Alpha Nocturne’s Contracted Mate by A E Randell
Chapter 296 Things Changed
Lord Brarthroroz guided Lexi over to one of the chairs around the table and gestured towards the flap of the tent.
“Make sure no one enters for the time being, Steve.” He said with an air of resignation to his voice as he took a seat next to his daughter. Steve nodded expressionlessly as he moved to the open flap, released the material to close it and ducked through to stand outside.
“You two should sit as well,” Lord Brathroroz advised as he gestured to the seats across from Lexi, “This isn’t easy for me to talk about.” He continued with a grunt.
Greyson and Allen moved to comply and took their seats next to each other, both of them focused on Lexi.
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Lord Brarthroroz sighed as he turned back to his daughter and cupped her face fondly.
“Before I start, I want you to understand that before your mother and I had you, neither of us realized just how deeply we could love and the desire to protect you from harm eclipsed everything else in our lives completely.” He said gently as Lexi smiled.
“I know Papa, don’t worry. I’ve always known that you both loved me. I know the orphanage wasn’t a choice you took lightly…”
“It just wasn’t safe in my realm Lexi. There are far too many corrupting influences there and I know your mother would have wanted you to love your own opinions before being exposed to my world.” Lord Brarthroroz murmured regretfully. “I wanted desperately to keep you close, but it was all that I could do to ensure that you were safe here, beyond certain people’s reach as you grew.”
“I mean… it was an experience that I would rather forget, but I understand why you did it Papa,” Lexi smiled reassuringly as her father returned her smile with sadness in her eyes.
“After your mother died… or at least I thought she had died, you were all that I had left of her,” He snarled suddenly ad his fist clenched tightly, “If I had known that Eromaug had taken her then I would have done everything I could to get her back.”
Lexi reached across and laid her hand on his arm, squeezing lightly.
“I know Papa. I just don’t understand why Eromaug wants me…” She sighed looking up at her father with pleading eyes, “If all of this is because Eromaug wants something from me then I deserve to know. Mother, Aoife and countless others have suffered because of this, if I can do something to get them back…”
All three men growled loudly at her words and she narrowed her eyes at them.
“I will not sit back and do nothing. If he has my mother, and has Aoife… and is willing to invade a f realm just because of me then what the f**k am I supposed to do?! Let him continue his murderous rampage?!” She snorted, “All of you are f*****g insane if you think I’m going to sit idly by and do nothing. I just want to know WHY he is after me. At least tell me that. I need to understand, Papa.”
An uncomfortable silence seemed to fill the tent until Lexi couldn’t bear it anymore.
“Look, if you won’t tell me Papa, then there is nothing stopping me from seeking out Eromaug and hearing it from his own mouth.” She hissed angrily, “f*****g secrets won’t get anyone anywhere, if anything, you’re only making yourself complicit in any future deaths by not telling me!”
“You don’t understand how difficult this is Lexi. You are my daughter…”
“Then tell me! I can’t change what has happened in the past, but we might be able to stop something in the future if we know everything Papa! You would hate for me to lie to you…how can I trust you if I know that you’re keeping secrets from me!”
Lord Brarthroroz flinched as an expression of hurt flickered across his face, the sight of it pulling painfully at LExi’s heart, but it yielded the results she wanted and her father began to speak.
“Eromaug hasn’t always been this… homicidal. Petulant, wild, jealous and irrational, sure. When you were very young, somehow the news had reached him that I had found my mate and sired a child. He was curious and approached me…”
Lord Brarthroroz sighed deeply, “He had been polite and courteous to your mother at his first introduction, and we both felt that perhaps being more involved with his family and this realm would soften him slightly. He had never experienced the utter joy of a close family relationship and the incredible feeling of love…we thought we could help with that.”
Lord Brarthroroz hung his head slightly as Lexi listened intently. She couldn’t ever remember meeting Eromaug before, yet… he did feel familiar.
“When he first met you, he was smitten. You couldn’t have been more than two years old and you were so tiny …” His lips curved upwards at the memory as he spoke, “He instantly felt the same protective instinct towards you and you adored him Lexi. At the time, it made both your mothers heart and mine soar with happiness to see the close bond you were already forming at that age.”
“But as you got older,” His smile faded suddenly as he met Lexi’s gaze once more and his expression seemed to harden, “Things changed.”
When he didn’t elaborate Lexi bit back a sigh of frustration.
“But how? What happened Papa? I don’t even remember him from my childhood.”
“You were never supposed to,” He answered softly with a wry smile, “Things became inappropriate Lexi. He became reckless and possessive over you, and it wasn’t until you hit twelve years old that he made a claim on you that I refused to accept.”
Allen and Greyson growled lightly, as if they could almost guess at what he was going to say next and Lexi’s stomach sank. Lord Brarthroroz’s steely gaze and the disgusted sneer that spread on his face chilled her to the bone.
“He claimed that you were to be his life mate,” He spat furiously, “I refused to acknowledge his claim, nor give him my blessing…even when he promised to wait until you came of age and this angered him greatly Lexi. He did everything in his power to turn you against your mother and I and after he crossed the line yet again, I made a decision that you may hate me for, but I do not regret it for a second.”
“What did you do…” Lexi breathed, her heart racing in her chest so fast that she felt it would burst out.
“I blocked your memories of your time with him and sealed your recognition of him.” Lord Brarthroroz said flatly, “To you, it was as if he never existed in the first place.”
Lexi blinked at him in shock.
“Eromaug was supposed to be my mate?!” She breathed in shock, “What…”
“Perhaps it would be easier to show you the reasons why, Lexi.” Lord Brarthroroz said over the outraged snarls from where Allen and Greyson were seated, “Now that you have your mates at your side, I am confident that you will see the wisdom in my actions. At the very least, even if you do not, they will understand why I did what I did.”
He reached across and took hold of Lexi’s hand, staring at her intently as Lexi realized that she couldn’t pull her gaze away from him.
“Papa… what are you doing?!” she murmured, frozen in place and unable to move.
“Steve was right. It’s time you knew everything.” He murmured softly as he reached his free hand across and pressed two fingers to her forehead.
Lexi only had a second before the pressure built to an unbearable level in her head and her vision went black.