DIANA'S POV
Kael forces a smile and turns to Xiana. He lifts her effortlessly, and she wraps her tiny legs around his waist. Her long black hair is streaked with blonde highlights.
"Why were you looking for me?" he asks, his tone calm as he runs his fingers through her hair.
She giggles and brings her lips to his ear, then whispers something that makes him laugh.
"Naughty girl, I've told you to stop finding trouble with Suzy," Kael says, shaking his head as his eyes drop to mine.
I glance away quickly, uncertain why the sight of him being tender makes me feel... unsettled. Maybe it's because a man who exudes so much power and intimidation shouldn't look so gentle.
"You know it's funny when she bloats like a tomato when she's mad!" Xiana exclaims, and I nearly break into a smile.
For some reason, there's a pull in my heart from the moment she stepped into the room. It's almost like she's been a part of me.
"That's not an excuse for being naughty, Xiana," Kael scolds.
Xiana huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. "You're just saying that because you're too tough. You're no fun."
"Do you realize who you're talking to, child?" Kael says, his voice edged with amusement.
Xiana lifts her chin stubbornly. "My daddy. Alpha Kael. Alpha of the FrostLands." She squints playfully. "I'm not scared of you, Daddy."
I bite back a laugh. Who gave birth to such a sharp-tongued little girl?
Kael doesn't look the least bit surprised. He rolls his eyes and pinches her cheek, making her pout dramatically.
Just then, her half-grey, half-blue eyes meet mine, and then they widen.
"Mummy's awake!" she shouts, her lips breaking into a bright smile.
Mummy? Me?
"Daddy, she's awake!" She taps Kael's chest, beaming. "Finally."
"What's she talking about?" I say to Karl, utterly confused.
Kael's expression darkens slightly. "Xiana, heal. Go to the gardens and play with the cubs."
Xiana frowns. "No. I want to talk to Mummy!"
Kael sighs tiredly and sets her down. "Don't make me angry now, Xiana. Do as I say."
"But Daddy—"
"Xiana."
"Fine," she mutters, crossing her arms again, her eyes moistening. "You're always so unfair!" she snaps and marches away.
Kael tenses as he watches her leave. I get to my feet, suddenly uncomfortable from sitting too long.
"What are you not telling me?" I ask. Each second I'm here, I grow more confused.
Why did she call me her mother? I have no memory of carrying a child. My memory is a foggy mess.
Kael doesn't turn around as he says, "You aren't going to understand everything in just a day."
I walk in front of him and look up. Shit, why the hell is he so tall?
"Why don't you start by telling me why you brought me here, and why the hell I was locked up in that glass thingy—"
"It's a pod," he corrects, stuffing his fingers into his coat pockets. "A healing pod. It keeps you alive for as long as it can."
"Why then was I in it?"
He stares at me but says nothing. We stare at each other for a few uncomfortable seconds before he looks away, walks off to who-knows-where, and takes a white leather coat, then tosses it to me. I catch it quickly—too quickly. He seems to notice and hums.
"Put it on. Staying here for too long can be harmful to us," he instructs, and I slip the coat on.
He leads me to the door, placing a firm hand on my waist when I try to go ahead.
"Be careful—unless you intend on getting your face smashed," he says dryly when I glare at him.
He taps the air, and suddenly, a transparent wall materializes. He enters a code into a lock on the glass, and a door forms.
"Without this shield, you'd be an easy target." He says and steps out. I follow.
The world outside makes me stop in my tracks.
From inside, it had looked like a tropical forest. But out here, it's more like the Arctic; cold, vast, endless snow. A huge mountain looms in the distance. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of cabins dot the landscape. In the center, a lush green garden, oddly out of place in this winter wasteland. I spot Xiana among other children and women, laughing and playing.
That garden must be protected by some sort of climate shield. There's no way anything grows here naturally.
"Alpha Kael," a man dressed like a guard greets Kael. When he notices me, his eyes widen.
Others moving around glance at me in surprise, some with happiness, others with... fear. A few women eye me with subtle dislike.
"What is this place?" I ask in awe, scanning everything.
Kael side-eyes me. "Which question exactly would you like me to answer first?"
I deadpan at Kael, who seems too grumpy for his own good.
He sighs. "You died—"
"Huh?"
He looks at me, signaling for silence so he can explain. "Just for a few seconds… before I revived you. I tried everything. Brought in different healers, but to no avail. You were alive but in a coma, and all the healers said you'd stay that way for a very long time. A decade, maybe more. The poison Eric injected in you was too strong."
He grinds his teeth. "I have no idea how he got his hands on Kryptonite and hybrid blood. But it was enough to keep you unconscious for five years."
I stare at him blankly. I don't understand an inch of what he just said. But Eric? Why does that name sound familiar?
"What do you mean by you revived me? That's not humanly possible," I say, wondering if he's making a joke out of me.
"Maybe that's because I'm not human." His lips curl into a sardonic smile. "And neither are you."
I take a step back, suddenly begining to have a panic attack. It's almost like I've heard those words before. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
"Do you feel human, Diana?" he says…except now, it's no longer Kael standing there.
It's Eric.
Eric? My husband. What is he doing here? He's holding that syringe again.
"I am human!"
"No, you're not, Diana." He laughs. "You're a monster, and you know what I do to monsters."
He lunges for me, and when I try to scream, I'm yanked back to reality as I hit something behind me. I gasp and turn around, just to see a white wolf with silver eyes staring at me.
Goosebumps wash over me, and instinctively, I send a fist toward its face. It whimpers and falls to its legs, and I take the chance to run.
Before I can make it far, a hand grabs my arm and slams me against something hard. I don't think, I start hitting and kicking. "Let go of me!" I bark.
"Relax, Diana. It's me," Kael says, as if that's supposed to make me feel any better.
When I see him staring at me with wide eyes, I pause, my fist frozen mid-air before it can collide with his jaw. There's already a bruise on his cheek.
"Step aside," Kael growls at the guards, who I now realize are pointing guns at me.
They comply and move away hesitantly.
Kael looks at me in disbelief as I push myself away from his body.
"What was that? That wolf. There was a wolf right there! Why is no one panicking?!" I pant.
Kael looks far too calm for my liking, and I feel like smacking some sense into him. He opens his mouth to say something when several men stop beside us, gasping for air. One is badly injured in the arm.
"Alpha Kael, Eric's men have been caught passing the border."