Chapter 19: Claimed by the Alpha

Ava marched in with a contorted face wearing an evil smile. "How wonderfully unfortunate this little reunion is."

My blood ran cold "What are you doing here?"

Vickson snapped his gaze to her. "You weren't invited"

"Oh but I'm always exactly where I need to be brother" she purred, twirling a dagger between her fingers. "And tonight I bring news that will shatter your oh-so-precious little world."

I stepped back, and my instincts shouted to prepare for the worst. Ava's little games always had consequences.

"Go on then," Vickson growled. "Spit it out."

Ava tilted her head, thereby widening her smile. "Oh, fine then. The quadruplets… not just yours, dear brother."

The room fell silent, even the air seemingly stilled as what she had said slithered into my mind, poisoning everything I thought I knew.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Vickson growled and his body stiffening all over.

I felt the floor tilt under me, hitching my breath. "Ava, don't."

She giggled, and the sound she produced was like that of broken glass. "Oh, sweet Hailey. You never did know how to do it, did you?" She took a step closer to her, whispered as she spoke. "Did you ever even question just how they are so… special? Why are they different from any other wolf born in our pack?"

My knees almost buckled. I had spent years wondering, but I had never allowed myself to think too deeply. The children were mine, and that was all that mattered.

"You're lying," I said, but even I could hear the doubt within my pronunciation.

Ava's eyes sparkled with wicked delight. "Am I? Why don't you ask the Moon Goddess yourself? Or maybe... the Alpha whose blood flows through Vickson's veins is still in their veins."

Vickson's hands shot out to grab Ava by the throat. "No more riddles! What the hell are you talking about?"

Ava smiled, even though his grip had gotten tighter. "The truth, dear brother. You are not the only father of Hailey's children."

The world around me shattered.

Vickson released Ava with a push and turned to me with a look of utter devastation. "Hailey… what does she mean?"

My throat went dry. A part of my mind screamed that I should deny it, that I should call Ava a liar. But deep down, some cold and familiar thing was clawing at my spirit-the memories I had tried to forget, the truth I had never wanted to acknowledge.

Ava wiped her mouth, laughter spilling from her lips. "Oh I do love a good family drama"

And then she whispered "Too bad it's going to get worse."

I could feel the tension in the air as I stood there in that dimly lit chamber. My heart almost burst out of my chest. The flickering torches burning against the stone walls created dancing and capering shadows on the floor. Vickson was standing a few feet away from me, his jaw was tightly shut and his fists were clenched. His eyes- those stormy gray eyes which a while ago used to be full of warmth were now unreadable, guarded and filled with something dark and unknown.

Between us, Ava was on the ground, her face contorted with blood, breathing in harsh gasps. Still, even when weakened, her lips curled into a cruel smirk.

It's still above you she gasped, her voice infected by some sort of twisted satisfaction. You were never the victor, Hailey. No matter how hard you try, no matter how fast you go, there has never been a fair game for you.

I squinted my eyes "What are you talking about? It's over Ava. No more lies, no more manipulation—everything stops tonight"

She chuckled in a weak, cracked manner that sent a shiver racing down my spine. "You think so?" Her eyes flicked to Vickson and for a moment her dark eyes glinted with triumph. "Tell her Vickson. Tell her the real truth."

Vickson stiffened. I could almost see the twitching of his fingers and the hitching of his breath in his throat. He wasn't okay.

"Vickson…?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

He stepped closer to me, anguish etched on his features. "Hailey, I"

A crash erupted suddenly in the chamber, its doors threw wide open so fiercely that it felt as if a gale was let loose. A figure stepped in, his walk was commanding and his eyes were an unmistakable golden shade.

Alpha Zarek.

Ava let out a choked giggle. "Ah, right on time."

My body tensed up seeing him. The rumored rogue Alpha lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce at the right moment. But why was he here at this moment?

Zarek's eyes roamed the room before they landed on me. "Hailey," he said, the rumble of his voice deep. "I have come for what is mine."

A nausea-inducing fear settled in my belly. "What are you saying?"

His smirk came slow and deliberate. "Do you really think your bloodline was going to stay hidden forever? Do you really think it could be taken from you without consequence?"

My breath caught. My bloodline…?

Vickson moved protectively in front of me, his body shielding me from the intruder. "You have no claim on her," he growled.

Zarek's golden eyes chuckled slightly and he fixed her with a knowing look. "Oh, but you have to admit, you knew I did. 

Hailey is not your ordinary female wolf. You should know that she is the only female left to take over the Lunar Throne--the true Alpha Queen. And I came to get her," he stated simply yet firmly almost as if she was his property and no...

The room spun around me. His words left my head reeling with their gravity.

Ava let out a rattling breath from the floor. "Checkmate."

All that I knew, all that I had struggled for, turned in an instant to a thin vapor of an illusion.

Vickson reached for me, his fingers grazing my wrist. "Hailey, listen to me—"

But I was already stepping back, my world collapsing, my identity unraveling.

I wasn't just a rogue.

I wasn't just an omega.

I was royalty.

And now… someone has come to claim me.