Alpha Prime: Her Retribution

Chapter Fifty Three (Part I)

I appeared in a garden, the smell of freshly cut grass filled my nostrils. I looked around, confused.

Where was I?

Where was Jacob?

“Jacob?!” I called out, panic clawing at my chest

“Adelaide!!!” His voice was distant.

I whirled around searching for him.

“Where are you?” I yelled, he materialised a few feet from me. Relief swept through me and I took a step towards him when the laughter of a child froze me midstep.

“Mama!!! The lycan is after me!!!”

I barely had time to react as a young boy no older than eight, ran past us, a large lycan bounding after him. The sight made my blood run cold and I grabbed at Jacob.

“W-we have to…”

I trailed off as the boy giggled, his joy filled laughter echoing around us.

Jacob’s hand brushed mine, grounding me, his voice a whisper.

“What is this?”

“I- I don’t know,” I replied, my voice shaking.

The boy ran towards a woman in the distance, her back turned to him, her elegant sapphire coloured dress flowing in the wind.

“Mama!!!” He called again, laughing.

The woman turned and the breath left my lungs, my legs felt weak as I stumbled back into Jacob.

The woman… she was me.

No, that wasn't possible… I was me, she… she couldn't be me…

The boy collided with the woman’s legs, hugging her swollen stomach. She smiled, her hand gently cradling his head.

Beside me, Jacob stiffened, his sharp intake of breath echoing my disbelief.

“Adelaide…” he murmured. The Lycan came to a stop in front of them before it began to shift, its form shrinking until a man stood in its place. My heart pounded in my chest as I turned to Jacob, who was staring at his counterpart in wide-eyed shock.

“This isn’t real,” he said, his voice trembling. “It can’t be real.”

We watched as the man, Jacob, yet not, lifted the boy into his arms, laughing as he threw him in the air. Then he leaned down to kiss the woman, me, on the lips. Together, the three walked toward the castle in the distance.

I wanted to scream, to demand answers, but all I could do was stare. I looked up at the sky

“What is this?” I finally cried out, my voice breaking.

The scene shattered like glass. The garden faded, replaced by dense woods.

**************

The woods were quiet, a contrast to the warmth of the garden. Jacob stepped closer, his arm brushed against mine.

“Adelaide… what just happened?”

“I don’t know.” I whispered, my heart was still racing from the previous sight.

Before I could say more, hushed whispers drifted through the air.

“He has the eyes of the devil!!!”

I frowned, glancing at Jacob, we moved through the forest until we got to a small group.

“They’re children,” he murmured, I stared at the cluster, they all looked young and I could tell they were all Lycan pups, their whispers growing louder, more accusatory.

“He doesn’t belong here!”

“He’s cursed!”

“I wonder why his father brought him for the wolf kings’ meeting?”

A girl stepped forward, her small frame brimming with defiance. There was something familiar about her and my breath hitched, my vision blurring as I felt the world tilt around me.

“Adelaide, what’s wrong?”

“T-that little girl… that’s… that’s me.” I whispered.

“Just because his eyes are different doesn’t mean he’s cursed!” She stamped her foot, glaring at the group. “Didn’t your mother teach you not to tell lies?”

The other children shrank back, and the girl huffed before storming away.

“Don’t come running to us when he drinks your blood!!!” One of the children yelled.

Jacob and I trailed after her as she walked deeper into the woods. Her steps quick, she finally stopped in front of a boy seated on the ground, his head lowered as he stabbed the soil with a stick..

“Hi, I’m Meira,” the girl said, her voice softer now. She extended her hand toward him, the boy didn’t look up, his head bowed.

“Didn’t you hear me?” she said, tilting her head. “My Mama said a gentleman is supposed to kiss a lady’s hand.”

The boy lifted his head, and my breath caught at the sight of his crimson eyes.

“J-Jacob.”

“H-he has my eyes.” He whispered, shocked. “And he looks just l-like me.”

