The Alpha's Bride

Chapter 1011 Another type of portal (1)

"We are going to be absent for some time. Will you be alright?" Talia spoke to Valerian.

"I will leave," Valerian responded with finality.

Talia didn't want him to go, but she couldn't ask him to stay when she was the one leaving first. It would be a selfish thing to do. Besides, Valerian was physically fine, and she knew that he wouldn't be in that garden forever.

"When are you leaving?" Talia asked.

"I was thinking of heading out tomorrow."

"To the Midnight Guardians pack?" Talia guessed.

"No."

"I see," Talia breathed. "How long will you be away?"

"I don't know."

Talia didn't like the uncertainty. "Can you give me an estimate? A month? A year?"

"Is there a rush?" Valerian asked.

"No, not really. It's just..." Talia decided to come out clean. "I thought you would take over the Midnight Guardians pack as the Alpha."

"As the Alpha?" Valerian repeated in surprise.

"You would be the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack if things were different. Our people need a leader, and my hands are full with things here. Axel could help and be your proxy, so it's not too much work."

Valerian shook his head, rejecting the idea. "That's your position, Natalia. I have no right or desire to claim it. Our people admire you and follow you willingly. You are already doing great, and I'm confident you will do so for a very long time."

Talia was alerted. Why did his words sound like a goodbye? "Where are you going? When will you return? Why are you secretive?"

"It's not about keeping secrets. It's about not knowing where I will go," Valerian responded, and Talia's expression told him she was confused. "It's just…" He released a long breath. "It's suffocating."

Talia's brows came together in worry. "What?"

Valerian held Talia's shoulders. "You did nothing wrong, Natalia. You and your mate allowed me to stay here and get better, and I am grateful. But the only thing recovering is my body. My mind is trapped in the past, and my soul is empty." Painfully empty. "I miss my mate, and I need a distraction before I do something I will regret."

Valerian's wolf was in agony. The mate bond was there, but they couldn't act on it. Valerian feared that his wolf might turn feral or lose control. He didn't want to show that ugly side to Talia. She suffered enough.

Talia's eyes filled with tears. She knew that Valerian was suffering, and she gave him space to heal, believing that he would find purpose in being with her and maybe leading the Midnight Guardians pack. She had a pup on the way, which would make Valerian a grandfather, but it seemed none of that could fill the gap Astraea's absence created.

Valerian pressed his lips into a line. "I don't want to upset you, but… I have been watching you since I got here, and I can see that you have a good life, friends, and a mate that takes good care of you. I can leave content, knowing that you will be happy." He looked at Damon. "Take care of Natalia."

Talia approached Valerian and wrapped her arms around him.

He hugged her back, and his heart cracked when he realized she was crying silently.

'This is the best for all of us,' Valerian's voice sounded in Damon's head. 'If I stay, I will only be a burden. I am grateful for everything you did, but I need to go before I run out of time.'

Damon nodded in understanding. He didn't know what that running out of time meant, but he was aware that Valerian was doting on Talia, and he wouldn't leave if it were not serious.

Valerian patted Talia's back. "There, there… don't be sad. I won't be gone forever. I will stay in touch."

Talia sniffled. "Don't lie. You won't be back."

"You don't know that," he said.

Talia raised her head to look into his eyes. "I can feel your wolf, dad." Liseli was telling Talia that Valerian's wolf's state was bad, but Talia was hopeful it would get better.

Valerian smiled sadly while thinking that she reminded him of Astraea, again. "Then, you know why I must go."

Talia fisted his shirt. "You can't go. There must be something we do."

"There is nothing you or anyone else can do, Natalia. The only one that can soothe my aches is not here."

Talia was not willing to accept this. It was one thing if Valerian wanted to see how the world changed in his absence and to explore new places, but he wanted to leave without the intention of returning.

She didn't want him to leave; she just found him.

That was her father, Alpha Valerian Moonrider. He was handsome and powerful, and he loved her. Since she was aware of her existence, Talia yearned for parents who loved her.

Talia looked up to see the moon, and she wondered if this was a joke from the Moon Goddess.

Is this why she saved him? Only so that she would lose him again?

Did he survive two decades in that dungeon, so his wolf would give up? Will Valerian turn rogue or go mad? How could Talia allow it to happen?

'I know what you are thinking,' Liseli said.

'You do? Why don't you come up with a solution?'

'Even if we assume that your mother's spirit is alive, she will be in a different realm, and there is no way for us to bring her here.'

'We can't bring her here,' Talia repeated. 'But… can we send my dad there?'

Liseli wondered if her ears malfunctioned. 'What?'

'We can teleport by focusing on a location or a person. Can we focus on my mother?'

'Uhm… it is possible theoretically, but we don't know your mother. What are you going to focus on? An image you received from a necklace?' What if she teleports her father into the necklace? That would be a disaster.

"Dad?" Talia called. "If you could see your mate again..."

"I would do anything," Valerian responded before Talia could finish her question.

Talia stepped away from him and rubbed her hands nervously. "I don't know if this will work. It might backfire. There are risks involved."

Valerian's brows came together. "Are you saying that you can reunite me with Astraea?"

"I can teleport anywhere as long as I know where I'm going. You said that you can feel her presence." Talia paused to see Valerian nod, and then she continued, "If you focus on your mate bond and let me in to feel it, I could take you there. Maybe."

Valerian stared at Talia as possessed, and he spoke breathily, "If there is even a one percent chance of success, I want us to do it. Please."

Talia's eyes roamed Valerian's expression nervously, and for the first time, she saw... hope. How could she deny him this?

'Kitten?' Damon's voice sounded in Talia's mind wearily. 'What are you trying to do now?'

'Uhm... I will need your help. Actually, I will need everyone's help...'

'Everyone's?' Damon had a bad feeling about this. Was his kitten about to do something reckless again? It looked like it.

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