Chapter 56

Davina's Point Of View

This place, Ardgal, was already in utter ruins. The smell of blood and death soaked the earth, desecrating every essence of pure magic. All I could feel was the darkness rushing within them.

A few of our warriors, Theo and his team, and Asher and his were here already fighting against the dark ones, but I couldn't find her. I filtered through the chaos around, searching for her until I felt the powerful, yet familiar magic like I once did eight years ago when I got my magic back and it carried a painful scream.

Immediately, I dashed off at speed and arrived in the middle of a disaster. The destruction in the earth was spreading fast like vines everywhere and throughout the whole of the town. It wasn't hard to find her, she was almost in the middle of this madness. Broken. Lost. And completely alone.

The sight completely broke me.

There was a sharp painful tearing in my chest. It was deep and hurting. It was worse than I had experienced for the last eighteen years.

As another scream escaped from her, more fire broke out around and in the woods. In a flash, I was before her. She was writhing in so much pain. Her magic was too much for her to control. As my shaky hands pulled up to her face, my magic flowed to the surface, connecting to hers.

I felt everything. Her pain, her rage, and something deeper. Something brutal. Something I also felt many years ago in a world that seemed to be against me. Resentment.

The ancestral rune on my wrist torched brightly as I took it all away. And as her eyes lifted and connected with mine, it felt like everything around us had come to an instant pause.

Even in the heat of everything that was going on, I still couldn't believe she was right in front of me. Within my grasp. My daughter. My little miracle.

I felt the hot roll of tears down my face and whatever had ignited in my chest burned without mercy, but still, her gaze was unmoving from mine. Like she knew who I was. What I was meant to be to her. What I failed to be to her.

I couldn't stop the more tears that fell through, nor the deep wrenching of my heart as tears of her own slipped from those perfect blue eyes of hers.

Unknowingly, my palm moved to brush the tear that slid from her eyes and I felt short steps behind me and Cameron's presence.

Her eyes broke away and slowly moved behind me. And they lingered with a knowing look. Her heart racing fast, panic almost at the surface. Fear imprinted in her gaze. Her emotions slowly spiraled out of control. She was losing her grip, she was sinking in panic and fear.

I pulled away immediately. Hurt drilling a hole deeper into my bones. She knew who we were. She shouldn't have to be scared of us. But I could understand.

Cameron caught me the second I tried to stand, but there wasn't enough strength in my legs and the pain within was weakening, but my eyes were still on her.

“You don't have to feel scared, we would never hurt you,” The pain in his voice was raw and thick. “We are —” His words drifted and stopped as her eyes shifted from us scanning the darkness.

The fear and panic that had almost been imprinted on her face washed away into relief.

“Asher,” As the word left her lips, she was up, her eyes scanning through the darkness until it stopped right where Theo and his friends were standing with Luciana's son, Asher.

Before I could process what was happening, she had bridged the distance and was in his arms and her lips were on his.

I couldn't deny it, the shock hit me like a bloody lightning bolt, but it was worse on the taut body that instantly stiffened beside me.

Nothing could be more obvious than this. They were mates. My little girl had… Asher was…

The bubble of my little thoughts broke immediately I felt the raging storm building inside of me, licking to the surface, only it wasn't my emotions but Cam’s, and before I could stop him, an enraging growl vibrated from him and rippled through the woods, attempting to cause even more destruction than had happened.

Everyone's eyes snapped our way. And I could feel the heat of her stare in the cold night.

“Cam,” I gripped him, even though that was an impossible attempt, my hand running circles on his chest, trying to quell his and Vittorio's anger, at this point they were in it together. “Don't,” I whispered through the mate bond, gazing into his amber eyes with golden streaks sparking in them.

“Don't?” His growl shook the corner walls of my mind. “Didn't you just see the —”

“I know. But we can talk about that later,” I said, “Please, this isn't the right time for this. Let's not make a scene, stay calm,”

Cameron's arms tightened around me, “I am calm,” He snarled.

He was lying. I sent a glance at him. “I don't doubt it,” I pulled my gaze from him only to be greeted with the terrifying sight of our daughter collapsing in Asher’s arms.

We rushed to them, and Cam teleported her to the mansion, and the witches and others followed through.

I was left with Benjamin, Carter, Blake, and a few witches. And in a minute, Cameron returned with Neela this time.

