Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1242 - 153 : Family History

Chapter 1242: Chapter 153 : Family History

*Rion*

“It’s time, Eva,” I told my sister as a fire crackled in the living room fireplace.

She lounged on the couch, reading, and I stood by the mantle, mesmerized by the flickering flames.

“I don’t know, Rion, the kids are still so young.”

I scoffed. “They’re teenagers now. Besides, we agreed that once the beach house construction was finished, we’d organize a vacation for the whole family there.”

I heard Eva sigh behind me. Even though we agreed, we both knew that returning to Hestia’s island and the treasure had its drawbacks.

Were the kids old enough to understand? We still didn’t know what other dangers Hestia had hidden away.

“You’re right. We did agree.”

“Construction wraps up in a month, just in time for summer.” I pulled my eyes from the fire and looked at my sister.

She had a frown on her lips and a crease in her brow. “Alright. If you’re sure it is time....”

“I’m not sure,” I scoffed. “But in a few years, it might be too late. Your boys are almost ready to start looking at colleges.”

Eva nodded. So, it was decided that it was time to take Aster, Tarik, Ayla, Selena, Lumina, and Lucian to Hestia’s secret island and tell them about our family history.

***

Eva and I commissioned a private ferry boat for the kids, Jasper, and Daphne to take us to the island and the new beach house we had built. It was on a secluded part of the island where we could have some privacy.

The ferry pulled up to a private dock and let us off on the beach.

“This is so beautiful!” Ayla threw her duffle bag on the dock and kicked her shoes off, running headlong onto the beach and digging her feet in the sand.

I grabbed her duffle and slung it over my shoulder, chuckling.

Daphne slipped her arm around my back. “You know how to spoil the kids.” She rested her head on my shoulder.

“The beach is just the first part. We have caves to explore, mountains to climb, and a forest to get lost in.” I kissed her on top of her head, and we gathered up the rest of the luggage.

Eva, Jasper, Daphne, and I took the luggage to the beach house and put into the kids’ bedrooms. They stayed down at the beach, running around barefoot and splashing each other in the shallows.

It had been a while since all of us as a big family took a private vacation. I was happy to see the kids still getting along like friends more than siblings or relatives.

“We should get started,” I said to Eva and Daphne.

“Really? We can’t let them settle in for a day, explore the villa, get used to their surroundings?” Eva asked.

“Eva, I’m sure the kids will want to explore the island while we have daylight. They can explore the villa tonight,” I said.

“He’s right, Eva,” Daphne took my hand. “This isn’t just a vacation. We came here for a reason.”

We headed back to the beach to join the kids.

“Dad, this place is amazing!” Selena ran up to me and hugged me. “How did we not know you had a secret, island paradise getaway?”

I grinned and kissed her cheek. “We didn’t have it until a few months ago when the construction was complete.”

“Who wants to explore the island?” Daphne asked.

“Let’s go!” Aster shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

As a group, we headed away from the beach toward the center of the island. The elevation increased and we were soon walking along cliffs that overlooked the ocean. Thundering waves crashed against the rocks, and a veil of mist shrouded around us from the open ocean.

“Up here. There’s something up here,” Tarik called, motioning the rest of us to hurry.

We found a cave entrance on the side of a cliff. It had vines hanging over it like a curtain, easy to overlook. But Tarik and Aster said they felt something from inside.

We went through the plant curtain and the kids immediately ran off into the cave, chattering excitedly.

Eva, Daphne, Jasper, and I held back. This was a time for the kids to explore. We wanted them to guide us with their powers and reveal things that we didn’t know about.

The whole point was to let them explore and discover their family history and their power.

Tarik ran back toward us. “There’s a weird rock up here. We don’t think it’s a rock.”

“What do you think it is?” Eva asked, slipping her hands through Tarik’s hair.

He shrugged. “We want to try to use magic to open it.”

“Go for it,” Eva encouraged.

The kids stood around the rock, holding hands in a circle. They all had their eyes closed in concentration.

The rock trembled and slid to the side, revealing a hidden door behind it.

“Whoa!” Lucian’s eyes lit up. “This is the coolest vacation ever!”

We entered a hidden vault full of gemstones, gold, and other untold treasures.

“Oh, my Goddess! This is a treasure trove!” Selena ran to the nearest pile of gold and grabbed a handful of nuggets. She tossed them into the air like confetti.

“Is this all for us?” Aster asked.

I exchanged a look with Eva. We tried not to use the treasure if we didn’t need it, especially since we didn’t know where it came from, but sometimes it came in handy.

“It belongs to the pack,” I said.

“Hey, the passage splits up here. We should explore deeper,” Ayla pointed to the two different tunnels.

