Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 288: Shattered Peace

Chapter 288: Shattered Peace

Nova’s POV

I had never imagined that a lazy afternoon with Eldur could spiral into something so... chaotic. The sort of chaos you’d see in a disaster movie, but without the cool special effects. We were curled up on my couch, watching some old comedy I had found buried under a pile of forgotten DVDs, the laughter from the screen blending with Eldur’s dark sense of humor. Every time something silly happened, he would chuckle quietly, his silver eyes gleaming with mischief. His laugh was like soft thunder—low, smooth, and deep.

I laughed loudly at some ridiculous scene, maybe a bit too loudly because Eldur turned to me with an amused smirk.

"Are you trying to wake the neighbors, pretty girl?" he teased, raising an eyebrow, his voice laced with dry humor.

"You’re just jealous because you don’t laugh that loudly," I teased back, nudging him with my shoulder. "You’ve got that stoic wizard thing going on."

He smirked, his eyes narrowing in a way that made me feel like I was both the victim and the object of his affection.

"I do not have a stoic wizard thing," he argued with mock offense, crossing his arms, leaning back against the couch. "I have a regal, powerful, and mysterious thing."

"Sure, sure," I said, grinning. "A real mix of ’tall, dark, and handsome’ with a touch of ’I can destroy you with my mind.’ Very charming."

He raised an eyebrow again, clearly pleased with my response, but before he could retort, my phone rang.

I frowned at the unknown number on the screen. I never liked answering strange calls. I was just about to let it ring out when it started buzzing again—another unknown number, then another, then more messages pinging through. I couldn’t make sense of them at first, but the words jumped out at me, making my stomach tighten.

"Are you really the daughter of Emily Beck?!"

"Wait, are you her daughter???"

"Why didn’t you tell us?!"

My heart pounded in my chest. I felt my throat tighten, suddenly dry. I stared at the messages in disbelief. Was this some kind of joke? It couldn’t be real. Why were people asking me about my mom all of a sudden? But before I could wrap my head around it, my phone rang again. It was Lara.

"Nova! Turn on the TV right now! Entertainment news!" Lara’s voice was frantic, an edge of panic in her tone.

I shot Eldur a confused glance, his silver eyes now filled with concern.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, already sensing the shift in my mood.

"I don’t know... Lara says I need to turn on the TV," I muttered, fumbling to grab the remote. I clicked through the channels until I hit the entertainment news. And there it was—my face, right there on the screen.

"Emily Beck’s secret daughter revealed!"

My breath hitched as the screen split between a picture of my mother and a picture of me, both of us staring at the camera, frozen in time. The headline below was just as painful: Nova Beck, the daughter of the famous actress, finally revealed.

I froze, staring at the screen, my heart crashing in my chest.

Eldur immediately scooted closer to me. His presence was like a shield, strong and constant.

"You okay?" he asked, though his voice was quieter, more subdued than usual.

"I— I don’t know what to do, Eldur," I whispered, unable to tear my eyes away from the screen. "This... this isn’t real. This can’t be happening."

He took my hand in his, his grip solid and reassuring. "Do you want me to handle this my way?" His words were calm, almost too calm, and something dangerous flashed in his eyes.

"I... no. I don’t want to cause any more chaos," I whispered, but my voice cracked. "I don’t even know what’s going on, Eldur. Why now? Why me?"

Eldur gently squeezed my hand, pulling me close to him. "You don’t have to do this alone. I’m here." His tone was firm, protective, but there was an undertone of sadness. I could feel it, even though he hid it so well.

I shook my head, wiping away the tears I hadn’t realized were slipping down my face. "I’ll be okay. I’ll just... let it blow over."

The next morning, the chaos had already started. As soon as I stepped through the gates of the school with Eldur’s hand wrapped securely in mine, I felt the stares. The whispers.

"Is that her? The daughter of the actress?"

"Yeah, I heard she was abandoned by her mom. Poor girl. And now the whole school knows."

