The Alpha's Unwanted Bride

Chapter 683: REVELATIONS

I stepped closer to the balcony and the world before me unfolded.

Not unfolded like land revealing itself.

It bloomed.

Below us stretched a pack unlike anything I had ever seen. Not the rigid stone of the royal pack. Not the dark, looming structures of the Moonlight pack. This place was alive in a way that made my chest ache.

The trees were taller, their trunks spiraled and silver-veined, leaves shimmering in hues of deep emerald, copper, and soft gold.

Vines climbed the buildings as if invited, flowering along balconies and rooftops. Houses were carved from living wood and pale stone, curved instead of sharp, shaped to fit the land rather than conquer it.

Water flowed everywhere.

Not in harsh channels or guarded fountains, but in gentle streams that ran through the streets, under bridges of crystal and wood. Wolves shifted and unshifted, walked freely among one another. Children laughed.

Elders sat beneath massive flowering trees. There were no guards pacing with spears. No tension humming in the air.

The birds sang

The air itself felt different.

Cleaner. Lighter. Like breathing for the first time.

And then

A sound ripped through the sky.

A roar.

Deep. Thunderous. Ancient.

My body reacted before my mind did. I jumped back, heart slamming violently against my ribs.

"Wait is.... that?" I gasped, gripping the balcony rail.

Aiden didn’t flinch.

He only smiled faintly and nodded.

"Yes," he said calmly. "Dragons."

My mouth fell open.

"Dragons?" I repeated stupidly.

Before I could say another word, the sky darkened.

A massive shadow swept beneath the balcony.

I screamed.

A rush of wind thundered upward, powerful enough to whip my hair back and steal the breath from my lungs. Instinctively, I stumbled and suddenly I was pressed against Aiden’s chest.

His arms came around me without hesitation.

Strong. Steady.

I buried my face against him, fingers clutching his coat as the sound of enormous wings beat the air around us.

My entire body shook.

"Go, Freya," Aiden said calmly, his voice cutting through the chaos.

The roar answered him, not threatening, not angry.

Acknowledging.

Then the wings faded.

The wind settled.

Silence returned like a held breath finally released.

"You can open your eyes now," Aiden murmured.

Slowly so slowly I did.

The sky was clear again.

Blue. Vast. Peaceful.

No dragon.

I pulled away from him immediately, heat rushing to my face, embarrassed by how tightly I had clung to him.

"You... you spoke to her," I said, stunned.

He nodded. "Yes."

"You talk to dragons?"

A corner of his mouth lifted. "We do."

I stared at him, then back at the sky, then at the sprawling land below.

"They’re... your friends?" I whispered.

"Our allies," he corrected gently. "Our protectors. Our equals."

I shook my head, overwhelmed. "In my world... wolves could barely tolerate each other talk-less of other creatures..."

"I know," he interrupted softly. "Your world is built on fear and dominance. This one is built on balance."

I looked at him. "No violence?"

He shook his head. "Not here. We learned long ago that power doesn’t mean destruction. It means restraint."

Something inside my chest loosened.

A place I hadn’t realized was clenched my entire life.

I turned back to him, a thousand questions burning behind my eyes, but only one mattered.

"How did you get here?" I asked quietly.

His expression changed.

Not dramatically.

Just... heavier.

He exhaled and leaned against the balcony rail, eyes drifting toward the horizon.

"I suppose it’s time I stop circling the truth," he said. "You deserve it."

My heart began to race.

"I am truly your father, Jasmine."

The words landed without sound.

Without explosion.

Without anything at all.

I didn’t respond.

Didn’t nod.

Didn’t cry.

Didn’t scream.

I just... stared.

"I met your mother, in the distant lands when we were young," he continued. "She was unlike any woman I had ever met."

I swallowed.

This was the first time anyone other than Urma had spoken about my mother and a sudden hunger swam within me.

"We fell in love," he said simply. "But my family never approved of her. They didn’t think someone like her was going to be fit as the future Luna of the pack."

My stomach twisted.

"So we ran," he went on. "For a while, we were happy. Truly happy."

He paused.

"Then my parents died."

I sucked in a breath.

"I was the eldest," he said quietly. "Bale was still young. The pack needed leadership. I needed to return just for a short while. I asked Bale to take over temporarily while I came back for her."

My throat burned.

"And while I was gone," he said, voice tightening, "I began researching the Other Side. The same obsession I had ever since I was a child. I thought I could find a way to make a world where she would never have to be looked at with disdain. She came from a poor family you see."

My chest ached.

"I succeeded," he said. "But at a cost. I crossed and couldn’t return for her."

I stared at him. "You were trapped."

"Yes."

"And my mother?" I whispered.

"She came looking for me," he said softly. "She was already pregnant with you when I left."

My hand went to my stomach instinctively.

"There was a prophecy," he continued. "That my flesh and blood would one day find her way here. That she would bridge both worlds. That she would free what was trapped."

I shook my head. "Why me? There is nothing special about me."

He turned to me fully.

"Because of who you come from," he said.

I frowned. "I don’t understand."

"Your grandparents," he said, "Don’t you already know who they are."

I gave an uneasy laugh. "If I knew I wouldn’t even be here. They are the reason why I came looking for you. I had hoped you would lead me to them."

"Your grandparents are King Roland and Queen Rose." He dropped.

The words slammed into me like a tidal wave.

"No," I whispered. "That’s not.... What are you even talking about? Queen coral isn’t my mother, neither is Queen Scarlett."

"The Queen’s missing daughter," he finished gently. "Scarlett was your mother."

The world tilted.

The dreams.

My burning necklace.

The de ja vu I had felt the moment had stepped into the royal pack.

My pull to the royal family.

The throne.

The emerald.

The bowing wolves.

The way the land itself had answered me.

Everything

I stumbled back a step.