Rhaegar
" Halsey Crawford," she smiled at me and hugged me tightly. I held her, feeling how much she needed it, but I pulled away and took in my high school love. She and I were in love once upon a time, it was an immature type of love. Halsey wasn't as she was ten years ago, her hair wasn't flaming red anymore, and she aged a little to show how much time had passed, and she was skinny and wary.
" What are you doing here?" my voice was still hoarse, I hadn't realized that.
" I need a sanctuary for my son and me, " she cried, I could hear the deep sadness in her voice, and slowly, tears escaped her eyes. I was baffled at the sight of her tears. A boy no older than eight came from behind her. He had white hair, and natural violet eyes that flashed a hidden red. He had a powerful ambiance around him, yet, I could tell he wasn't fully one of us. I couldn't pinpoint what he was, something unnatural, but he was a shifter.
" What is he?" I asked, the boy to take a step back, and I noticed he was scared.
" This is Zuriel, my son. He is a Proteus," she said, and I couldn't hide my shock. A Proteus is a shapeshifter that can change into two forms. They existed in the Middle Ages when cross-mating was allowed. It was abolished and considered a taboo now because most offspring of cross-mating go rampage at some point if they can't handle their inner counterparts and cause mayhem. Halsey was crying now, and Zuriel was frowning. I smiled at the boy and extended my hand. He seemed surprised before he took it.
" Hello, Zuriel. My name is Rhaegar. Welcome home," I said. He exhaled as though he was holding his breath, and gave me a slight smile.
" Follow me to my office," I said. She covered her hair as we went into my office. She and her son took seats in front of me, and I relaxed in mine.
" What happened to you? Your estate caught fire, destroying everything and everyone. People assumed the worst," I said. Her eyes reluctantly went to her son, she didn't want him to know what she was about to say.
' Halsey?' I tried through the mind link. It wasn't broken. Her heart raced, and a soft smile graced her lips. It was lovely to see.
' It feels so good,' she whimpered. ' I missed this connection. I didn't even know I could after years,' I gave her as much time as she could. Feeling the bond she hasn't felt in years.
' What happened to you?'
' He's dad is the dragon king in the west, my Prince,' she confessed. The other supernatural nations stayed far from us, including the dragon empire of the West, they were a domineering empire, but we all maintained peace as we didn't associate, all supernatural co-existed in the realm peacefully. I scrutinized the boy, he was a dragon Prince and a werewolf. No wonder power radiated off him in such surges.
' How did you meet the dragon king?' I asked.
' He was Prince by then. You know how Grandpapa loved adventure. He took me along with him in the West, we stayed at the court, they were benevolent, and the dragon Prince and I got on wonderfully,' she inhaled before continuing,
' On a drunken night, we slept together, and I found out months later I was pregnant,' she said, hanging her head low, ' I told my grandparents, they were scared... You know how crossmating is these days. They feared the alphas would kill me and my child, so, they sent me in hiding, but the dragon Prince somehow found out about my condition, and approached my grandparents, when they refused to tell him where I was, in anger, he burnt everything to the ground,'
I growled, hitting my desk when she finished telling me. Halsey jumped from her seat in fear, while her son was calm, his eyes fixed on me. I was fuming, the fucking dragon king was the reason the Crawford estate burnt down, killing 20 members of my pack. I was going to retaliate!
" I will avenge this," I declared. Fear instantly took over Halsey's face as she shook her head.
" No, it will only bring war, and he will know my son and I are alive," she said urgently. Does he not know they are alive?
" Alpha, we ran away from him a year ago. He is a vicious man who only cares about power. He wanted my Zuriel to be into some weapon for him as he expanded his territories, he wanted to go against other supernaturals in the West. I can't let that happen,"
" How did you leave?"
" I contacted my grandpapa's wizard friend, and he performed a spell to get us out of the country safely and break our bond to the dragon king," She explains.
" He thinks you're dead?"
" Yes, and I want it to stay that way," she whispered, glancing at her son.
" You could go any way. Why here?" I asked.
" I was so lonely, Prince Rhaegar, and I missed home so much," Her son comforted her, softly holding her hand, and she wiped her tears.
" What do you want from me?"
" I want to stay here and rebuild the estate. I have so much from my inheritance to do so, I want to be part of this pack again, and want a suitable home for my son," she smiled at Zuriel who gave a small smile back to his mother. It soothed her to see her son smile.
" Okay. I'll have someone to register Zuriel in pack records, however-"
" I know he can't shift into his dragon form. He knows that, if he did, it would reconnect him to the dragon empire," she said sadly.
After talking to Halsey, I arranged accommodations for them, they'll have to stay at Nadia's villa while they rebuild, and Nadia was open to the idea.
" Thank you so much, Prince Rhaegar," she said.
I went to my son's room after arranging everything. Khai was awake in his crib but wasn't crying. I smiled and carried him.
" Hi, buddy,"
He smiled at me, and I kissed his head as I embraced him. My son, my first child, and royal heir. I adored him dearly.
" you're loved beyond words, Khai. I love you so much," I didn't imagine ever making something so precious.