HUGH. I look across at her. My head is bursting with incessant throbbing. I have drunk far too much,


    but even then; it was not enough to drown out the suffering within my mind.


    The turmoil of the past and present mix into one bubbling stew that is ready to explode. What exactly


    did I do for the world and the Goddess if she is up there to work against me time and time again?


    “Dad…”


    She brings me from my train of thought, and I suck in a slow breath as I look at her. She is nothing like


    her mother. I am truly proud of her.


    “There’s far too much to share, Zaia.” “I’m ready to hear it. You have been here for me father, let me be


    here for you.”


    I sigh heavily. Never have I felt so tired of carrying these secrets. “The beginning,” I say as I tug free


    from her hold and stand up. “The beginning…”


    I walk towards the window and stare out at the moon. Do I tell her? There is so much that this might


    change…


    “Zaia… there is no turning back from here. If I tell you the truth, then-”


    “I’m ready for it,” I say quietly. Am I wrong to tell her? But if something happens to me… she should


    know the reality.


    “Very well then, I swear that everything I say is nothing but the truth. But I want you to remember that


    regardless of what I tell you, it should not affect the way you see things and… it remains between us.”


    “Ok…” She sounds worried and I look up at the moon. It’s glowing brightly, almost soothing


    It’s time to share the burden that has been on my mind for years. The mistakes I’ve made, the betrayal


    I was dealt, the sins I’vemitted… it is all bing too much.


    “I will go back to when it all began when everything was perfectly fine. When I was happy and content


    with my mother. I didn’t expect things to change overnight, but that’s just how life deals its blows…


    When you least expect it.” I begin, memories of the past begin to cloud my mind… Will it change things


    between us?


    “You probably don’t know this, since I’m certain you would have mentioned it if your mother had told


    you… but… I had a brother, he was a few years older than me…”


    She gasps, and I try to remain emotionless. “No, Mom’s never mentioned that.” She murmurs. “So, she


    didn’t.” I can’t help but smile bitterly.


    Why does it still hurt? I nod slowly. “Well… his name was Adam, and he was all set to be the


    future Alpha.”


    (FLASHBACK TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO)


    Where are they? I walk through the silent house, it’s too quiet.


    Didn’t Mnie say she was going to be spending the evening with friends? I was away on a business


    trip and was not set to return until Friday, but after sealing the deal early; I was able to catch a flight


    home two days earlier than nned.


    I couldn’t wait to spend the evening with her and surprise her, she’ll be happy to see me.


    It’s not even 10 pm yet. Where is she?


    I pause in the archway to the lounge, spotting the two sses of wine on the table and the half-empty


    bottle.


    I wouldn’t call that a party. I sniff the air. I can only pick up Mnie’s and Adam’s scents.


    Adam? Was he back in town? Maybe she changed her ns because he showed up. I take off my


    jacket and put my small suitcase down, loosening my tie.


    It sure was a long flight, but I wanted to get back quickly. I head upstairs to find her. I’m halfway down


    the hall to our bedroom when I stop outside the guest room, which Adam usually uses when he stops


    by.


    Despite being the firstborn, he hasn’t found his mate, nor had he taken a Luna of choice, preferring his


    bachelor lifestyle.


    The door to the guestroom is open, and I pop my head inside but it’s empty.


    I continue down the hall to my own bedroom when the sound of moans reaches my ears. My heart


    thuds as I slowly step closer, fear wing at me as a heavy weight settles in the pit of my stomach.


    Maybe Adam’s brought someone back with him…


    I inch close to my room; the moans getting louder and sickening. I recognise that voice. I’ve heard it far


    too many times…


    Turn away Hugh, what you don’t see, you don’t know…


    It won’t hurt Leave. But no, I have to know. Themp is on, bathing the master bedroom in a warm


    glow, and the door stands slightly ajar.


    The sight before me is one that I will never forget. Mnie is on all fours on our bed as none other than


    Adam, my brother, is pounding into her from behind.


    I’m frozen for a moment as she begs him to fuck her harder like st time’. I turn away as my entire


    world crashes down around me.


    My mate is cheating on me. My brother betrayed me. Silently I make my way back downstairs, I grab


    my jacket and briefcase exiting the house silently….


    (END OF FLASHBACK)


    I spare her the details, telling her I saw her mother cheat on me with my brother. I was always the one


    doing the workload… the boring one… of course, they’d all prefer him. She gasps, but now that I’ve


    begun, I can’t stop.


    “I returned the following day, and they both looked me in the eye as if nothing was wrong. I couldn’t


    bring myself to tell them I knew… and so I didn’t. I kept it in. I went through grief, regret, pain,


    betrayal… alone… As Mni pretended to love me, each day that passed only made the pain inside of


    me fester.”


    I stop when she ces a hand on my back, but I can’t look at her.


    She’s my daughter… regardless…


    “She told me she was pregnant… I wasn’t expecting that and after what happened I wanted to know if


    the child was even mine… and so with the help of a doctor, at one of her check-ups I had a small


    amount of amniotic fluid drawn from her without her knowing and then I had it tested against both mine


    and Adam’s DNA.”


