Chapter 58
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
“If we have a daughter, she is to be betrothed to their son.” Freja smiled as she squeezed Hunter’s hand. Even if it was for the best, it was still hard to think about.
“If it’s any consolation, you should know she would be treated well there.
Vampires are very particular about their hierarchy, more so than werewolves.
She would be someone very precious to them.
I can say that confidently,” Lee said. Reiya flashed him an appreciative smile.
He was making them feel better about their tough decision, and she appreciated it.
“So, what’s for breakfast?” Brody cleared his throat, interrupting the moment. For one, it made him sad thinking about it, especially since he was going to be a father soon. He also didn’t want Hunter dwelling on the choice they had made. And then there was the fact that he was seriously hungry.
“You ate before we left!” Chelsie shook her head and looked over at him.
Brody rubbed his stomach. “I must be sympathy eating for you, my dear.”
“Sure, Baloo. That’s what it is. What was it before you knew she was pregnant?” Xander smirked.
“Are you wanting to tango, little red?” Brody turned to Xander and folded his arms over his chest with a grin.
Xander chuckled. “Who do you think you are challenging … kitten?” He let his voice emphasize the word kitten.
“No no no no. No boys playing right now, I forbid it.” Reiya sighed and gave both of them a disapproving look.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing that.” Chasen grinned and Reiya turned to him, looking exasperated. “I actually think Brody and I need to have a go at it. It seems to me like he’s gotten lazy. I mean, you lost to a hellhound.” Chasen smirked and clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Brody chuckled, pinning his gaze on Chasen. “I’ve been sparring with dragons. Who are you calling lazy? And I could have beaten that hellhound if it was one-on-one.” Brody smiled and looked over at Chelsie. “It’s just that there were other lives more important than my own.”
“So, you’re saying you can still call yourself a guardian?” Chasen leaned back on his heels as he provoked his brother.
“If you’re dying to get beaten to a pulp and embarrassed in front of your mate, then I’m willing to do the honors.” Brody grinned.
Big pools of water fell over both Brody and Chasen. Reiya looked at her fingers and feigned surprise. “I don’t know what happened. It was like an involuntary spasm. Bad hand … that’s a bad hand.”
Hunter grinned. This was his chance to show his sister his elemental skills. “Here, let me dry you off.” Hunter sent a strong wind down over the two guys, pushing them both backward slightly.
“Oh, Hunter, you can control the wind?” Reiya asked, wide-eyed.
“Jin is a wind demon. She gifted me with the element of air,” Hunter said, nodding toward the green-haired girl that was standing near Freja now. She had edged away from the two confrontational brothers and was looking a bit anxious since Hunter told them she was a demon.
“Oh wow! You’re a demon?” Reiya bounced in front of Jin and grabbed her hands.
“I could sense your power, but you don’t even smell like a demon.
Well, at least none that I’ve encountered.
Oh, it’s so nice to have more girls in the group.
You have no idea how hard it is, always being surrounded by guys.
Imagine having three hair-brained brothers suffocating you. ”
“HEY!” the three brothers yelled in unison.
“You girls have them now. No takebacks.” Reiya giggled.
“Now wait just a minute, Reiya. You’re the troublemaker here. We should be the ones saying no takebacks to your mate.” Chasen snorted in indignance.
“Good thing her mate is a deity. No one else would be able to keep her safe.” Brody chuckled. “Sorry, Levi. You got the agitator of the family.”
“Speaking of that,” Hunter said, his stormy eyes piercing into the light blue ones. “We’ve managed to keep her safe all these years. We expect that she will remain safe in your hands.” It was a friendly warning that he had to give, as a brother.
Lee chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep MY fairy safe.”
“Umm … hello. I’m right here? Keep who safe? What now? Umm … I’m the one who killed Abaas, thank you very much. Go and raise your swords and shields for some defenseless girl.” Reiya clicked her tongue and folded her arms over her chest.
Chelsie walked over beside Reiya and directed her gaze at the guys. “She does have a point.”
“I agree. These men like to pretend we can’t possibly handle ourselves.” This time Freja jumped in.
“Oh! We can have a slushie war, boys versus girls!” Jin cheered in excitement.
“No!” Hunter and Chasen said, holding their hands up.
“Been there, done that. That is a battle we can’t win.
No one can beat Jin.” Hunter chuckled. His eyes met Freja’s.
He felt so complete at this moment. He’d missed Brody and Reiya.
He knew they would get along with everyone just fine.
