Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 286: Home Again

Chapter 286: Home Again

Eldur’s POV

Later that evening, after Ollie had emptied my fridge like a plague of locusts, Mai had danced around my living room celebrating my "emotional evolution," and Liam had threatened to take my fire poker and stab it into the wall if Ollie played one more cheesy pop song—everyone was finally ready to leave.

I stood by the center of the room, letting my magic stir beneath my skin, the way a storm gathers in the air before it cracks open the heavens. A silver portal shimmered into existence, swirling with a lazy, graceful spin. "Mai, Liam, Ollie—your portal awaits," I said with a mock bow.

Mai curtsied dramatically. "Why thank you, your Royal Wolfness."

"I’ll be seeing you soon lover boy." Ollie smirk while clutching a bunch of my snacks in his arms.

Liam snorted as they all stepped through, their figures swallowed by light and silence. The portal closed with a soft snap, and for a moment, everything felt still.

Alone now.

I stared at the spot they vanished through for a breath longer than necessary. Then I turned to the empty fireplace, let out a breath, and whispered, "Let’s do this."

I summoned another portal. This one felt heavier. Older. Laced with power and the scent of old wood, candle wax, and roses. The silver shimmer danced along my fingertips as I stepped through into the familiar cold stone of my father’s castle.

The instant I emerged, I heard it—my mother’s voice.

"Oh look who finally remembered he has parents!"

Mom came sweeping into the grand hall like a warrior queen dressed for war and brunch. Her black combat boots clicked sharply against the polished obsidian floors. Her long, thick, wavy hair was wild and perfect as always, and her eyes—those fierce, amber eyes—were narrowed at me with all the intimidating love of a mother who hasn’t seen her child in too long.

Behind her, my father emerged like a ghost of elegance and danger. He looked exactly the same: tailored black suit, soft smirk that could charm the feathers off an angel, and eyes like melted steel dipped in poetry and power.

"You haven’t visited in months," Mom accused. She stood in the doorway, arms folded like a queen awaiting an explanation. "For all you knew, we could’ve been dead. Werewolves and wizards don’t live forever, you know."

"You’re literally immortal," I said, folding my arms.

She waved a hand like I’d just brought up an expired coupon. "Details."

Dad stood beside her, calm and steady, with that slow, soul-deep smile he always wore when he knew more than he let on. "He missed us," he said with quiet certainty. "Just hasn’t figured out how to say it yet."

I scratched the back of my neck, suddenly feeling like I was five years old again and caught sneaking out to reck havock on the valley folks. "Maybe."

Without another word, Mom closed the gap between us and wrapped me in one of those rare, bone-crushing hugs she usually reserved for moments when no one was looking. Her voice was gruff, but her grip was warm. "Took you long enough, boy."

I exhaled slowly. "I’m sorry I haven’t come around," I murmured, my voice softer than I meant it to be. "Life’s been... complicated."

Dad stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back like some old-school commander. "Complicated," he said, "is the Daegon family crest. Speak."

I hesitated—just for a breath—then nodded. "Okay. I’ve got something important to tell you."

Their postures shifted instantly. Every muscle tightened, every instinct sharpened. Vampires and werewolves—they can smell truth coming before it’s spoken. Especially parents.

I looked at Mom first, locking eyes. "The Moon Goddess... she gave me a new wolf."

Mom gasped like I’d just announced I’d been crowned king of the realm. Her hand flew to her chest, her eyes widening with something between awe and disbelief. "She did? Eldur—"

"It’s true," I said, nodding slowly. "His name is Aethros."

Before I could blink, she was on me—moving so fast with that strange, otherworldly grace that still managed to surprise me after all these years. She pressed her nose dramatically to the side of my neck, inhaled deeply like she was cataloging my soul.

Then she stepped back and pressed both hands to her heart. "Alpha," she whispered, reverently. "He’s an Alpha wolf."

Dad’s eyes lit up, his smile deepening like warm embers in a hearth. "That’s the balance we’ve been waiting for."

