Page 54 of Owned By Four Alphas

Elian nodded, his heart pounding in his chest, “One ancient account of Theldir talked mostly about his powers over fire and death. But it also mentioned something else.”

“Fuck, fuck,fuck!” Kaelen roared.

Ronan growled, his eyes flicking between them. Elian turned to him.

“Theldir is a Dreamwalker.”

Chapter 21 - Selena

She had not been nearly as scared walking through the forest at night as she thought she might have been. The ghosts of the men dragging her through the same trees she now travelled through had not haunted her. Instead, they merely reflected her own advancement back to her.

After all, being taken against her will, kicking and screaming, through this very stretch of forest nearly a year ago had not been at all the death sentence she thought it at the time. Instead, it had opened her eyes, changed her entire view of the world, revealed secrets about herself that unraveled the mystery of her life.

It had been a blessing, not a curse. And she would not bring herself to regret it.

Her plan was simple. Return to the village of her birth to stock up on supplies, and then travel north to the place indicated in the prophecy, the place where her father had supposedly given her his magic, and now the place where he waited for her.

She only hoped she would reach it before she gave birth. But even if she had to on the road, she would do it. She had no other choice. Like her mother before her, Selena would figure it all out.

Her baby would have a mother who loved her. Just like she did. And that would have to be enough.

And perhaps,maybe, a grandfather too.

Selena didn’t dare hope. But as she walked through the moonlight, drawing her magic tightly around herself, she couldn’t help but imagine it. Fleeting images of a horned god, his ancient eyes kind, his arms welcoming.

She no longer wanted him to teach her to control her magic. Nor did she care about any prophecy. She couldn’t control it. There was no escaping that fact. Now, she only wanted to give it back to its rightful owner.

She would raise her child as a human. Like her mother before her. The Forest God could return, and all would be right in the Realm.

As she got closer to the village, the moon still high, her senses prickled. She whipped around, her eyes narrowing. But there was nothing but the forest and the trees and the shadows. She gulped, holding her magic even closer to her, rechecking her camouflaging.

Two of her mates had mastery over shadow. She couldn’t be too careful.

For the time being, though, she was alone.

The tree line that marked the border between the Silverthorn Kingdom and the First Realm was getting close. She could see the dilapidated fence, overgrown with thorns and brambles. Chewing her lip, she considered her options. There was no hope of climbing through, not in her state, and there was also no way of telling how far away a passable gate would be. But she was loath to clear a path and leave a physical trail to follow.

Seeing no other option, with a careful tendril of magic, she cleared herself a path. After darting through, she rearranged some brambles and branches, hoping that it would conceal her passage well enough.

She didn’t know how capable a tracker Ronan was without scent. But she didn’t want to risk anything.

Turning towards the village, her brow furrowed. Even though it was night, the fires should still be burning, yet there was no light. No wisp of smoke.

No noise at all, in fact.

Her heart in her throat, she swallowed and walked up the small hill towards the village.

Pure devastation met her.

She walked through the ruined settlement, numb and cold, fingers trailing over the charred remains of wooden structures, the scorched earth, the bones half-sunk into the ground.

Everything was gone. Completely destroyed.

Her stomach churned, her heart wrenching near out of her chest. The bakery. The marketplace stalls. The blacksmith.

Nothing remained but ash.

A scrap of ruined fabric caught her eye, stained with mud and rusted blood. She picked it up, tears welling.

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