Tangled Hearts - The Alpha's Baby Mama-Chapter 259: This was my fate... tangled with a lot of hearts...

Selene POV

"Kragen!" I gasped, as relief flooded through my chest. "You came?" I murmured feeling tears at the corner of my eyes. "I wasn’t even expecting you and..." I pushed myself into a standing position, while I waited for him to turn but as he did, I trailed, off, the words on my lips dying.

Something was terribly wrong – with Kragen.

He didn’t seem his usual self. His eyes were dull and sunken and his face gaunt, as if he hadn’t eaten or slept in days. Surely, gods had time to do that, right? He looked... broken. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

I was so stunned that I couldn’t say a word. I watched as he went to check on Jared, then sighed with relief that he was still alive. Lifting him as he if weighed nothing, he tied him up to a tree before he came to where I was still standing.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice a whisper as if he was trying to conceal a pain from within.

I nodded. The being before me was a shadow of the Kragen I knew. The carefree, sarcastic god who could brighten any room with jokes that were constantly on the tip of his tongue. Now he seemed to be carrying a weight so heavy that he couldn’t smile and it terrified me.

He didn’t say another word. He took my hand and led me towards the thick forest around us. It was almost evening and the cool night air hit me like a balm I was also cold, but it was nothing compared to the turmoil within me.

"Brace yourself," Kragen said softly as we arrived at a car. "I’m too tired to teleport – that’s the word you call it right? So, we’ll just drive instead but my driving skills are rusty. But with the help of my power, we would be able to arrive at Moon Whisper in no time,".

"Okay!" I nodded finally saying a word. We slipped into the car and we started the journey. The silence between us grew heavier. The usual, easy banter that would come to us in situations like this had been replaced with an uncomfortable tension that neither of us seemed willing to break. I kept glancing at Kragen, trying to read his expression but he kept his gaze firmly ahead, his face and unreadable mask.

"Kragen," I said finally, breaking the silence. "I don’t want to go home yet. Can we go to some place quiet. There are things I need to talk to you about,".

He hesitated, his hand tightening around the steering until his knuckles turned white but he nodded. Without a word, he led me down a narrow path that wound through the forest, away from the familiar route to the pack.

The moonlight filtered through the tall trees, casting subtle shadows as we drove. We eventually arrived at a small clearing, a secluded spot that was quiet and serene as if the world had decided to grant us privacy.

Kragen stopped and parked the car properly. Without a word, he came down and came to the other side to help me out too. Then he let me to the short tree stubs that were perfect for sitting and settled me on one of them. Then he sat opposite me, our eyes meeting for a brief second.

I wanted to query him for staying away for so long, I wanted to ask if I had offended him and as such he decided to stay away but I swallowed all of that and moved closer to him, reaching for his hands. His gaze sought mine in the faint moonlight and I saw something shift in his eyes.

"How are you doing?" I said softly "It’s not nice to see you after all these months. For a while I thought I’d never see you again,".

He managed a weak smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "I should be asking you that," he replied, his voice strained. "I came here for you. Are you okay? You look not so good,".

"I know," I nodded "It’s been a whirlwind of emotions these last few days. Amazingly, I survived and the baby too. But you didn’t answer my question yet. You haven’t told me how you’re doing. I’ve been worried... I and the girls and your friends too. You just shut us out. I know you said at some point that you’d never...

Before I could say more, Kragen leaned down towards me, his movements sudden and desperate as he captured my lips. His lips pressed against mine in a kiss that took me completely by surprise. My eyes widened in shock but I didn’t pull away. I was too stunned, too caught off guard by the intensity of his kiss.

He kissed me with a hunger that seemed as if he had been bottling it for years. His lips moved from my mouth to my cheeks, my neck, my eyelids, everywhere, he could reach. It was as if he was trying to pour all the pain, all the longing into this moment.

For a brief second, the world disappeared. There was no Jared, no Moon Goddess, no dark fate looming over us. There was only Kragen, his touch, his warmth and his breath mingling with mine.

But then, just as quickly as it had begun, he pulled away. He jumped up as if he couldn’t believe what he had just done, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I’m sorry," he said, his voice thick with regret. "I don’t know what came over me. You’re...You’re obviously someone’s wife and mate. I had no business doing that to you. I’m sorry, Selene,".

He looked away, his face twisted with self-reproach. "I just –" he hesitated, his voice breaking. "For a split second, I felt like everything would be fine if I could just kiss you. I didn’t know how else to show you how much I’ve missed you," he turned to me with a painful expression "Every day was spent in torture, knowing that you could need my help and I would not be there for you. I’m sorry,".

I stood, my heart pounding in my chest, the taste of his kiss still lingering on my lips. I took a step toward him, my emotions in turmoil, but one thing was clear: I couldn’t let him hurt anymore.

"Kragen," I whispered, reaching out to touch his arm.

He looked at me, his eyes filled with a mix of longing and despair and in that moment, my resolve solidified. I closed the distance between us, and kissed him back, my lips finding his with a tenderness that took us both by surprise.

This kiss was different – softer, slower, filled with unspoken words and shared pain. It wasn’t about forgetting or escaping; it was about understanding two souls whose emotions had reached boiling point and they needed escape.

His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer even though my baby bump stood like an opposition between us but we made it work. Our lips brought comfort to each other under the fading moonlight, as we reached out to comfort each other.

I’ve always known Kragen loves me and although I didn’t share his feelings, I could only provide comfort. Because, I know that tomorrow, we might be fighting... tomorrow they might be a tussle... tomorrow, his eyes which had stared at me with love a moment ago will be filled with hatred.

This was my fate... tangled with a lot of hearts... For tonight, I was not Noah’s mate nor Xavier’s ex-mate. I was Selene... Selene the little girl who was born weak with a lot of responsibility on my shoulders.

The little girl who a god fell in love with ... so, this is how it meant to kiss a god... how gentle, yet urgent he communicated his feelings to me without speaking.

Tonight... this moment... I belonged to Kragen and nothing else mattered.