The Silent Alpha (Natalia)

Chapter 70

70. 70. An unexpected gift

***Natalia***

Agnes runs away as soon as Tylen and Zane leave, slamming the door to her room shut behind her with a loud bang before any of us can ask what just happened.

“Uh oh, mommy,” Kota whispers. “Egg–ness is sad. Why is she sad?”

“I don‘t know, Kota,” I murmur, kissing his forehead and inhaling the scent of his hair to calm my racing heart. “I don‘t know.”

Rionna clears her throat, reminding me that we are not alone in the room and she smiles sheepishly when I look up at her.

“I should get going,” she whispers quietly, holding a thick envelope in her hands. “Goodnight.

CU

I hear the sob in her throat and hold out my hand to her.

“Are you alright?” I ask, Rionna struggling to hold her smile. “I‘m fine,” She whispers, turning to hide her face.

Knowing she is trying to be strong and we currently only have each other to lean on, I gently rest my hand on her shoulder to offer her support.

“Are you alright?” I repeat, the tears that she‘s been holding back finally rolling down her cheeks.

She shakes her head and covers her eyes with her hands.

“Mommy, why is Nona sad?” Kota asks, Rionna chuckling despite the tears clinging to her eyes.

“Kota, my love, can you go to my room and bring me a washcloth for Nona?” I ask, setting Kota down. “They‘re in the dresser.”

He nods his head gingerly and stomps away, whispering “cloth for Nona” to himself.

I sit down on the sofa, patting the seat next to me for Rionna. She heaves a heavy sigh, her fingers fumbling with the envelope in her hands.

“Toran asked me for a divorce,” Rionna whispers, my heart sinking to my stomach for her.” He sent me the papers with Tylen–“

She pauses for a moment, her anger breaking through and she throws the envelope across the room, several pages spilling out.

“The coward didn‘t even have the decency to say it to my face that he no longer loves me,” Rionna whimpers into her hands. “He lied to me about Zane and he‘s involved him in this war and now this!” She cries angrily, looking up from her hands. “And you want to know the sick part?” A weak smile spreads across her cheeks. “I still love him.”

The hurt in her voice is all too familiar to me and I give her hand a tight squeeze to let her know I‘m here for her.

“I still loved Christian after I divorced him,” I whisper as Rionna wipes her tears. “I remember hating myself for still having feelings for him.”

“I was unaware you were divorced,” Rionna sighs.

“Two very long years of marriage,” I shrug. “It seems like a distant memory now that I think about it. But my circumstances were different.”

“How so?”

“My husband slept with my sister,” I laugh bitterly. “I was a few weeks pregnant when I found out.”

“I‘m sorry,” Rionna says with a sad smile.

“Don‘t be,” I reply, giving her hand another squeeze. “It was for the best. I didn‘t realize how unhappy I was with him or how much I had given up of myself to be his wife until I walked away. Zane and Grayson changed everything. I‘ve felt more love these past few weeks than I ever did in my two years with Christian. That‘s why I want to marry him. Zane‘s love is not empty. It‘s gentle and patient. Our bond is not the only thing keeping us together.”

“Toran and I have no bond between us but we have love... or so I thought,” Rionna sighs. “I could tell he was broken inside when I first woke up in the hospital room,” she says with a soft smile. “He was looking out the window watching Tylen practice his fighting stances out on the hospital lawn. I didn‘t know who he was but I knew he was as lost as I was... so thought perhaps we could help each other find what we were looking for.”

“Did you know what he did to you?” I ask, wondering how she could fall for the same man who took her life.

“He never tried to hide it,” Rionna responds. “In fact, Toran brought it up every chance he got whenever he felt I was getting too close. He was very determined to push me away and never love again.” She stares down at the divorce papers littering the floor. “I guess he got what he wanted.” Anger suddenly laces her voice again and she stands on her feet. “I hate him!” she screams into her hands, but even I can see that is a lie. “Why can‘t I hate him?” she whimpers.

****

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*

Kota returns with the washcloth and as he comes closer, I notice something else is tucked under his arm.

“Here you go, Mommy,” Kota smiles, handing me the cloth for Rionna. “Kota, what‘s that under your arm?” I ask, my eyes widening in shock as I look closer.

“Look Mommy, I found a worm!” He says, showing me the large black dildo he tucked in his armpit. “It has babies, Mommy. See?” He asks, pointing to the ballsack at the end.

No f*****g way!! S****m internally much to Devina‘s amusement.

