My Most Precious Human

I collapsed to my knees, staring at my father's dead body lying on his throne. Draven was standing next to me. He leaned down and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I... I don't know..." I muttered, "Are you?"

I felt all sorts of emotions, some of which I was unable to name, and I could understand if Draven felt frustrated because, in the end, he couldn't avenge his father with his own hands. When I lifted my eyes to meet his, I saw anger and relief mixed in his expression.

"Someone must have hated him even more than I did." He stretched his lips into a thin line.

"Randall D'Apolito ruined a lot of lives. He finally pissed off someone powerful enough to kill him." I shrugged, trying to act as if looking at my father's corpse meant nothing to me.

"At least he can't hurt you anymore." Draven gave me a warm smile and reached out his hand to help me stand.

I took his hand, pushing away my uneasiness and trying to wrap my feelings into something lighter. "At least he said that I have my mother's eyes, although he hated that looking at something he loathed, like me, reminded him of his mate..." I let out an ironic chuckle.

"He was a monster. Don't let his sick words torment you. He is finally dead, and our Goddess knows how special you are." Draven grabbed my hand and led me out of the throne hall. "By the way, do you know who he was talking about when he mentioned a child?"

I shook my head. "I have no idea."

"Did your father have any children aside from you?" he inquired restlessly.

I stopped and looked deeply into Draven's eyes. "If my father had had a child strong enough to challenge him, he would have kept it close and presented it to the world with pride," I said confidently. Draven smiled wryly, "I guess you are right. Maybe it was someone whom he treated like his child..."

"Maybe..." I sighed and started walking down the stairs of the mansion.

I didn't want to continue that subject, not at that very minute. I needed to get out of there before those emotions, which I was crumbling inside me would all surface at once. I walked faster and faster until I started to run, passing by all the pack warriors and Royal Army soldiers still searching throughout the residence. Only once I got out did I feel I could breathe again. My father's death and my conviction that JD had been there, perhaps minutes before we entered, felt overwhelming.

I walked deep into the garden to find the only piece of the ground that wasn't dirty with blood and began taking long, deep, audible breaths. The sun was high in the sky already. Its blinding light forced me to direct my eyes toward my feet. Once I did, I noticed drops of water falling on my boots. It wasn't the rain. I was crying, but I didn't realize it before. I cried out of relief, out of pain, out of ending something in my life, releasing the pressure that had gathered within me in the last few hours.

After some time, my tears naturally stopped falling, as if my system had announced complete detoxification. As soon as I felt like I was regaining my emotional balance, my mind turned into processing mode, making all of my restlessness reappear. It was a quick and drastic wake-up call to reality. I was positive that I sensed JD inside the mansion. Since his aura had been all I could smell, it was only logical to assume that he was the one that defeated my father... Did my father know JD? My father said that "his child" had come to kill him. He also made it disgustingly clear that he wasn't referring to me. It would mean that this "child" had to cultivate a lot of hatred towards my father, enough to rip him to pieces.

JD was becoming more and more of a mystery to me. He challenged Sariel, he led an army of powerful degenerates, and he had unclear connections with my father. Furthermore, for some reason, he was interested in me...

Suddenly, I recalled the words JD had written in his last message: it was a warning not to come near the Southern Woods Pack territory. Was it because he had been planning to kill my father, and if I got in his way, he would have had to kill me too?

"God... I wish Sariel was here..." I muttered to myself, feeling helpless and anxious.

My thoughts drifted towards the one that still occupied a part of my heart. Suddenly, I desperately wanted to see him. I needed him close. Even though my rushed emotional decision led me to Draven's bed, I shamelessly wished that Sariel would fulfill the promise he once made and meet me here, in the Southern Wood Pack's territory.

There was a deep crack in my trust in Draven. Melinda unintentionally made me realize that all the sweet words he had been telling me could have been lies from the very beginning. Without feeling what he wanted me to feel, I needed anything that would prove that I was his destined mate, yet there was no proof. This lack of certainty drove me insane. Moreover, I had a strange feeling that people in the Moon Hill Pack were keeping secrets from me. It even made me think that perhaps I should push Jetta to talk. I figured that she hated me enough to tell me everything if it was meant to hurt me, even despite Draven's orders.

I knew that with the southern packs finally crushed down and conquered, Draven could easily claim himself the King of Wolves. I also knew that he would want me to officially become his Queen, but I wasn't ready for that, not unless he did something to make me trust him again and make me undeniably believe that we were meant to be together.

