The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 143: Something to fight for.

~Unknown~

"Goodnight fallen H!" A little blonde girl waved at the bearded man marching down the stinky street as heavy rain droplets pelted down his weirdly large frame.

The man raised his head slowly at the child and smiled. "Goodnight Monica!" He greeted back, not stopping even for a moment as he passed by her house.

He was clad in with nothing but a sheer tunic covering his back and held a dead rabbit in his left hand which was fast getting drenched by the heavy downpour— not that he cared.

That was his dinner for tonight... plus maybe his tomorrow’s breakfast and lunch.

As he made his way to the shabby structure that was his house, he couldnot help but wince at the name the child had referred to him.

Fallen H. A short for fallen hero.

That was his nickname around here. It was what the locals called him, and even though the name somewhat reminded him of his dark past and how powerless he’d been, he did nothing to stop them. Hell, he’d even gotten to the point where the name no longer affected him so much.

Fallen Hero kicked the door to his house open, but as soon as he stepped into the dark dusty home, he immediately sensed that something was off.

He tried to dispel these thoughts by blaming his sudden paranoia on the fact that it was still raining heavily, but it was impossible. There was something— someone— in his house, and he was sure as hell by the strange smell he could perceive reeking out from every corner of the house.

"Who is there?!" Fallen hero yelled, his eyes scanning the room, but he could see nothing. And that made him antsy.

It’s been several months since he last used his werewolf vision, and even longer since he used any of his other senses— and this is mostly because he lived within humans—but right now, even with using these senses he’s sworn off, he still couldn’t find what it was that was stalking him. He still couldn’t see the entity that was making the hairs on his skin stand on end.

Suddenly, a rush of wind blew past his face and he stumbled backward in a hurry only to slam his back against a wooden cupboard.

He winced, his lower lip curling into a snarl.

Now, fallen hero was sure that whatever was in his home wasn’t human. It was an apex predator just like he was, and that made him mad. That irked him to no end, especially as he’d given up on everything that has to do with supernatural creatures a very long time ago.

"Who is it?" He snarled again, his voice rougher this time. "Frankly, I don’t care who you are but I’d advise you to leave now before I’m forced to do something we would both hate!"

As soon as he said that, the dead rabbit in his hand fell to the floor but before he could react, the table at the centre of the room suddenly flew into his chest with a force that rammed him against the wooden cupboard behind. He grunted in pain, cursing under his breath as he searched frantically for the person attacking him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Fallen Hero snarled in rage. "And what gives you the temerity to come into my home and attack me in it?!"

His voice carried so much anger and frustration, and his frustration only doubled when suddenly, all the candles in the room flickered on as if lit by an invisible flame.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, his breath hitched and his eyes widened slowly as the realization of what this was slowly began to dawn on him. With a raging heartbeat, he took tantalizing steps forward, rasping; "Mother-in-law?"

And as soon as he uttered that word, the tenseness in the atmosphere lightened. A floating chair behind him fell to the floor with a crash and a silver-haired woman with glowing silver eyes stepped out of the darkness. She stood in front of him with tears streaming down her face and a small smile spread across her cheeks.

"Kael?"

"Mother-in-law?" He tried again, his voice shaking, and the woman nodded, sobbing uncontrollably now as if she too couldn’t believe her eyes.

For the longest time, she’d thought he was dead. She had thought that her sweet son-in-law had died from grief after the death of her daughter, his wife.

Both of them cried for a long time, neither of them knowing how long they did, and when they finally stopped, they pulled each other into their arms and held on, as if in a bid to make up for all the years lost... for the over-a-decade spent apart.

When they finally pulled apart, the older woman leaned up to wipe away his tears, and that action, however small, made a tremor run up his spine. He cried harder.

"Alpha, I cannot believe that this is you! I used to think that I’ve lost you... that we all lost you. How’s this even possible?" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Fallen hero cried, his hands trembling as he cradled the woman he’d loved like she was his own mother to his chest. He wiped off the tears streaming down her face, frowning when he noticed how much she’d aged over the years. And how fragile she now appeared.

He sighed. "I’m sorry. Come, let me get you a chair. I’m a very bad host."

