Alexander POV:
Lucian doesn't deserve this. I know he's stubborn and often comes across as angry, but from what I've observed, especially with Isabella, I can tell he loves her deeply. He just doesn't know how to express it.
Despite his efforts, he always seems to fall short. After that day, he became like a heartless man, but today, I saw tears in his eyes. Before it's too late, Isabella needs to know the truth, even though I know I shouldn't be the one to tell her.
Isabella was crying a lot when I was with her in her room. I don't blame her for hating Lucian, as she, too, has a lot going on. But I believe she can change him because she understands him. I took her hand and said, "Bella, come with me," as I led her out of her room.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked.
"To the truth," I replied as we headed upstairs. I saw Lucian there as he recently opened the door, but I didn't question him about it. When we arrived in front of the room, webs were still all over it.
As she looked around, Isabella questioned, "What is this room? Does nobody come here?"
I opened the door, revealing a large portrait of a beautiful girl. "No, this room has been locked for a long time. Nobody goes inside, Lucian doesn't allow anyone to enter," I explained.
"Elena," Isabella said softly, her eyes fixed on the portrait.
Confused, I asked, "What did you say?"
"She is Elena, right?" Isabella asked as she walked over to the portrait.
I frowned, turning to face her. "How do you know her? Did Lucian tell you about all of this?" I wondered. No, he would have told me if he had told her.
"She is my maid," she gestured towards the woman bustling about the room, "she brings me breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She even helps me get dressed." Confusion clouded my thoughts.
Pointing to a portrait on the wall, I inquired, "Bella, are you sure that girl was Elena, and she was this girl?"
"Yes, I am telling the truth, why would I lie?" she retorted.
"But she's dead," I stated matter-of-factly. Bella's expression faltered, and a veil of silence descended upon us. We shared a moment of bewilderment, both trying to make sense of the inexplicable.
"No, what are you saying then? How can I see her? How can she be coming to me?" Bella exclaimed, her eyes darting back to the photograph. "Mother came to me, so this can also happen," she added softly, her gaze dropping. I turned to study her, but her mother had long passed away.
"Explain yourself to me," I demanded, my mind reeling with unanswered questions.
"I will tell you everything from the start, but if she is Elena, who was she to Lucian?" Bella questioned me.
"She's Elena, Lucian's younger sister," I confirmed.
"What? She's Lucian's sister?" Bella's disbelief was palpable.
"Yes, but she was human, a lovely human with a kind heart just like you," I reassured her.
"So what happened, if she is dead, what happened to her?" Bella pressed, her curiosity piqued. I sighed, resigning myself to the task of recounting a tale that spanned centuries.
"Centuries ago, when we were first created, the Moon Goddess, our creator, was also the mother of Lucian, Elena, and Lorenzo, who attacked us on your wedding day. He is Lucian's brother," I began.
"What? That man is Lucian's brother? But if he is, why did he attack?" Bella interrupted, her eyes wide with shock.
"Yes, it all started when"
Flashback
"Elena, Alex, don't run like that, you both will hurt yourselves," a woman's voice called out, laced with panic.
"Nothing will happen, Mom, I will be okay," a giggling Little Elena said as Alex chased her around.
In a sweet voice, Alex said, "Elena, I will catch you." However, Elena stumbled over a stone while running and was about to fall when someone grabbed her.
Fearing that she would fall, she closed her eyes, expecting to be hurt. But when she opened them, it was Lucian who had grabbed her.
Helping her to stand, he said, "Careful, sister."
"Thank you, brother," she said softly.
"I warned you two not to run. It's a good thing Lucian caught you," their mother said as she approached them.
"But Mother, you are the moon goddess, you can heal my wound, right?" Elena innocently questioned.
"Oh, child, I'm a goddess, but I cannot do this," their mother explained.
"But you made brothers Lucian and Lorenzo like that, they can heal themselves, and also Alex. Why not me?" Elena asked, puzzled.
"Because, my dear, you are special. You don't need this power. You have a much bigger power than this. You have a human heart full of kindness and innocence," their mother replied.
End of flashback
Bella leaned forward, her eyes intrigued by the tale unfolding before her. "She was a human girl who had brothers who were wolves," Bella said, a soft chuckle escaping her lips.
"Yes," I nodded solemnly, my mind drifting back to the memories of that tumultuous time. "She would constantly complain about our ability to heal."
"What happened then?" Bella's curiosity was palpable, her gaze urging me to continue.
My smile faded as I delved deeper into the story. "The moon goddess didn't create us to rule over humans but to rule beside them, to have an equal balance over good and evil. Lucian was meant to be king of the beasts, but Lorenzo didn't share the same vision. He desired sole dominion, believing wolves were superior to humans."
"So Lucian was okay with ruling beside humans?" Bella's brow furrowed in puzzlement.