    “No…” Zaia whispers, sounding horrified.


    “Don’t worry, you are my daughter…” I say quietly. Her heart is thumping, and I grip the window ledge.


    “Knowing I was the father, I decided to try to give it another chance, our fake rtionship.” My voice


    breaks and I stop.


    “I’m so sorry,” she whispers, I turn to her, guilt filling me. I’m causing her additional stress. As her


    father, I should be the pir of strength for her.


    “You are my daughter. Never apologise for something you had no hand in.” I say quietly, touching her


    cheek. She looks down, and she reminds me of the child that was constantly pulled between us. I have


    failed one child already.


    “Then what happened? Where is he now?” she asks, her eyes glittering with tears. “Adam.” I sigh


    before turning back to the moon.


    “I thought the bond of fated mates would be beautiful, that she’d soon see the er in her ways and return


    to me. That this pregnancy would bring us closer. I made sure to give her attention and love. Yet… they


    didn’t stop their rtionship. I kept an eye on them, and it continued.”


    “How could she… and then calling Ate…” She huffs and I can sense her disappointment.


    “Mnie was in herst trimester when Adam was telling me about a woman who he is seeing but


    luckily she’s in a rtionship so he doesn’t need to worry aboutmitting… How her mate is an idiot


    who didn’t notice what was right beneath his nose.


    That’s when I lost it. In my rage, I killed him.” I say closing my eyes, remembering pulling out that gun


    and shooting him square in the chest.


    “Oh, my goddess…” Zaia murmurs, shocked. He died with that smirk on his face…


    “And that’s when Ate came into the picture.” My eyes glimmer with rage as I remember her words


    from back then.


    “What, so you two weren’t together by then?” she asks, confused. “But she was pregnant at the same


    time as Mom.”


    I turn and look at her sharply. “I don’t think you understand, Zaia. I have never been with another


    woman since I met your mother. I never cheated on her.” I say quietly. Her eyes widen as she stares at


    me, and I frown.


    “Ate gave me an ultimatum, ept her and her child, make her Luna, and she will never tell


    anyone what I did. I killed the future Alpha… that could have cost me life in prison or death. So, I


    epted. I was already angry at your mother and wanted to hurt her the way she hurt me; I fabricated


    the story that I had an affair. I thought she’d tell me the truth. Seeing her so devastated over Adam’s


    death only strengthened my resolution that this was the perfect revenge.”


    I walk to the chair and sit down again, feeling tired. Slumping forward in the seat, I stare at the


    hardwood floor.


    “In my rage, I made more than one mistake and let her ckmail me. After that, anytime I didn’t do


    what Ate wanted, she would threaten me with exposing my truth. And so, I did as she asked –


    every time, even


    distancing myself from you. She never knew about what happened between Adam and Mnie, I kept


    that a secret, wanting to take it to the grave… After Dad passed away, I was made Alpha and I


    continued with my life, trying to let go of the past.”


    There… it’s all on the table. She kneels on the floor in front of me, sitting with her legs tucked under


    her, her hands in herp. Tears stream down her cheek as she looks back at me.


    I didn’t tell her for fear she’d deem me a weak father, but she was the strength that helped me carry on.


    “You… you were always in the right and all those hurtful things I said to you…” she whispers.


    I look at her. “There’s no satisfaction in proving someone wrong or right… Imitted a crime by killing


    him too… I should have owned up to it but I didn’t want to throw away my life,”


    “And until this day, Mom doesn’t know? She’s always acted like she’s innocent after what she did…”


    she says. There’s confusion in her eyes as she looks up at me. I sit back, feeling the weight of carrying


    that secret ease slightly.


    “Of course, Adam was gone. She knew, or so she thought anyway, that no one else knew her dirty


    secret. We were still fated, and she thought I cheated on her. Seeing her feel betrayed was satisfying.”


    I scoff humourlessly.


    “I was often tempted to ask her why… but with Adam dead, I didn’t want anything pointing in my


    direction. His death was written off as an ident and no proof was ever found. Something that


    devastated our parents.”


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    There is still a part of me that is attached to her… a part that yearns for her, but that is just this


    wretched bond. “I’m sorry, Dad,” Zaia whispers, looking up at me. “I’m so sorry.”


    I don’t respond, knowing if I did, it would only hurt more. We remain in silence and it’sforting as


    she rests her head on my knee.


    “But… Annalise… she’s not your daughter then?” she asks after a few moments, raising her head. I


    shake my head slowly in confirmation as she ponders over it.


    “I’ve never slept with Ate. That woman is with me only for the status and image of being a woman


    in a position of power.” “But Annalise does look a little like me ..” she says.


    I smile bitterly; ah… the icing on the cake.


    “Of course she does. She also looks like her mother. You can call it some form of twisted sce, but


    when I learned of Ate’s identity, I realised that it was indeed karma. After all, Mnie may not know


    it, but Ate is her half-sister.” A/N: Please keep thements on social media free from spoilers! To


    my reader Mnie! I’m so sorry that this chapter fell on your birthday! Forgive me for doing your name


    dirty and happy birthday! XD