The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter

Chapter 268: Best Advicer

Zane~

Ten years ago, my world made sense.

Emma was my light, my home, the calm in every storm. I can still remember the exact feeling of her head on my chest as she fell asleep, her hair a silken curtain that smelled of mangos and forest moss. Every time she smiled at me, it felt like I could finally breathe.

But when she died giving birth to Alexander, that breath was ripped from my lungs and never returned. All I had left of her was him – our son. Her last gift. Her final breath woven into his first.

And gods, did he look like her. Those same soulful brown eyes. That same tiny dimple when he grinned. Every time he laughed, I felt like Emma was still with me, loving me from beyond the grave.

So standing here now, with Natalie’s words echoing in my skull like a gunshot, I didn’t know what to feel.

If Alex has always been my son and Natalie’s in every lifetime, then... what did Emma get? What did her life mean? Was she nothing more than a surrogate for a fate she never chose?

I felt like my heart had been ripped out and doused in ice water. The confusion twisted deep inside me, turning everything dark and heavy. Guilt burned in my veins.

Today was supposed to be a good day.

Today I found out I was going to be a father again.

But that happiness was now tinted with something sour. Something sharp.

Because all I could think was—

What about Emma?

What did she get out of this life? Out of being my mate? Did she really die just so I could keep raising mine and someone else’s child? Was fate so cruel?

My chest ached like it might crack open from the pressure building inside.

"Red," I whispered to my second soul, clenching my fists so hard my knuckles burned. "I need Sebastian." noveldrama

"Already here, Zane," Red said, opening the mind link I shared with my brother in all but blood.

"Sebastian." My voice was jagged even in my thoughts.

"Yeah?" his deep, unbothered drawl filtered through, the mental image of him lounging in his office chair, probably spinning around like an overgrown toddler.

I didn’t waste time. My words tumbled out in a single breathless torrent.

"Natalie’s pregnant..." Before I could finish the sentence, Sebastian shouted, his voice bursting with pure, unfiltered joy. He probably jumped out of his chair from excitement.

I was happy—goddess knows I was. The joy fizzed inside me like soda bubbles rushing to the top of a glass, almost spilling over. But there were so many other things fighting to get out of me at that moment, crowding my chest until it felt like I might burst. I didn’t even wait for him to say another word. I just jumped right in, words tumbling out in a rush before I exploded from holding them back.

"Natalie told me that in every life, Alexander has always been our son – hers and mine. Not Emma’s. Mine and hers. Every single time, in every reincarnation... it’s always been her. Her and me. And Alex. But now... now he’s Emma’s son in this life. And I... I don’t know what to feel, Sebastian. What about Emma? What did she get out of this life if this was always fate’s plan?"

Sebastian went silent.

For the first time in years, Sebastian didn’t have a sarcastic retort waiting. Finally, he exhaled sharply.

"That’s... freaky as shit," he said, voice tinged with genuine shock. "Like... multiverse-level freaky. Damn."

His words made something in me crack, and I sank down on the velvet couch beside the window. Outside, the sun dipped below the horizon, turning the glass to liquid gold. My private living room felt too big, too quiet.

"I feel guilty," I admitted, closing my eyes against the sting of tears. "I feel like I cheated Emma out of a life she deserved. Like she was just... used by the gods. And I don’t know how to process that."

Sebastian sighed softly in my mind. "Zane... if I were in your shoes, I’d feel the same. You’re not wrong for feeling guilty. Hell, I’d be curled up in a corner sobbing like a toddler if this were my mate we were talking about."

Despite everything, a small snort escaped me. "You’d cry?"

"Damn straight I’d cry," he replied indignantly. "I have tear ducts for a reason, Your Highness." No he didn’t.

For a moment, the tension in my chest loosened. But then it returned with a vengeance, and I pressed my palm against my sternum like I could physically hold myself together.

"What do I do?"

Sebastian was quiet for a beat. I could almost hear his fingers drumming against his mahogany desk as he thought.

