Mated To My Boyfriend's Dad

Chapter 161: _ Huge Progress

Rhett

~~

He wasn’t expecting the surprise he got when he arrived home. However, the moment her scent grew so strong from the moment he was outside, he pieced it all together.

Her house probably had been burnt down and Kylo had accommodated her. If Kylo accommodated her, it meant he had also accommodated her roommate and the little suspect... Liam.

When he saw her, he saw that he was right too. He loved to be right. And when they kissed, he had wished to go to Kylo and kiss him on the forehead for bringing her home to him.

Finally, one good thing happened out of this shitty calamity that befell their pack – he got to be with her even if it couldn’t last. It was more than enough for him.

It helped in relieving a lot of the stress on his shoulders. Isleen was beautiful... weak, fragile, but beautiful. She was an angel. And he wouldn’t deny that his heart had started to beat for her.

And those kids backbiting him wasn’t something he was not used to. But doing it in his house?

Come on...

That was the least on his mind now anyway. He came home to sleep so that he could have a conversation with the Moon Goddess about the recent occurings. And he did see her.

They had a conversation. What she told him had unnerved him ever since. As he sat in his car, driving back to the precinct, he could recall his conversation with her.

The Dream:

When he closed his eyes, Rhett found himself back on the familiar shore. The sand was cool beneath his bare feet, the air thick with the scent of salt and something else... something ethereal.

His eyes trailed around, searching for her amidst the scenery. And then, as he was bound to, he spotted her in the distance.

She was a figure bathed in an otherworldly glow. Even from afar, he recognized the Moon Goddess, her white gown shimmering like moonlight on water.

He started toward her, drawn by an invisible force, but a barrier of light stopped him a few paces away. It wasn’t a physical barrier, but one of power, a tangible manifestation of the immense being before him.

He watched her, mesmerized - she was their mother. It was from a drop of their blood that their species sprouted. They were all bound to her. She was their deity.

Soon, Rhett found himself standing before her, the light shimmering less intensely now. He knew she could feel his presence even though she wasn’t turned to him.

She was acutely aware of him as he was, her.

He cleared his throat and the sound echoed in the vast emptiness. "Holy One," he began, his voice rough with disuse, "I apologize for the delay. The situation at the pack..."

"... has become dire," the Moon Goddess finished his sentence, her voice devoid of judgment. "Which is all the more reason you should have sought my counsel sooner."

He knew. He should have been here before. He should have visited earlier. But visiting means sleeping. Sleeping means resting and resting during these trying times was like treason for him.

Rhett winced. "Forgive me, my Goddess. I would have found myself here but I haven’t slept in days." He paused, then added, "But I am here now. Please, guide me."

The Moon Goddess’s form shimmered faintly. "I see the suffering of my children, Rhett. Not just in Ravenwood, but across all packs except for the ones who had turned a blind eye to the fight. Those who had chosen to cower in fear instead of standing by their brothers and fighting. Even as the war has taken its toll on those of you who had chosen to not be afraid." Her voice grew stern. "Those who chose to remain neutral, to turn their backs on the fight, they are traitors. They will face my judgment in due time."

The first set of people who came to Rhett’s mind was Beowulf and Darius. However, he wasn’t sure if they fit into this category as Beowulf was the Alpha and their pack was actively participating in the war.

Rhett felt uneasy but her next words were a little bit soothing... kind of.

"Do not despair," she continued, her voice taking on a firmer tone. "Though the path seems bleak, it is not without hope. You are losing now, but it is a necessary prelude to victory. The power I have bestowed upon you will awaken in time. But until then, your focus must be twofold: purge your pack of every vampire taint, and strengthen your defenses." _{𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮}

Rhett clenched his fists. It had not been easy. "That’s exactly what we’re doing," he said. "But there’s a complication. We suspect there’s an ancient, powerful vampire among us. He’s managed to stay hidden with some sort of special ability. He walks amongst us but we can not even point him out. I have never seen such a menace before. Tell me, Moon Goddess, what is the path forward?"

