+CHAPTER 53+ Forgiveness And Secrets

"I can't believe you were sleeping while my daughter was so close to losing her life." Aric roared at his nephew but for the first time in his life Darach didn't cower away from his uncle's dominance.

"Amber shouldn't have been in this position if you had resolved your issues with Aunt Emmeline." Darach rasped, looking his Uncle in the eye. Backing down wasn't an option now. It was high time that they all came to terms with their past.

"What did you say pup?" Breathing through his nose to keep his anger in, Aric took a threatening step towards his nephew.

"Repeat yourself and I'll teach you a lesson in manners that you have clearly forgotten over the past centuries." Aric breathed in rage when Darach didn't lower his gaze. At this point, he was standing nose to nose with Darach.

Darach's words hadn't set well with Aric. No matter what Aric was the Alpha King and the beast within him was demanding him to discipline his nephew who had stepped out of line.

"Shut the fuck up both of you, idiots." All of a sudden Vladimir came between Darach and Aric, pushing them away from each other.

"Get a grip on yourselves fools. Do you want to fight at this time? At least have some respect for Amber if you can't see Emmeline's condition! Stop putting blame on each other, both of you were insufficient to look after your mates." Vladimir ridiculed.

The vampire was on edge and everyone was starting to notice it. Something was bothering the Vampire King, he wasn't his usual 'I don't give a fuck' self.

"I don't have to learn from a blood-sucking leech how to treat my mate." Aric snapped at Vladimir defensively.

"Do you know what your mate was up to today?" Vladimir sneered, losing his cool completely. The Vampire King was holding onto sanity by an inch.

When Aric blinked at Vladimir in confusion Vladimir continued.

"She was trying to get herself killed by the psychopath witch. If it wasn't for Amber and the Oracle then your mate would have died today while you had been sulking over the past." Aric looked like he had been slapped by Vladimir, his head snapped towards his mate, Emmeline.

She was sitting silently on the ground. Hugging her knees to her chest, rocking herself as tears were streaming down her face while mumbling gibberish to herself.

The Fey Princess's heart was bleeding~ Her heart was bleeding from the pain that she could no longer endure, from the guilt she could no longer carry.

Darach watched as his Uncle walked towards his mate for the first time in the past months.

"Emmeline. . ." Getting on his knees Aric tentatively touched her shoulder but Emmeline didn't reply. She was just continuously rocking herself too and fro as if in a trance.

"Why would you do that Emmeline?" Cupping her face Aric made her look into his eyes forcefully.

At this moment Darach realized that in the past month they all had been so focused on Amber that they had totally neglected Emmeline. They all had been carrying their fair share of guilt but Emmeline was enduring more than anyone else. No one, not even Aric had realized when Emmeline's remorse had pushed her in such a fragile state of mind.

"Why would you do that to yourself?" Aric asked this time more gently.

Emmeline's bottom lip trembled as she gazed into her mate's eyes. "Because it seemed to be the only way out." She replied in a weak voice.

"Only way out of what my love?" Aric called her from the endearment that he hadn't used for so long.

The King of Beast was on the brink of crying, on the brink of losing it, but he knew that if he cried then all the pain that he had been carrying in his heart will flow out of his eyes. He won't be able to control his tears once the dam of his patience broke.

He had to be strong for his mate and daughter~

"Only way out of the hell I had created for myself, only way out of my regrets. The only way out of this pain that won't go away, no matter what I do." She thumped her fist over her heart as if she was trying to ease the ache in her heart. Aric caught her fist before she could hit herself again.

He leaned towards Emmeline, joining their foreheads he closed his eyes. Aric had been keeping his distance from his mate because he was afraid that any affection he will show to Emmeline would cost him his daughter's love.

He was so blinded by Amber's love that he didn't realize how close he had been to losing his mate again.

"Charlie found peace why can't I find peace? Why? " Emmeline cried out.
Aric opened his eyes and a lone tear escaped from his eyes.

The broken woman in front of Aric was the same woman who had once made every barbaric lycan in his kingdom learn that hearts weren't made to be broken, they were meant to be fed love.

