright and my hands, out of excitement, tightened around the large black folder which I had been sent to go get from an investor who lives not so far off.

However, just as I approached my father’s office, for some reason, the smile fell.

From down here, I could hear the sounds of two people arguing. I could even feel the tension in the room like I was there and I know that what I am about to do now may be wrong— not like I haven’t done it before— but I decided then to eavesdrop.

I mean, it won’t hurt anyone or will it?

It was also harmless... or so I thought as I crept closer to the slightly open door, peeked inside the room and felt my breath hitch when I saw the Beta and a large looking man who was also a member of the council sitting with father.

From here, I couldn’t make out every words they said but in I heard it when the council member snorted under his breath, his sharp eyes drilling literal holes into the side of father’s face as he sneered;

"For how long do you intend to keep this charade up?"

Father froze with his cup half filled with wine stopping just at the base of his lips. "Charade?" He hissed in confusion. "What charade?"

"It is spreading amongst the people of our pack that you have come to decide to appoint Darius the second, son of the mad, as your heir."

I saw the moment those words settled on father’s mind. Saw the moment his face went from confused to annoyed and then to utterly disgusted. He angrily dropped the cup on the table in front of him, his head jerking upwards as he hissed;

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that even though you clean up that boy. Even though you take him to meetings and train him in the ways of royalty... he is still Darius’ son..."

"He is my son!" Father cut in, interrupting him. But all he earned from the man was a sarcastic nod, his eyes rolling as he hissed;

"He is not your son, Alpha. He is your brother’s son. And those are two completely different things."

At the mention of those words, my heart skipped a beat. All of the excitement I once felt, washed away, replaced instead by a hollowness that was too deep to ignore.

The corners of my eyes burned with tears but I had been taught never to cry. Never to show weakness. Never to be pathetic.

"You trained him. You watched him grow." The man continued, twisting the knife deeper into my chest. "You have lived with him and loved— love— him. We all know that. But there’s no way we would turn a blind eye to the fact that he isn’t yours, especially since we all know about your daughter. The one who is indeed yours and that one whom you have refused to bring back home."

And goddess, as soon as he said that, the room was plunged into a very awkward kind of silence. And I... I couldn’t believe my ears.

I had half expected father to debunk that claim but he didn’t. Instead, all he did was turn his face away in the way he always does whenever something doesn’t go in the way he wants.

His skin was suddenly pale too and when he tried to pick up his wine cup one more time, I noticed to my horror that his hands were trembling so badly, he couldn’t even bring the cup to his lips.

He mumbled; "I was told that she is dead."

"But you know that that’s a complete lie."

"Yes," he snapped quickly— a little too quickly. "Maurice says she is dead to me and that I am dead to her. And for that reason, I have lost every right to my daughter, Leilani."

Leilani.

That was the first time I ever heard her name, and to top it all, it was the first time I heard of a girl... or anyone around my age bracket who was rumored to be stronger than I am.

My balled my hands into tight fists, so tight they dug into my flesh, drawing blood.

The corners of my eyes stung too but not with tears. It was with rage. With annoyance. With a sudden sense of abandonment and with a sense of betrayal so intense, it almost consumed me.

"She’s the rightful heir to the throne," the man drawled in that nasal tone that I have come to hate. "Whether half werewolf or not. She has your blood running through her veins, not the sorry excuse of a son that has been parading around the pack in fancy clothes."

That insult stung.

Oh, it did... and like a bitch.

My chest burned so hot, I could literally feel the flames in my ears. But I wasn’t mad at the man or at father. I was mad at the situation. Mad at the young girl whom I have never met. Mad at her for getting what I have always wanted without even trying... and mad at myself for having my hopes high up in the roof in the first place.

"The only way Darius can have any right to the throne is if per adventure, something happens to you. For example, in a situation whereby you die before Leilani is brought back here. And even in that situation, he’ll only be a stand in until she is ready..."

Until she is ready...

Those words rang in my head over and over again until it began to form a life of its own.

"Then I will reach out to Maurice." Father had said.

Just like that.

He didn’t even try to fight for me nor did he try to reject the daughter that obviously didn’t want him.

"I will try to reach out to her one more time, even though I know that I have been barred from stepping foot in that pack..."

"What pack?" His beta had asked and he turned for a moment to acknowledge him before hissing;

"Stormborn pack. I have an ongoing beef with the Alpha, and his Beta, Malakai."