Chapter 56
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
“Thank goodness the merrow was on our side. If it wasn’t for Olga, Brody would be dead right now.” Hunter shook his head in disbelief.
“It was a close call for sure. Reiya was in bad shape as well from the wolfsbane. They were really lucky. She should have reached out to us. Your mother and I would have been there in a heartbeat to help them out. You know how reckless Reiya can be, though. Always trying to deal with things on her own.” Asher shook his head in agitation.
He almost lost two of his children. They had received a message from Reiya and Brody that had a lot of information relayed in it.
Some things were not for him to say. Like about Brody having a mate.
That was his exciting news to tell, so he wouldn’t mention it.
“We’re going to visit them next week, once their dragon party is over and things have settled down. ”
“So, Reiya finally got her wolf, huh? I bet she’s ecstatic.” Hunter couldn’t wait to see his sister’s wolf.
“Yeah. And she and the Dragon King of the West are soul twins. They’re powerful when they’re close.
I guess we’re adopting another child into the mix, albeit an adult one.
” Asher chuckled. “I guess Xander has been without parents. And if he is connected to Reiya’s soul, then he’s connected to all of us as well. ”
“Great. So, we have a dragon brother to rough up now, too?” Hunter watched his father nod.
“And don’t forget your sister’s mate.” Asher smiled and Hunter shook his head.
“That doesn’t count. He’s a deity. That wouldn’t be a fair fight. I’m pretty sure that’s cheating.” Hunter chuckled. “Of course, I still have to give him the brother speech and all. That is my sister he’s mated to.”
“I know. Your mother has already been warning me to be nice when I see Leviathan again.” Asher smirked with a shrug. It wasn’t that Leviathan was a bad guy, but Reiya was his baby girl.
Grayson chuckled, looking across the room. “You remind me of how your dad acts whenever something is bothering Lita. Calm down, little cub.” He glanced at Chasen, who was gazing upward nervously and biting the tips of his fingers.
“I don’t know what’s taking so long. I’m getting nervous. Maybe it’s something serious.” Chasen frowned, unable to concentrate on anything other than his mate.
Asher smiled. “Your mom is just giving her a thorough examination. They're almost done.”
“Do you know what’s going on? Is everything okay?” Chasen asked, looking up at his dad.
Asher chuckled. “Easy there, Chase. I’m not as bad as him, am I?”
Grayson laughed loudly. “I think you’re actually worse.”
Asher grinned widely and shrugged. He couldn’t help it. Lita was his world.
“We were able to work out a peace treaty with the Vampire King.” Hunter finally said quietly. Grayson and his father both focused their attention on him.
“What were the conditions?” Asher’s face was serious as he looked into his son's silver eyes.
“We are solidifying the treaty through a blood bond. If we have a daughter, she is to be betrothed to their son, who is their only child. It will be a unity of the two species.” Hunter looked at his hands and then at his father. He was surprised to see his father nodding his head in agreement.
“For a treaty of that magnitude to last, you need a strong bond. I know it was a tough decision, but joining your children together will be for the greater good of the two species. Trust me … I do understand.” Asher thought about Reiya and how painful it would be to promise her life to another.
But Hunter also had to think about all the werewolves.
He was their king, and as such, he had to bear a heavy burden.
One that would come with sacrifice on his family’s part.
“Freja and I will leave the ultimate decision to our daughter, if we ever have one. It’ll be her choice, since it is her burden to bear.” Hunter would let his daughter know the stakes, but it would be her decision to accept it or not.
“That’s the best you can do, son. You’ve done well. I’m proud of you.” Asher smiled at his son, then looked upward and slowly stood up. “We can go in now.” Asher had barely finished the sentence and Chasen was sprinting up the stairs.
“Someone is overanxious, huh?” Grayson shook his head laughing as they followed him up the stairs.
Chasen flung the door to their room open. Jin was still sitting on the bed, and his mother was grabbing more things out of her bag.
“I thought the examination was over. What are you doing now? Is everything alright? How bad is it?” Chasen let a barrage of questions spew from his mouth.
“Will you relax already? My goodness, son. You’re worse than your father.” Lita shook her head with a smile.
“Hey, I heard that.” Asher said as they came into the room.
Hunter looked at Freja, who stood up from the bed. She smiled at him and walked over to his side, while Chasen sat next to Jin, his gaze flipping between her and his mother.
“Umm …” Jin said quietly. She gnawed on her bottom lip as she looked into Chasen’s brown eyes.
Chasen wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his chest. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Is everything okay? Why were you getting dizzy?”
“Well, the poor dear was exhausted. You really shouldn’t push your mate so much.” Lita shook her head and clicked her tongue in agitation.
“Honestly, I was fine until today. I guess all the wear finally caught up to me,” Jin said quietly.
“You’re going to have to take better care of yourself in the future.” Lita started hooking her machine up and then looked at Jin. “Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?” Chasen asked nervously. Lita’s eyes flashed to Jin and she nodded, motioning for the girl to continue.
“Chasen,” Jin whispered out. She watched his nervous eyes rest on hers and she offered him a small smile. “I’m pregnant.”
Chasen’s eyes widened. “Wait. You’re pregnant? You have a baby in there? Our baby?! I’m going to be a daddy?” Chasen wrapped his arms around Jin, then looked at Hunter and his dad with teary eyes and the goofiest grin on his face.
“Congratulations, son.” Asher smiled widely. “Kids are the greatest. No matter how much they make you worry.”
“I’ll be the favorite uncle, just don’t tell Brody.” Hunter winked at Chasen. “Congratulations. I know you’ve always wanted this. I’m so happy for you.”