Then with an awkward chuckle, he led her away from the doorway further into the house. He then pulled out a soft chair, and after helping her sit, he plopped down on the floor beside her, his back hunched as he studied the mud on her feet.

The old lady couldn’t help but be taken aback by his tenderness. Hell, he’s always been a sweet lad, gentle and loving. However, she never imagined that he would remain that way after everything that’s happened to him... and after all the hardships he’s been forced to endure.

Her eyes tore up at his sight— he was now a shell of what he used to be.

In the place where a strong warrior once was, now a helpless looking middle aged man stood. His face pale, his shoulders hunched, his once gleaming eyes dull. He looked like the life in him had been beaten out of him.

He looked lost. Devastated.

Like he’d lost a fight.

Now, she cannot help but wonder if maybe he never moved on from the pain of losing his mate, her daughter... That maybe he never really moved past it.

But not anymore. She’d come to tell him that there’s something to fight for. Something to live for. Something worth forcing him out of his self-banishment.

She coughed dramatically, causing the man to rise quickly. He shuffled through the house and appeared moments later with a cup of clear water. "Take," he whispered, watching her carefully, "drink."

"Kael’vorn, why didn’t you ever return after what happened? Why did you leave the rest of us to suffer?" She asked after taking a sip of his water, not missing the way he flinched as if he’d been physically struck.

The warmth in his eyes dimmed so fast it made her wonder if it was ever there in the first place and he turned away from her, exhaling through his mouth as if that would lessen the ache in his chest.

It has been over fifteen years since the incident but still, he hasn’t recovered from it... he could never recover from it.

He sighed. "Because I cannot."

"Because you cannot what?" She cried, her voice coming out harsher than she’d intended. "Because you cannot lead your people anymore or because you were too afraid to—"

"Because I couldn’t return to the beaten down ash that is my old pack!" He snarled, causing the woman to flinch in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to react so strongly. "Because I cannot go back to the same place where my mate was brutally murdered! Where more than half of my pack members were massacred! Because I cannot return when my daughter may be out there, somewhere dying... suffering... that’s if she isn’t dead by now!"

’Maybe I’m really the fallen hero’ he thought to himself, a shudder running through him, and with this thought, he pressed his head against a wall, taking in sharp breaths to stop the tears from streaming down his face.

The old lady in front of him sighed dejectedly, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She rose slowly to her feet, and with a strength he was shocked to realize she possessed, she grabbed at the front of his tunic and pulled him closer.

Now, their faces were only a few inches apart, and from this position, he couldn’t help but notice how the color of her eyes had changed to a swirling purple; he gasped in surprise.

She hissed; "I know a girl."

Kael’vorn scoffed. "I don’t care about any girl."

"She’s young. She’s beautiful. She has the loveliest smile and is polite."

"Are you trying to match-make me with some rando?" Kael’vorn seethed. "Is that your way of helping me, mother-in-law?" He spat, his voice as sharp as thin ice, meant to cut deep, but she was unfazed.

"Yes, it’s my way of helping you... and no, I’m not playing matchmaker."

"Then why are you telling me about her, Grandmama Lupe? Why would you—"

"Because I think she’s my granddaughter, Kael!" She snapped, interrupting him. " Because I think she’s your child, Nyx’ara. Though now, she goes by a different name; ’Dahlia’."

Kael’vorn gasped, shaking his head as he tumbled to the floor like his entire world had come crashing down on him.

"No."

"Yes," Grandmama Lupe continued harshly. "She looks just like Nina. Even their mannerisms are alike. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell her so instead I helped her escape from Shadowfang pack. It was unsafe for her and her daughter there."

"Her daughter?" Kael’vorn drawled, his ears ringing. Hell, he could no longer control the tears streaming down his face. Alpha would be damned.

"Yes, she has a daughter." Grandmama Lupe continued. "A pretty girl who looks just like how she did before the fire. Amara. You have a granddaughter."

Kael’vorn couldn’t believe his ears. He had a hard time believing that his daughter still lives, and worse, she has a daughter of her own now; but he also knew that Grandmama Lupe would never lie about something like this.

More tears streamed down his face as he held his head with his hands and with a resigned sigh, he whispered; "I want to see them."

"And that’s exactly what I hoped you’d say."