Chapter 158
Bayoán's POV
I never thought this would ever happen! I can really feel her remorse through our filial Bond... I hope she feels mine.
"Ok, let's keep focus! We got a long way to go still but we can do this!" Nina, will always be Nina, but it's nice to be able to try to be FRIENDS again. She never stopped being my sister.
"Congratulations to you both! Let's hope that this lasts. So does anybody have any suggestions for what to do with the potential leftover money from the renovations and the sale of all the crap we're going to get rid of? Should we just put it in the family account?" Nina and I give each other another tight squeeze and we go back to our chairs.
"Babe, remember what your father and mother were planning and saving for. The amount of money in the account already yields very profitable interests and everyone's income has risen substantially. This family had history before him, but it was Imotonex's willingness to go all the way that made this family great. We still don't know why the generation after him befell the problems it did, and since we will never know what would have happened if Yacahüey and his family had lived we should focus on where there was SUCCESS in the family. Everyone dropped like flies or didn't have Beta born children to forward the family name. So let's think... Asenath was the last Beta of that generation taking over as head of the family and did what Izzy did of keeping her family name and passing it to Urayoán. After Imotonex died she chose that Urayoán take over as pack Beta, right?" Damn Amelia HAS done her homework!
"Yup! In her diaries, Asenath didn't want to deal with the politics of ruling, she just wanted to travel with Fernando, they brought clothes and a ton of stuff from all over the world!" Suania barely remembers Babka, but she's always been fascinated by the history of our family.
"I've noticed that most of the matings in Asenath's generation were with locals, right?" It takes me a minute, but yeah, ALL 14 of Imotonex's offspring were mated to Osupa families.
"You're doing well Matriarch, so far your observation is correct." I answered. I look at Maco from the corner of my eye, he is enraptured by her.
"Ok, when the first Loiza found her mate, he was not just an outsider AND Spaniard, he was HUMAN. His mating with Loiza bore Aymé who became LUNA, making their offspring the next Cacique, Agüebaná II and their daughter Anani, was an Beta princess who was a brave warrior and explorer. Anani in turn ALSO mates with ANOTHER outsider and another human giving birth to Adelola, Iabalaba and Oluwale, who even though he died under mysterious circumstances very young, the sisters were BOTH powerful Priestesses. True that Iabalaba met a tragic end, but Adelola went on to be Blessed with Imotonex, who started worship to Changó as well as the Goddess and they had over a DOZEN children! Everything was going fine until it wasn't. Asenath and Fernando only had ONE son and HE in turn also became quite the... 'Entrepreneur' while still keeping to his duty as Beta. He too found his mate OUTSIDE Karaya having TWO Betas, like if the genetic coding was recalibrating wanting more diversity! That lead to him having NINE grandchildren ALL in certain positions of power in the pack with not just the usual family Beta position, but the Alpha one as well AND who revived the word Cacique! And NOW, every single one of those grandchildren have found their mates, NONE of who are OG Osupa, who have already given him FOUR great grandchildren and another on the way, two of which are Alphas and one will continue to rule. So from my PROFESSIONAL point of view and from what I have gathered from Maco as an entrepreneur himself, it seems to me that the Goddesses AND The Orishas Bless this family when there's diversity and desire for growth! Beta Ayato didn't want to fix the yard like Kiskeya wanted, not because he just wanted to be a prick about it, but because he wanted to EXPAND the family and it's power. While Kiskeya wanted to strengthen the power already there. Either way, they BOTH wanted the same thing, the only difference was how to go about it." Wait what?!
"I'm understanding your theory, yet what do you mean by expand? And Mom wanting power? She declined even trying to be Alpha." Dad never told me this. They found something I don't know about? I turn to look at Izz and she's smiling while eating her Tres Leches. She notices my stare and looks back at me.
"What? She's absolutely right so far, pay attention to your Matriarch mijo! I have power when I step out of this house, HERE it's Maco and Amelia who rule! Bayoán... Sigh, we have Real blood because of Adelola and our ancestors through HER line, not Mami's. She didn't challenge Gúarionex because she had no claim to be Alpha. Agüebaná III and Luna Beatriz weren't True Mates, they never found them. Either way Agüebaná III and Beatriz loved each other so they decided to be Chosen Mates. Her family the Solés were over the Moon with the match, they had hoped it would help them grow in power in the pack. However After they had Gúarionex, time passed and Agüebaná III stopped focusing on his mate, enjoying the company of many others. They grew so distant that she started using the Luna's Chambers, he even became somewhat abusive towards her and she found comfort in the arms of someone else." WHAT?! I look at Maco and Amelia and they both look like they KNOW! And Tía Ayiti hasn't spoken at all but I can tell that she also knows.
"Are you saying Tía wasn't daughter of Agüebaná III? Are you serious right now Izzy?!" Talia asks before I recover. Everyone is so silent waiting for the answer, I can tell that even Ura wasn't privy to this information.
"Exactly." Maco answers simply taking a sip of his wine.
"For fucks sake can someone explain this?! Where did you get this information?! WHO is her father?! Is he ALIVE?!" I ask completely dumbfounded! Did Dad know?
"Thank you for taking the questions right on my mouth brother! Can somebody tell us what the hell's going on?!" Now I notice that Nina though that this reunion was for her to make amends but apparently there is much more meat here! I take another swing at my wine.
"My pleasure sweetheart!" This is bullshit! When did Izzy find out? And suddenly Maco puts a white, VERY heafty diary on the table. Ura takes it and looks through the pages, trying to find the answer but passes it to me.