"Don’t shut Natalie out," he said at last, his tone gentler than I’d heard it in years. "Especially not now that she’s pregnant. Hormones make everything worse, you know that. She might take it the wrong way if you leave her alone for too long."

I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the silky strands slip between my fingers. "I didn’t want to leave her. I just... needed space to think."

"And that’s okay. But Zane, listen to me," Sebastian said, voice firm now, anchoring me like he always did. "This isn’t anybody’s fault. Not yours. Not Natalie’s. Not Emma’s. Not Alex’s. The gods have their twisted ways of weaving fate. But you can’t carry the guilt of something none of you had control over."

"It just feels like Emma’s memory... it feels like it’s being erased."

"Bullshit," Sebastian snapped, and I flinched at the sheer force of his voice in my mind. "Emma carried that boy in her womb for six months. She fed him. Nurtured him. Loved him. That doesn’t go away just because of some cosmic loophole. Alex is still her son. Always will be. This just means... he’s also Natalie’s son. Like he has two biological mothers. Twice the love, Zane. Even though Emma is gone... this doesn’t erase her. Nothing could."

I swallowed thickly, my throat tight. His words painted a new picture in my mind – one where Emma wasn’t replaced, but joined. One where Alex was loved by both women in different ways.

"I... I didn’t think of it like that."

"Yeah, well, that’s what I’m here for. To knock sense into that thick royal skull of yours," Sebastian muttered.

A weak laugh escaped me, barely more than a puff of air. "Thank you, brother."

"Don’t thank me yet," he said, and I could practically hear his smirk. "Now go talk to her. Sit down, clear the air, figure this shit out. Maybe talk to her siblings, or hell, even the freaking moon goddess herself if you want answers. But don’t let this fester."

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me, staring out at the darkening skyline. The palace was alive with blinking lights, trees dancing like ballerinas all around and blessing the environment with fresh air.

"I will."

"Oh, and Zane?"

"Yeah?"

"If you make anyone else the new baby’s godfather, I’ll kill you."

Despite everything, a real laugh burst out of me, sharp and sudden, cutting through the heavy fog in my chest.

"I wouldn’t dare dream of it, Seb."

"Good," he said primly. "Now get your ass in there and fix your relationship, Daddy Prince."

"Thank you. For always being there for me."

His tone softened again. "Always, man. Always."

And then the mind link faded, leaving behind an echo of his presence in my chest, like a candle flickering gently in the dark.

I took a deep breath and stood, rolling my shoulders back as I walked towards the bedroom. Each step felt heavy, but Sebastian’s words anchored me. The world no longer felt like it was spinning apart at the seams.

When I reached the door, I hesitated for only a moment before pushing it open.

The room was now dim, lit only by the soft glow of the bedside lamp. How long was I gone? The covers were messy where I’d left them. The air smelled like honey, vanilla and fresh soap – Natalie’s scent. She was in the bathroom.

"Red," I whispered internally, "I don’t know if I’m ready."

"You’ll never be ready," Red replied calmly. "Do it anyway."

I stepped further inside. That’s when I heard it.

A muffled sob.

I turned toward the bathroom. The door was open just a crack, light spilling through in a thin golden beam. Quietly, I approached and pushed it open.

And there she was.

My princess.

Crouched on the gold marble tiles, her arms wrapped around her knees, head bowed low as her shoulders shook with silent cries. Her hair tumbled around her like a curtain of strawberry silk, catching the light and shimmering even in her sadness.

Each soft, broken sob she released felt like a blade slicing into my chest.

Gods.

I did this.

I closed my eyes for a moment, forcing down the storm of guilt and fear and confusion swirling inside me. Then, slowly, I stepped into the bathroom.

"Natalie," I whispered.

Her head jerked up, eyes wide and glistening with tears. The sight shattered something deep within me, and I knew – no matter how tangled our fates were, no matter how cruel the gods might be —she was now my everything.

And I’ll do anything to keep the tears away from her eyes.