Chapter 6 Episode 6

~Rielle

My heart stopped at that moment as his words reached my ears. The Alpha withdrew from the embrace and gazed down almost lovingly at me. What was going on? My mind spiralled with uncountable questions.

"Dau... daughter?" I stuttered.

At my obvious confusion, a pained expression crossed the Alpha's face. "You look just like her, my dear." He muttered, reverently.

"Who?" I asked, taking a hesitant step back.

"My Luna, your mother," he told me, then he turned and painted at a painting above the dais, behind his throne.

When my eyes took it in, what I saw made me freeze. It was a painting of the Alpha and a beautiful woman. She had locks of blond hair and eyes the colour of precious emeralds. The resemblance was uncanny. It was like looking into a magic mirror.

"This cannot be possible." I faced the Alpha who had referred to me as his daughter again. "I am Rielle Archer, Alpha. With all due respect, you are mistaken about my identity. I was born and raised in the Silver fang pack. My father is the late Riorson Archer."

The Alpha only looked up with pityfully before he shook his head warily. "No, dear. Your real name is Lucianne Van Der Burg. The man who you call your father was my brother."

The revelation hit me like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf me in a whirlpool of confusion and disbelief. Lucianne Van Der Burg? That name sounded foreign to me, like a character from a story I had never heard. But the pain in the Alpha's eyes could not be faked.

"But how?" I whispered, my voice barely audible above the tumultuous thoughts raging in my mind.

Alpha Lucas sighed heavily, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and regret. "It's a long and painful story, my dear. One that has to be told."

He motioned for me to sit on one of the ornate chairs nearby, and I obeyed, feeling as though my legs could no longer support me. Raphael stood nearby, his expression unreadable as he watched the scene unfold. I did not quite understand his role in all of this.

"Lucianne, or Rielle as you've been known, you were born to me and Sophia here in the Scarletmoon pack," Alpha Lucas began, his voice tinged with sorrow. "Your mother, Luna Sophia...my beloved wife...was murdered soon after your birth."

I held my breath, my body quivering. If all of this was true, and I was the Lucianne that he had lost, that would mean that everything I had believed to be my life would be lies and the tragedy of my existence was far more grave than I had first thought.

"I ki-killed her?" I stammered, the truth ripping my heart callously from my chest.

The Alpha's eyes widened in horror at my words, and he clasped my hand in his calloused ones. "No, dear child. You did no such thing. And even if it was labour that took her from us, it would never be your fault." His voice was soft with assurance. "She was killed by the enemy."

"Who?" I asked. "Why?"

The Alpha sighed heavily, his expression hardening in less than a second. "The Shadowfang pack plotted the assassination when they knew your mother would be weakest."

"Father," Called a man who had just stepped into the throne room. The Alpha and I turned in the direction of the voice.

The man who approached was a tall and imposing figure with an intimidating aura that every Alpha seemed to exude. He had identical amber eyes like the Alpha and the same sandy blond hair. "It would be better if Lucianne first settled down before we get into her history."

His eyes fell on me, accessing and scrutinising but not as hostile as I would expect of a man with such an ambience.

"This is Lance," The Alpha introduced. "Your elder brother." he dropped a bombshell.

Instinctively, I bowed slightly, but Lance only continued to gaze at me with an inscrutable expression. "It's nice to finally meet my sister."

"Is that any way to greet our long-lost sister?" Another man seemed to pop out of thin air. He resembled Lance to the smallest detail, but there was something more welcoming about him. It was obvious that they were twins, but their auras were polar opposites. He approached with a more cavalier attitude, and before I could greet him, he scooped me into his arms in a bear hug.

He pulled away and flashed a smile that could have challenged the sun. "I am Logan, your other, less upright and far more entertaining elder brother." He winked at me and I fought the urge to smile. He exuded warmth without trying. He reminded me of the man I thought had been my father.

Lance glared at Logan's back. "He is glaring, isn't he?" Logan asked.

I nodded slightly, suddenly feeling at home against my better judgement.

"Let me get her to her room," a woman with a sing-song voice said, moving in my direction. She paused beside Lance and gave him a peck on the cheek and watched my stoic brother instantly soften.

"Quit your incessant frowning," She scolded him playfully before turning to me. "I am sorry for your brother's sour mode. I am Jules, your sister-in-law." She took my hand and I got up. "Let's get you freshened up dear, the journey must have been hectic."

I followed Jules out of the throne room without a word, my mind still reeling from all that I had been told about I actually am. The grandeur of the Scarletmoon pack's castle was lost on me as we walked through the corridors; my thoughts were too occupied.

Jules led me to a spacious room decorated with elegant furniture and soft, warm colours. The room had large windows that let in plenty of light, making it feel open and inviting. It looked like it had been prepared specially. For me? How long had they expected my arrival? She motioned for me to sit on a plush sofa.

"Take your time, dear. I know this must be overwhelming," Jules said gently, her eyes full of understanding.

I nodded absently, trying to process everything. The Alpha was my father, and I had siblings I had never known existed. My whole identity had just been turned upside down. If I did not know who I truly was, if I did not know who Landon truly was, then what exactly did I know? Had I just been clueless all my life? It was a thought that filled me with anxiety. I did not know if I would be able to take another shock for a long time. I did not know if I would be able to handle it.

Jules moved to a small table and poured a cup of tea from a delicate porcelain teapot. She handed it to me with a comforting smile. "This should help calm your nerves."

"Thank you," I murmured, taking a sip. The warmth of the tea did help a little, grounding me.

I set the tea down, my hands trembling slightly. "I don't know what to believe. My whole life, I thought I was someone else."

Jules reached out and squeezed my hand reassuringly. "It's a lot to take in, but you don't have to figure it all out right now. Just know that you have a family here who loves you and wants to support you." Her words should have put my mind to rest, but I had been lied to before, it was hard to believe anything that she said.

After a few moments of impossible silence, I was unable to hold back, and I felt compelled to ask, "How did you all find out about me? Why now?"

Jules sat down across from me, her expression thoughtful. "We've been searching for you for a long time, Luci-Rielle. After the attack and your mother's demise, your father needed to keep you and your brothers safe. But you were just a newborn, and he knew that you would be too vulnerable in the chaos. He had to send you away with your uncle."

I digested the information. "Why am I here now?" I couldn't help but feel hurt. Why didn't they find us earlier? Maybe my uncle would not have died so callously. "Why now? And not before?"

She could not meet my eye. "That is not for me to tell you dear. I wish I could, but I can't. Your father will let you know soon. The sooner, the better." She got up from that bed abruptly, her expression uneasy.

She moved to leave the room but stopped at the doorway. Without trying to meet my stare, she spoke to me. "I know you must feel confused, betrayed and hurt, but I promise you that you will come to understand. Because there are sinister forces at play, and a lot at stake, we almost lost before, but now you might be our only chance of winning this war."