Kael’s POV
"Back then, our royal family upheld an old tradition," Alpha Gerald began. "We had an oracle. A usual practice in the royal family, the oracle from the sa family lineage that served each generation of ours with loyalty."
His voice carried neither pride nor superstition. Only rembrance.
"When my mate was expecting a child, the oracle revealed that our baby would be unique. A rare pureblood with imnse power. So, from that very day, we took precautions. We decided to conceal our child’s gender at birth and raise her as a son until she ca of age and found her fated mate."
He paused before continuing.
"A fated mate is the only one who would never trade her away for power. Never harm her. He would be her protector. And such a mate would not be an ordinary Alpha. Nature does not bind souls carelessly. It selects equals."
I listened carefully. But inside I knew I, her fated, had failed at protecting her.
"If we had never found her fated mate," he went on, "we would have continued raising her as our son. We would not have risked exposing her ever."
His gaze settled on .
"But when you arrived here with your parents, the oracle inford us that you were her fated mate. She recognized you imdiately."
A faint mory from the past stirred within .
"Later, when my mate allowed you to touch her belly, it was not an act of courtesy. It was her way of confirming it. The child reacted differently under your touch. Iris felt the connection between you and our child pass through her own skin. That assured us you were indeed my daughter’s fated mate."
I let out a low breath, faintly amused. "No wonder I was allowed to touch her belly."
At the ti, I had found it surprising but not suspicious. Luna Iris herself had invited to feel the child move.
Then another thought struck .
"That ans you were not the only ones aware of the bond," I said slowly. "Soone else knew what your child was. And how she was connected to ."
My gaze sharpened. "Where is that oracle?"
"She was killed. Shortly before our child was taken."
The air between us grew heavier.
"The one who sought our daughter must have silenced her," he continued. "She would never have betrayed us. Her lineage had served the royal family for generations. Their loyalty was sworn beyond death. But her entire family was wiped out that night."
His jaw tightened.
"That night," he said quietly, "unknown enemies infiltrated our territory. They entered our ho. They took our child."
"A powerful witch helped them," I added.
He nodded slowly. "We felt the black magic. It was suffocating. The attack was ticulously planned."
His eyes darkened with mory.
"I pursued them myself," he said. "I chased them beyond our borders to get my child back. But they vanished. As if swallowed by nothingness."
A strained breath escaped him.
"I searched for years. Those around who aided the enemy had already been killed to erase all traces. There were no clues left behind. Eventually, I had no choice but to accept that we had lost her."
People around him had betrayed him, no wonder he kept his son in such strong protection until now. He didn’t trust anyone around him now.
His voice wavered only once.
"Those were unbearable years. For . And especially for my mate."
I remained silent for a mont before speaking.
"I did not even know my own child existed," I said quietly. "If that brings you any comfort in knowing you were not alone in your failure as a father."
A bitter understanding passed between us.
"We are failures," he said. "Despite our power. I would trade this strength for an ordinary life if it ant holding my child by my side."
I shared that sentint completely. But fate rarely negotiates.
After a long silence, he looked at directly.
"Have you told her?" he asked. "That we might be her parents?"
I shook my head. "I needed certainty. I could not risk giving her hope if there was even the slightest chance I was wrong."
He studied carefully.
"Now that you are certain," he asked, "will you tell her?"
If Eira had not been marked by , if she had not been bound to through the mate bond, he would not have asked. He would have claid her openly as his daughter.
But she was bonded to .
In the eyes of our world, she belonged first to her mate. Any revelation, any decision that could shake her life would pass through before reaching her.
"What about your mate?" I asked instead.
"I have given Iris and Evan a hint," he admitted. "After what happened at the council, I was nearly certain. But I told them to restrain their emotions. We cannot overwhelm her."
His voice softened.
"She is pregnant. The shock could be too much. And..." he paused briefly, "...she may not forgive us for failing to protect her."
There was no pride in him now. Only a father afraid of rejection.
"So we leave the decision to you, Alpha Kael," he continued. "You know her better than I do."
He was being thoughtful.
"I believe she will not hate you," I said firmly. "She has a kind heart. A compassionate one. If she could forgive for my failures, she will forgive you."
I held his gaze.
"She may even find comfort in knowing she has blood relatives, a family. That she was not abandoned by choice."
"I want to believe that," he said quietly. "If she accepts us, we will give her everything she lacked. We will make up for what she lost."
There was sincerity in his promise.
After a mont, I asked sothing that had long lingered in my mind.
"Have you ever encountered the elderly couple who raised her? The ones who appeared at the council and claid her as their granddaughter?"
He shook his head slowly. "No. They must have entered her life after she was taken. Those who abducted her would not have kept her in one place. They would have erased all traces, ensured she remained hidden."
His jaw tightened.
"The witch who aided them likely handled it. Severing a child’s trace from her parents is difficult, but not impossible with dark magic."
He was right.
A child born and raised under her parents’ roof carries their scent, their spiritual imprint, their invisible mark. Even among hundreds, a parent can identify their own child just with that connection.
But ti erodes that bond. Distance weakens it further. Years of separation had dulled the connection between Eira and her true parents.
When she stood before him at the council for the first ti, he felt no connection with his daughter and failed to recognise her. The ti and separation had erased the connection.
The reason why they took away Raven from Eira the mont he was born, to avoid her leaving any connection with him.
He exhaled slowly before looking at again.
"What is your plan for those bastards?" he asked. "Because I can’t wait to get my hands on them."
"I understand your sentints and anger, but we have to be patient to get rid of it all at once," I said, "Leaving even a slightest chance for failure is not my habit."
He controlled his emotions. "I will do everything to help you."
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