“Eeek, I’m so excited! Let’s hear my grandbaby’s heartbeat!” Lita squealed.
“Or heartbeats,” Grayson said with a wink, and Asher chuckled, nodding his head.
“Oh shush. Don’t scare her.” Lita scolded the two men.
She brought her wand over. “Just look at the screen in front of you. Everything should show up there.” Lita lifted Jin’s shirt over her stomach and began to search for the heartbeat.
Soon, an ocean sound came over the speakers, followed by a cute ba dump ba dump ba dump.
Lita looked up with watery eyes. “That’s your baby, Chasen.”
Chasen stared at the screen with glossy eyes. He leaned his head onto Jin’s and frowned. “I put you through too much this past week. You should have been resting. I haven’t done a good job taking care of you.”
“Chasen, hush!” Jin scolded him. “I would have been more stressed out if I’d been left behind.
And I’m fine. Your mother said I’m perfectly fine.
I was just tired. My body is adjusting to all the changes, and I got a bit overwhelmed.
That’s it.” Jin tilted her head up to him and he pressed his lips against hers, smiling.
“I love you, Jin.” Chasen said quietly.
Lita grabbed her things and stuffed them in her bag. She didn’t need to say anything. Everyone else was already making their way out of the room. They were going to give the couple a private moment with their news.
Lita shut the door behind her and followed everyone down the stairs. “Freja, do I need to give you an examination too, while I’m at it?” Lita asked with a smirk.
Freja held up her hands and shook her head. “No, no need. And I’d like to keep it that way for now. I want to be front and center during the demon war. It is after all what I’ve been doing for most of my life.”
Hunter growled lowly and scowled. He didn’t like the idea of his mate being front and center during the war.
“Don’t worry, Hunter. I’ll protect you.” Freja winked and Lita chuckled.
“These men are so overprotective. It takes adjustment and compromise, but you two will find what works for you both.” Lita smiled at Asher. No one wanted their mate in danger, but together, they were stronger. Asher and Lita had learned that they were both safer fighting together.
“Freja, I gathered pieces from Asher about the treaty you and Hunter have agreed to. Don’t feel guilty or overwhelmed.
Some things are part of a destiny we can’t see the bigger picture of.
Like me being with Asher and Reiya being with Leviathan, and you being with Hunter.
All of this is trickling down from something else that was already set in motion.
I’m sure your daughter will choose what is right when the time comes.
She will have to decide that truth for herself. ”
Freja smiled. “Thank you. I’m not going to lie.
It was hard to decide this. I don’t even have a daughter, but if I ever do, then this is the life that’s been decided for her.
Even saying she has a choice is really unfair.
It’s a choice without having a choice, because of the burden that will be placed on her.
Will she have the final say? Yes. But it places a heavy burden on her shoulders that I wish I could bear. ”
“This is her destiny. And yours is this demon war. We each have our own hardships to deal with.” Lita nodded and smiled. Because they were leaders, their burden was greater than others. It was the price they had to pay.
“No matter what, things will work out how they were meant to.” Asher reached out and grabbed Lita’s hand.
“You guys going to stick around for a while? I can call Caden and the gang up,” Hunter asked, looking between his parents.
“We would love to, but we’re actually pretty busy at the moment. This war is coming fast. We don’t know how much time is left. We have a couple of last-minute preparations that we’re working on.” Lita frowned. She wanted to see her family and friends. It just wasn’t the time for an extended visit.
“Don’t worry, Leet. Most of them will be moving to Elysia soon. Then we'll see them as often as we like.” Asher stood up, pulling her next to him.
Chasen and Jin came down the stairs just then, Chasen fussing at Jin over having taken the stairs on her own.
“Chasen, there is nothing wrong with my legs. Will you relax?” Jin giggled and smiled up at him.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to get used to the overprotectiveness. That’s something that will only continue to get worse the farther along you are, my dear.” Lita gave her a sympathetic smile. Of course, in her situation, she had to have Asher near her because she needed his energy.
“Those are some of my fondest memories.” Asher looked at Lita with a soft smile.
It was such a quiet and peaceful time in their lives.
The time they spent raising their family was a wonderful moment in their lifetime, and now they would get to watch their son experience it.
“We get to be the cool grandparents now.”
“Thanks for coming so quickly, Mom.” Chasen hugged Lita. In moments like these, it was comforting having his parents around. And he was glad he got to share this with them.
“You take good care of her. I know I don’t need to say that. What I should be saying is, don’t smother her, Chasen.” Lita giggled, and Asher and Grayson took turns hugging him while she turned to Jin.
“If you need anything, tell Chasen to send for me. And when the time comes, I’ll be here to help you deliver.” Lita hugged Jin.
“Thank you.” Jin smiled and hugged her back.
Lita then turned and embraced Hunter and Freja. “You guys are going to be wonderful leaders. Don’t doubt the choices you have to make.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Asher and Grayson also said their goodbyes to Hunter and Freja.
“We’ll be seeing you all soon. Just be on guard.
The demons are restless, especially with what just happened with Abaas.
We’ll send word the moment we hear anything, but be prepared.
The time is soon approaching,” Asher said with a frown.
This was going to be a big battle. He just hoped his family would have what it takes to survive it.
“We’ll be ready.” Hunter nodded his head confidently and watched them walk out the door.
The next time he saw them, they could very well be preparing for the demon war.
He wrapped his arm around Freja. No matter what, they had to win and survive.
There was a future they couldn’t miss out on.
Chasen was going to be a daddy, and one day soon, he hoped he would also be able to announce that they were expecting their own little one.
He leaned down and kissed Freja’s head. One day soon …