Page 101 of A Chance at Love for the Twin Alphas

“Did my pack fall victim to them, too?” Arman asks. “I don’t know much, only that my parents led a pack with all kinds of shifters.”

“I have heard about that pack. A very unique one.” Zahra furrows her brows. “No, I don’t think the cult got to them. If you are looking for answers, I might need to research more.”

“Thank you,” Arman says. “I apologize. This is not my story. It’s Dalila’s. Please continue.”

Zahra shows him a gentle smile and nods before turning towards me. “During this attack, everyone from your pride died except for your mother and grandmother.”

“My dad?” I ask quietly.

She nods sadly, waiting for me to wrap my head around what she just said before she continues. “Your mother was a wonderful woman, Dalila, smart, strong, and so kind. She was pregnant at that time. During the attack, she tried to protect a little nursing home with the old cats in there who were weak and couldn’t fight anymore. The cult members left, thinking they had killed everyone. Your mother was dying in your grandmother’s arms. She could feel her cub dying inside her and prayed for it to be saved.” Zahra pauses. “Her actions must have struck something in the goddess because it’s said a black cat was seen all of a sudden.”

“A black cat,” Arman mutters, furrowing his brows, obviously thinking deeply about something.

“A sign for Bastet, our goddess. With her came a woman carrying an Egyptian hawk.”

“Nephthys,” Henry says.

Zahra nods. “Nephthys kneeled in front of your mother and touched her hair, whispering something to her. Your grandmother said white fog surrounded them, and then the two goddesses were gone.”

“And?” I whisper breathlessly.

“Your mom recovered.”

“And the baby?” Cassiopeia asks, completely stunned by what she just heard.

“The baby…” Zahra tilts her head. “This is where it gets weird. The fetus was dead for a moment but was resurrected by Nephthys. Your mom claimed it wasn’t the same child anymore. It had a hint of the child she had lost but also a new presence.” She pauses. “The goddess Nephthys blessed her with this baby. You are your mother’s child and your father’s, but also Nephthys’.”

I can feel my lips tremble slightly. “The voice I hear sometimes…”

“It must be her,” Zahra says quietly.

I can feel my head hurting. Something seems to squeeze my chest, like fingers clasping around my lungs and pressing them shut. I gasp for air, feeling how my whole body burns. I can remotely register Tony calling my name, but I just can’t bring myself to answer.

It feels like I’m floating, swimming in warm water, just floating… floating… until I hit the shore. I stand up, surprised that my clothes aren’t wet, but the scenery is too stunning to pay attention to anything else. I’m in an oasis, lush bushes and trees surrounding me, while a few steps further, the desert seems to spread into eternity.

“You are here.” A voice startles me. I know this voice. It’s the whisper I occasionally hear in my mind. “Finally.”

I turn my head, my eyes widening when I see the regal figure of a tall woman. She is clad in a white flowy dress, her skin tanned. She has grey eyes and dark hair. There is a hawk sitting on her shoulders. “Nephthys,” I stutter.

“Is this how you greet your mother?” She smiles.

“I…” I can’t help but shift around nervously. “What about Mom?”

To my surprise, she laughs. “I’ve seen you grow up. I always knew you were confident and strong. I like that.” She smiles. “Your earth mother was an impressive woman. I normally don’t meddle with the earthlings’ fates but in her case…” She pauses. “Do you know what the old Egyptians associated me with?”

“No,” I admit, feeling like the biggest idiot ever. In my defense, I wasn’t aware that I had two moms, and one of them was fucking deity.

“Mourning, death,” she says. “On the day of the attack on your pride, lots of prayers reached me, lots of souls vanished. I could feel them, and amidst them, I could see your mother fighting to protect those in need while she had lost everything around her. So, I decided to help. Don’t fret, you are your mother’s child, truly, although a part of me is in you, too. I had to do that to resurrect you.”

My heart clenches at her words. Without her, I wouldn’t exist. She saved Mom, and she… both saved me and put her essence in me. Without thinking further, I approach her and wrap my arms around her middle. She chuckles a bit and hugs me back.

“It was your voice I heard,” I say.

She smirks. “Yes, though it seems like you didn’t need my help. You figured it all out by yourself.”

I look at her questioningly. “Nephthys, what’s going on in the world?”

“Something dark and sinister,” she says. “You are doing right with freeing Auset. The young lycan with the dream-walking gift is on the right track. Tell him to continue.”

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