Chapter 320: The talk

Rebecca’s POV

​The cake had finally been cut, accompanied by a round of polite applause and cheering, and I had just started wondering how much longer I would have to sit there pretending I wasn’t nervous when one of Lord Drake’s guards approached our table.

​He stopped beside me and bowed his head respectfully. "Lady Rebecca, Lord Drake is waiting for you. Please follow me."

​My stomach immediately tightened, doing a quick, nervous flutter. Well, there it was. The moment I had traveled all this way for.

​I glanced at Callum, and he gave me a small, encouraging nod. "Go ahead. I will be right here when you get back."

​"Okay," I whispered.

​I stood up, picked up my small clutch, and followed the guard out of the crowded grand hall, leaving behind the loud music, clinking glasses, and lingering stares. He led me through a series of corridors and up a short flight of polished marble stairs into the main mansion. The walk seemed longer this time—or maybe that was simply because my brain had decided now was the perfect time to think about every possible way this conversation could go wrong.

​The guard eventually stopped outside a large, elegant living room and opened the double doors for me.

​"Please sit, Lady Rebecca. Lord Drake will be with you shortly."

​"Thank you."

​He bowed politely and stepped outside, closing the doors behind him.

​Left completely alone, I let out a long breath and began pacing around the room. The space was beautifully decorated, but my eyes were immediately drawn to a large, golden-framed photograph hanging on the central wall. It was a family portrait. Lord Drake stood in the middle, dressed casually and smiling, with his wife beside him with her arm around his waist. His two sons stood proudly on either side, both smiling at the camera. They looked happy. Complete. Perfect.

​A heavy, bitter feeling settled in my chest.

​If things had worked out between him and my mother from the very beginning, my life would have been entirely different. I would have grown up in a palace like this, raised as a princess instead of hiding away and spending most of my childhood believing I was Alpha Kelvin’s unwanted daughter. I would have known what I was before my powers started randomly throwing people into walls.

​Then my thoughts took an unexpected turn. Would I have ever met Kaden?

​I frowned immediately, catching myself. Seriously? Out of everything I could be thinking about while waiting to speak to my biological father for the first time, why was my brain still wondering if I would have met Kaden under different circumstances? My brain really needed to pick a struggle.

​Maybe I would have met him anyway. He was the Alpha King, after all. Our paths could have crossed at some royal gathering without the prison, without the breeder agreement, and without the hatred. Maybe we would have simply looked at each other one day and realized we were mates.

​I quickly shook my head to clear the thought. Why the hell did I even care?

​The soft sound of the door clicking open pulled me out of my thoughts.

​Lord Drake walked into the room alone. The moment his eyes landed on me, he stopped in his tracks. I quickly stood up, suddenly feeling like a guest who had been caught trespassing.

​"Please, sit," he said softly, waving a hand toward the comfortable leather couch.

​I sat down, and he took a seat on the armchair across from me.

​And then... total silence.

​The silence in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. For a man who could stand in front of hundreds of supernatural rulers and give a speech without looking nervous, Lord Drake suddenly seemed to have forgotten how conversations worked. He just sat there, his sea-blue eyes scanning my face with a mixture of awe, sadness, and deep regret.

​I almost wanted to laugh at how surreal it was, but I was far too nervous myself.

​Finally, he let out a quiet sigh. "I... I honestly don’t even know what to say."

​At least one of us admitted it.

​"Then I will speak," I replied, keeping my voice steady despite the rapid pounding in my chest. "Did you know about my existence?"

​Lord Drake shook his head immediately. "No."

​The answer came so fast I blinked.

​He leaned forward, resting his forearms against his knees. "Not exactly," he corrected softly. "I knew Maria was pregnant back then, but both of our families were strictly against our relationship. When they discovered she was pregnant, both sides wanted the pregnancy terminated."

​My fingers tightened around my clutch.

​"I was just a young man back then, heavily controlled by my father and the duties forced onto me. I fought him over Maria, but..." His jaw tightened in frustration. "I didn’t have the authority then that I have now."

​"What happened?"

​"Maria disappeared without telling me where she was going," he explained, looking down at his hands as his voice dropped with regret. "I searched for her, but I couldn’t find her. Years later, I heard news that her family had found her... but I was told she had gone through with terminating the child."

​I sat back, processing his words.

​"So all these years..." He looked back up at me with desperate sincerity, his voice raw. "I genuinely thought you were dead. I believed my child had died before I ever had the chance to meet her."

​Hearing the genuine pain in his voice made the lingering anger inside me soften just a little. Mother had told me her side—how she ran to Kelvin because both families were threatening us, and how her family later erased her memories. Now I was hearing the other side. He hadn’t known about me and chosen another family. He hadn’t abandoned me. He had believed I was dead.

​"I never knew you existed," he continued, looking directly into my eyes. "If I had known, Rebecca, I swear to you, I would have searched every corner of the world until I found you."

​Something about the absolute certainty in his voice made my throat tighten.

​"It’s okay," I said quietly, taking a breath to steady myself. "I understand."