"Yes," I confirmed, "but Lorenzo's ambitions knew no bounds. He believed in the supremacy of wolves and sought to assert his dominance over all living beings on Earth. The moon goddess opposed his tyranny, holding onto the hope that humans could evolve for the better. However, fate took a dark turn when Elena, just eighteen years old at the time..."
Flashback
Lucian's anxiety was palpable as he approached his mother. "Mother, have you seen Elena? I can't find her anywhere, she's not in her chambers, nor with Alex, nor in the gardens."
"Perhaps she's in the library. I'll go check there. You and Alex search the castle," the moon goddess suggested, concern etched into her features.
"Where could she have gone?" the moon goddess pondered, her worry mounting with each passing moment.
Suddenly, a man burst into the room, his frantic words tumbling out in gasps. "Lucian, Elen... Elena, she... she—" He was too breathless, too overwhelmed to complete his sentence, leaving us all on edge, our hearts pounding with dread.
"What happened to her?" Alex asked, his voice filled with concern as he surveyed the tense scene before him.
The men exchanged solemn glances before one gestured outside the castle, saying, "Come outside."
Stepping outside, Alex's heart sank as he saw the lifeless form of Elena lying on the ground, her once vibrant spirit now extinguished.
"No," cried the moon goddess, her anguished voice cutting through the night as she rushed towards her daughter's body, cradling it in her arms.
Lorenzo, arriving on the scene, looked upon the tragic sight with shock and sorrow. His usual calm demeanor shattered, replaced by a burning anger.
"They did this. I thought I could give them a chance, but they are all animals," Lorenzo declared, his voice thick with rage.
"What do you mean? You know who did this, Lorenzo?" Lucian demanded, his eyes blazing with a fierce intensity.
Lorenzo's jaw clenched as he replied, "The humans."
The moon goddess let out a heart-wrenching cry. "No, why would they do this? We offered them protection."
"Mother, I have learned from my men that they were planning this. They wanted us to rule under them, not beside them. I thought it was just idle talk, but I was wrong," Lorenzo explained, his voice filled with regret and anger.
Lucian, his patience worn thin, growled, "I will kill them all. They need to understand who holds the power here."
But the moon goddess intervened, her voice firm yet gentle. "Killing them won't change anything. We must punish the guilty, not the innocent."
"Mother, enough of this. Your humans don't care about us. They only care about their own desires. I have told you before, that these humans are nothing but greedy beings. We should rule over them," Lorenzo argued, his eyes blazing with a fierce determination.
"No, I said no. Don't do anything. Your sister lies dead here, yet you both stand here, ready to go and kill the innocent," she pleaded. But her words fell on deaf ears. Both of them ignored her advice and sprinted off, transforming into wolves and wreaking havoc upon the kingdom's villages. Lucian, in particular, was more dangerous and powerful than Lorenzo, making them an unstoppable force.
End of flashback
"That's why Lucian hates humans so much. But that was centuries ago. Why does this hate still linger in his heart?" Bella pondered aloud.
"His love for his sister made him like this," I responded solemnly.
"But who put you all to sleep? The moon goddess?" Bella inquired further.
"Yes. The humans pleaded to the moon goddess for help, and she granted it. As a goddess, she could not stand by and watch innocent people die. So, she warned us by cursing us for not having a mate. Despite her warning, none of us listened. Instead, we turned into animals and murderers. In the end, the moon goddess put us to sleep," I explained.
"But what about the curse? How can it be broken?" Bella asked, her curiosity piqued.
"This curse can only be broken by collecting ten different hearts from various human natures. Lucian didn't even know that your mother was killed because of this curse. He only found out when he brought you here. He didn't want you to know because he thought it would only make you hate him, and that was the last thing he wanted from you," I revealed, watching as Bella nodded sadly.
"What about Lorenzo then?" Bella pressed on.
"That is the big question. Why did he come now? Where has he been all these years? What happened to him?" I paused, gathering my thoughts. "Although Lucian was supposed to be the king of the beasts, Lorenzo continued to believe he had a right to the throne even after Elena died. During the war, Lorenzo attempted to kill Lucian, and they had a violent battle. Lucian emerged victorious, yet he spared Lorenzo's life, because of moon goddess" I recounted, watching Bella's expression closely as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.
"Oh, so now Lucian's brother Lorenzo is back here for his throne?" Bella inquired.
"Yes, Bella, we never got to know who killed her. We just ran off, killing many people. I came to hate humans to the core of my heart. Deep down, I know I'm doing wrong, but Lucian is my king," I explained.
"But you had a chance to make him understand," Bella stated.
"Maybe I didn't want to. I became a killer, dear. I reveled in their slaughter. But when you came, I thought maybe this was a chance for Lucian to change. What I was not able to do, you can. You can change him. Please, give him a chance. He just lost his path," I pleaded with her. Lost in thought, she didn't immediately respond to me.