“You just woke up, you should be resting, the others will take care of everything here,” I heard Cameron say for what seemed like the umpteenth time as we scanned through the town.

Ardgal was a very small town. It was smaller than what I had seen unconscious, and the attack tonight claimed a significant portion of those who lived here. Including her. The other twin. It was worse than a massacre. And the handful that survived had been taken to the pack.

I rubbed my face, breathing deeply. I was too late. I was standing next to Benjamin as he examined what was left of her remains that burned in the fire that broke out.

“Had magic,” Benjamin stepped away from the remains. “That much I can tell,”

“What is this place?” Neela came to join us. “And what happened here?” Her eyes lifted to the fading moon, and clear sky.

“What happened Davina?” Cameron's voice was laced with deep worry, it forced my gaze to meet his, and I couldn't stop the tears that gathered in my eyes. “What did that witch do to you?”

A tear rolled down my cheek, and I badly wanted to answer that question, only I couldn't. Because deep down, I had no bloody clue. But it was bad, and what I saw in Cyrene’s vision was far worse.

*****

Cameron's Point Of View

“Cam for goodness sake, relax,” Davina's sweet voice filtered into my mind, but I couldn't stop the rage within me that kept on rising.

I didn't know why I was angry but I hated it. I hated the thought of my little girl having a mate right now. And it turned out to be Asher. He was like a son to me. And he'd known all this time that Cirilla was our daughter, yet he didn't have the decency to spare us from the shock and inform us beforehand. We raised him better than that.

I growled again, leaning against my desk with my back against the door, battling between my desire to tear up something which would most likely be Asher the second he steps into the office, and Vittorio’s anger. He's as pissed as I am.

We knew that she would find her mate one day, we hoped for the day earnestly, but not this soon. Not when we just got her back. Not when this was the most dangerous time for her, and she needed to be right next to us. Where we can protect her.

The door opened, and Theo voiced. “We are here as you requested,”

To be frank, I asked to see Asher only now, hoping I would have dissipated some of the ever-rising rage within me, but it was impossible to.

I heard the door jam close, and Theo helped himself to a seat. While Asher remained where he was. I could feel something was up when I met him in Oregon, there were a lot of emotions and unspoken words in his eyes when he spoke about her. I had stemmed them from guilt. If only I had just read through his mind.

“I know saying sorry doesn't make it any better. But I know how much I have hurt you, even though that was exactly what I had been avoiding. Cirilla is my mate. I should have said that to you the second I found out she was your daughter. But I couldn't. I knew none of it would make a difference, it would only aggravate your pain with everything that was happening—”

“So you thought lying to me would be much better?” I fought hard from growling, turning to face him with my eyes glowing gold.

“I didn't mean to lie, but I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth,” He looked me straight in the eyes. And for the first time in everything that has been going on for weeks, I realized he had changed.

Something in him had changed. And it wasn't from how nervous he was or that his wolf was on the edge, yet on alert as if waiting to take control and fight me tooth and nail if I said anything I shouldn't.

His audacity would have brought a little smile to my lips if the door hadn't opened there and now, and Lizzy, Mitch, and Benjamin stood at the doorway.

Their eyes scanned inside, pretending they weren't just outside and were eavesdropping. Well, the other two did a good job, but not the devil right there.

I narrowed my eyes on them.

Mitch cleared his throat. “Sorry for eh… interrupting, but—”

“She's awake!” Lizzy squealed instantly, her eyes rich in elation as they bounced from everyone in the room, and landed on Davina. Asher's gaze snapped to them and Theo was up from his chair.

I pulled away from the table, unable to stop the strange racing of my heart. In all my years it only happened when it had everything to do with Davina, but this time it was different. It was from trepidation. I was going to meet my little girl. My daughter.

I glanced at Davina, feeling the exact emotions from her.

Mitch cleared his throat again, bringing our attention back to him, clearly finding what he was about to say difficult to utter. “The thing is…”

“The only person she wants to see right now is her mate,” Benjamin's words poured like acid into my flesh. It was painful and it burned like hell.

Asher stiffened, his gaze slowly turning to Davina and me with eyes silently pleading for permission.

Davina nodded silently. “Please take him to her,” As her words sounded through I realized the reason for the rage that kept rising within me.

Everything was happening so fast. Her having a mate. Us finding her. And what seems like the entire world against us. And it felt like I was losing my daughter all over again when all I wanted was to keep her with us for as long as I could. Safe.