The same woman who was trained by her father to be tough but in Aric's arms, she had been as fragile as a newborn baby.

"I'm sorry..." Aric whispered, "I'm so sorry Emmeline." Aric said, his voice heavy with emotions as he pulled his mate in his arms.

"Let me in witch." Darach gazed from his uncle and aunt to Rome who was banging on the door of Amber's home. He was carrying a large bag over his shoulder which he hadn't taken off even once in the past months.

"I swear I can help! I have everything you might need in there." Rome cried out while aggressively banging his fists on the door.

The strange Oracle who had saved Amber was familiar with the Vampire. Amber had lost consciousness and the Oracle was the only one who could help her because they couldn't find Ines anywhere. Rebecca was still searching for the Mad Oracle and Darach had a doubt that the Mad Oracle had run away again.

The unknown Oracle had kicked everyone out of Amber's home.

And now it has been hours since she was in there with Amber, Moon knows doing what.

When no answer came from within Rome lost his shit. "You mother fucking witch!! Let me in!! That's my Godchild, I have every right to be in there."

Darach winced. Throughout Amber's pregnancy, Rome had forbidden everyone to curse in the Queendom because it might have a bad effect on the baby. But now it seemed like Rome had lost his shit.

Darach's heart was in his throat. He hadn't picked on even a single sound since he left Amber with that strange Oracle. He shouldn't have left Amber in there but he had no other choice. The Oracle had refused to treat Amber in anyone's presence.

Darach had a doubt that the Oracle might have cast a spell to keep anyone from hearing what was going on in there. This Oracle wasn't ordinary. Usually, Oracle's suffer from the madness but not this one. There wasn't the glint of insanity in her eyes which was making Darach more anxious. Darach shot a venomous look to Vladimir. If anything happened to Amber he was going to kill the vampire.

Suddenly the door of Amber's home opened and Darach sucked in a breath as his eyes fell on his mate who was standing there holding a child in her arms.

Their Child~

Darach gulped audibly as he thumped his fist over his heart. It felt like his heart had forgotten how to beat properly.

Amber had given birth~

Their child had come in this world~ Darach felt like he was going to pass out at any moment. His legs went weak and his heart felt like it was going to explode.

Amber's hair was a mess, her flame-like eyes were regarding everyone with confusion. She was just standing there in a t-shirt, her legs were covered in dried blood, her body was sweaty. She looked tired but to Darach she was the most gorgeous woman in the world. Standing there holding their child close to her chest.

"Dark Gods! Amber I..." Rome trailed off as he gazed at the child in Amber's arms. His eyes widened. Amber smiled weakly at Rome. "You... This... Is this??" Rome shuttered as he stared at the baby in awe.

When Darach stepped towards Amber he was pushed aside by the Vampire King.

Shoving Rome out of his way Vladimir gazed at the child. "It's a boy." He exclaimed.

"Where is the girl Amber?" He demanded while glaring at Amber. Everyone frowned at the Vampire King.

What the fuck was he talking about?

"Where's the Oracle?" Vladimir demanded as he looked over Amber's shoulder as if he was expecting the witch to show up at any moment.

"I don't know. I was unconscious, I just woke up when Rome banged on the door." Amber answered Vladimir with a frown. "I don't even remember giving birth." Amber whispered while looking at her child in astonishment as if she couldn't believe that she didn't remember giving birth to the warm bundle of joy she was holding in her arms.

"How can you not remember giving birth Amber? How can you sleep through the pain?" Vladimir growled.

"Easy Vampire! You were the one who convinced us to trust that witch. Stop growling at my mate." Darach grabbed Vladimir's arm and pulled him away from Amber.

Suddenly Vladimir yanked at his hair as he muttered a curse. "I shouldn't have trusted the witch. I shouldn't have traded with a witch." He cried out while looking at Amber in contempt before heading towards the woods with his supernatural speed.

"What's the deal with him? Has he lost it? I think he broke my shoulder." Rome muttered from the ground where Vladimir had shoved him.