"Everyone needs a chance," she said, breaking the silence. Her words brought a smile to my face.
" so if nothing can kill you all? Then why was John so confident about the sword he had?" Bella asked, her curiosity piqued.
"There are many swords made to harm us. Humans had witches, the witches who tricked them into believing that the swords they gave could kill us," I explained.
"So, these swords are useless, you mean?" Bella sought clarification.
"No, no, they have an effect, but not on Lucian or me. Obviously, Lucian is the king, he has the ability of a king. Nothing can harm him other than losing you," I replied, emphasizing the vulnerabilities of our kind.
"Hmm, the sword John had really hurt Lucian, but..." Bella trailed off, her thoughts trailing into the implications.
"Yes, it did, but it will heal. You know, there is only one sword made to harm Lucian, but it will not kill him, just harm him deeply. The sword your father had can easily harm our soldiers. The sword John had was not real, it was a duplicate. The real sword, we don't know where it is. That sword can kill every single one of our soldiers, including me," I elaborated, and she nodded in understanding.
"Now, tell me about yours. How do you see Elena and your mother?" I asked.
"Well, when I came here, Elena was here as my maid. She used to bring my breakfast, lunch, and dinner and helped me with many things. We talked about many things. She even told me about her family and mentioned she had two brothers. Now, I understand who they were. But you know, she would always leave when Lucian arrived," Bella recounted.
"Hmm, she was hiding from him. But why?" I pondered.
"I don't know. She never stayed when he came. But when the attack happened, she just disappeared. I haven't seen her since that day. I even asked the other maids, but they said there was no girl named Elena. The same goes for my mother and the bird," Bella continued.
"What bird?" I inquired.
"Well, at first, the bird used to come to my room, telling me to give Lucian a chance and to marry him. I was confused about why she was saying this. I was shocked to see a bird talking. Then, my mother appeared. She was just an image though, I couldn't touch her, too asked me to do the same things as the bird" Bella explained.
"Bella, can you describe the bird you mentioned earlier?" I inquired, my curiosity piqued.
"It was white, pure white, shining like the moon, and so beautiful, almost like a royal bird," she replied, her voice tinged with nostalgia.
"She was the moon goddess," I stated, connecting the dots in my mind.
"What... that's why she urged me to marry him, saying my destiny was sealed by the moon goddess before I was even born," she mused, her brow furrowing in contemplation. The thought troubled me. Had something happened when she put us to sleep?
"I don't know about that. When she put us to sleep, we were all still under a curse. The moon goddess had another form, which was the white bird you saw," I explained, trying to piece together the puzzle.
"I tried to ask them, but they vanished, and I haven't seen them since. Every day, I hoped my mother would come, but she never did," Bella further added.
"I think there's more to this that we don't know. Let's leave it for now. Tomorrow, we have to go to your kingdom," I suggested, helping her to her feet.
"Yes, it's getting late. Where is Lucian? He didn't come," she observed, looking around.
"He's out, calming himself," I replied, giving her a reassuring smile as I closed the door behind us.
"Why is he upset?" she inquired, concern lacing her words.
"He's upset about losing you. I just hope he doesn't do something drastic out of frustration," I remarked, guiding Bella down the stairs.
"Why would he do such a thing?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.
"He cares about you deeply. Losing you has been hard on him," I explained, hoping to ease her concern.
As we walked away from the room, the moon casting a soft glow around us, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was much more to uncover about the things happening around us.
"Bella, mate, is like a half-soul to us. You are like a world to him, everything, his happiness, his anger, his love, everything. That's why I asked you to help him regain his former self," I replied, earnestly.
She chuckled nervously. "I hope I can do this. Your friend does scare me sometimes. Well, not sometimes, but every time. I'm still scared of him."
"He can hurt me, but not you, so don't be scared. Eat your dinner and get some sleep," I reassured her.
"Yeah, you too. And thanks for this," she said gratefully.
"No problem. Just don't tell Lucian about this. But, Bella, listen to me. Lucian will seek justice for what Lorenzo has done to your father, and I promise you, he will not get away with it," I said firmly, squeezing her hand gently.
"Thank you, but killing him will just make you all more like killers and monsters," she said, her voice tinged with sadness.
I looked at her in shock as she spoke. "But... he tried to harm you. He killed your fa..." She silenced me by placing a finger on my lips.
"Don't say anything. I know what he did. But as you said, everyone deserves a second chance. Maybe he is also lost in his path, maybe he also needs someone to talk to him," she replied with compassion. She truly had a big heart, willing to give the person who had taken her father's life another chance.
"Hmm," I uttered softly, turning to head back to my room. As I walked away, I heard Bella sigh.
"I can give it to Lorenzo if I can give Lucian another chance," she said softly as she shut her door.
Turning to face the closed door, I couldn't help but think she resembled Elena, radiant and compassionate. Truly, Lucian deserved her. I wished them both an endless happy life.