Edward felt satisfaction watching the ship burn, and he knew the next best thing to this would be to see Kailani and wrap his arms around her. Their return took two days, and Edward kept a close eye on Koz and Xavier. Koz because he believed the alpha was still mentally unstable, and Xavier because he knew his brother was so far from fine. It was his duty to get them back safely. Xavier will return to his mate, Mia, his son Lyon, and his unborn child, while Koz will return to his daughter, Cara.Their victory at sea would give them an advantage. There was no telling if they would win this war, but they could hope for the best.They returned to shore excitedly, and searching through the happy faces gathering around to welcome them, he found Kailani's. She stood farther back, and unlike the rest of those gathering to receive them, she didn't look thrilled. This sight made his heart sting weirdly. Usually, Kailani would have been the happiest to see him, yet now she wasn't.He walked thr
Xavier stayed quiet, watching Mia rock Kim to sleep. She didn’t have to do this; maids and nannies were on standby to take care of everything the baby needed, but just like she did with Lyon, she had decided to do it with Kim. He didn’t mind; watching her rock the baby to sleep had been a part of their evening ritual since he was born.She stepped towards the cradle, placed him inside, and began rocking the cradle slowly to keep the motion going until the baby was deeply asleep. She achieved that after a few minutes and turned to Xavier, who had stood watching her work her magic with a smile.“I am sorry I kept you standing for so long.” She said it with an apologetic look on her face.He frowned at her. “The only way you get to apologise for that is if you tell me Kim isn’t my son, but you can’t because he is. I share in the responsibility, too. This is the least I can do.”She smiled at him and said, “You must be tired.”“I am not tired, but my legs aren’t so strong, plus I haven’t
Edward walked into the healing room, where the healers and physicians treated Xavier. They told him to wait outside, and he didn’t argue with them; they knew better.It was their routine to examine him and administer the necessary treatment. In the last few days of their voyage on the sea, he didn’t have any of that treatment. Being able to stand after that was still a miracle.After half an hour of waiting, the door opened, and the three physicians and healers walked out of the healing room and toward him.“How is he?” he asked.“I think you should ask me that, don’t you think?” Xavier’s voice came from inside, and the healers bowed their heads and took their leave.Edward stepped into the healing room and saw Xavier dressing himself up. “I didn’t know you had to strip for the treatment."“The shadow sickness attacks all parts of my body, brother; it is only proper that every part of me be treated for sustenance,” Xavier answered.Edward nodded. “My bad, I didn’t know.”He shrugged.
Kailani knelt in the temple, praying, when she picked up Edward's scent, which wasn't far away. She paused in her prayer, and her eyes fluttered to find Edward standing beside her. He dropped to his knees and closed his eyes, and they both faced the altar without saying a word.She didn't know what to make of his appearance, and the question lingered. Still, he looked genuine with his prayers, so she said nothing in the first few minutes."What are you doing?" she finally spoke up when he became silent after a while."Praying.""Why are you doing it now when I'm here?""Because I want to be beside you, always." He replied.His lashes fluttered, and his blue eyes settled on hers.She turned from him to face the altar. "I spoke to the midwife." She began in a small voice. "They said we would have to wait a few months if we hoped to rid my body of it."He became silent, and his silence was the last thing she wanted right now. She turned to him with a frown and said, "You are going to sta
Foth“I brought you along because you promised nothing but pleasure,” Damien told the two female pleasers he had brought along on his voyage. “If you fail to do your duties, I will have no choice but to throw you into the dungeons.” He told them with no trace of humour in his voice.Panic flashed in the eyes of the two maidens, and they stayed quiet. “I have conquered five of the nine kingdoms, and in no time, the rest three will be mine. I know what I want, and if you do not do what I want, I have no use for you. Do you understand?” He raised a brow at them.They nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”He smiled and said, “Good.” He approached the maiden with red hair, kissed her lips, and pulled the other with blonde hair closer to himself.“Now, what are your names?” he asked.“I am Seyran,” the maiden with blonde hair told him.“I am Monique.” The red-haired maiden answered.He kissed Seyran’s lips before smiling. “Such lovely names for lovely ladies.” His hand moved up to cup Monique’s bre
While everyone returned home to be with their families and loved ones, Koz visited the tavern; he had never done it before. He was told drinking didn’t take away the problem, but it made one forget about it for a while. So, he wanted to give it a try. After the first cup, he knew this wasn’t what he needed, so he rose to his feet and returned home, which was now a shell of its former self.The light shone in the hallway, but Alpha Koz only saw darkness as he walked through. He had gotten so much satisfaction from watching the ship burn, but just like the king said, revenge would not bring back what he had lost. Going on the mission and being a part of the team that burnt the ship didn’t make him feel any better.It also didn’t take away his pain and sorrow. The hole in his heart remained, and there was no filling it, no matter how long he tried. The joy at his revenge only lasted for a while, but left even before they reached shore.He felt the same. Elena would never come back, and i
Mia returned home from the journey to the institute. Xavier and she should have made the journey, but in his condition, it was best she did it alone. The progress made in the last week was more than they expected. The warrior institute had increased as Shelled; the eastern region had taken a stand with them and sent their men and maiden.Xavier told her that the carer gave him three weeks at most. He also told her it was because of his mission; he knew of the risk but wanted to take the chance since he might not see the war.She felt angry for a while, but she understood that this sickness was going to kill him in the end; the least he could do was live. That meant he couldn’t do anything reckless again. The carers visited almost every day to check up on him while she took on the role of seeing through everything. They also constructed a roller (a rolling chair) for Xavier, which he now sat on and moved around in. This way, he didn’t depend solely on his legs. He used it in the past w
Xavier and Mia lay in bed, and though Xavier drifted to sleep after they ended their session earlier, Mia stayed up. She couldn’t sleep. Her mind wandered. What they just had felt so amazing, and she didn’t want it to end. Knowing that she would lose that soon didn’t seem fair.She had not even thought about the idea of him leaving. A part of her knew she wouldn’t make it without him—to rule as queen and raise their sons. It would be too much for her. She didn’t tell him that, though; she didn’t want to let him down.She knew he was hurting every day at the thought of his inevitable fate. He didn’t want to leave her to fight this war alone, but things were out of his control already.She didn’t think she would be saying her goodbyes to him so soon, either. She saw them growing old together, but fate was a cruel bitch. A part of her also held on to the faith that this was just like the trials they had faced since their matrimonial rites. First, with siring children, then being sold off