Marked By Destiny: Claimed By Three Alpha Brothers

Chapter 188: Reason of our downfall

Kieran put Leia to sleep and switched off the lights before stepping out of her room. He descended the stairs when saw two men walking behind Caleb in his brothers’ direction. He realized that they were Leia’s father and uncle."Alpha, I’ve brought them back safely," Caleb said, giving the way to both Grayson and Renzo.

Lucien and Ronan left their seats while Kieran hurried to their sides.

"Where’s Leia?" Grayson asked, scanning his eyes around.

"She’s fallen asleep," Kieran replied.

"Sorry for not introducing earlier in the forest," Lucien said. "I’m the Lucien Calendrino and these are my brothers: Ronan and Kieran."

"Well, you already know about me. Your beta told me a little," Grayson said. "Thank you for keeping my daughter safe with you in this house."

"Please take a seat. Then, we can talk in detail," Lucien told them, motioning his hand to the couch.

"Where’s Leia?" Grayson asked, fiddling with his fingers. His anticipation to embrace his daughter was evident in his eyes.

"She’s sleeping," Kieran replied, "upstairs in her room."

"Leia doesn’t seem to want to talk to you," Ronan added. "She used to think you were dead. Honestly, it’s shocking that you are alive!"

The maid placed the tray on the table. Its light clink grabbed Lucien’s attention.

"Please take a seat first," Lucien again said.

Grayson and Renzo finally sat across from them while the other three brothers settled on the same couch.

"It’s a long story. Leia was meant to stay away from the world of the werewolves. That’s why I kept her and her mother in a place, where only humans lived. Before that, I would like to know how Leia ended up in this pack?" Grayson asked.

Renzo, on the other hand, drank the water, quenching his thirst.

"Why don’t you tell us first how you entered our pack? How did you two break our security?" Ronan questioned with a scrutinizing gaze.

"There’s no border that can stop me and my brother from entering," Grayson replied.

"Well, there was a time when our pack was top among all the packs. Our clan produced the best wolves in the world. And that’s also became the reason of our downfall," Renzo affirmed, gazing at his brother with a weary expression.

"Means our security is easy to break," Ronan muttered, feeling worried.

"No, it’s not. We took the unconventional path. We entered through the Southern Border. We didn’t know we would encounter my daughter in the very forest," Grayson explained, clearly surprised by the coincidence that occurred a few hours ago in the dense forest.

"Leia is deeply hurt," Kieran began. "She has to bear a lot because of you, Sir. From betrayal from her own friend to the feeling of loneliness, she bore everything alone. If you were alive, you should have stayed with her."

"I wish I could that," Grayson said in a low voice, averting his gaze.

"There’s a lot to tell and hear," Lucien finally said. "It’s quite late already. The guest room is ready for you both. You two must be hungry, so the dinner is also ready. I’ll send them through the hands of the servants," he affirmed, not hesitating in showing his hospitality.

"Yes, we have not eaten anything well in two days," Renzo said, smiling slightly and rising to his feet.

"I will have to talk to Leia tomorrow," Grayson said.

"We hope she will be willing to have a word with you by the morning," Lucien replied. He gestured to the butler, who stepped up.

"I’ll show you both the way to the guest room."

Grayson and Renzo both left the living room.

"Turns out Leia’s father has deep secrets. And they can cross any border makes me wonder what kind of wolves they actually are!" Ronan mumbled.

"Aren’t they normal like us?" Kieran furrowed his brows together.

"Didn’t you hear Renzo’s words?" Ronan turned his head to the younger brother. "Their clans had best wolves in the world once."

Lucien struck with a thought at that moment, but he didn’t want to believe it.

Such wolves ceased existing centuries ago.

"What if they belong to ’The Ancients’?"

"You mean the wolves who were first descendant of the Moon Goddess," Ronan said.

"Yes. The Primal wolves. Their bloodline is purest and strongest. Not anyone can match their strengths," Lucien answered.

"We will find out in the morning," Kieran stated. "I’ll stay by Leia’s side. You both should go to bed too," he affirmed, standing up.

"Lucien, what’s in your mind?" asked Ronan.

