AGAIN MY HEART: Her Alphas Regret

NYXARIS

LEILANI

I could barely contain my shock as I stared at the VALOIS. It seemed as though I had woken up in an alternate reality, and everything I thought I knew was a lie.

“We know this is a lot to take in, and we kept looking for ways to tell you.” Mrs Valois began, or perhaps I should say, Her Highness. “But we will pay for a DNA test when you’re ready, so that you believe us with one hundred per cent certainty. You can take as much time as you need. There’s no rush.”

My gaze flicked from her to her husband. The resemblance was there. I can see it now that I wasn’t so occupied with running the café and attending to customers.

I had always been the odd one out in Eitbjorn. I didn’t fit in anywhere, with anyone. And despite moving several provinces and kingdoms, the only place that finally felt like home was Xenyre. And there was also something else that made me feel like I belonged, seeing people with almost distinct features like mine. My wolf-like ears, which had singled me out a lot in Eitbjorn, were most Xenyans' ears, and some even more prominent. And while I was yet to meet anyone with mismatched eyes like mine, I quickly realised that orange was a common eye colour amongst the people here. Which didn’t make me feel like a weirdo with my amethyst and silver eyes.

But this revelation was far from anything I could’ve expected when I moved here. The Valois were my parents, my biological parents. And as if that wasn’t a shock on its own, they were the royalties of Xenyre, the Alpha King and Luna Queen.

The regular customers at my café, who would come in at almost the same time every day, the ones Avi often loved interrupting, were my parents, and they were the royal family of Xenyre.

I blinked again, unable to find a proper response to everything I had been told. I had thought it was weird when they invited me to their anniversary dinner. But they seemed like nice people, and I didn’t see the harm in turning them down.

Now, I remember how my staff had acted when I told them about the invite. Steph had asked me if I knew who they were, and I shrugged. The way she asked had suggested something, but I thought she was merely concerned that I had accepted a dinner invitation from strangers. Rowan had given her a look and then told me to enjoy myself.

Still, I hadn’t suspected a thing. Although I did think it was odd when they said they'd send their chauffeur to pick me up. I didn’t peg them to be that rich, so that was surprising, but I was quick to shake it off. Even after seeing the mansion, I was left speechless because what were the odds that the couple who frequented my café were wealthy people?

The anniversary dinner itself went okay. Avi was quick to familiarise himself with people; it was his nature. When they had asked me to sit with them for a chat, I was kind of starting to think they were that kind of couple and were about to proposition me to be with them or something.

Only for them to tell me they were my parents. Who would have thought?

“How are you so sure? I mean, this is all… You could’ve mistaken me for someone else, yet you said all that with so much clarity. Is that why you came to the café regularly? Was it to confirm your suspicions?” I asked.

“We were one hundred per cent certain you were out, Leilani, from the very first time we saw you. But we kept coming to the café because we wanted to be familiar with you and also in hopes that you would become comfortable in our presence.”

“How could you be that certain just from the first encounter? It makes no sense. When was it?”

“It was on the day of your opening. We were in the province for our usual visits. We like going around the kingdom to see how the people are fairing and each week we choose different provinces, districts, towns, and villages. We heard there was a new café opening in the district, so we decided to check it out.”

“And the minute we saw you, your Nyxari blood called to us.” Her husband, my supposed birth father, chimed in.

I frowned. “My Nyx, what?”

“You are a Nyxari wolf of Nyxari blood from the ancient lineage of the Velkyn bloodline…" He began speaking in tongues I couldn't understand.

“What, wait…” I raised my hand because I was beginning to lose the plot there. “I… what are all those words you just said?”

“How do we make this easier to understand?” his wife mumbled before she continued. “In Xenyre, wolves are designated differently from how they are in other kingdoms and continents. As you know, Xenyre is the largest kingdom on the continent and the leading authority in most things. In ancient times, every Xenyan wolf was born with abilities that were mostly mental, or psychic, as some people would say. Each lineage had abilities that were only attributed to their bloodline. As time went by, a lesser number of gifted wolves were born to each household, and over time, it became somewhat of a myth. Only the Velkyn bloodline remained with such abilities, and from the Velkyn bloodline came the Nyxaris.”

Her husband picked up from where she had stopped. “As a Nyxari, if you were in the presence of another Nyxari, your blood would call to each other, and those who know what that call feels like will be able to tell immediately that they’re in the presence of kin. The day we saw you, the bond in our blood pulsed to life, and your mother and I felt it at the same time. It is like the pull you feel when you’re in the presence of your fated mate, but different. Instead of the urge to become one with the other, a familiarity grows in the presence of kin. A feeling like you’ve known them all your life, and a sense of safety. It is so if a Nyxari or Velkyn were to ever depart the family, perhaps married into a different culture, if their offspring were to ever meet, they wouldn’t harm each other, and their familiar bond in the bloodline would protect and connect them.”

I listened with rapt attention, even though it felt like I was being sold some fairytale, because I knew for a fact I wasn’t some kind of gifted wolf or whatever it was they said.

“I… I mean, that would make sense, I guess, if I were gifted. But I think you’ve gotten the wrong person because being a gifted wolf is far from what I am. I am not Nyxari; I don’t have any special mental or psychic abilities. If I ever did, I wouldn’t have made certain decisions. I’m sorry to disappoint you and dash your hope of reuniting with your daughter.”

The couple shared a look and smiled. “As time went by, Nyxaris didn’t present as they used to in ancient times,” the queen murmured. “Abilities dwindled over time, mostly because the awakening became tied to the bond one shares with their true mate. Your father and I are a few of the lucky ones who mated with our fated. Your father is a Nyxari, and his powers only came to manifest after we mated.”

I glanced at the man, whom she kept referring to as my father. “You’re saying he’s gifted?” I asked, and she nodded with a smile. “What are his abilities? What can he do?” I asked, albeit rudely.

“I am an Envaser…” he replied.

“Uhh? What does that mean?”

“Mind intrusion. It means I have the ability to invade a person’s mind to access their memories and traumas, pull memories from them and insert false ones, and alter the truth in their mind. Invade their dreams to put things there that were never there, creating false identities within their minds and, over time, I can influence them mentally and every decision they make.” He explained nonchalantly, like it was nothing.

I stared at him with my mouth agape. “Are you in my head right now? Altering how I see you?”

“I would never do that to my daughter. Never. Besides, you’re my blood, and my powers wouldn’t work on you, and they don’t work on my mate either. It is not meant to harm the ones we ought to protect,” he explained.

It took me a minute to take it all in. “If what you’re saying is true. You mean I am somehow born with a certain ability that I don’t have access to right now because I do not have a true mate?” I asked, and they nodded.

“Nice…” I murmured to myself. Who even designed that s**t, and why did they make it activate only with a true mate? If I had access to my powers, I would’ve known that Aesir was a piece of s**t, and I wouldn’t have given him any part of me.

I frowned at the thought… Perhaps, if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be here, would I? Learning all this about my possible biological parents. I sighed, facing them once more.

“This is a lot to take in…” I began.

“We are well aware of that. You can take as much time as you want to decide if you want us in your life or not. We will not force a relationship if you don’t want one. But we would love to be a part of your life now that you’re home. We would love to remind you what our love for you was like, to show you around the kingdom, but no matter what you decide, we will respect it.”

“I…” I had totally forgotten the part about me being born a princess. “I’ll need time to…” To do what exactly? I wasn’t sure, but I needed time.