Rise of the Moon

1 Laila My heart pounds the closer I get to him, and his beats even harder. Zayne Lyall, my father. I stare at his back, and I long to see his face. I've seen it in my mother's stone, but that wasn't good enough. I wanted to run and jump in his arms; to tell him how, even though I don't know him, I love him. Maybe it's stupid of me to think we can have a normal relationship. But I have to try. Sebastian, my father's brother, accepts me as his niece. If all else fails, I'll have him and Tyla, who is now his mate. Swallowing hard, I close the distance, leaving only three feet between us. I don't know if I should say the first word or wait for him to turn around. I've heard of the Lyall stubbornness and figure it's probably best if I make the first move. "Hi," I say, my voice just above a whisper. My father stiffens and doesn't turn around. It's crazy, because the man looks like he's my age although I know he's close to three hundred years old. That's how it is with my kind. We don't age like ordinary people; it’s much slower than humans. A shifter can be a hundred years old and only look like they’re twenty. In human years, I'm thirty, so I have a long way to go before I start aging. "My name is Laila," I continue, realizing I'm an i***t for even saying my name, "but I'm sure you already know that by now." Still, I wait for him to turn around, and he doesn't. It doesn't matter as long as I say what I have to say. "I know all of this has come as a shock to you. It was the same for me when I found out. I just want you to know I don't blame you for not knowing you were my father. How could you? Nobody knew, other than my mother, but by then it was too late." His shoulders hunch, and his head falls, breaking my heart. "Please talk to me," I plead. When he doesn't, I hold back my tears. I remember what it had been like on the day I found out the truth. It had taken me some time too. "There's something I want to give you. It was my mother's." In my hand, I hold a black, velvet bag that keeps her pink stone safe. I lay it on the ground behind him and step back. "I don't know if you ever saw her with it, but it's her rose quartz. She spelled it to capture her memories. It's where I saw you for the first time." I take another step back, hoping he'll face me. "If you ever want to find me, I'll be at Tyla's. She was nice enough to let me stay at her place now that she's living with Sebastian." For another few seconds, I wait before realizing nothing is going to come of it. My throat closes up tight. I don't think I can speak anymore, even if I wanted to. Turning on my heel, I pull out my phone to text Sebastian, but think better of it and put it away. He'll only get pissed if he finds out my father ignored me and probably start some big fight. "Wait," my father's voice calls out. Heart pounding, I turn around quickly. He glances down at the velvet bag and picks it up, keeping his gaze on it. When he looks inside, a sad smile spreads across his cheeks. "I gave this to your mother when we were kids. She used to carry it around everywhere. I found it in the creek by my house." My moonstone is in my pocket, and I pull it out. "I must take after her then. I always carry my favorite stone with me too." He takes a deep breath and lifts his gaze to mine. Eyes wide, he stares at me. "You look just like your mother." His voice cracks, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. I turn my head. "I know it pains you to look at me. If it's too much, I'll understand if you don't want to see me again." He takes a step forward, and then another until he's right in front of me. His fingers lift my chin, and I lose the battle with my tears. "Don't ever think that, Laila. Seeing you makes me miss your mother more, sure. But now I have a piece of her here with me. I just wish you knew how much I hate myself right now." "Why did you leave her?" I ask. His fingers fall from my chin, and I can feel his anger. "Being a protector has always been my way of life. I knew when the time came, I'd have to make a choice. I was prepared to defy my pack to be with her. And so, the night after your mother and I were together, I left to go back to Canada. I was meant to be back in a couple of weeks, but it ended up being closer to a month. I had given everything up to be with her. When I showed up at her house, she was gone. There wasn't a trace of her anywhere." "Vincent," I growled. Vincent Connery, the Sierra pack's alpha, and the man I thought was my father, had taken her. He nodded. "But I didn't know that at the time. I searched and searched for Alina, and there was nothing. I figured she'd gone back to the Land of the Fae. She visited there often, so it wasn’t unusual for her to disappear at times. The only reason she'd stayed in the mortal realm was because of me." He turns the stone over in his hand and rubs it between his finger and thumb. "After months and months of looking, I went back to Canada to fulfill my duty as a protector. Sebastian and Micah still had time to explore the world, and it was Sebastian who found out Vincent had killed her. Only, he didn't tell me until after he'd already killed him." "And you were mad because it was your right to do it yourself," I add. "I loved her, Laila. For the past thirty years, I've lived in a darkness I can't seem to find my way out of. And now there's you, a daughter I had no clue existed. The thought of what you went through while being with those monsters plagues me. And again, my brother was the one who ended them, when it should've been me." I shake my head. "Life isn't all about vengeance. But if it makes it any easier, the Sierra Pack never hurt me. They knew they couldn't. I was the one who turned on them and delivered death to their door. Sebastian and Amelie helped, but it was my doing. Take comfort in knowing that it was me who did it as well. I'm a part of you, which means you were there too." He brushes a finger across my cheek. "Wise beyond your years." "I must take after my father in that respect." He chuckles, and it makes me smile. "I don't know much about my mother, and I'm hoping you can help me with that. All I have are a couple of journals written in Elvish that I can't translate." He smirks. “Guess it’s a good thing I speak the language then.” I gasp. "You do?" He nods. "Your mother taught me. I'll help you with anything you need." Jumping in his arms, I don't care if it's overstepping my boundaries or not. I'm surprised when he wraps his arms around my waist. "I feel like I've waited an eternity for this one moment." "So have I, my dear. And I promise I won't let you down." For once in my life, I finally feel like I belong.