Heirs, 7

(POV: Renata)

What's this?

Hmm... Sounds like birds. How delightful! Waking up to the sound of birdsong in the morning is so nice; it reminds me of home.

I shift in bed and don't recognize where I am. I open my eyes and don't recognize the ceiling I'm looking at. I get out of bed.

"Ouch! Damn it!" I mutter, looking at my foot, which was hit by some sort of book.

I lift my foot and give it a light massage with my hands before picking up the book. As I read its title, "FAREWELL TO HUMANITY," I remember the events: mountain, rock, handsome man, fainting, handsome man, book, handsome man... Yeah, lots of events. I'm not doing well; I barely left home and I've already gotten myself into trouble, cursed mountain.

Still lost in recent events, I run my finger over the couple on the book's cover, and for some reason, Deniel's image comes to mind, causing a small (very small) smile to form on my lips. He's so handsome and masculine.

I think of the romance novels I read and imagine myself in the arms of my savior, being kissed, and I even feel warm and afraid of where my thoughts are going.

With the book in hand, I leave the room, and with brisk steps, I descend the stairs, pass through the living room, and exit the house. The first thing I see is the image of Daniel sitting on a fallen tree trunk. I approach slowly and, without asking for permission, sit on the vacant part of the trunk.

Without saying a word, I observe the beautiful scene of the sunrise with the sky in shades of orange between the majestic array of tall, tree-covered mountains and a flowing river at the feet of the beautiful mountain.

It's a breathtaking sight!

"How beautiful," I say, admiring.

"Yes, it is," Deniel agrees, now looking at me.

"It reminds me of my home," I whisper, feeling the pangs of homesickness in my heart.

"Why aren't you at home?" he asks, still not taking his eyes off the sunrise.

"I have to help my mother with something important," I limit my explanation.

"That's good; mothers are one of the most precious things we have in life," he says very softly, as if he's having a memory. I can't tell if it's a good or bad one because his face doesn't express any emotion.

"Yes, and I love mine very much. For her, I'm capable of anything only to see her beautiful smile," I smile and then remember the promise I made to her. "Well, thank you for everything you've done for me. But it's time for me to continue my journey," I say as I get up, and Deniel does the same.

"Don't you want to stay and have breakfast first?" he asks, his hands in the pockets of his perfectly fitting jeans.

"No, I don't like to eat in the morning," I lie! I love breakfasts, but I don't want to spend more time with this man who makes me feel strange things. I'm afraid of doing something embarrassing and unthinkable.

"I don't know why, but I don't believe a word you only said," he says, looking me in the eyes.

"I can't do anything for you," I say, breaking eye contact and entering the house to get my backpack; he follows me.

"Why the hurry? Are you running from someone?" he asks, looking closely at me.

"I already told you I'm going to do a job for my mother," I say curtly, "and I don't owe you any explanations."

I put my book in the first pocket of my backpack and, with a bit of difficulty, manage to put it on my back. I take a deep breath.

"Calm down, girl," he says, approaching me. "I'm worried; you passed out and were unconscious for over a day. I didn't have the chance to examine you."

"Are you a doctor or something?" I ask sarcastically, crossing my arms.

"My knowledge goes far beyond that," he says, and I'm shocked and speechless. "I'm a witch," he reveals, and I'm surprised. "Lost your tongue, cheeky girl?"

"I thought... Well, my mother never told me about witches, only that they were extinct," I never imagined I'd meet a witch.

"I'm the last of our lineage," he reveals with a shrug.

"It must be a burden to bear the responsibility of being the last of your kind," I comment, and he shrugs again.

"I'm six hundred and fifteen years old," he reveals, and my jaw drops in surprise. "Quite an old grandpa."

"For an old man, you're in pretty good shape," I joke, looking at his body, and he suddenly laughs, embarrassed. And I'm shocked by my audacity. It's like his cheekiness is rubbing off on me.

"How many men have you seen to base your judgment that I'm in good shape?" he teases, making air quotes with his fingers, and he nervously laughs.