A heavy silence descended upon the dreamscape. The Moon Goddess stood perfectly still, her expression unreadable as if she was processing his words. Then a sharp and sudden gasp shattered the stillness. Her luminous form shimmered, and for a terrifying moment, Rhett thought he might faint.

"An ancient one?" She breathed.

Instantaneously, Rhett nodded. "Yes, Holy One."

He had no idea if he was excited that she seemed to recognize who this vampire was or dreadful that word of him seemed to shake her a little.

"That vampire," she finally spoke, and her voice, tremor, and dread were palpable. "was thought to be long gone, eradicated, sealed, and perhaps, destroyed. So that had been a great lie. It is a lie that has fooled many, I must say. Since he had been long forgotten, that meant he had managed to lay low and remain undetected. So, why the sudden emergence? Something doesn’t seem to add up."

If there was something more to this, they needed to take it one step at a time. Right now, what he needed to do was know his opponent. This vampire, whoever he was must have gathered enough information about them, living amongst them since heaven knows when.

And yet, they had not even tangible information about him.

"That vampire is a creature born of the darkest and most terrible curse. He is a being of immense power, cunning, malevolence, and malice. He is of pure darkness. It is said that he has not even a single light in his heart – that is if he still had any." She finished.

Fear coiled in Rhett’s stomach. He’d faced many dangers in his life, but nothing like this. And for the first time in his life, he felt threatened and helpless.

The fact that such a creature had been walking amongst them unnoticed for far too long caused for great alarm.

"Do you know of him, Moon Goddess?" he rasped. "Is there anything you can tell me?"

"If this creature walks your pack," she replied with a grave voice, "and you are not vigilant, it will spell your doom. His ability makes him deadly. Very deadly. He possesses no remorse. His job is to always wreak havoc, Rhett. I fear for my children."

Rhett felt a surge of desperation. He couldn’t afford to lose his pack, his people. He wouldn’t.

Not to some vampire; be it old or young.

"Please, Moon Goddess," he pleaded, "give me some kind of lead, anything that can help us find him before it’s too late! What kind of ability does he possess? I need to know how he is able to fool us and walk among us as one of us. I need to know to be able to protect my people. Their doom is my doom."

Instead of replying to him, the Moon Goddess laughed softly. "Your pack, or the Alpha’s?"

Right, tradition. He almost forgot.

His heart stuttered. The Moon Goddess’s words cut deep. "The Alpha commands," he stammered, caught off guard. "But the pack... they are my people. I have a duty to protect them."

The Moon Goddess’s ethereal form seemed to shimmer with amusement. She nodded. "Ah, duty," she murmured with a hint of something Rhett couldn’t quite decipher in her voice. "And by loved ones, I presume... Is Isleen one of those you wish to protect?"

Heat flooded Rhett’s cheeks. He hadn’t anticipated her bringing up Isleen. If only he knew why she wanted Isleen for him.

"Yes," he admitted. "And my son."

There was no lying to her.

The Moon Goddess’s smile, though enigmatic, held a touch of warmth. "Very well then," she said, her voice softening. "Perhaps this will aid you. This ancient vampire, he takes from his victims beyond blood. He devours flesh as well."

Flesh.

Flesh.

Flesh.

Yes! That was the missing piece he had sought desperately to find. Flesh. The ancient vampire devours flesh.

"Flesh?" he repeated, a coldness spreading through him. He couldn’t help but think of the recent attack on random members of the pack.

This does not only solve all of the cases, but it would bring them greatly forward in other affairs. All of the cases he had been wishing to connect were almost solved. He now knew who that killer was.

It wasn’t a werewolf or Fey. It was a vampire. Of course, it was a vampire. Only they were monsters that could as well eat flesh if there should ever be a case of such.

And there was.