Mom nodded, her entire demeanor softening as if something ancient in her had just been reassured. "Aethros..." she said, closing her eyes. "I can feel him. He’s strong. Focused. Like a glacier made of lightning and will."

"I like him," I said with a small smile. "He’s nothing like... Raivo."

At the mention of the name, the air in the room chilled. Shadows passed through their expressions like old ghosts crossing a window.

"Raivo was a demon," Mom said quietly, as though saying it any louder might summon the thing.

"But Aethros," Dad said, voice low and full of warmth that reminded me of sitting beside the fire during storms, "Aethros is a gift. The Moon Goddess chose you again, Eldur. That says everything."

I swallowed the emotion that threatened to rise. Then I said it. "There’s more. I’ve also found...my mate."

The reaction was instant.

My mother—who I swear I’ve never seen cry, not even when I broke my femur jumping from a cliff at fourteen—teared up. And not like "my eyes are misty" teared up. No. Full-blown tears.

Dad smiled so wide I thought his face might split open. "You found your mate?"

I nodded. "Her name is Nova."

"You absolute miracle!" Mom grabbed my shoulders, her voice trembling with excitement. "Nova. Nova. Nova," she said it like a prayer. "The Moon Goddess didn’t just bless you—she drenched you in divine favor!"

Dad clasped a hand to my shoulder. "I want to meet her."

I groaned. "Dad—no. Please don’t scare her. She’s only human."

Silence fell.

Like... soul-sucking silence.

"You said... human?" Mom asked.

I winced. "Yes."

Dad narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "So that’s why you wanted to go to a human school. I knew something was suspicious."

Mom threw her head back and laughed. "You mean to tell me our brooding, anti-human, shadow-dwelling son enrolled himself in a regular-ass school just to sniff around his mate?"

"Not sniff," I grumbled. "Observe."

"Observe," Dad echoed, smirking. "You poor, poor love-struck fool."

I glared at them. "Can we not do this right now?"

"No," they chorused.

Dad leaned against a velvet-cloaked column, arms crossed. "She must be a very strong human."

I tilted my head. "Why do you say that?"

He chuckled. "Because any human who can be in your presence—your presence—and not run away screaming is a woman forged from titanium and moonlight. And if she can love you? Then she’s braver than most warriors I’ve met."

I felt a flicker of warmth in my chest. I didn’t say it, but hearing that from him—it meant something.

Mom tilted her head, smiling warmly. "If she makes you smile even half as much as you are right now, then she already has my heart."

Dad’s grin spread like wildfire. "So... when do we get to meet her?"

"Never," I said, deadpan and immediate.

He raised an eyebrow, full of challenge. "We’ll see about that."

Then, with the casual tone of someone asking what’s for dinner, he added, "Can I turn her into a vampire?"

I blinked. Stared. Froze.

"WHAT?" I exploded.

He laughed, already taking a cautious step back. "Come on! Eternal youth? Sharp senses? Night vision? What’s not to love?"

"You lay one fang on her, I swear on every ancient vampire law—"

I hurled a fireball straight at his head. He ducked with surprising agility for a man his age, bolting across the grand hall like a mischievous teenager.

"Old man!" I shouted, charging after him. "You are so dead!"

Mom was doubled over, laughing so hard she nearly lost her balance. Dad dove behind a towering suit of armor like a kid playing hide and seek.

"Juliette! Don’t just stand there—help me! I’m your mate!" he called dramatically from his hiding spot.

Still laughing, she wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh no. This one’s on you, babe. You earned it."

"Juliette!" he cried again like a man betrayed.

"Alright, alright!" she giggled, finally running after me.

But she was too late. I lunged, tackled Dad in a mess of limbs and dramatic groans just as Mom caught up—and tripped—sending all three of us crashing to the floor in a tangled heap.

"I hate both of you," I muttered, face smooshed against Dad’s shoulder.

Mom was still laughing. Dad was wheezing. And honestly... I was smiling too.

The three of us lay there laughing, breathing hard— except dad of course—the cold floor beneath us and the ceiling glittering with old chandeliers above.

It was good to be home.

No—scratch that.

It was everything to be home.

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