"Yeah, it's my time to go," I say, trying to escape that question. "Well, I guess this is... Goodbye?"

"I don't think so; I know we'll meet again, foolish girl."

"How do you know that... Wait, what did you call me?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at him, and he just smiles, leaving me irritated.

"Foolish girl, unless you want me to call you something else, after all. It's not very clever to climb one of the most dangerous mountains without even having safety equipment."

I won't answer; he's right, but I won't admit it. Without saying anything, I turn my back on him and continue on my way.

"Goodbye, handsome man..." I stop talking as soon as I realize the crap that was about to come out of my mouth.

"See you later, foolish girl, and thank you for the compliment. I am indeed very handsome." I can hear the sound of his laughter from where I am.

"Conceited idiot with bionic hearing," I mutter, distancing myself even further.

"Praise less, princess," he says, but I don't bother to respond.

(POV: Sophie)

"Why? Come on, tell me why!" I say nervously to Albert. "We've been mates for fifteen years. So why don't you tell me? Do you not trust me?" I say the last sentence with a choked voice.

"It's not about trusting you, Sophie," he says, his hands in his hair, clearly very nervous.

"So what's the matter, Albert? WHAT IS IT?" I lose my patience, which has already lasted fifteen years.

"The SECRET IS NOT IT'S ONLY MINE, SOPHIE!" he yells, tears welling up in his eyes.

"What secret?" Isabella asks as she enters the room, and Albert tries to wipe the traces of tears with the backs of his hands.

"A secret? What secret?" my cub asks.

"You have an aunt, my daughter!" I reveal, unable to contain himself any longer.

"An aunt? Why didn't I know?" she asks, trying to hide her frustration at seeing her father on the verge of tears.

"Because..." he begins, and I cut him off.

"Isa, can you believe that in fifteen years of being mates your father has never taken me to meet your grandparents?" I know I'm adding fuel to the fire, but at this point, I don't care about Albert and his secrets.

"You-" He yells, getting even more frustrated, but before he finishes speaking. He takes a deep breath and runs his hands through his hair. "You know well why, Sophie."

"No! I don't know. What I do know is that your sister is the reason, and I want to know why!" I say, stomping my foot hard.

"Now I want to know too, Daddy," Isa crosses her arms.

"You don't understand. This secret isn't only mine," he exclaims.

"It doesn't matter, Daddy! We're your family, and we deserve to know!" Isa says, looking firm at her father, demanding answers.

"Okay, I'll tell you..." His phone starts ringing, and at this moment, I restrain myself from cursing that device. Albert takes it out of the front pocket of his jeans, and when he sees the screen, his eyes widen. He answers it so quickly that he almost drops the phone on the floor.

"Stephanie? What's wrong?... What? No, no, it can't be true. Tell me it's not true... Okay, calm down and breathe... Alright, promise me you won't bury her before I get there, okay?... Goodbye, take care."

He hangs up and throws the phone against the wall, startling Isa and me. He takes a step back, and his anger turns into tears. My heart aches, and without even knowing what's going on, I sense my eyes welling up.

"What's wrong, love?" I ask, approaching him.

"My... My parents, Sophie!" he says, now sobbing, and I rush to him, hugging him tightly. Isa does the same, and together, we embrace the man of our lives.

"Stephanie has already organized the funeral and is only waiting for me," he says. Trying to calm down and breaking the hug.

"When and how are you going there?" I ask, caressing his face.

"I'm going by plane. That way, I'll get there in fifteen hours. By car, it would take two days because it's in the territory of the other Supreme."

"Then let's hurry and buy our tickets, Daddy!" Isa says, and I shoot her a dirty look. I was about to speak when Albert interrupts me.

"Alright, Sophie. I want you both to come with me. It's time for you to know."

"Okay, I'll prepare everything for the trip and get our tickets. Isa, you stay and comfort your dad until I come back with everything ready, alright?" She nods in agreement, and I give my companion a kiss on the forehead. Feeling a heavy heart, I leave the room and start making preparations for our trip.