Rionna covers her mouth to hold back her laughter while I curse Celina for gifting it to me in the first place.

“You‘re too tense,” she had said while we were at the mall with the girls. “Here, I got you this,” she added, handing me a gift box with the toy. “Why don‘t you go f**k yourself?” She chirped.

“I‘m strangling Celina the next time I see her)” I mutter, completely mortified as I reach for the dildo. “Kota give me that!”

“But I want to play with it!” Kota shouts, running away out of reach.

“Kota, give me that!” I snap, Kota shaking his head and running into the hall. I chase after him, Devina howling with laughter. “Dakota!”

Just as I‘m about to catch him by the front door, a portal opens directly in front of me and almost crash into the Queen and Evan.

“Hehehe mommy, I‘ve got the worm!” Kota cries, shaking the dildo in his hand.

Queen Aurora‘s cheeks flush bright red as she looks at the dildo, Evan‘s face lighting up like a child at Christmas.

“Kota wasn‘t kidding when he said you liked to play horsey in the desert,” Evan snickers. “You need a saddle to ride that thing!”

Aurora elbows him in the stomach, Evan groaning mid laugh. Behind me, I hear Rionna‘s footsteps approach us.

Dear Goddess help me, I sigh, finally capturing Kota and taking the toy from him. Even Moon Goddess can‘t help you, Devina giggles.

Kota throws himself on the floor and curls up on the floor, crying angrily to himself. The Queen clears her throat and I hide the dildo and my hands behind my back.

” – uh – Zane‘s at the airport,” Aurora smiles awkwardly. “T‘ll be leaving in an hour or two.”

“O–okay,” I nod, wishing the earth would swallow me.

“As I said earlier, Rosalie and Carter are staying behind to watch over River Moon and Celina will be handling Kingdom affairs,” she explains. “I’ve tightened security around River Moon so you should be perfectly safe within the territory.”

“Thank you,” I reply, though my fears lie with Zane‘s safety.

“I know you may hate him at the moment for taking Zane off to war, but Toran has asked a favor of me,” Aurora adds, pulling out a golden medallion from within her shirt. She pulls the chain over her neck and hands it to me.

Almost immediately, Rionna and I bend over in a bow before the Queen, her raw power difficult to ignore. As I stand upright, I examine the medallion carefully. There is a sun carved into its beautiful golden

surface with some violet stones embedded in the curves of the sun.

“This medallion was a gift from Moon Goddess herself,” Aurora explains. “It masks the scent and power of whoever wears it, keeping them safe from any wolf who wants to do them harm. As an Ivory wolf, it also helps me connect with my sister and Moon Goddess in her realm.”

“I don‘t understand,” I reply, confused as to why the Queen was giving me the medallion.

“Toran knows you and Kota mean the world to Zane,” Aurora continues. “So he‘s asked that I give this to Kota to protect him while Zane and I are away. It‘ll give Zane peace of mind knowing no one will be able to find Kota while he wears it.”

“Toran did that?” Rionna asks, fresh tears gathering in her eyes.

“I know it‘s not always clear where he stands sometimes,” Aurora says, turning to leave. “But Toran cares in his own way. I‘m sure you know that more than anyone,” the Queen whispers over her shoulder and smiles at Rionna.

She leaves with Evan at her heel, Rionna and turning to look at Kota lying on the floor entertaining himself with his own socks.

I put the dildo in the closet in the hall before crouching down on all fours and crawling towards Kota, the little boy hiding his face in his sleeve and pouting furiously.

“Kota, are you mad?” I ask, grabbing him by the ankles and dragging him closer to me. He shakes his head and refuses to speak to me. “Kota, use your words,” I scold him, tickling the soles of his now bare feet.

He bursts into giggles, kicking his feet and wiggling his toes until he finally gives in. I let him calm down and he curls up in a ball again.

“I wanted to play with the worm,” he huffs, using his own sock to wipe the tears that spring to his eyes.

“Ay mi bichito hermoso, {my beautiful bug},” I coo, pulling him by his legs until I have him in my lap and wrapped up in my arms. “I have something else for you instead.” I drape the chain of the medallion over his head, his scent disappearing almost instantly.

I didn‘t think it would actually work, I think in shock. But he‘ll be much safer now, Devina observes.

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of shuffling paper and I look up to see Rionna scooping up her divorce documents from the floor.

“Have you made your decision?” I ask, Kota inspecting the medallion as I speak.

