CHAPTER 4:Secret unveil
ROWAN'S POV.
“Daddy! Daddy ! Where is mom?”, Rylan ran towards me,his tiny hands wrapped around my leg,his eyes filled with tears as he sobbed continuously.
“Don't tell me Mom is dead”,he said, breaking into tears.
My voice cracked as I knelt beside him. “Yes dear,Mom is dead,I'm sorry,son. I couldn't protect Mommy."
Tears streamed down my face, as I pulled Rylan into a tight hug,my hands wrapped around him.
As I walked into Lilia's room, my gaze fell upon the neatly arranged bag she kept previously. A chill ran down my spine.Too bad I had never asked her about it.
I gently opened the seal,my heart sank.
Our family frame and Rylan's paintings lay broken, shattered into pieces.
“What had Lilia been up to?”,Thoughts ran through me as I gently arranged the broken frames.
A long, folded paper which was kept inside the bag caught my attention. I unfolded it, and my eyes scanned the pages.
I flipped the pages as I read;
“Just as these broken pieces can't be amended,so as the pains I had bear for a long time can't be forgotten.
The family I had built for good six years,my home and happiness had been taken away.
For you Rowan,your evil deeds had continuously pierced through me,I can't believe my once loving and faithful mate will ever break our loyalty bond and go about sleeping with my illegitimate sister”.
I halted for a minute, Lilia's words cut deep into me.
I felt a pang of guilt as I read on.
So Lilia had been aware of my affairs,I shook my head in regret as I read on.
She knew about my affairs with Ember
I read on, "It seems you can't stop loving her, Rowan, so I would let you have her. As for Rylan, he seems to have found peace and solace with Ember, so you both should enjoy your new Luna. I reject you, Rowan, as my mate; our bond would forever be apart. If our paths ever cross again before I'm gone, I would say it to your face.”
Reading this,my heart sank,I felt guilt filled my face.
“Lilia must have been so broken for her to write such”, I uttered silently.
I clenched my fist,slamming it so hard onto the table as anger boiled within me. I stormed towards Ember's cabin, my face reddened with rage.
My gaze fixed on Ember as she opened the door.
"You evil woman! I warned you to keep our relationship secret, but you went ahead feeding Lilia with all our affairs!"
Ember's eyes widened, as she stuttered, avoiding my gaze.
"O-oh, Alpha Rowan ... what are you talking about?”
I pushed her to the wall,lifting up my hands as I landed a slap on her face.
“You dare to lie or deny your actions again ember,I would send you to hell”, spoke,my voice hoarse and clear.
Embers gasped in shock,her voice filled with terror.
“I'm sorry Rowan,you shouldn't be doing this to me dear,she sobbed as she held her cheeks in pain,I thought you loved me”.
“You crossed your boundaries Ember,you made Lilia take her own life”, I snapped quickly.
“I did nothing Rowan,how could you say such a thing,you and your ungrateful child came to me first”.
"Watch your mouth, Ember! Watch it...", I warned, as I pushed her against the wall. My grip tightened around her wrist, and I held her neck so tight that she shook.
“Let me go Rowan”,she spoke,her voice crackly as she struggled for breath.
I loosened my grip from her neck,and pushed her to the floor.
“Rowan,You deceived me……..,You have never loved me Rowan”, she shuttered, her voice cracked as she cleared her throat resulting from my tight grip.
“You crossed your boundaries, Ember,you took Lilia’s life”,I said as I stumbled away from her cabin,she stared at me in disgust.
“I have failed to protect Lilia,my unending desire has taken a jewel away from me,Oh my Lilia,oh my Luna”, I growled, breaking the glass placed on the table.
“Daddy,seems mommy,removed all my paintings,I can't find them anymore," Rylan said,as he took a step forward, his gaze fixed on me.
I forced a smile, trying to reassure him. "Don't worry, son. We'll get you new materials to paint another one. Mommy must have taken them with her."
Hearing that,Rylan relieved his breath,as he wrapped his hands around me,his eyes welled up with tears. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I couldn't protect Mommy either."
I pulled him into a tight hug, as the tears I held tightly couldn't hold but streamed down my cheek, a feeling of regret washed over me.
"It's not your fault, son. I'm the one who failed to protect Mommy."
Days passed, and I struggled to accept the fact that Lilia is really dead.
The reality hits me so hard knowing fully well,no one can ever replace her. Rylan's constant questions about his mother's whereabouts weighed heavily on my heart.
As I sat by the fireplace, staring into the flames, I heard a faint knock on the door. It was Ember.
"Rowan, I need to talk to you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I raised an eyebrow, my face reddened ,not wanting to have any conversations with her "What could you possibly have to say to me?"
Ember took a deep breath. "I know I messed up, Rowan. I was blinded by my feelings for you, and I didn't think about the consequences. But I swear, I never meant to hurt Lilia or Rylan."
My gaze fixed on her, searching for any sign of deception. But all I saw was genuine remorse.
"Go on," I said, my voice softer.
"I'm pregnant Rowan! I'm carrying your child”.
I clenched my fist,my eyes burning with anger
“How dare you come up with this lie Ember,I growled,as I twisted her hands pulling her closer to me.
“I'm impotent Ember! I can't get anyone pregnant”.
“I paid for a sperm donor,before Lilia could get pregnant for Rylan”.
“Stop it Rowan! I'm serious,Lilia lied to you about your medical report,you aren't impotent”.
"Why should I trust you?" I asked, my eyes narrowing,my gaze fixed on her.
Ember took a step forward, her hands extended.
"Because, Rowan, I love you. And I love Rylan.
“Here is your medical report Rowan,Lilia never loved you,she did that to stay away from your intimacy,she gets pregnant and drinks contraceptives in order not to get pregnant” Ember explained.
I hesitated, unsure of what to do,as I read through the medical report,which said that I wasn't impotent.
The report Lilia gave to me was quite different from this.
“The sperm donor, the one we paid heavily for,all the tests I ran in the past could be a lie?How can the truth of the past be revealed now when Lilia is gone?.
I was stunned in silence as several thoughts ran through me.
“I never knew you Lilia,for the past six years I couldn't unveil who you truly were”,I murmured.