I heard snippets of their conversations, and each word felt like a knife in my gut. I squeezed Eldur’s hand tighter, trying to stay composed, but I couldn’t block out the noise. It was too much.

The chaos hit me hard. One second, I was just another student, trying to make it through another day of classes. The next, the campus was a frenzy, reporters everywhere, their cameras flashing like a thousand tiny explosions.

"Nova! Can you confirm the rumors? Are you really Emily Beck’s daughter?" One of them thrust a microphone in my face.

I didn’t have words, just a knot in my throat. I pulled away, eyes darting around, trying to get away from the swarm of flashing lights and invasive questions.

"Nova, is it true that your mom left you when you were just a kid? What was it like growing up without her?" another reporter pressed, practically breathing down my neck.

My skin prickled. Why were they acting like I was some kind of mystery to be solved? Some headline to be dissected?

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as the questions blurred into a dull hum. I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t prepared for any of it.

Then, thank God, the head of my department appeared like a beacon of order in the storm, though she looked frazzled, her hands trembling as she motioned for me to come over. "Nova, you need to leave. This is distracting the other students, and it’s becoming a real disruption. You should go home for the day."

I barely nodded, my feet moving on autopilot, and Eldur, like some silent guardian, gently but firmly guided me away from the mob.

But the moment we were out of their reach, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I ducked into the nearest restroom, slamming the stall door shut behind me. I sank to the floor, my hands covering my face as the tears came, unbidden and relentless.

I felt... shattered.

"Nova," Eldur’s voice was low, just outside the stall. "You don’t have to be alone right now."

"I’m fine," I choked out, but my voice cracked. The lie tasted bitter on my tongue. I wasn’t fine. Not by a long shot.

"You don’t have to pretend with me," he said, his voice soft but so damn steady, the kind of steady I needed right then. "But you do have me. We’ll get through this. Just... let me take you to my place, okay?"

I opened the stall door, finding him standing there, his gaze calm, understanding. His eyes were full of that quiet concern, and I hated that he could see right through me.

"I can’t... not now," I whispered, my voice barely above a breath. "I don’t want to drag you into this mess. I just need to go home. My apartment. Please."

He hesitated, then nodded. Without another word, he reached for my hand, and everything around me seemed to fold into silver light. The air spun, and in a blink, we were in my apartment.

The silence that greeted us was suffocating. I didn’t know what I expected when we got here, but it sure as hell wasn’t the silence that sat on top of me like a weight. But before I could process anything, the doorbell rang.

I froze.

Who could that possibly be?

I stumbled toward the door, peering through the peephole, and the breath I was holding escaped in a sharp, painful rush.

It was her.

A woman, tall and poised, standing on my doorstep. She wore dark sunglasses, but even with that barrier, I recognized her immediately. It was the face I’d seen in photos as a child, the same one that graced every magazine cover or entertainment news segment I’d ever seen.

My mother.

I couldn’t move. My chest tightened, and the world around me seemed to tilt.

I hadn’t seen her since I was ten. Since... since she left. The memories I’d buried deep inside me—the questions, the abandonment, the loneliness—all came crashing back like a wave of jagged glass.

"Nova?" Eldur’s voice came from behind me, soft but firm, as his hand landed gently on my shoulder. His presence was the only thing grounding me, keeping me from crumbling in that very moment.

I felt my legs give way, but Eldur’s grip steadied me, keeping me upright.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," I whispered, but it felt like I was lying to both of us.

I had no idea what to do. I wanted to never open the door, pretend like this wasn’t happening, that she wasn’t standing there, expecting some kind of reunion. But how could I?

After all these years, she just waltzed back in like nothing had changed. Like I hadn’t been left behind in the dust of her fame, her career, her escape.

I wanted to run. I wanted to shout at her. I wanted to ask her why. Why had she left? Why had she never come back?

But all I could do was stand there, paralyzed, while Eldur’s presence loomed behind me, a silent force of strength and understanding.

And then I realized something: nothing would ever be the same again.

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