Natala (Emerald) POV:
âMy princess, I always knew you were alive! No one believed me, but I always knew in my heart that you were. There wasnât a night I hadnât prayed to the goddess for you to return to us.â Mommy cried into my shoulders.
Tears fell out of my eyes like a tsunami! Her comforting scent made me even more emotional. This was my mom, my actual mom, who gave birth to me. Even after years, when her family told her I was gone, she held hope that I was alive and we would reunite. She pulled back from me and held my face in her hands, cupping it, tears running down her cheeks as she gazed at me with so much love and the biggest smile that had more tears fall out from my eyes.
âI missed you, mommy,â I whispered as I kissed her right palm on my cheek.
âI missed you to my pup! We all missed you.â She said, hugging me again as I latched onto her like a koala bear.
When we finally let go of one another, and she stepped back, the man she was holding onto earlier stood in front of me, hands twitching, wanting to touch me but stopping himself. This was her mate, Liam Strak, mine and the twinâs dad. Even if he wasnât my biological dad, that changed nothing for me. He was my real father, and no DNA test could change that. Without a second thought, I jumped into his arms, and he didnât waste a second engulfing me in his buff arms and nuzzling into my hair. I could feel wetness on my scalp; he was crying as he held me tighter.
âIâm sorry, princess! I failed you! I couldnât protect you! I shouldâve been there when Edward kidnapped you,â Daddy said.
He was the reigning supreme alpha, but he was crying; his words held such love and honesty that it tore my heart. He blamed himself all these years just like my brothers did. I pulled back from daddy and looked up at him, getting on my tippy toes and wiping his tears and kissing his cheek.
âIt wasnât your fault. It wasnât any of your fault; you all never knew!â I said, looking at daddy and then at the rest of my family surrounding me.
âButâ¦â daddy started to say, but I cut him off.
âIs this how you all are going to welcome me back? By bringing up spilled water? I want to forget about all that, daddy. I just want to move further.â I said.
I could see the sparkle and adoration in daddyâs eyes when I called him that. He sniffed back tears and hugged me again, kissing the top of my head, promising me theyâll always protect me and no one will ever bring up the past again. Mommy joined our hug as well, and not long after, we heard a deep throat clearing not far from us that had us breaking our family hug and looking towards the other couple. My breath slightly hitched; these were the tripletsâ parents, my biological father and my aunt, the Former Lycan king and queen, Kyle and Michelle Whitlock. I stilled a little, even though I knew the tripletâs dad was my biological father, but I didnât know how to address him or how aunt Michelle felt regarding the whole thing. Even though the triplets mentioned their father donated his s***m, they didnât specify how. Was it surgically, or like did mom and her sisterâs mate do the deed. It was probably the first one, but I wasnât entirely sure.
Daddy draped his arm around my shoulder and squeezed it in reassurance when he noticed me stiffen, making me look at him and mommy, both giving me encouraging smiles. I smiled back at them. Before I could greet the tripletsâ parents, I was engulfed in another pair of soft arms, the same scent of apples but instead, cinnamon vanilla drafted in my nose. Instead of edgy or hostile vibes, I got happy and relaxed vibes from my aunt. I hugged her back, a small smile on my lips. When we pulled back, she had tears in her eyes as well as he held both my hands in hers. I couldnât help but notice how similar she and mom were. They were both of the same height, the same porcelain skin, and silvery hair. The only difference was that aunt Michelle had green eyes instead of blue like mom and had a pixie cut.
âYou look just like your mother and me, of course. We missed you, Natala; there wasnât a day that went by when your mom and I didnât pray to the goddess to send you back to us. Not only did Danielle lose a daughter, so did I.â Said aunt Michele, as she sniffed back the tears in her eyes but eventually let them fall.
My heart soared when she claimed that I was her daughter, which only proved that I had nothing to worry about. She wasnât hostile to the situation of her mate fathering a child with her sister; in a way, I guess she was my stepmom/aunt. These new relationships were certainly killing some brain cells, but it was worth it. When she pulled back, mommy and aunt Michelle stood beside me as my biological father approached me cautiously. His strides were unsure; his eyes showed how scared he was. No one would ever believe me if I said the fierce former Lycan king who fought in the diversity war so heroically and ruthlessly was acting like this. Once he was standing a few steps away from me, I noticed some of his features were exactly like mine. The shape of our eyes, the texture of our hair, the face cut, even a blind person could tell we were somehow related.
âThis Natala isâ¦â Mommy started, but I cut her off and finished her sentence
âThis is the tripletâs dad, my biological father,â I said, looking straight at the former king.
Even though he didnât say anything, his stoic expression remained, but the panic in his eyes was evident as day. I felt Mommy, daddy, and aunt Michelle suck in a tiny sharp breath, probably not knowing I knew this tidbit of information. The three of them looked between the former king and me with batted breath waiting to see who would make the first move. He was my biological father, my birth father but was I supposed to acknowledge the relationship. According to the triplets, when our grandfather, former king kyleâs dad, met his fated mate, Daddy and Edwardâs mom, the royal court didnât let them acknowledge daddy and Edward as sons of the Lycan kingdom. Then, how was my case any different. I was also born to someone who wasnât the luna queen; I would be considered a bastard, and with how the triplets and twins explained the court tries to maintain respect for the monarchy, I doubted they wanted the bastard rumour going around. Since no one other than these four, my brothers and now my mates, knew that the former king had fathered me. Wanting to stop the lingering tension, I bowed my head and was about to cutesy when I felt two big hands grab my shoulders and smash me into what felt like a steel wall. The smell of chocolate and mint wafting into my nose. A sense of calm ran all over my body, my arm unintentionally going around the figure.
âDonât you dare be formal with me. I may have only given my s***m, and Liam had taken care of you but do not think for a second that I donât consider you my daughter. You are not only Liamâs daughter. You are my daughter as much as his. My baby girl, the daughter I always wanted, and the whole multiverse will know that their princess Natala W. Stark has returned.â Said the former king.
I was shocked, more like flabbergasted! I pulled back from him, looked straight into my biological fatherâs eye, and saw the love and adoration shine so bright it was blinding.
âBut..but.. Iâll be considered a bastard, wonât that ruin the monarchyâs reputation? Tristan and the rest told me what happened with our grandparents. I donât want to cause problems. Iâm even happy that at least you acknowledge the relationship.â I said.
I felt my biological father hold my face and crouch to my level. Daddy, mommy and aunt Michelle stood beside him, showing their support.
âTo hell with those stone-aged-minded assholes. Look where that got us anyway. Eventually, war broke out to keep the reputation, and the three unbreakable brothers broke up. I wonât make the same mistake. You have both supreme b***d and royal b***d in your veins. You are not a bastard; youâre the sole princess of the wolves and Lycan, and hell if we wonât all acknowledge that!.â Said, my biological father.
âYes, little wolf! No secrets this time! Weâre not going to hide you!â Said Tristan as he stood beside me and the rest of the brothers, smiling at me.
My eyes leaked tears again. Emotions overflowing everywhere. Until a few weeks ago, I was an orphan adopted by the pack warriors, a poor scholarship student that only had a handful of friends. Now I have my biological parents, my adopted parents, daddy, five brothers, four mates and an aunt.
âBut only on one condition.â My biological father said, which had me stiffen and the rest stiffen too.
I looked at him as he smiled at me and tweaked my nose.
âYou have to promise me youâll call me Da.â
A smile broke out on my face as I nodded eagerly, making everyone laugh around me.