"Nothing, except for the concern for Leia. She practically lived her life in lie. She will break once truth comes into light," Lucien explained.

"But it will also bring peace to her," Ronan added. "Leia can definitely handle all of this." He placed his hand over Lucien’s shoulder, patting it.

~~~~~

Leia’s sleep broke in the middle of the night by the same nightmare. The screams of people and the voice of her mother. She sat up and breathed hard while bringing her palm to her chest, trying to steady the beats of her heart.

Turning her head, she found Kieran lying beside her. A faint smile tugged across her lips and she quietly moved out of the bed before stepping out.

In the darkness of the mansion, she made her way carefully to the garden to take some fresh air. The incident from last evening replayed in her head. And the eyes of her father kept coming in front of hers. Zei possessed ocean blue eyes, she thought.

Caressing her arms as the cold night breeze blew, Leia looked up at the dark sky. Just then, warm coat pullover draped over her shoulders and she tilted her head.

"Ronan? Why aren’t you asleep?" Leia asked in surprise.

"What about you? Shouldn’t you be in the bed at this hour?"

"My sleep broke abruptly," Leia admitted.

"And I couldn’t fall asleep," Ronan answered.

"What? Why? Is everything alright?" Leia asked.

"Well, yes and no. My mate is worried, so it made me worry too. That’s why my sleep evaded me," Ronan stated.

Leia chuckled at his comment. "Don’t take stress because of me. Go to you room. I would like to be alone for some time."

"I’m not going anywhere," Ronan said, lifting his head to gaze at the stars. "Toward the fall, the night sky becomes much more clearer," he said.

"We can’t see much from here. Wanna come with me somewhere?" Ronan asked.

"Where?" Leia tilted her head.

"To a place from where you can gaze at the stars in a much better way," Ronan answered.

"Sure," Leia agreed, wearing the hood that Ronan draped around her.

Ronan took a few steps away from her and transformed into his wolf, Leo. Lowering himself down, he gestured to Leia to sit on him.

She first hugged his wolf form, then sat on him. Ronan stood up on his four feet and started running toward the forest. Leia held onto him tightly, and in that moment, her troubling thoughts had left her mind.

After a while, Ronan slowed to a halt as they reached a clearing. At its center lay a tranquil lake, its surface shimmering beneath the starlight. Leia slid down from Ronan’s wolf back, watching as he shifted into his human form. She knew this place, she had been here once before with him.

"I thought this place was part of the mansion grounds," Leia said softly, brushing her hair back as the night breeze toyed with it.

"It isn’t... at least not if you run in your wolf form," Ronan replied with a faint smile. He reached for her hand, guiding her toward the small wooden house nestled by the water’s edge. From a clay pot beside the door, he retrieved a key and unlocked it, pushing the door open with a creak.

Warm yellow light filled the cabin as he flipped the switch. "Make yourself comfortable," Ronan said.

Leia wandered inside and sank onto the bed. Her gaze immediately lifted upward. "You made changes here," she noted in surprise. The ceiling was glass, offering a clear view of the open night sky above.

"I thought it might be better this way," Ronan admitted. With a flick, he dimmed the lights, leaving only a single lamp glowing faintly in the corner.

Leia’s eyes widened, her lips curving into a smile. "Wow! I can see the stars so clearly... it’s beautiful."

Ronan lay down beside her, raising his finger to trace the sky. "There, it’s Polaris," he pointed.

"The brightest one," Leia replied, her voice filled with awe.

"Yes. The North Star. It looks constant, unmoving. But the truth is... it rotates like everything else," Ronan said. "Its relative velocity is so small that from here, it seems frozen in place."

Leia turned her head toward him, laughing softly. "I didn’t understand a word of that."

"That’s something Lucien once explained to me," Ronan admitted with a shrug. "Forget the science. What I want you to know is this, wherever you go, these stars will never leave you. And Polaris especially... It’ll always be there, guiding you."

"Are you saying that I’ve lost my way?"

"Kind of. The Leia I know is never confused about anything. Seeing you earlier, after you returned from the forest, I studied the look in your eyes. You’re not alone. Keep that in mind."

He leaned close to her and kissed softly in the middle of her forehead.