Tangled Hearts - The Alpha's Baby Mama-Chapter 279: The hidden truth...

Selene POV

Kragen stiffened beside me, his hand that had held me protectively going limp on my body. I could see the defiance in his father’s eyes as he gave his son a pointed stare. If this was true, if the Moon Goddess wasn’t Kragen’s mother, then who was?

And what will this mean? Won’t it further complicate things?"

My mind shifted back to what Aunt Helena and Jared had told me. Who was I supposed to believe now?

"What... what do you mean she’s not his mother?" I finally managed to ask, my voice barely more than a whisper.

Kragen’s father, with his cold, hard gaze, stared at me for a long moment before looking away, his expression unreadable. He took a deep breath, his face shadowed by something between sorrow and regret.

"Kragen was born from a union far darker than what the Moon Goddess could ever provide," he said quietly. "A union that should never have been allowed."

I felt Kragen stiffen beside me. His grip on my arm tightened, almost instinctively, as though he was bracing himself for the next blow. His eyes flickered toward his father, dark with a storm of emotions he was trying hard to conceal.

"Enough riddles," Kragen said, his voice tight with anger and frustration. "Tell us the truth, father. I’m tired and done with this lies. You told me the Moon goddess was my mother. Why are you saying this now?"

The older man didn’t flinch. His gaze remained distant, as if speaking about this was peeling back old wounds that had never fully healed. "Your mother," he began slowly, "was one of the Forgotten Ones. Banished to the darkest reaches of the astral realms, cast out by the gods for defying their will. She was a god too but more like a messenger and dwelt in the mythical world."

I could feel my heart racing, a mixture of confusion and dread swelling inside me. The Forgotten Ones were creatures of legend, said to have powers that rivaled the gods but were exiled for their rebellion. My fingers twitched at my sides, instinctively wanting to reach out for Kragen to steady myself.

"A Forgotten One?" I breathed. "How is that even possible?"

Kragen’s father exhaled deeply, as though trying to gather the strength to continue. "It was never meant to happen, Selene. She wasn’t supposed to survive, let alone find her way back to this realm. But somehow, she did. She found me in my exile, and for reasons I’ll never fully understand, we... became entangled. From that union, Kragen was born."

Kragen’s hand dropped from my arm as he stepped forward, his body tense with anger. "You kept this from me all my life," he said bitterly. "You let me believe I was connected to the Moon Goddess. Why?"

His father turned to him, his expression softening slightly. "Because it was safer for you to believe that," he said. "Safer for you to think your lineage was noble, tied to the goddess. If the Fates had known the truth, they would have killed you long before you could realize your potential."

The air between them thickened with years of resentment and pain. Kragen’s entire body vibrated with barely contained rage. "You lied to me," he spat. "You let me live a life built on lies."

"I protected you," his father snapped, his voice sharp now. "Do you think you would have survived if the Fates had known you were the child of a Forgotten One? They would have destroyed you, Kragen. I did what I had to do to keep you safe."

Kragen let out a bitter laugh. "Safe? Look around you, father. We’re being hunted. The Fates are closing in. You kept me in the dark, and now we’re all paying the price."

I couldn’t stand the tension anymore. Every word between them felt like a blade cutting deeper into old wounds, and I had to stop it before it tore them apart completely.

"Stop," I said, stepping between them, my voice shaking but firm. "This isn’t helping. We don’t have time for this."

Kragen’s father looked at me, his gaze cold again. "You shouldn’t even be here, Selene. This isn’t your fight."

I bristled at his words, squaring my shoulders. "It is my fight," I replied, refusing to back down. "Because whatever is coming, it’s not just about you or Kragen. The Fates are targeting me, too. They want to erase all of us—my pack, my family—everyone I care about. I need to know what I’m dealing with."

For a moment, the older man said nothing. He simply stared at me, as if trying to gauge whether I was worth the effort. Then, with a resigned sigh, he nodded.

"Fine," he said. "You want the truth? Here it is. Your life has been intertwined with Kragen’s since before you were even born. The Fates have always known about you. They’ve been waiting for this moment, waiting for the prophecy to unfold."

My breath hitched. "What prophecy?"

He gave me a hard look. "The one that ties you to Kragen. The one that says you will either destroy the balance of power between the gods and the realms... or restore it. Your bond with him isn’t just a coincidence, Selene. It was foretold. You are the key to either saving this world or plunging it into chaos."

The weight of his words settled heavily on my chest, and I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. This was too much. Too much to take in all at once. A prophecy? A bond that could destroy the balance between realms? None of this made any sense.

"I don’t understand," I whispered, more to myself than to anyone else.

Kragen’s father looked at me with something resembling pity in his eyes. "You will, in time," he said. "But know this—everything that’s happening now, the attacks, the Fates hunting you, it’s all leading to one inevitable conclusion. You cannot escape what’s coming. You and Kragen are bound together in ways neither of you fully comprehend."

I swallowed hard, my throat tight with fear and uncertainty. I glanced at Kragen, who was still standing stiffly beside me, his expression unreadable. Could any of this be true? Could our lives really be dictated by a prophecy, by forces we couldn’t control?

"I can’t just accept that," I said, my voice firmer now. "There has to be another way."

Kragen’s father shook his head. "There isn’t. The Fates have already decided. You’re either going to embrace your role in the prophecy, or you’ll be destroyed."

"No," I said stubbornly. "I won’t be a pawn in their game. I won’t let them dictate my life."

Kragen’s father gave me a small, bitter smile. "You don’t have a choice, Selene. None of us do."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. The idea that my fate, that Kragen’s fate, had been sealed long before we even had a say in it was unbearable. I had fought all my life for control, for my freedom, and now I was being told it was all for nothing. That my entire existence had been part of some grand cosmic plan I had no say in.

"No," I whispered again, shaking my head. "There has to be another way."

Kragen finally spoke, his voice quieter but filled with resolve. "We’ll find one."

His father raised an eyebrow. "And how do you plan to do that? Do you think you can just defy the Fates? They’re not some enemy you can defeat in battle, Kragen. They’re forces beyond your comprehension."

Kragen squared his shoulders, his jaw set in determination. "I’ve defied the odds before. I’ll do it again."

There was a moment of silence as the two men stared each other down, neither willing to back down. I watched them both, my mind spinning with everything I had just learned. The prophecy, the bond between Kragen and me, the looming threat of the Fates... it was all too much. But one thing was clear—if we didn’t figure out a way to break free of this fate, none of us would survive.

Kragen’s father sighed, finally breaking the tension. "You’re both fools if you think you can change what’s already been written," he said quietly. "But if you’re truly determined, I suppose there’s one thing you need to know."

Kragen and I both turned to him, our eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"The Moon Goddess," he said slowly, his eyes locking onto mine. "She may not be Kragen’s mother, but she’s not out of this story yet. There are things about her that even I don’t fully understand. If you want answers, you’ll need to confront her directly."

My heart sank at his words. The Moon Goddess... How could we possibly confront someone as powerful as her?

As if sensing my hesitation, Kragen’s father gave me a grim smile. "It won’t be easy," he said. "But if you want to defy the Fates, that’s where you’ll have to start."

I looked at Kragen, uncertainty swirling in my chest. He met my gaze, his eyes filled with the same determination I felt deep inside me.

"We’ll do it," Kragen said firmly. "We’ll find the Moon Goddess."