Ignoring Rome Darach stared at his baby boy. His boy had huge eyes and his eyes were of a mesmerizing violet color. He had never seen such enchanting eyes ever before.

Darach raised his hand forward. "Can I hold him?" He asked Amber as he swallowed the lump formed in his throat.

When Amber shook her head in 'No' all the color drained from Darach's face. Had she changed her mind about giving him a second chance?

Darach shouldn't have slept but it was the first time he had slept peacefully without nightmares in months. It was like Amber had chased off his nightmares.

"I want my mother to be the first one to hold our child." Amber said in a tired voice.

Darach was shocked at first by Amber's words but soon he laughed with tears falling from his eyes as he stepped aside.

"You will be the third one because I'll be holding my godchild after Amber's mother." Rome shot Darach a scornful look while dusting the dirt off himself. Ignoring Rome Darach stared at his mate.

Amber gazed at her mother whose face was buried in the crook of her father's neck while her father rocked her in his arms as if he was holding a small baby. Both of them seemed to be in their own world unaware of what was going on around them.

Amber approached them, sitting beside them she touched her mother's shoulder with her free hand. Emmeline's shoulders stiffened at her touch.

"Mother." Amber called.

Emmeline sobbed in Aric's arms as her daughter called her mother for the first time. "Aren't you going to hold your grandson?" Amber asked her mother, her voice breaking at the end.

At Amber's words Emmeline sobbed even harder but this time, she looked up to gaze at her daughter and her grandson.

Amber felt like her heart was suffocating
when she saw the look on her mother's face. Her heart clenched at the sight of her tears. At this moment she could no longer condemn the Fey Princess because Amber had realized that her mother was already struggling to forgive herself.

"Why would you want a woman like me to hold your son Eva?" Emmeline asked in an unsteady voice.

For the first time, Amber didn't stop her mother from calling her Eva.

"Why wouldn't I want a strong woman like you to hold him? A strong woman who had been through hell alone and she survived? He has so much to learn from his grandmother." Amber talked to her mother in a tone as if she was talking to a child.

"You have forgiven me?" Hope laced Emmeline's tone.

"How could I hold grudges against you when I would have done the same if I were in your position?" Amber asked gently.

"I have always thought as a victim but the moment fate put me in your shoe I realized that you had done what any dignified Queen in your place would have done." Amber confessed.

Amber was as guilty as her mother because at some point she had thought about killing her child too but she had Ines, Rebecca and so many people who pulled her out of that fucked up state of mind while on the other hand, Emmeline had no at her side.

The Fey Princess and survived on her own~

Amber watched as her mother's lips trembled as she lifted her shaking hands. Amber's Fey form was a carbon copy of her mother.

Amber smiled as she gave her son to her mother, her gaze hazy with unshed tears.

Amber had held onto her hatred for so long that she had almost lost her mother today. And in the face of death today Amber had realized she had to let go of the past, her grudges weren't worth sacrificing her happiness for.

Ines was right, Amber can't hold onto grudges for her whole life especially when it was an eternal one.

She stared at her mother as she cried her heart out while holding onto her grandson as if her life depends on it.

"He looks so much like you. It's like I'm holding onto my little Eva again." Emmeline sobbed.

Amber couldn't help but embrace her mother and cry along her. Maybe it wasn't that bad to let go of the past. Maybe she's strong enough to let it go.

Darach and Rome watched with tears in their eyes, a family was getting united again. The King of Beasts was finally holding his daughter, mate, and grandson in his arms as the three of them cried their heart out.

Both Amber and Emmeline had their faces buried in the crook of Aric's neck. It was a moment, Aric had been waiting for so long. Finally, after roaming aimlessly for centuries, he was back home.

Where he truly belonged~

"Has anyone seen Ines?" The Dragon King's voice made Amber lift her face from the crook of Aric's neck.

His orange eyes were wild, his long hair was a tangled, it felt like he had just woken up from a deep slumber.

She smiled at the Dragon through the tears~

Amber had forgiven Emmeline, she had let go of the past and now it was time for the Oracle to hold onto her future. It was time for her to finally stop running from her destiny.