​His expression softened, and he cleared his throat, trying to find common ground. "How are you? How have you been?"

​"I’m fine," I replied.

​He nodded slowly, his posture relaxing slightly. "Good."

​I studied him for a moment. I could practically feel how nervous he was. Here was a man who ruled a whole kingdom, a powerful hybrid feared by many, and yet he was sitting across from me wringing his hands like a teenager taking a test.

​"You can relax," I finally said.

​His eyebrows rose. "You look like you’re afraid I’ll disappear if you say the wrong thing."

​A small smile touched his mouth. "Perhaps I am."

​"I came willingly."

​"I know." He paused, looking at me earnestly. "But you also owe me nothing, Rebecca. I would love to get to know you, but I understand I am a stranger to you. I can’t expect you to suddenly walk into my life and call me Father simply because we share blood."

​"Thank you," I said softly. "For understanding that."

​"Of course."

​"As much as I wanted to meet you," I continued, getting straight to the point, "that’s not the only reason I came. It seems I inherited a few abilities from you."

​"Your abilities," he nodded, a look of relief washing over his face as we moved to a safer topic. "Maria contacted me and told me your powers have started showing themselves. She also mentioned the incident with Alpha Kaden."

​I groaned, rubbing my forehead. "Wonderful. So everyone knows I threw the Alpha King into a wall."

​A faint smile appeared on Drake’s face. "Not everyone. Give Maria time."

​That actually made me laugh, and for the first time, the heavy tension in the room dissipated completely.

​"Callum told me you’re a Werewolf-Fae hybrid," I said, leaning back. "What exactly does that mean for you? What can you do?"

​"I inherited both sides strongly," Drake explained. "I can shift into my wolf form, but I also have my Fae form. As for my special abilities... I have extreme physical strength, mind reading, and flight."

​I froze, my eyes widening. "Mind reading?"

​He smiled gently. "Yes. I can read minds."

​I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling very exposed. "That must be hectic."

​"It can be," he acknowledged. "But I have learned to control it over the years. I only read someone’s mind when I actively choose to. Otherwise, it would drive me insane."

​My eyes narrowed slightly as a horrifying thought hit me. "Are you reading my mind right now?"

​"No," he said honestly, holding up his hands. "I promise you, I would never do that to you."

​"Good," I swallowed hard.

​He laughed warmly. "I promise."

​I relaxed my shoulders. Good—because if he accidentally stumbled into anything involving Kaden, I would simply teleport myself out of the kingdom and never return.

​"You mentioned extreme physical strength," I said, focusing back on my main concern. "Your gift of strength... can a sudden burst of it push someone clear across a room?"

​Lord Drake’s expression turned thoughtful. "More than that. I can release physical force through my body, especially through my hands. With control, it can be as light as moving someone backward. Without control... it can throw a grown male through a stone wall."

​"Right," I muttered, cringing as I remembered Kaden flying across the hallway. "That’s exactly what happened."

​"You threw Alpha Kaden?" he asked, his interest piqued. "How badly was he hurt?"

​"I tried to slightly push him away because I panicked," I explained. "Instead, he hit a stone wall hard enough to crack it. Several broken ribs and a deep cut."

​"That is completely normal when dormant Fae abilities first begin appearing," Lord Drake reassured me smoothly. "Especially abilities that were sealed for years. Your body and power are reacting to your emotions before you understand how to control it."

​"So how do I stop that?" I asked. "Kaden can survive something like that, but someone else might not."

​"Training," Drake said. He paused, watching my reaction closely before adding, "I could train you directly because I understand the ability. But if you are uncomfortable with that, I can easily hire the best private Fae tutor for you."

​"I will think about it," I said politely.

​He nodded, simply agreeing.

​Silence stretched between us once again, but this time, it felt comfortable. I looked toward the clock on the wall and realized we had been gone for a while.

​"I think I will take my leave now," I said, standing up. "I don’t want to keep you away from your party any longer."

​Lord Drake immediately stood up as well. "I really want to get to know you, Rebecca. Properly."

​There was so much genuine hope in his voice that I couldn’t bring myself to shut him down. I offered him a small smile. "Hopefully."

​I paused at the door and looked back. "Happy birthday, Lord Drake."

​A soft, brilliant smile broke across his face. "Thank you, Rebecca."

​I walked out of the living room, and the same guard from earlier was waiting to escort me back down to the grand hall.

​When we stepped back into the lively party, I spotted Callum standing near our table, engaged in a conversation with a small group of wealthy guests. He caught my eye over the crowd and signaled for me to come over.

​I made my way across the room. As I reached his side, a woman in a glittering silver dress turned to Callum with a teasing smile.

​"Lord Callum, is this beautiful damsel your woman?" she asked playfully.

​My eyes widened in surprise.

​"No, she’s not—" Callum began quickly.

​But before Callum could even finish his sentence, the woman’s gaze dropped straight down to my stomach.

​Her eyes went wide as saucers.

​"Oh!" The woman gasped, her smile turning into a look of absolute delight. "And she’s pregnant too? Lord Callum, are congratulations in order? Are you going to be a father soon?"