Alpha's Cruel Addiction

A year was long. Half a decade was even longer. When one watches the time, time will wait and never pass. Yet, months and five years passed by in the blink of an eye for the couple who sparked a war.

"Mommy, hurry, hurry!" Ophelia let out breathless laughter as she tried to catch up to her eager daughter. She reached out to catch the child's hands, but was no match for a werewolf. "Heliana, honey, you must slow down, or else you'll fall—"

"Ack!"

Heliana tripped and fell flat on her stomach. Silence filled the air for a split second. Before anyone could react, Heliana burst into tears, her mouth wide open as she wailed.

Ophelia quickly stopped before her daughter, frightened as she knelt before. "Mommy, help me up!" Heliana demanded, her lips twisted into a pout, her large amethyst eyes teary and shimmering under the sunlight. She raised her arms for a hug and a kiss, but her mother faltered.

"Heliana, you must help yourself up," Ophelia softly said, rising to her full height and reaching her palms out for her daughter to take. "O-one day, I may not be able to help you—"

"Why not?!" Heliana shouted, planting herself firmly on the garden floors and refusing to not be spoiled rotten by her parents. She scowled when her mother tried to smile.

"Well, I am only human," Ophelia squeezed out. "My bones will not last as long and my health will deteriorate faster. I do not live as long as you, Daddy, and—"

"Lornel!" a voice demanded in the distance.

Ophelia's head snapped up to see her eldest son running in her direction. Worried that the heir would make the same mistake, she frowned. "Lornel, please don't run as well!"

Lornel stopped directly beside Heliana and scowled down at his little sister as if she were embarrassing him. He planted his hands on his hips and chided her. "Get up, Lia, you're already three years old!"

Heliana puffed out her cheeks furiously, her face growing red as she held her breath in rebellion. She crossed her arms, and sniffed for a few more seconds, before bursting out into tears again. She was inconsolable and crying her lungs out. Eventually, a large shadow loomed over her figure and she paused her tantrum.

"D-Daddy…" Heliana whimpered, stretching her hands up at him who spoiled her the most. "Hug…"

"What did your Mommy say?" Killorn said, taking his wife's side above all. His attention shifted to a troubled Ophelia who pressed her lips together. Lornel hugged her hips, burying his face into her dress to hide his smile, as if the entire situation was funny to him.

"Lia," Ophelia gently called for her daughter, bending and wiping the tears staining Heliana's face with her handkerchief. Heliana hiccuped and coughed, her lips trembling as she sniffled.

"Why won't anyone help me?" Heliana whimpered.

"Because you need to stop being a crybaby!" Lornel demanded, despite his pained expression when Heliana's watery eyes met his. Instantly, his rough demeanor softened and he corrected his tone. "You have to be a big girl and stand on your own two feet! One day, there will be no one in life to help you up when you're at your lowest!"

"Well, well, someone didn't fall asleep during their tutoring," Killorn snorted, though he swore he saw his son snoring away at Reagan's lesson yesterday. The impatient old man had hit Lornel on the head, which only made Heliana laugh. Now, the tables have turned.

Ophelia shot her husband a glower and he wiped the smile off his face immediately. He sobered up and squatted to Heliana's height.

Ophelia shook her head in amusement, peering up at her handsome husband. The five years that passed between them only made him appear even more suave than words could describe. She reached up and touched his chiseled jaw, and he turned, kissing her fingers.

"T-that tickles," Ophelia tried to pull back, but his grip was tight. His devious eyes clashed with hers, darkening by the second as he leaned closer, pressing his mouth to her palms now. She could see all the wicked thoughts that crossed his mind as memories of this morning flooded her.

"I am at fault," Killorn coaxed, almost as if reading her mind.

"Damn right, you are," Layla interrupted their intimate moment. "You should let Ophelia rest—"

"And you should mind your business," Killorn deadpanned, shooting her a glower. He was just one more kiss away from sneaking his wife away from here!

"Mommy! Daddy! Look!" Heliana jumped up to them with a fallen bougainvillea flower. "The petals are as pretty as your eyes," Ophelia stated, prying her arm away from Killorn before he could convince her of anything. From beside him, she could feel him shake with controlled laughter. She couldn't imagine how red her cheek and ears were burning.

"And as pretty as yours!" Heliana agreed, grinning up at her mother. "I want to look just like you when I grow up, Mommy!"

Ophelia's vision grew blurry. Her eyes grew watery as she knelt and hugged Heliana tightly. "Oh, baby…" The bliss of motherhood continued to remind Ophelia of the mother she had wanted all along. Now, she was being that figure for her daughter, who'd never grown up hearing harsh words or criticism.

"You've spoiled her rotten," Lornel whispered to his father. "She only talks about herself, you know."

"As if you didn't grow up with everything you've wanted in life," Killorn mused, ruffling his son's hair. He let the two have their moment, for he knew nothing was more healing for Ophelia than the sight of their children. Ever since Ophelia gave birth, there had never been a day where she wasn't smiling or grinning. Even now, Killorn could hear her excited voice as Lornel walked for the first time, or when Heliana's first words were "Mama!"

"Wow, and here I was, gathering all the children for the tea party, and you guys were all having fun without me!" Maribelle cried out, confused and huffing at the scene in front of her.

Ophelia sniffed and wiped away a tear before anyone could see, but Killorn always saw her. His keen eyes never missed a thing. He was by her side instantly, rubbing her shoulders even when Ophelia released Heliana.

"Aunty Maribelle, took you long enough!" Heliana gasped, her excitement growing at the enormous picnic basket. Quickly, she ran back to her mother and took her by the hand, dragging her towards the blanket laid out in the garden.

"I finally got this one to sleep," Maribelle sighed, shaking her head,

Ophelia turned and saw the third couple. Gerald carried a woven basket in one arm and the other resting on Maribelle's shoulders. Nestled peacefully within Maribelle's arms was a baby girl deep in slumber.

"Mommy, hurry, hurry!" Heliana eagerly said, barely able to contain herself. "Don't rush," Ophelia stated once more, and finally, Heliana listened. They walked hand in hand towards the blanket, where everyone gathered around under a sunny afternoon.

Surrounded by friends and family, Ophelia couldn't have felt more at peace with her life than at this moment.

"What's on your mind?" Killorn asked as his wife blissfully leaned her head on his shoulders. She smiled up at him, the picture of perfection. She was his heart that graced this earth. She was the other half of his soul. Ophelia was the embodiment of Killorn's affection and adoration. And he wondered if she even knew.

"Words can't describe how happy I am," Ophelia confessed to him quietly. "I love you."

Killorn kissed her and pulled back in seconds before she could complain. She flushed as red as the first day she saw him, her gaze traveling and wondering if someone saw them. Then, his words took her by storm once more.

"I love you most, Ophelia."

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