Chapter 118

**Alora's POV con'd**

I never really thought about how my father knew instantly that I had been tortured, thinking it was purely due to the amount of scars worn on Selena's skin. When we had transformed into our Sprites during our training I hadn't paid attention to the scars on his skin.

I thought back to the battle now and forced myself to pay attention to the scars this time. When I did, I couldn't hold back my gasp of horror and the anguish that seemed to come with it. A tear escaped and trailed down my cheek.

My mate seeing this, gathered me onto his lap holding me close "What is it mate, what has you so upset?" he asked me in a worried tone.

I looked up into his eyes, tears on my lashes, my sorrow clear to see. "I know his scars, they are like mine." I buried my face in his chest and cried silent sobs of grief, for my father, and for myself. My tormentors were mostly gone and dead, there was only one left. My father's tormenter was his mother-in-law, and she was still alive. It made me angry.

Suddenly the tears dried as my anger began to rise, but it wasn't just my anger and demand for justice I felt, it was Selena's and Xena's too. He was our father, and though we barely knew him...we understood him and felt deeply for him already. How could we not, our connection was now just that much deeper with this new revelation. I needed to get back, I suddenly really wanted to hug my father and my new mom.

My mate, sensing my emotions stood with me in his arms, he let my legs down gently till my feet touched the floor and I was able to stand on my own. He didn't let me go though, he kept his arm wrapped around me, providing a much-needed comfort. He was a wonderful caring male, he would never leave me in distress if it was in his power to help dispel it.

The others had silently watched our entire exchange, they wore varying expressions ranging from curiosity and worry to shared sorrow. They were all family and friends, more than I ever expected to have. This just meant there were more people I was now dedicated to protecting. I would need to study the things here and remember the knowledge collected from my past lives. I would need to have us prepared to take on the Black Magic Coven.

With a gesture, Damien and I lead the way out. Once everyone was out, the willow was sealed once more. We started walking back to the training grounds, the crowd was large and loud. The atmosphere was light and lively, I tried not to let my sorrow keep me from feeling it. I wanted to feel more of the joy from my Pack as they turned an ordinary day into something fun and extraordinary.

I started to think about my father on the way back to the stadium. I was grateful Stephanie chose to stay by his side instead of following her mother's dictates. I was more grateful now than ever before that she chose to love me and adopt me as her daughter. She fought for what she believed in, and stood up for those she loved, even if it was against her own mother.

She had to have loved her mother at some point, of that I was certain, but I wanted to know what their relationship was like before my father. What had her home life been like? What was in her mother's past, that she was so afraid of her daughter messing up her life by being married to a Vampire, that she would act the way she had?

Stephanie was all kindness and heart, till it came to someone harming those she considered hers. She was a very powerful and extremely intelligent Witch. She had held a Council seat at both the Witches Council and the Supernatural Council. She had to have gotten her capacity for love from one of her parents. It made me wonder about her father. Had he approved the match?

"What is it that has you thinking so hard my Starlight?" Damien asked me, his deep rumbly voice was gentle, and held his love for me in each note.

I looked up at him and smiled, I couldn't help how much I truly loved this male. I looked at his face, his eyes, his lips, studying him, taking in all his handsome and sexy features. "I was thinking about my new mom’s father, wondering how he was, I was also wondering what kind of relationship mom had with her mother before she met my father," I tell him, my voice soft, I reach up and brush the one lock of black hair that fell against his forehead back.

"You could always ask her and find out," he advised. He gently grabbed the hand I used to brush his hair back with, and brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on top.

My heart was thumping inside my chest, my core became hot and wet, and it started to ache. I watched as his pupils got bigger and his eyes started to glow. He breathed in deeply, taking in my scent, the glow got brighter, and the color changed to that of his wolf. His arm was around my waist, bringing us tightly together, his hardness was pressed against my womb.

Fire raced through my entire body setting me aflame with my arousal, there was a bite to it this time. My eyes drifted to his lips and the hunger I started to feel became too much of a temptation, I had to kiss him. Taking my hand from his I lift my arms up and wrap them around his neck, bringing him down for a passionate kiss. I let out a moan as the flames of my arousal only increased.

My breasts felt swollen and achy, and my nipples hardened painfully, I couldn't help rubbing them against his chest trying to alleviate the ache a bit, but it only got worse. My core was throbbing to every beat of my heart, it was getting wetter by the second. I moved one of my hands up and buried my fingers in his hair on the back of his head and gripped tightly, getting a growl from him.

His growl sent a blast of fiery lust rushing over the nerves in my body, ripping a whimper from deep within me. His arms tightened around my waist a moment before he brought one hand up to the back of my head, digging his fingers into my hair and gripping it as I did his. The sensation sent a whip of lust down my spine to settle to my already hot core, heating it more.

The arh was becoming unbearable, I felt like if I didn't have him soon I was going to burst into flames and die. Every nerve was on fire, every one of my cells cried out and my core throbbed empty, calling out to be filled by him. He pulled his mouth away from mine, even with our chests heaving for air I let out a small needful whimper.

I wanted more, I tried to kiss him again but he held me in place, his eyes were fully wolf and glowing brightly. His arousal and need were in every line of his face. His body was almost trembling with need as he held back with effort. He leaned down and pressed his nose into my mark and took a deep breath in, then he let out a deep growl as he took in my scent.

"Mate..." he growls and pants a little "I don't think we will be accompanying the others back to the stadium." he says.

His voice and the growl sent more shivers of desire and flames of arousal over every nerve in my body. "What's happening?" I asked breathlessly, desperation in my voice.

I rubbed against him again, he growled as I whimpered at the sensations flowing over my body. "You've gone into heat mate." Damien growls out.

That statement barely made it through my hazy mind, I could barely focus, and the feelings I was having were so intense. "He…he…heat?" I stuttered out and whimpered again when he kept me from kissing him again, all I could do was wiggle and press harder against him in his strong embrace.

He nuzzles against my neck, and growls out "Yes...heat." he scrapes his teeth over my mark and I almost came that seconded, my core clamped together, painfully empty

"W...wh…why?" I managed to stutter out in a breathy gasp.

"I'm not sure my Starlight" he nips my mark again, getting another whimper out of me "We can't stay here, we need to go somewhere else." he growls against my neck, sending out more flames of desire to roar through me.

"Where?" I gasped, my voice desperate, a plea, my need increasing.

"There is a cottage halfway between here and the Moonstar Mansion, we'll go there now." He says, he picks me up bridal style, clutching me close to his chest.

"Darien.." he starts to ask but Darien interrupted him.

"Don't worry, I'll explain everything, come back when you can." he said in an understanding but amused voice. I'll get him back later for his amusement at my current predicament. "Go take care of your mate before you two spontaneously combust." his tone was almost a laugh.

Damien growled at him, then transformed into his Lycan form, keeping a tight hold on me, he took off running away from the Heartsong Mansion into the dense surrounding forest. He was so fast, I couldn't help but admire his strength and speed even while I was a burning inferno of mindless need in my heat.