She‘s quiet for a moment as she picks up her documents, carefully slipping each page into the envelope.

“Did you know I was a silver wolf in my past life?” she murmurs as she works and when I shake my head, a look of melancholy washes over her face.

“I had a dream once of a silver wolf calling out to me and with her dying breath, she told me she loved me. I was unsettled for weeks and when I finally told Toran, he told me the truth about my wolf,” she says quietly, a few tears trickling down her cheek. “I was distraught and furious with Moon Goddess for giving me a second chance without my wolf by my side. I refused to shift, I couldn‘t eat, I couldn‘t sleep and I fell ill very quickly. And through all that turmoil, Toran held my hand. He reminds me every day that Moon Goddess does not interfere with life and death like this and that there must be a reason for my return. He helped me accept my new wolf and realize that even though I have no powers, I am still powerful. I get to choose how I live my second life

“Toran isn‘t perfect, but neither am I and through all these years, we’ve helped each other love ourselves as we are. He‘s my best friend,” she says as she collects her things. “I can‘t sign those papers without at

least speaking to him because despite my anger, I still love him.”

Rionna says her goodbyes and leaves, the house suddenly feeling very empty without Zane and Grayson here to make it feel like home. I take Kota upstairs but as I walk towards his room, the thought of sleeping on my own terrifies me.

“Will you sleep with me, Kota?” I whisper in his ear, Kota nodding happily.

I take him to my room and we prepare for bed together, Devina purring contently. My mind races anxiously as I tuck Kota in, every second ticking by bringing Zane closer to danger.

Can I meet our pup? Devina asks, quickly grooming her fur and wagging her tail. I would really like to meet him.

I pause for a moment, gently combing back Kota‘s hair as he stares up at me. “Are you okay, Mommy?” he asks, his blue and brown eyes full with concern,

Tnod, my fingers caressing his soft cheeks. “Kota... you know how Daddy has a wolf inside him?”

“Yea?” he nods, poking his fingers against my cheeks. “Well.. I have a wolf too now... and she wants to meet you.”

“You have a wolfie too, Mommy?” he asks, jumping out of my arms and sitting up to look at me closely. He suddenly bursts into a howl, Devina joining him in my head. “I wanna meet her!”

I sit up to face him, my hands feeling a little sweaty with nerves about my son meeting my new wolf for the first time. Devina also seems a little nervous as she paces back and forth in my head but she puts on a brave smile and steps forward, Kota‘s eyes widening in shock. He cups my cheeks in his tiny hands and pulls me close enough to look deep into Devina‘s eyes.

“Your eyes are pretty, wolfie,” Kota whispers shyly. “T–thank you,” Devina replies with a sheepish smile. “You have pretty eyes too.” “Are you my mommy too?” Kota asks, squishing my face together.

Devina nods her head. “Is that okay with you?” she asks, trying to hide her nervousness with a laugh.

He pauses for a moment to think. “Do you like my Daddy?” he asks.

“I love your Daddy,” Devina murmurs, leaning in to kiss Kota‘s cheeks. “And I love you with all of my heart.”

Kota grins happily but stops to ask another question. “Will my Mommy still be my Mommy?”

Devina smiles at this. “Your mommy and I are one now. She and I will always be your Mommy.”

Kota wraps his arms around my neck and cuddles with Devina, asking her a million wolf questions. Their chatter seems to tire out the pup and I tuck him in once more to sleep.

Sleeping, however, becomes a daunting task for me, my thoughts always drifting off to Zane every time I close my eyes.

Our mate is brave and strong, Devina tries to soothe me. He will find his way back.

I don‘t share my wolf‘s optimism but I curl up with my pup nonetheless and force my eyes closed despite my fears.

I wake up to my phone ringing, the sound jumpstarting my heart with fright. Beside me, Kota snores lightly on the bed, his face scrunched up in a dream. Hoping it‘s Zane, I scramble out of bed and search for my phone in my purse. In my hervousness, I drop the entire bag and all of its contents on the floor and hold back a groan of frustration.

Slow down, Devina instructs. Breathe in slowly and concentrate on the feeling of your lungs with air. That‘s it! Slowly let it out. Good. Good human.

Tignore her patronizing tone but I manage to calm down enough to find my phone on the floor. I don‘t even check the caller ID and just answer, eager to hear Zane‘s voice. My teeth gnash against each other, however, when I hear the voice on the other line.

“What the f**k do you want?”