I was hiding in the gardens for quite some time. It was time to come back. When I walked to the residence's entrance, the whole army of vampires and wolves was already gathered in the vast area leading to the mansion. All the warriors were facing the entrance while Draven stood in front of them, presenting himself as the proud Alpha, conqueror of the south. When he saw me, his eyes brightened, and he gestured for me to join and stand beside him. I wasn't sure if I should, but I was too raw emotionally to deal with anything. I merely hoped that he wouldn't announce anything without my consent. As I stepped closer, he quickly grabbed my hand. I smiled nervously and slipped out of his grasp. He frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Patrick stepping between us and meaningfully clearing his throat. Draven clicked his tongue, then took a deep breath, preparing to make his speech.

"Warriors," he started, "the south is ours!"

His short statement abruptly built a wave of chants and roars while all those who stood in front of him victoriously threw their fisted hands in the air. Draven smirked at me and continued, "I'm glad to share this moment with the one who will soon become my Queen!"

"What?!" I snapped.

My objection was overshadowed by the loud shouts of the rejoiced crowd. I wanted to punch Draven hard for announcing something like that with no regard for my opinion. My hand automatically fisted, but Patrick grabbed my hand to spot me. I glared at him. In response, he formed a mysterious smile and pointed at the long rows of Royal Army standing in front of us. As I looked in that direction, I noticed a wave of rising commotion, moving from the back. My heart started to pound. The rows of Royal Army soldiers spread as their King walked towards Draven, Patrick, and me.

I gasped. My heart hammered, and my whole body began to shiver. I was overwhelmed by the emotions spinning within me. He was alive. Sariel was alive, and he walked surrounded by the admiration of his soldiers, bowing to him and chanting his name. With each step, he looked powerful and majestic, even though he was dressed just like other soldiers, but there was something breathtaking in his gaze, something that made my knees weak.

As he walked closer, I noticed his eyes were solely on Draven, his jaw tense and his pupils burning with rage. I looked at Patrick, but he just observed everything calmly, keeping his poker face. Draven frowned. I bet that Sariel's stealing his moment of glory must have infuriated him, yet Sariel's anger seemed deeper. The Vampire King charged straight at Draven and knocked him down with a powerful blow in the face. Everyone froze.

Draven jumped on his feet in an instant and raised his fist with a loud growl, ready to attack.

"I wouldn't do it if I were you." Leo chuckled slyly, stepping in between his King and him, and then he snapped his fingers.

On his sign, two Royal Army soldiers dragged a short, black-haired woman with a tanned complexion, violently pulling her hands, and then pushing her down on her knees in front of Sariel and Draven. Draven froze.

"Who the hell is she?" I muttered restlessly, leaning over Patrick's ear.

"See for yourself," he said, urging me to come forward.

I stepped closer to Sariel and Leo. I felt relieved and overjoyed that they were alive. At the same time, I felt moved and flustered. Tears hung heavily in my eyes while my lips curled into a grateful smile. I was too shaken to look Sariel in the eyes; I gazed at Leo instead, and he shot me his usual smug grin. Then my eyes drifted toward the girl kneeling on the ground and I pulled in a shaky breath. Her characteristic looks couldn't be mistaken for anyone else's. With her thick, dark eyebrows, long lashes, framing dark eyes, and strong jaw, she looked like no other she-wolf in the pack. I let my nostrils examine her scent, and I was certain that she was the one who broke into my hotel room.

"How did you find her...?" I asked Leo, nervous and confused.

Leo smirked and jerked his chin up, pointing at Patrick, "Commander Kim did."

Patrick nodded, confirming Leo's words, but that brought only more questions about what was going on, and why Sariel punched Draven.

"Speak!" Leo ordered the black-haired she-wolf.

The girl raised her frightened eyes on me and nearly cried out, "My name is Maia, and I was an IT specialist in Scarlet Valley Pack... Alpha Draven approached me, knowing that I'm familiar with spying devices, and asked to plant one in Ms. Lilith's phone..."

I felt sick. The world began to spin. How could Draven do this to me? He could have listened to all of my conversations... Did he manipulate those messages I received as well? Unknowingly, my gaze shifted to Sariel, and I found his eyes locked on me. Before I could say a word, he stepped closer and grabbed my hand.

"Just to be clear, my love..." His intense stare penetrated the deepest corners of my mind, making me concentrate on nothing else but him. "I had never slept with Elora, and if she is pregnant, then the child certainly isn't mine."