The Alpha King And His Chosen Luna novel Chapter 313

(Isla)

My fingers stayed on the paper as I unfolded it. The writing was old, but every word was still clear. Lyrienne leaned closer beside me without releasing my hand. I took a breath and began reading.

“My little Isla, your mother says you’re going to be stubborn.” I stopped and looked at Lyrienne. “He really started with that?” I couldn’t help smiling.

“He knew you before you were born.” Lyrienne laughed. “You used to kick whenever I tried to sleep.” She looked at the letter again.

I continued reading. Darius had written the letter two months before I was born. He wrote about wondering what I would look like and whether I’d have Lyrienne’s eyes. He hoped I’d inherit her patience because he admitted he had very little of his own.

That made Lyrienne laugh again. She told me Darius had never been good at waiting for anything. If he wanted something done, he wanted it done immediately. Apparently I’d inherited more from him than I realized.

The rest of the letter wasn’t about Celestials or danger. Darius wrote about wanting to take me to the river near Silvermere. He wanted to teach me how to fish even though Lyrienne had warned him I’d need to learn to walk first. He’d already been planning years ahead.

“He talked about that river constantly,” Lyrienne said. Her smile remained as she read over the words beside me. “He had your entire childhood planned.” Her eyes filled again.

I reached for the next letter. This one had been written after I was born. My name appeared at the top, and beneath it Darius had written the date. Lyrienne recognized it immediately.

“You were three weeks old.” Lyrienne touched the corner of the paper. “He barely slept during those weeks.” Her voice carried affection.

I began reading. Darius wrote that I had finally stopped crying long enough for him to finish the letter. He complained that nobody had warned him babies could be so loud. Then he admitted he’d spent half the night checking whether I was breathing whenever I became quiet.

I looked at Caius. He was standing a short distance away, listening. The look on his face told me he had already imagined himself doing exactly the same thing. I smiled at him before returning to the page.

“He sounds like someone else I know.” I glanced at Caius again. “Our baby isn’t even born and you’re already watching everything I do.” I knew he couldn’t deny it.

“I have no intention of stopping.” Caius came closer. “Darius had the right idea.” He didn’t seem embarrassed by the comparison.

Lyrienne laughed before I continued. Darius wrote about holding me while I slept and wondering what kind of wornan I’d become. He wanted me to know that I had been wanted from the moment he learned Lyrienne was carrying me. Whatever happened in my life, he never wanted me to question that

I couldn’t continue immediately. I’d spent years in Ashcrest believing my existence caused problems for

My fathersweis

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everyone around me. Derek and Helene had made sure I understood how little they wanted me. Darius had wanted me before he’d ever seen my face.

Lyrienne squeezed my hand. She didn’t need to explain anything because I already knew what she would say. She had wanted me too. The people who’d raised me had never been proof of what my real parents felt.

I finished the letter and returned it to its place. There were more than twenty waiting. We couldn’t read all of them at once, and I didn’t want to rush through Darius’s words simply because I finally had them. They’d waited this long.

“One more,” I said. I reached into the chest. “Then I think I need a break.” My emotions had already been pulled in too many directions.

“One more.” Lyrienne nodded. “We have time now.” She looked at me as she said it.

The next letter was shorter. Darius had written it when I was several months old. He described making another wooden wolf for me because I’d managed to chew one of the ears on the first one. I immediately thought about the wolf Lyrienne had given me.

“Was that the same one?” I asked. The wooden wolf had one uneven ear. “The one you gave me in

Frostvale?” I wanted to know.

“No.” Lyrienne smiled. “That one survived because I took it away before you could ruin it too.” She seemed pleased to finally tell me why.

I laughed and kept reading. Darius wrote that he hoped one day I’d understand why he kept making things for me. He wanted me to have objects made by his own hands rather than things bought because they were easier. He wanted pieces of himself to remain with me.

My laughter disappeared, but the feeling that replaced it wasn’t only sadness. I had his pendant around my neck, his wooden wolf, his letters and the family book Lyrienne had shown me. Darius had gotten what he’d wanted in a way he could never have predicted. Pieces of him had reached me.

When I finished, Lyrienne carefully returned the letter to the chest. Caius suggested we eat before reading anything else, and this time I didn’t argue. My hunger had already returned. Vaela agreed with him immediately.

‘Food; Vaela said. She had remained quiet while I read. ‘Then mate. Her second suggestion caught me completely unprepared.

I stared ahead for a second. Pregnancy was making Vaela far too interested in Caius and Vorak. Earlier I’d blamed Calus’s scent for what happened between us. Now I was beginning to understand that this wasn’t going away.

Lyrienne noticed my expression. “What did Vaela say?” She looked amused before I even answered. “I know that face.” Apparently mothers noticed too much.

“Nothing I’m repeating.” I stood and closed the chest. “She thinks I should eat.” I decided that was enough information.

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