The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 100

VALERIA

"Who... who are you?" I stood up immediately, though a bit unsteady on my feet.

Truthfully, I wasn’t afraid of the small elderly woman who barely reached my chest, but I couldn’t fathom where she had suddenly appeared from.

"Come, come, don’t be frightened. You know I won’t hurt you. Lie down on the bed; the floor is too cold, and you might catch a chill," she said, gently guiding me toward the enormous bed. She pulled back the quilt and tucked me in tenderly.

I felt like a small child as I watched her walk away to add more logs to the fireplace that warmed the chilly room.

Something about her—her aura—made me want to cry. I remembered the words I’d read at the last altar.

Could she be the one who called me "little crow"?

"It’s me," she replied, finally turning around and smiling. She came back to the bed and climbed up, sitting beside me.

"Are you my nanny? How do you know my name? Why do you call me ‘little crow’?" I bombarded her with questions one after another.

"Yes, you could say I’m your nanny. I was the one who saved you from death and kept you alive, healing you little by little until I was sure you could survive," she replied with a sigh, her wrinkled hands holding mine and squeezing them.

"Valeria, listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you, and please believe me. It’s your best chance to survive and reclaim your place in the world.

«You are Valeria Von Carstein, daughter of Queen Gabrielle the Merciful, ruler of the Dark Realm, and both of you are descendants of Juno and heirs to the Selenia bloodline.

The primary duty of the Selenias throughout time has always been one thing: to guard and keep the Lunar Gate sealed. This gate is the entrance to the prison of Umbros, the King of the Specters.

No one knows how often it happens, but the seals on the gate begin to weaken periodically, and a Selenia must return to reinforce them.

Some never faced this task, but unfortunately, when your mother was about to give birth to you, the Goddess warned her in a dream that she needed to strengthen the magic of the gate.

The person she trusted most was her General and right hand—the current Vampire King.

So, she gave birth to her treasure and left you in his hands, under the promise that he would lead the Realm and care for you until you came of age, at which point he would return to being your General.»

"Why didn’t she leave me with you? And what about my father?" I asked, unable to understand how my mother could have entrusted me to that vile, infamous vampire.

"Your father died. And actually, she did leave you with me, Valeria, secretly resting within you. Not even the Vampire King knew. She did it as a precaution, never imagining that I would truly need to intervene," she explained, and her words only deepened my confusion.

«The Vampire King wasn’t always corrupted by power. He was once a bright and kind young man. But somewhere along the way, the seed of evil took root in his heart.

He was so deceptive and cunning that even Gabrielle couldn’t uncover his true intentions.

When she gave birth to you, she hardly had any time with you. She drained a significant portion of her blood and left it for him to nourish you.

Selenias need their mother’s strength as they grow to fully develop their powers.

He stole Gabrielle’s blood and used it for his own benefit.

Then, he took you to the bottomless cliff at the edge of the Forbidden Mountains, plunged a poisoned dagger into your tiny chest, and threw you off» She lowered her head, and I saw tears rolling down her cheeks.

«I saw it all. I witnessed his hatred and betrayal. It hurt so much. That’s when I fully awakened and took corporeal form outside of your tiny body.

I caught you with my wings before you hit the bottom. We hid in the mist, and I escaped with you, barely alive in my hands.

It took me centuries to nurture you little by little with my magic in a hidden cabin in the forest. Day by day, I fought to keep you alive, surrounding you with my life force.

Sometimes I thought I wouldn’t be able to draw all the poison from your veins, and I felt you slipping away.

But I did it. Even though I used up all my energy, I saved you. But I couldn’t protect you any longer. I was nearly depleted, and my magic was on the brink of extinction.

You remained in your infant form, suspended in time without growing. But once you began to return to life, I couldn’t care for you anymore. So, despite the risks, I decided to take you out of this Realm.

You didn’t have much power. You hadn’t been nourished by your mother’s blood.

The poison had stunted your development. You would grow up as a weak omega woman—I knew that. But you would have a chance to survive among the wolves»

"Did you... were you the one who left me at that altar in the forest, where my adoptive parents found me?" She nodded, then sighed.