A LETTER TO MOMMY'S LITTLE GIRL.

1997

Dear daughter,

I killed an Alpha King today—your father. But only because he killed me first. History won't remember that part of our story; hence, I must explain my side. The king sought me out in my home for many moons, begging to be bestowed with the gift of immortality and matchless power. He needed it to win a war, you see, for his enemies were much stronger than he was. They wanted his throne, his title, honor, and authority. But I paid him no mind, for I'd searched his heart and found so much good in it. I knew he couldn't pay the price. The price for immortality was steep and too grave for a man like the late Alpha King Mikhail Androvo. It went against everything he stood for, and I warned him so. But in desperation, he insisted that he would do anything, and I yielded. He got what he wanted and so much more.

Your father was victorious in the war and attained a level of power only accessible to spirits. Shortly after, he found his fated mate, and although she was pregnant by another wolf, he made an honest woman out of her. Many moons later, the Luna had her son, whom your father loved like his own.

A decade passed before I saw him again. This time, he'd come for a different request. After six bloody miscarriages and a sentence of childlessness due to complications from the sixth miscarriage his Luna suffered, he came to me for a solution. He wanted a portion to heal her womb and empower her for her seventh attempt at childbearing.

"I'll do anything," he said, again led by desperation. I searched his heart again, appalled to find that it had grown even more merciful over the years. His love for his people and fated mate had considerably softened him, while the price for his immortality remained unpaid. It wasn't what I expected to see. Child, I thought the war would harden your father, so when I made my request, he would have no problem with it, but I'd been wrong.

To avoid making the same mistake, I devised a means to collect my debt. I convinced him to lie with me, arguing that the Luna's case couldn't be helped. I made him believe I was the only one who could give him a child from his loins, and reluctantly, your father agreed. It was evil, I know, but I never said I was nice. Under the full moon, he split my legs wide and filled me with pleasures my virgin body had only dreamt of.

A full moon later, the sickness started—a hard knot in my belly. I knew it was you. We were so happy. Oh, child, you brought so much joy to us. It's unfortunate how things ended, but like I said, your father killed me first. A month after your birth, I finally made my request known. The life of his Luna's bastard son was the price for his immortality. It was supposed to be an easy ask, but your father, the ungrateful vermin, loved her too much to hurt her like that. And so the wolves attacked me.

You can imagine my fear upon waking up that morning and thinking there was an earthquake. Unknown to me, the King's armies marched to my doorstep, bringing war to me and my coven. But a creation is never more powerful than its creator.

I unleashed my fury on his wolves and destroyed them all. I defeated his armies and raised them again to fight by my side. They attacked him upon my command, but he defeated them. The battle continued for several days until he realized that the only way to defeat an army of the undead was to defeat their necromancer.

And so he tricked me. He acted like he was ready to compromise, but I should've known he was nothing but a snake! In a brief moment of weakness, your father attacked me, plunging a knife into my chest and twisting it until my blood gushed. I fell, and so did the dead men I'd raised. Then, he ran up to your nursery and stole you from me.

Can you believe he thought I was dead? How pathetic. He truly underestimated the powers of a Red Blood Moon witch. He couldn't kill me, but he took you from me and hid you amongst his people. My own child. How cruel can one man be?

Well, pulling out your father's blasted heart with my bare hands gave me so much joy today, child. So much joy... I stare at it even now as I write you this truth, with the hopes that you'll read it someday. It's only fair to kill him since he took you and cloaked his bastard stepson with some magic that has prevented me from accessing the boy. But not to worry, child, the debt owed to your mother will be repaid through you. It doesn't matter how long it takes, but you will get me that boy, and I will greatly honor you, my sweet hybrid–wolf and witch alike. Daughter to the late Alpha King Mikhail Androvo, daughter to the great Valiah Hundra, the first of the Red-moon witches.

Dear daughter, I will find you eventually but till then, I shall keep writing these letters.

Yours in love,

Mom.