The boy sighed and reluctantly took Meira’s hand, brushing his lips across it.

“There,” he muttered. “Satisfied?”

Meira beamed. “Now you’re supposed to tell me your name.”

The boy rolled his eyes and got to his feet, he was at least a foot taller than her.

“Adar.” He grumbled, she smiled at him, unphased by his tone.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you! Would you like to play with me?”

He hesitated, his eyes narrowing as if trying to gauge her sincerity. After a moment, he gave a small nod. The scene began to dissolve. Jacob and I stood frozen as their voices faded into the distance.

**********************

We found ourselves in a grand bedroom bathed in soft morning light. I blinked, disoriented, as I stared at a thirteen year old me… no, Meira. She sat at a small writing desk, a delicate quill in hand.

“She’s writing a letter,” Jacob said quietly, stepping closer to observe.

I nodded, my chest tightening as I recognized the lovesick expression on her face.

“She’s writing to him,” I murmured, I didn’t need to see the contents of the letter to know who she was writing to, I just knew.

Sure enough, the letter was addressed to Adar. She paused, chewing on her lip as she searched for the right words. A maid appeared behind her, a teasing smile on her face.

“Oh, Meira has a crush,” the maid sang, she rolled her eyes, though a blush crept up her cheeks.

“Leave me alone,” she muttered, dipping her quill back into the ink. Jacob let out a low breath, his expression unreadable. “They were in love,” he said, almost to himself.

“Yes,” I replied, my voice thick with emotion. “They were.”

********************

The scene changed and Meira was at breakfast with her parents.

“Adar is turning 16 tomorrow, his father plans on holding a ball so that he can find his mate.”

I immediately felt Meira's emotions, her heartbreak hitting me like a tidal wave. She stood abruptly and left, I could feel her fear, her mounting fear since their preteen years of Adar or her finding her mate and losing what love she felt for him.

As she threw herself on her bed and sobbed, I felt the tears roll down my cheeks, her pain becoming my pain.

*******************

As the warmth of the bedroom dissolved, I felt the weight of the cold air settle over my skin. My chest tightened, the faint echoes of music and laughter reached our ears. We stood in a glittering ballroom, crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their light refracting into a thousand rainbows across the polished marble floor. Gowns of silk and lace swirled as couples danced in perfect harmony.

I turned, and there I stood, no… Meira, older now, her beauty radiant but her expression haunted. She stood at the edge of the ballroom, her hands clutched tightly in front of her.

“Adelaide,” Jacob whispered. His eyes were locked on the man across the room.

I followed his gaze and saw Adar. He was impossibly handsome, his crimson eyes striking against the black of his formal attire. He was dancing with a young woman in a pale lavender gown, her laugh light and melodic as he spun her. Meira flinched, and I felt her heartbreak as if it were my own. The connection between us was so strong that I gasped, tears springing to my eyes.

“It hurts,” I said, my voice trembling. “I… She loves him too much.”

Jacob reached out to steady me, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Adelaide, are you...”

Before he could ask his question, Meira turned and fled. Her gown trailed behind her as she pushed past the crowd, her movements frantic. I followed after her, stumbling as her emotions became mine, for a moment my body merged with hers before I was thrown back into my body.

She ran through the open grand double doors and into the gardens. Moonlight bathed the path ahead, her sobs were muffled but unmistakable. Jacob caught up with me as I fell to my knees.

“Meira,” a voice called, deep and urgent.

Adar.

I turned to see him running after her, worried. He caught up to her near a fountain, grabbing her arm to stop her.

“Meira, stop!” he said, she whirled around, tears streaking her face.

“Y-you can't expect me to stay there while you look for.your mate knowing that it will never be me…” She cried out. Adar frowned, stepping closer.

“I am only doing this for my Father, Meira. You are the one who rules my heart.” He whispered, his thumb brushing away the tears that had rolled down my… her cheeks.

“You’re the one I love, Meira. You’ve always been the one.”

Her breath hitched, and she tried to pull away, but he held firm.