“I’ll go with you, Ayla. The boys can go by themselves.” Selena stuck her tongue out at the boys and looped arms with her twin.

Daphne chuckled. “I’ll go with the girls. Keep an eye on the boys, will you?”

“Yes.” I pulled her to me and kissed her quickly before she headed off with the twins.

Eva, Jasper, and I followed Aster, Tarik, and Lucian down the right passage. The passageway went on for a long time without anything interesting coming up. There weren’t any new rooms or hidden doorways.

“Over here, everyone!” Ayla’s voice drifted down the passageway from further back.

The boys whipped around and raced past Eva, Jasper, and me, pushing us against the walls.

Eva smiled and shook her head. “I suppose we can be grateful this is like an adventure to them.”

Daphne, Ayla, and Selena were more successful in their exploration. They were in a grand chamber with a high, vaulted ceiling. The walls were polished black. I ran my hand over the smooth, glassy surface. Obsidian walls—I’d never seen anything like it.

Light from eternally burning torches reflected on the smooth, black glass.

In the very center of the massive chamber was a stone pedestal with a polished onyx basin on top.

There was a shimmering, silvery liquid inside. It rippled like water but floated like mist. I wasn’t sure it was a liquid at all.

“What is this?” Ayla pointed.

“It is a rare scrying pool,” Eva said.

“A what!?” Selene gasped.

All the kids stared at the silvery substance with curious, wide eyes. I could feel their excitement and curiosity as all five of them were mesmerized.

Eva looked a bit mesmerized too.

“What is a scrying pool?” I asked.

“It is a very ancient, magical artifact. Honestly, I thought they were a legend. In ancient times, seers used scrying pools to spy on distant lands and get glimpses of the future.”

“That is a powerful and dangerous device.” I rubbed my chin.

“It is. That’s why they were hidden away and turned into legends. I read all the legends and stories about these artifacts, but I never expected to encounter one.”

A frown tugged at my lips. Hestia and Varge were so convinced the Dark Lord would return. Had they used the scrying pool to see that future?

“I might be able to activate it. It needs strong magic to activate, but everyone will be able to see the visions in the pool.” Eva stepped forward, her face twisted in concentration. She held her arms out wide like she was going to hug the basin.

The silvery liquid flickered and vibrated. It swirled until a perfect mirror formed on the surface. The mirror began to reflect images like a movie on a television set.

“It’s blurry, Eva,” Daphne said.

Eva grimaced. “I know. I can’t—”

“Eva, stop. You don’t need to do this. You’re using too much magic.”

She ignored me.

“We can help.” Aster grabbed Eva’s hand. Tarik grabbed her other hand.

Ayla and Selena took their hands and joined in a full circle with Lucian, and Lumina connecting all of them to Eva.

She gave a big sigh and I saw her shoulders relax.

The blurry images in the basin began to sharpen and show through more clearly. They stopped flickering like channel surfing and moved more fluidly.

“Oh my.” Daphne gasped and covered her mouth. She turned to me and hid her face.

I wrapped an arm around her, but I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the images.

Visions of fiery battles across the Dark and Light Realms spanned years of time in a few seconds. I saw horrible betrayals of the royal family, members getting dragged out of the palace by their hair, pulled through the streets, and strung up to send some kind of message.

Fanged beasts and winged warriors with glowing blades clashed in a horrible fight, splattering blood and body parts across the realms.

Through it all, I saw fleeting images of friends and family caught in the battles and the horrific images.

“Okay, stop this!” I snapped. The words rose in my throat without me really thinking about it.

Eva blinked and slumped forward, breaking her connection with the kids. The images stopped immediately, and the basin lay dormant.

“What was that!?” I demanded.

“I... don’t know.”

“Was it the past or the future?”

Eva shrugged. “I’m sorry Rion, I don’t know. I can’t interpret it, just call the images forth.”

“Well, that was exciting,” Jasper said. He clapped his hands together. “How about we take a break from all this sleuthing for lunch? I’m starved. I bet the mist is clear and we’ll have some great views of the ocean.”

“Before we leave,” I said as I held my arm up, “this place must be kept a secret and locked down. No one is allowed to come here or bring anyone here to this basin or the treasure without me or Eva, got it?”

Eva, Daphne, and Jasper nodded.

“But this is the coolest place so far,” Aster protested. All the kids pouted a little.

“My word is final. If any of you disobey, we’ll never come back here ever!”

The kids nodded. I was not joking, and they knew it. This room was dangerous, and as grown up as the kids were, I wasn’t willing to risk them.

We headed out of the caves and down to the beach where Jasper had a picnic meal set up. After eating our sandwiches, I sat close to Daphne, and we watched the kids play in the water.

We were in for a very memorable family vacation.