QT: I hijacked a harem system and now I'm ruining every plot(GL)

Chapter 434: Daphne

I wear my coat early in the morning. The fabric is torn at the sleeves, but I do not care. I walk around past the pack grounds, searching for my car.

I find it. A big off-road vehicle, sleek black, parked exactly where I left it. The morning light catches the tinted windows, and for a moment, it looks almost out of place in this world of trees and dirt and wolves.

Before I can get in, a crow lands on the side mirror.

It tilts its head. Its beady eyes fix on me.

I recognize it immediately.

404’s new body.

I get in and change into fresh clothes—some dark blue pants and a button-up t-shirt. The fabric is clean, crisp. I feel more like myself.

"I can see you," I say without looking up.

From a tree, a little girl comes out.

Lyra.

Her dark hair is messy from sleep. Her eyes are bright.

"Come," I say, opening the door.

She immediately runs and jumps in, landing straight onto my lap.

"Good morning," I say.

She grins.

***

Elara

"I cannot believe my eyes," Eric says.

I roll my eyes and smooth out the dining table of my family home. According to pack law, unmated pregnant wolves cannot live with their family. My brother and father said no, but if the pack alpha family did not follow the law, it would cause chaos in the pack. So I left.

"Father, can you believe this?" Eric gestures at me. "Elara has never served us with this much deference."

Father hums in agreement.

"Of course." I flip my hair. "How I treat my mate is different."

Father clears his throat.

"I have never heard of another creature that is not a wolf," he says. "What is your mate?"

"A panther," I say proudly.

"She is deadly," I add on. "Strong."

"Obviously." Eric mutters. "We saw her take down four Alpha wolves. How am I supposed to fight against her if she mistreats you?"

"Daphne would never," I say immediately.

"You sound sure," Father says.

"As certain as a full moon," I say.

I look at the breakfast table. It is perfect. The plates are arranged, the food is warm, the tea is steeped just right. Everything is in its place.

Soon Lyra will be hungry. She will come with her. They will come.

Like clockwork, the second it hits eight in the morning, Lyra bursts through the doors.

"My sweet niece!" Eric tries, arms open wide.

He is rejected immediately. Lyra dodges him like a seasoned warrior and runs straight to me.

A few moments later, she walks in.

I brush my hair. I smooth my dress.

My pack—the Redmoon Pack—is unlike the three other packs. We are not isolated from the human world. We take on mannerisms from the humans. For human families in power, they always show it in their clothes, posture, and demeanor.

Unlike these other packs, where you cannot tell the Alpha family from your daily mud-and-dirt wolf family.

We also have a couple of businesses in the human world. The other wolves used to look down on us. And yet, when the crisis with the vampires happened ten years ago, where did all the packs seek refuge?

That is right. Redmoon.

Unfortunately, the other packs are still here.

I get distracted from my thoughts when she gets closer and places a kiss on the back of my hand.

"Come," I say, and guide her to the dining table.

Daphne does not flinch under my father’s glare. In fact, it is like she barely notices it.

Dinner is pleasant.

"So," Father says, "do you have a pack? Or are there others like you?"

"Unfortunately, I do not," Daphne says. "As far as I am aware, I may be the last of my kind."

"Oh, that is unfortunate," Father says.

"Do not worry about it." Daphne waves a hand. "We are creatures of solitude. Must be why we went extinct."

"That is quite concerning," Father says. "Us wolves love community."

"I understand that," Daphne says. "Which is why I am here. I could never take away my beloved from her family."

She winks at me.

I feel my face warm.

Eric clears his throat.

Father studies her.

Lyra is busy eating, oblivious.

"I cannot exactly accept you," Father says, motioning to Lyra, "given what my daughter went through because of you."

"Father!" I say.

"It is okay." Daphne says to me.

She turns to my father.

"I apologize." Her voice is steady. "I wish I could have been here sooner. I regret missing so many years of my child’s life. I will spend the rest of my life atoning for it. But please believe me when I say—the reason I could not be here was beyond my control."

She meets his gaze.

She does not look away.

Father studies her for a long moment. Then he exhales.

"There is nothing I could possibly do against a match the goddess herself has made." He says.

"I like to think," I say quietly, "that Elara and I are together not because the goddess deems it so, but because of our hearts."

Father looks at me.

"You are not fated mates?" he asks.

"No," I say. "We are not."

The table is silent.

Eric shifts in his seat.

"Then how?" Father asks.

"In my culture," Daphne says, "there is no concept of fated mates. Instead, there are chosen mates. I asked her to choose me. And she did." She looks at me. "She always has."

That always being something between us.i should be saying that to her, she is the one who always chooses me.

She turns back to Father.

"I do not think our bond is any less than what fated mates have," she says.

I see Eric clench his fists.

I feel a little sad for him.

He has his own very complicated situation—one he cannot bring to light. A secret he carries in his chest like a stone, one that grows heavier with each passing year.

"Yeah, Father," Eric chimes in, his voice too bright, too forced. "Look at them. They are as good as mates."

I glance at him. He is smiling, but it does not reach his eyes but I don’t mention it at all.

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