Embraced By the Blood Moon

Chapter Twenty Two

Serenity’s POV

“I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you all these years,” Ondine said with a sorrowful tone to her words. “But it was for your safety. I did come when you were little, but felt that since two powerful wolves had imprinted on you, you would be safer with them. Jullian had his goons watching me until recently.” She paused for a moment, and Alpha Derrick used her silence as an opening to ask his question.

“Would you know why both Jace and I imprinted on her? Because as far as I knew, that never happens, and if it has, I’ve never heard of it before.” Derrick wondered, curiosity in his expression.

A smile spread across her face, “I do, and it has happened before, but only with one other person I am aware of.”

“Did you know the other person,” I asked as I leaned closer to Ondine.

“Yes, I did. That person was your mother, Maya, and I was one of the five beings imprinted on her.” Ondine’s eyes seemed to shine as she spoke of my mother.

“Wait, so Serenity’s birth mother had five people imprinted on her?” Jace said as he ran his hand back through his hair.

She shook her head, “No, I said five beings imprinted on her, not people.” Jace, Derrick, and I all furrowed our eyebrows as she went on, “As I have already told you, I imprinted on your mother along with the second Prince of the Dragon shifter clan, Theo, the High Witch of the Northern Hemisphere, Agatha, the Wood Nymph of the Amazonian Forest, Chloris, and the second Prince of the Vampire Clan, Jullian. Other than Jullian, I am the only one of the remaining four that remains of this world.” Her words came out as a whisper as she spoke the last name.

“Wait, isn’t Jullian the King of the Vampire Clan?” Alpha Derrick questioned.

Ondine nodded, “Yes, he is now, but at the time, his younger brother was the leader. King Alexander the Great was what he had been called for many centuries. Jullian took over when King Alexander was by the werewolf royals about fifty years ago.”

“If the Werewolf Royal killed King Alexander, why isn’t it written in our history books?” Jace asked as I sat silently, listening to the conversation unfolding before me.

“Because it never happened,” Ondine said as she flipped her golden hair over her shoulder.

“Then why…” I began to question when Ondine continued.

“One of Jullian’s abilities is manipulating the minds of many beings at once. He can brainwash all within a five-hundred-mile radius, and he can continue doing it to any within the range of his ability with little to no effort. This ability is one that he has worked many centuries to perfect and is what he used to brainwash the beings within his region into believing that werewolves were the ones that killed King Alexander.” She said as our mouths gaped open. A chuckle escaped her lips, “Don’t worry, it isn’t completely hopeless; in fact, his ability has a pretty significant flaw: it is weak against those with a strong mind. Also, before Jullian killed them, Agatha and Chloris were working on a device that would nullify the effects of his ability.” Ondine grabbed her bag lying on the ground next to her chair, pulled out a stack of weathered parchment, and handed it to Alpha Derrick. “This is all I could save of their work, but I brought it because I thought it might be useful to your researchers.”

“Thank you. We will definitely put it to good use.” He said as he went over to his desk and began scanning the papers into his computer.

“I know you will,” Ondine said as I looked at her.

“But why did Jullian…” Flashes of Jullian tossing my mother’s head at my feet flooded my thoughts. Tears began to fill my eyes as Ondine placed her hands gently on top of my tightly clenched fists.

“Why did he kill Maya,” I nodded, and she continued. “Jullian was always jealous of his younger brother, who had utterly decimated him to become the Vampire King in a brutal battle for the throne just over a thousand years ago. And when he imprinted on your mother, he mistook it for love. So when Maya found her true mate, King Alexander, Jullian began to plot how he could have your mother all to himself.” A soft smile spread across her face, and she gently brushed the hair from my eyes as some tears began to escape the corner of my eyes. “Jullian hid his true intentions quite well, but as time went on, he became more jealous of not only Alexander but everyone that had imprinted on her. And when your parents announced they were pregnant, that was it. Jullian completely snapped and began lashing out.” She shook her head as though she was replaying the terrifying scene through her mind once again.

“And was that when everyone except for you died,” I asked in a hushed tone.

She shook her head, “No, not all of us died, just Theo at that time. Jullian went completely insane. Theo and Chloris stayed behind to buy us some time to escape. Still, even Theo’s brute strength wasn’t enough for him and Chloris to escape, especially when Jullian revealed that he possessed the ancient Dragon Slaying artifact, Death Maker. Realizing that there was no way around his death, Theo sacrificed himself to allow us, including Chloris, to escape. Chloris had trapped Jullian within a vine prison, but it wasn’t enough to stop Jullian’s bloodlust, and he mercilessly killed Theo right before our eyes.” Tears began to stream down Ondine’s soft cheeks.

“Where you close to, Theo?” I asked as I gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“Yes,” She nodded as she spoke, “We were mates.”

I gasped and wrapped my arms tightly around her shoulders, “I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head, “There is nothing for you to be sorry about; you did nothing wrong.” She pulled back from my embrace to look me in the eyes. “Theo made his choice, and his choice saved you.” Her tone became hushed, and her smile softened, making her all the more beautiful.

“You don’t have to tell me anymore. I know that this can’t be easy for you.” I said as I bit my bottom lip.

“No, it’s not easy, but you deserve to know. Serenity, to fight your enemy, you first must know them,” She said as she lovingly tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

“Yeah, but…” I began when Alpha Derrick interrupted me.

“She’s right, Ren, and even though it is hard for her, she knows you need and deserves to know what brought your life to where you are now,” Derrick said as Ondine continued with her story of how we got to where we are now.

“Not everything was terrible. Your early childhood was filled with so many happy memories that your mate, seeing as he is your true mate, will be able to help you recover those memories.

Shock washed over both Artemis and me as we realized her words, “Wait, how do you know that he is my true mate, and who is he?”

“That isn’t important right now, and you will meet him very soon, so you will just have to wait and see who he is.” A smile spread across her face before quickly fading away and being replaced by a serious look, “When you turned five, Jullian discovered where we were hiding, and your life on the run began. One by one, Jullian began to pick us off till only you and your mother remained. Alexander was the first of us to be taken by Jullian, then Chloris, Me, and Agatha. ”

“How could only Mother and I remain when you are still here?” I asked in a confused tone.

She took in a deep breath, “Because Jullian captured me and torched me for six months. The day he let me go was the day he thought he had eliminated you and your mother. It wasn’t that he let me go so much as he left me for dead. But I was saved by a kind-hearted vampire that your father had turned. Her name was Melean, and because she saved me that day, I could come here and tell you about your parents.” She turned her attention towards Alpha Derrick and Jace, “Also, I would like to thank you both for finding Serenity that day in my stead. I will forever be eternally grateful to you guys.”

A smile spread across Alpha Derrick’s face as he responded to Ondine’s thank you, “I would also like to thank you, Ondine. Had you not been willing to tell Ren this stuff, she would have never known that her father was not just any ordinary vampire but an original ancient one. Ren, you were born to end this century-old war between the vampires and werewolves; it is your destiny.”