My Four Beast King Fathers Chose Her Over Me Chapter 12

My Four Beast King Fathers Chose Her Over Me Chapter 12

The moment they saw Mom, they were like starving beasts catching a scent.

They swarmed her, one after another.

“Aurelia? Is that you? Is it really you?”

“You’re alive. You’re actually alive!”

The most undone of them was First Dad.

The Bear Emperor, ruler of the Northern Highlands, cast off every shred of composure and wept where he stood.

He gripped Mom by the shoulders, repeating himself.

“Aurelia, I never thought I’d lay eyes on you again. Thank the gods.”

Fourth Dad fell apart entirely.

“You really came back with Nyssa. Now we’re a family again. We can finally live in peace.”

That set off the others.

Each of them pressed forward claiming to be my true father, each begging Mom and me to come live with him.

Just as they were about to tear into one another, Mom spoke.

“Who said we came back to play house with you?”

All four fell silent. They stared at her, baffled. “Then why did you come back?”

Before they could react, something appeared in Mom’s hand.

A weapon none of them had ever laid eyes on.

She leveled it at the four of them and fired. One shot each.

After the blasts, it wasn’t only the four fathers who cried out.

The guardian spirit shrieked like a boiling kettle.

“Aurelia, what are you doing!”

“What does it look like? Revenge.” Mom’s expression was ice. She looked at the four of them the way you’d look at dead meat. “Tormenting me over Ravenna was one thing. But my child. She was helpless. And you broke her too.”

So Mom had overheard every word between me and the spirit.

She knew exactly what the four fathers had done to me.

At first I’d thought she was sending me back to save the people of that world.

That she wanted me to stay with the fathers.

Now I understood.

The spirit was frantic. “If you kill them, this world will collapse!”

“Then let it collapse.” Mom’s voice was cold. “A world held in balance by these four idiots doesn’t deserve to exist.”

She cut the spirit off and started toward the four fathers, one step at a time.

Her presence was so overwhelming that all four of them backed away.

“Aurelia, calm down. We know you’re furious. But we can explain. We treated Nyssa badly because Isolde manipulated us. It wasn’t on purpose.”

“We know we were wrong. We’ll do anything to make it right. Just give us one chance. Please.”

Their faces brimmed with sincere regret. They looked as though they’d pluck the stars and the moon from the sky if she asked.

A shame Mom wanted neither stars nor moon. She wanted them dead.

“Don’t beg me for chances. Beg whatever god is waiting for you on the other side.”

More shots rang out. The four fathers closed their eyes in despair.

I thought watching them die would hurt.

It didn’t. I had only one thought.

My mom is a fucking legend.

These four deserved to die.

Ungrateful. Blind. Forever chasing a pretty face.

The spirit screamed again. “You’ve killed all of them! What happens to this world now? Who will lead the four clans? The people will suffer!”

“Shut up.” Mom frowned. “Then find new leaders.”

The way she said it, finding new Alpha Kings sounded as simple as picking fruit.

And as it turned out, for her, it really was that simple.

We stayed in that world for nearly a year. Mom found replacements for all four of them.

Once the four clans were running again, it was time for us to go home.

Before we left, the spirit’s words gnawed at me.

If Mom really had lost her chance at love because of me…

I was about to tell Mom I’d stay behind.

But she read my mind. She pulled me into her arms. “Baby, men come and go. But you’re my only family. I can’t lose you.”

I whispered, “But if I’m in the way…”

“Forget whatever that stupid spirit told you. I’ve never been short on men. And honestly, they’re all the same. Not one of them is worth giving up a thing for.”

I tried to say more.

Mom seized my hand and dragged me home.

Just before we stepped through the door, one last question crossed my mind.

I looked up. “Mom, who is my real father?”

Mom smiled and said a name, softly.

My eyes went wide. I couldn’t believe it.

How was that possible?

How could it be him?