Chapter 18

Luna Alara’s confession shattered the silence.

Lucienne stared at her as though he had forgotten how to breathe. “You… asked him to leave?” His voice was barely above a whisper.

Luna Alara slowly nodded, tears slipping down her face. “I begged him.” She looked at the floor, unable to meet his eyes.

Darius stepped fully into the room, his expression filled with disbelief. “None of this makes sense.” He looked from Luna Alara to Lucienne. “Father loved this kingdom. He would never abandon his sons without a reason.”

“There was a reason,” Luna Alara replied, her voice breaking. “One terrible reason.”

Lucienne clenched his fists. “Then tell me.” His eyes burned with years of unanswered questions. “I’ve spent my entire life believing my father chose this kingdom over us.” He took another step closer. “Don’t stop now.”

Luna Alara walked to the window, her shoulders trembling. “The night before he disappeared, the High Elder came to us with a prophecy.” She closed her eyes. “He said if your father remained in Bloodfang… both you and Selena would die before your twentieth birthday.”

Selena’s heart skipped. “Me?” she whispered.

Alara nodded slowly. “The prophecy was never about one child. It was always about both of you.” She looked at Selena with tears in her eyes. “That’s why I pushed you away. I believed the farther you stayed from the people you loved… the safer you would be.”

Darius frowned. “That doesn’t explain why our father vanished.”

“It does,” Luna Alara answered quietly. “The Elder said the prophecy could only be delayed if your father willingly left everyone he loved and never returned until the Blood Moon completed its final cycle.”

Lucienne laughed bitterly, though there was no humor in it. “So he sacrificed himself because of a prophecy?” His voice cracked. “And no one thought I deserved to know?”

“You were only a child,” Alara whispered.

“I was his son!”

The words echoed through the chamber.

Selena instinctively reached for Lucienne’s arm. He didn’t pull away, but his entire body was shaking. She squeezed his hand gently. “You’re not alone anymore.”

For a long moment, Lucienne simply stood there, staring at the floor. Then he looked back at Luna Alara. “Did he ever try to come back?”

A fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks.

“He did.”

The room froze.

Luna Alara opened the wooden chest beside her and carefully removed an old bundle of letters tied together with a faded blue ribbon.

“I received one letter from him every year.”

She placed the bundle into Lucienne’s trembling hands.

Her voice faltered as everyone waited.

Lucienne stared at the bundle of letters in his hands as though they might disappear if he blinked. His fingers trembled against the faded blue ribbon. “You had these all along?” His voice was hollow. “Every year… he wrote to me?” Luna Alara nodded weakly. “Every birthday. Every Blood Moon. He never forgot either of you.”

“Then why?” Lucienne demanded, his eyes glistening. “Why would you keep them from me?” Luna Alara swallowed hard. “Because every letter ended the same way.” She closed her eyes. “He begged me not to let you come looking for him.”

Darius gently rested a hand on Lucienne’s shoulder. “Brother…” Lucienne shook him off, not out of anger, but because he felt as though the ground beneath him had vanished. “He was alive…” he whispered. “All those years… he was alive.”

Selena quietly stepped closer. “Read one.” Her voice was soft. “Maybe that’s where the answers begin.” Lucienne looked down at the letters before carefully untying the ribbon. The paper had yellowed with age, but the handwriting remained neat and familiar.

He unfolded the first letter with unsteady hands. His lips parted as his eyes scanned the opening line. He couldn’t bring himself to read aloud. Instead, tears slowly gathered in his eyes.

Darius frowned. “Lucienne… what did he say?” Lucienne swallowed before answering. “He wrote…” His voice cracked. “‘To my sons, if you’re reading this then I think Luna Alara has found the courage to tell you the truth ” Silence filled the room.

Luna Alara covered her mouth as quiet sobs escaped her. “He always believed one day I’d find the courage to tell you the truth.” Lucienne continued reading silently, his expression changing with every line. There was sadness… regret… but never resentment.

Finally, he looked up. “He never blamed you.” His eyes met Luna Alara’s. “Not once.” She broke down completely.

Darius gently wrapped an arm around her. “Stop saying that.” His voice softened. “Whatever happened back then… you both made impossible choices.” Luna Alara leaned into him, crying like she hadn’t cried in years.

Lucienne folded the letter carefully before looking at Selena. “I wasted years hating him.” His voice was barely audible. “And I wasted years watching you go through the same thing with your mother.” Selena squeezed his hand. “We’re still here.” She smiled sadly. “Maybe that means it’s not too late.”

Lucienne looked back at the remaining letters. “I’m going to read every single one.” Luna Alara nodded through her tears. “They’re yours. They always were.” He held the bundle against his chest for a moment, as though holding onto the father he’d lost twice.

Darius glanced toward the window before looking back at Lucienne. “Do you think he’s still alive?” The question lingered between them. Lucienne didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked at the oldest letter in his hand. “I don’t know.” His voice carried quiet hope. “But for the first time… I want to believe he is.”

Luna Alara slowly walked to the portrait resting on her desk. Her fingertips brushed over their father’s face. “He told me something before he left.” She smiled faintly through her tears. “‘One day my sons will become better men than I ever was.’” She looked over her shoulder at Lucienne and Darius. “He was right.”

An awkward silence settled over the room until Selena quietly spoke. “Mother…” Luna Alara turned toward her. Selena hesitated before continuing. “If you really pushed me away to protect me…” Her voice trembled. “…then let me be your daughter now. Not the one you kept at a distance.”

Luna Alara’s knees almost gave way. She crossed the room and wrapped Selena in a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered over and over. This time, Selena hugged her back without hesitation, and years of pain slowly began to loosen their grip.

Lucienne watched the embrace with a quiet smile that didn’t quite hide the sadness in his eyes. Darius noticed it immediately. “You’re thinking about Father again.” Lucienne nodded. “I wish he’d been here to see this.”

Just then, Luna Alara’s gaze fell upon the oldest letter still lying open on the table. Her expression suddenly changed. “Wait…” she whispered. She hurried over and snatched it up, her eyes fixed on a line near the bottom she had somehow overlooked all these years.

Her face drained of color.

Lucienne immediately stepped forward. “What is it?” Luna Alara slowly lowered the letter, her hands shaking uncontrollably. “This sentence…” she whispered. “It wasn’t here before.” She looked at all of them, fear replacing every trace of relief. “Someone has been inside these letters.”