Tangled Hearts - The Alpha's Baby Mama-Chapter 258: A pawn in the grand scheme...

Selene POV

We drove for what seemed like an eternity until we arrived at a small path.

The sun was up and shone brightly in the sky by the time we arrived. I was hot and cranky and the baby in my womb wouldn’t stop moving. Every part of my body ached, I was sleep-deprived, hungry and at the same time bone-weary.

As soon as the car stopped, I let myself out and started walking towards a big tree. As soon as I got there, I sprawled under the shade, hoping the tiredness would help me catch a few winks. I closed my eyes and tried not to think of anything.

After a few minutes, I noticed Jared was hovering over me. My eyelids snapped open as I glared at him. "What is it now?’

"We won’t be here for long," he said quietly "So, no need for you to relax and feel at home. We’ll be moving out as soon as possible,".

"Really?" I scoffed "Fine, I don’t want to be a part of your little scheme again, Jared. You can find someone else. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m heavily pregnant, have been starved for days and barely have the strength to carry myself and the life inside me. All I am asking is a chance to lie like a normal person. And maybe, you could try looking for something we would. I’m starving and I’m not going to leave this spot without eating,".

"And I’ve been having it smooth right?" he retorted with a sneer. ’I’m going through the same thing as you and trying my best to ensure we eat with our limited, meagre resources. If you could just endure a little bit instead of making life difficult for me,".

"Then can you help me carry the babies too?" I fired back my eyes glinting with annoyance "Why did I even listen to you and come on this fruitless journey. Take me back home. I promise not to mention your involvement to Noah. It’ll be our little secret,".

"You think by now, Noah doesn’t know that I am the one behind your abduction? C’mon, he’s not that dumb and if you insist not to go, then I would go for your children instead. Maeve and Vina, right? They have a gift, don’t they? Clairvoyance. A power that can help them see beyond the present and into the future. But let me tell you something shocking, the moon goddess, the one you’ve been seeing for a while now," he said quickly when he saw I was about to deny it.

"She blocked it for later. I don’t know if she planned to restore it to them when they’re bigger but she blocked them. If they had their gift, they would have seen a lot of things, like you being taken by me, and even the last fight. They would have seen something like that,".

"No," I whispered, my heart clenching at the thought of my daughter being dragged into this nightmare "And I’m aware of their clairvoyance being removed. She told me and I thought it was the best thing to do. They’re too young to be burdened with visions. How long have you been following me or watching me?"

"Long enough to see your meetings with her," Jared sneered, his tone mocking. "You think she’s meeting you so you could just save her child when she was the one that caused this mess in the first place? She’s holding on to something that can never be. An illusion and just so you know, she’s been deceiving you, Selene. Hiding the truth from you. If you’re doubting me then why didn’t she tell you about her child, the one who has been visiting you all this while,".

My breath caught in my throat. "Her child? Visiting me?"

"Yes," Jared hissed, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "A god named Fenrir or Kragen as he liked to be called. The Moon goddess’s son was born from a union that should never have happened. He’s the one foretold to bring destruction, the one who will push the darkness that the prophecy speaks of. And she’s been hiding this from you and the three ’FATES".

My head swirled dizzily. All the information being dumped on me at once was doing me no good.

"Kragen is nothing but evil," I affirmed feeling my chest burn with anger. I didn’t know what to believe until now. "He cannot even do his job properly as the king of the dead. He leaves people to stay longer than supposed,".

"That’s all for a show, Selene. Kragen is evil, he’s a dark lord destined to bring destruction. He should never have been born in the first place but I’m not surprised. His mother – your moon goddess has kept him hidden for years. I wonder how she does that. If anyone knows that he’s the child who is causing the rift in our world... they’ll request his death instantly. I am the only one that has been truthful to you, Selene. Until now. It would help if you trusted me,".

"No!" I shook my head as if to dispel the terrible thoughts as I murmured "Fine, she lied to me but there must be a good reason. She’s always protected us,".

"Protected you?" Jared laughed, the sound cold and bitter. "She’s been using you, Selene. Playing the mother card. Just like she used everyone else who ever trusted her. You are nothing but a pawn in her grand scheme, a means to an end, a sacrifice in place for her son. She wants to use you as her scapegoat... how original,".

I clenched my fists, my fear slowly giving way to anger. "And what about you, Jared? What’s your role in all of this? You’re not different from here if you’re willing to use me or my children to get what you want,".

His smile faded as he laughed mirthlessly. "You’re right," he said "But I am not pretending to be good or playing the pity card. I’m not trying to hide my intentions and you will benefit. Think of it, Selene, I will create a world large enough for you and your children to exist with your powers without being harassed. I promise you. We will end this madness once and for all,".

My anger flared "You know what... I’m out," I snarled stepping forward with a fierceness and speed that surprised me. "I don’t care about what you want. Just take me home while I’m still asking nicely,".

For a moment, Jared seemed taken aback by my intensity but then his expression hardened once more. "You don’t understand, Selene," he said, his voice colder than ever. "I don’t need you to say Yes or no. You’re going to do it anyway and when I’m done, I’m going to find a way to restore to your daughters what they lost. We’ll need them in the long wrong too. The last fifth is coming, and whether you like it or not, you and your daughters are going to play a part in it. You can either stand by my side or watch as everything you love is torn apart,".

"Please!" I fell to my knees "I’m tired of doing this. Just let me go home, have a warm bath, see my children, I promise I’ll be back and we can figure this out together.".

"You think I am a..." The words were barely out of his mouth when suddenly a force hurled him and he flew through the air, hit a tree and fell to the ground.

Shocked! I turned and paused... It was Kragen.