"After a while Beatriz stopped caring for Agüebaná's affairs, neglect, abuse and indifference. She dedicated herself to Gúarionex but she was lonely and had her own affair with Orocobix Guerrero Ibañez. She drugged Agüebaná with a strong aphrodisiac and she reluctantly had sex with him to make him believe the baby was his. She had Yaya and Daniella's mother, Véronique as accomplices. Véronique tampered with the DNA sample we take at birth and needed for Mom's scent to be Real to hide the fact that she was a Guerrero--" Maco answers before being cut off.
"Let me guess, Yaya came up with the perfect blend of Idanimo potion." Urayoán asks rubbing his face. And we all look at Maco but Izzy answers.
"That's why I told all of you to lay off any claim to the Real family ancestral home and to leave that decision to Isla only. We have no claim over it. Right after that disastrous meeting... like SERIOUSLY Bayoán, is THAT how meetings were before with Gúarionex and Dad?! Anyway, the Real bloodline is GONE, all that's left of it is what little is left in the veins of many families in this island including ourselves. Their sole heir is Isla, and I don't want anyone pestering her anymore to sell. Whatever may have happened in the past that is the ancestral home of her dead mate and ONLY son! You all may miss Yadiel, but the only one who understands my pain of his loss is Tali. All three of us shared a very particular Bond, and even though Talia is not my sister in my blood it FEELS like she is! It was the same with Yadiel! In OUR hearts we feel like if we had lost one of YOU, and even then I thought before that he WAS our cousin, that's why the whole thing of me mating with him didn't sit that well with me. And now I know WHY Isla wanted either me or Tali as mates for Yadiel, we're not related! Natalia and I love Isla just as much as she loves Tía and I Mami, like no joke guys, in our hearts the love and attachment is the SAME! That's why THEY became so much closer..." Izzy needs a break and Talia had left her chair to sit next to Izz after Ura granted his seat to her.
The two were holding each other, both with tears. I'm sure Urayoán KNOWS how they feel, he and Izzy have always been the closest even though they were apart for so long. He crouches down and comforts them. After they started that whole sacred Circle bullshit, it's really fascinating how they created this sub-filial Bond. I heard what happened the other day, I KNOW that their little trip Downtown was the catalyst to this whole brouhaha! And now they're even getting their mates involved! If Izzy hadn't handed the keys of the HOUSE to Maco I would have thought she would be going for a complete power grab of our family! I have to hand it to her, she saw the power that HARMONY within OUR family achieved for the pack so she's going for that to keep sustaining it. Both Maco and Amelia are very serene, also Maco is an entrepreneur and Amelia a doctor. We have already felt the shift in power in Amelia since she cast off her past and took on our family name as her own. Instead of pumping power and skill into our filial bond, she's injecting serenity, fortune and health. The things that are most important to have a cohesive family! No wonder Nina is trying to make peace with me! I may HAVE to try this Circle thing!
"Sorry... Anyway, if all three of them became so close and the two remaining ones can't stop gossiping to each other, wouldn't you think that THIS is the creme de la creme of gossip! Of course both of them knew! This explains so much! And then Orocobix comes over and basically demands to help me in whatever it is that I want without even knowing what my plan is? And then wishes me a happy birthday?! That's not common knowledge right? I wanted that classified! I don't care anybody knowing how old I am I just don't care anybody bugging me that day or any day for that matter for something so stupid! We have our own way of seeing it in Avalon sorry. I really like it for you guys and I'm sure I'm going to love it for my kids and my mate but I don't really care for it for myself. Guys again I'm really sorry for using that trump card for getting whatever I wanted that day I just wanted to feel like the old me again! I didn't ask for any of this! If I would have wanted to be a puppy mill stuck on the island I wouldn't have challenged Dad! I have wanted to serve as backup in so many extractions that I knew I could have easily solved! But I have to also play by the rules of the game. I'm not stupid, that's why I am where I am! I always follow my intuition, and it keeps telling me to be completely fine with disclosing this information to the pack. All the parties involved are dead, and from the information we have checked on Orocobix is that, yeah he is the strongest of the Guerrero family but he never found his mate, I imagine that's why they didn't name him head of the family. Either way he was a mayor Casanova and apparently Mami wasn't the only product of his healthy fertility! But I also want to respect Isla's grief. So for now I would appreciate if anyone would refrain from bothering her. This is something very difficult for her, she has found out many things about herself lately and feels like she doesn't know herself sometimes. For Goddesses sake! At the beginning I forgot to even acknowledge her as Luna! I still have a lot of work to do too, so I need you guys as backup! And I say we have our dearest Grandpapá over to REALLY explain this! Beatriz made sure he train Mami and in her diary she says she knew he was her father because he just straight up told her! When I was calmer in my office and he came to see me I could TOTALLY scent that we shared blood. Have any of you even MET him before? You'll be able to smell it when you see him." Her emotions are all over the place now, but she's not using her Light of Serenity.
She goes to the kitchen and lights up a joint and sits under one of the arches that separates the halls from the garden, I feel her trying to figure out how she feels about all of it and she already knew! We are left in the Dinning Hall speechless.
"Tía, do you have anything to say?" Maco asks calmly.
"No. You guys seem to have a handle on it!" She fucking ALWAYS does this!
"BULLSHIT TÍA! WHAT THE FUCK?! You three were always thick as thieves! TELL US!" I am pissed as fuck! How DARE they keep this information from us?!
"What exactly is it dear nephew, you want me to say?" She asks calmly. But already Izzy's leaning on the archway that leads into the Dinning Hall in the haze of the smoke of the joint with a bottle of vodka and a shot glass.
"EVERYTHING Tía! I fucking ORDER YOU to tell us EVERYTHING!" Ayiti's calm demeanor faded away and there was a slight hint of fear in her eyes. Izzy was flexing her aura towards her...