Chapter 102: The truth about Ayla (ii)
AYLA
"How did you do that? Speak, Ayla."
Alpha Kieran’s voice cut through the silence of Damon’s chambers. Everyone was still staring at me and all of them with the same expression...like I had grown a second head.
"My lord, I just... I do not know." I murmured, keeping my eyes to the ground.
"You just saved my son’s life, and you do not know how?"
How could I explain when I did not understand it myself?
"Tell me what you know, Ayla." Alpha Kieran added.
"My lord, if I may..." Priestess Miranda stepped forward.
I felt my shoulders sag with relief.
"I believe Ayla is an Omega Dualis."
My head shot up at this.
A what?
"What does that mean?" Alpha Kieran demanded.
"I did not think it was possible." Miranda’s voice trembled. "I believed it was only legend but the ancient scripts I studied as a child spoke of Omegas born with the power of life and death. They called them the Dualis. It was said they could heal the incurable and strike down the unkillable. I believe Ayla descends from that line."
The Alpha turned to me, his eyes wary.
"But how is that possible?"
"I do not know, my lord."
"You do not know." He repeated the words flatly. "A girl who has been scrubbing floors in my own household carries the power of ancient Omega royalty, and no one knew."
Master Aldric cleared his throat. He had been checking Damon’s pulse all the while.
"My lord," he said quietly. "I have never seen anything like this in all my years of healing. I was so sure that Prince Damon would be dead within the hour." He looked at me. "And then she simply... healed him. He is not merely stable, my lord. He is whole."
I felt the weight of their scrutiny on me and willed for a way to simply vanish.
"Are there any guards out there?" Alpha Kieran’s voice rose.
Two guards walked into the room.
"My lord." They bowed.
"Escort the lady, Ayla to her room," Alpha Kieran ordered. "For your safety." he reassured me. "Until we can figure out what that was and how."
I nodded, turning to Ares and Cassian. Neither of them met my eyes. It was almost like they were both afraid of me.
I let the guards lead me out of Damon’s chambers, through the corridors and back to my room.
Astrid shot up from the chair as soon as I was escorted inside.
"Ayla! Oh, thank the goddess." She rushed toward me, her hands finding my shoulders, her eyes sweeping over my face. "Are you all right?"
"I am fine." My voice sounded hollow even to my own ears.
I crossed to the bed and sat down heavily. My body felt wrung out, every muscle ached and every joint felt drained of strength.
I lay back against the pillows and closed my eyes.
Damon was alive, that was what mattered. Whatever the Alpha thought of me, I had saved his son. That had to count for something, right?
You cannot trust them, Ayla. You cannot trust anyone now that your powers have been revealed. Nyx spoke.
My eyes flew open.
What do you mean? I asked her.
She did not respond.
Nyx? I called out.
Astrid was still hovering over me. "We have guards outside your door. What happened in there?" She asked.
"I want to sleep, Astrid. I am tired."
"Of course" she backed away, taking her seat by my window.
I closed my eyes and sleep took me almost immediately. I did not know how long I was out before I felt hands on my shoulders, shaking me awake.
"Ayla. Ayla, wake up."
I opened my eyes to my mother’s face swimming into focus above me. Her eyes were wide and she looked terrified.
"Ayla, what did you do?"
I pushed myself upright, my head still foggy.
"What do you mean?"
Her fingers dug into my shoulders. "What did you do?"
Before I could answer, the door burst open and guards stormed in, about four of them.
"The Alpha summons you both," the lead guard said.
My mother straightened, her hand still on my shoulder. "Why? What does he want? Can you not see she is recovering? She nearly died, you know. She needs to rest."
"I am not put here to ask questions." The guard’s voice was stone. "Come with me. Now."
My mother opened her mouth to argue, but I put my hand over hers.
"It is all right, Mom."
The guards flanked us as we walked. My mother kept her chin high, her arm linked through mine, but I could feel the tension in her body. Whatever was waiting for us in the Alpha’s study, she was bracing for it.
The doors to the study were already open.
Alpha Kieran sat behind his desk and priestess Miranda stood beside him, her hands folded in front of her. The princes were gone so it was just the Alpha and his priestess, my mother and I.
"You wanted them both here before speaking," Alpha Kieran said to Miranda. "Here she is."
The priestess turned to look at me, her eyes filled with wonder.
"My lord," she said, her voice soft. "I consulted with the ancient texts after what happened."
"And?" Alpha Kieran prompted.
"The last time we had an Omega Dualis was during the time of the purge many centuries ago."
"You mean the Omega queen?" Alpha Kieran asked.
"Yes, my lord and considering how long ago that was. There are some information that have been lost to time but I know one thing for sure. An Omega Dualis can only be birthed from an Alpha bloodline."
What the hell is that supposed to mean? I thought. I could feel my heart pounding loudly against my ribcage.
"What does that mean?" Alpha Kieran muttered. "Simple terms for goddess sake, Miranda."
The priestess turned to my mother, pinning her with a stare that could flare cattle.
"It means, my lord that Ayla is an Alpha’s daughter."
An Alpha’s daughter?
I turned to my mother whose face had gone completely white.