“You don’t understand,” she whispered. “If you find your mate tonight, everything will change. You’ll forget me.”

He shook his head.

“I refuse to fall a slave to some predestined concept that I had no say in. I will make my own destiny, I have made my own destiny in which you are my mate, my wife, my queen.”

He lifted up Meira's hands and kissed her knuckles before bending on one knee.

“We make our own destiny. Tonight, under the moon goddess, we’ll pledge ourselves to each other. No one, not even fate, can tear us apart.”

Jacob and I watched as Meira smiled, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks.

“Yes Adar, in a million lifetimes I will always choose you.”

The scene began to shimmer again, the edges blurring like a dream on the verge of breaking.

******************

The warmth of the gardens disappeared, replaced by the cool, damp air of the forest. The moon hung low in the sky, its slight spilling through the trees. Adar and Meira walked hand in hand, their breaths mingled in the chilly night air, the only sound apart from the rustling leaves. Jacob and I followed, unseen spectators in, the tension between us was palpable, his hand brushing mine as if to keep me grounded.

The forest opened into a clearing, the remnants of a ruined temple in the moonlight. Ancient columns, cracked and weathered, jutted toward the sky, vines snaked their way across the stone, and patches of wildflowers bloomed stubbornly in the cracks. Adar and Meira stopped in the center of the clearing, directly beneath the moon’s gaze. Meira knelt first, her trembling hands placing a small offering, a mixture of herbs, flowers, and what looked like a silver pendant, on a smooth slab of stone. Adar joined her, bowing his head in reverence.

They clasped hands, their voices rising together in a language I didn’t understand but felt deep in my soul. The ancient words carried a power that made the air hum and my skin prickle. Adar’s voice grew louder, more fervent, as he turned to Meira, his crimson eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

“With this vow, I bind my soul to yours,” he declared. “In this life and all the ones to come, I am yours, and you are mine.”

Meira repeated the words, her voice steady despite the emotion cracking through it. A soft, silvery glow enveloped the two of them, and I felt an overwhelming warmth bloom in my chest—a love so pure and fierce it was almost unbearable. The glow faded, and the lovers stood, their foreheads pressed together, the scene melting away as they consummated their union.

*************

The next scene was chaotic, Jacob and I… no Meira and Adar were seated at the table, their actions having been discovered by their parents. My breath hitched as I stared at my father's face…

Jacob disappeared from my side and I whirled around, looking for him.

“Ad… Jacob!!!” I called out. My voice melding with Meira as she cried for Adar as her parents forced her back to their Kingdom, separating her from her mate. I felt her pain as though it was mine, my chest heaving as she cried, I fell to my knees, gasping for air, anything to make the pain go away.

The scene faded to black and I was finally able to breathe once more though the heaviness remained. I was in a bedroom, I walked up to the bed, Meira was curled up, trays of food laid on the floor untouched, her eyes on the window, tears leaking down her face. I sat next to her, her sorrow enveloping me.

The door creaked open and I felt the presence of my father… I watched as he walked over and sat next to Meira, his eyes on her.

“You went against the decree of the moon goddess” He uttered.

“I love him” Meira whispered, he scoffed.

“What do you know about love, child? You are 15.”

Meira's eyes moved from the mirror to our father's

“More than you'll ever know.”

***************

The scene shifted, and I found myself back in the room. Meira was still on the bed, her form curled in on itself. Her pain had seeped into me, entwining with my own until I could no longer distinguish where I ended and she began. Her sorrow became my sorrow, her grief my grief. I wasn’t sure if I had become her, if she had become me, or if we had always been one.

The quiet was broken by the creak of the door, followed by the heavy, deliberate thuds of approaching footsteps.

“Why do you punish yourself like this?!”

I didn't say anything. He sighed and shook his head.

“I cannot bear to see you like this child. May the moon goddess forgive me for the part I am about to play but if you truly love him, then you have my blessing.”

It was as if his words had breathed life into me once more.