But it was even more than that—they all felt like one big family.
Even Xander, who he’d just met. An odd connection rippled between them.
Maybe it was because he was Reiya’s soul twin?
He wasn’t sure what it was, but he could feel his energy swirling inside him.
“Oh my goodness!” Reiya said, as she watched some familiar figures walking up to them. She squealed and was wrapped in a big group hug.
“I missed you guys so much!” Reiya sniffled.
“Ray Ray, you look stunning,” Winston said as he stepped back.
“Reiya, I can’t tell you how much we’ve missed you,” Renee said as she wiped her eyes.
“And Adam and I are mates!” Susan declared, smiling up at Adam.
“That was quite an event that we’ll have to tell you all about.” Adam chuckled and shook his head, thinking about it.
“Can’t wait to hear all about it! Sam, have you been looking after my brother? Keeping him in line?” Reiya asked with a grin.
“There is only so much you can do with a spoiled Alpha King, you know? Such a heavy burden placed on me.” Sam looked at Hunter and winked.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Brody and Chelsie are mates. They’re ALSO expecting a little one of their own.
And of course, you know Lee. He is also my mate …
” she pointed in the direction of Xander and Lee.
“And the other guy is the Dragon King of the West. He is also my soul twin and adopted brother, Xander.”
“Does he treat you well?” Sam furrowed his brows, Adam and Winston doing the same.
Reiya giggled. “What is with you boys all being so overprotective?”
“So, can we have like a double baby shower then?” Susan asked in excitement.
“Oh my goodness, yes! That sounds amazing! We have to!” Reiya turned and smiled back at Chelsie. It was so nice seeing everyone again. It made her realize just how much she missed them.
“Dual baby showers. Now that sounds like an amazing celebration … almost as nice as having a quadruple wedding.” Chasen smirked, putting Levi and Brody on the spot.
“Come again?” Brody tilted his head in confusion.
“Well, Hunter and I decided, after the demon war, we were going to have a combined wedding. But seeing that we all have mates …” Chasen grinned.
Hunter looked at Levi, curious to see what his reaction would be.
“So basically, another way to publicly claim your mate? Why not, Levi? I mean, you already publicly marked her,” Xander said casually, and a few low growls rippled through the men. Oops. He didn’t think about how saying Reiya was marked publicly would sound bad. Levi shot him an annoyed look.
“I did the same with Chelsie. It’s a dragon ritual.
I’m all for claiming Chelsie publicly again.
Though she might need a chair at that point, depending on how soon we have the wedding.
” Brody tried to downplay the public marking.
It sounded worse than it was. It wasn’t like the intimate marking that took place in private.
It was enough that the others seemed to nod their heads.
If Brody did it to his mate, then it must not have been bad. At least that was their logic.
Lee’s eyes were locked onto Reiya’s. He smiled at her and raised his eyebrows in a shrug.
He would do whatever she wanted to do. But he was with Brody.
He was all for claiming Reiya in every way, shape, and form.
There would be no excuse for touching his mate.
He had claimed her in every way. He saw her nod her head with a smile. “Reiya and I accept as well.”
“I guess we have some big parties coming up, then. Just what we need after this war.” Reiya then looked between Jin and Chelsie. “I wonder how close you two are in your pregnancies.”
“They look to me to be around the same.” Hunter smirked, and they both looked at Brody and Chasen. “Seems like they like to do everything at the same time. When did you take Chelsie as your mate?”
Brody cleared his throat. “When I claimed her as my mate or when …”
“Okay I’m not listening to this,” Chelsie said as her face flushed red. “I’m going inside.”
“I’ll come with you.” Jin giggled, not wanting to listen to this part of the conversation either.
“Us too!! There’s baby shower talk to be had.” Susan and Renee bounded after the girls.
Ciana smiled. “I’m with them.” She turned and left as well, leaving Freja and Reiya behind as the only girls.
Brody and Chasen started comparing timelines as everyone listened. And while Chasen had marked Jin before Brody, they both were intimate with their mates the same day. And judging by how far along their mother had told them they were, both were due to be fathers around the same time.
“Okay, I think this is taking the twin thing too far.” Hunter chuckled. “But I am excited to be an uncle times two.”
“So, I have a question,” Adam said as he looked thoughtfully between Hunter and Reiya. “Reiya is the future Queen of the Fairies. Hunter is the King of the Werewolves. But Reiya’s also a werewolf. So is he her king, too?”
Lumi scoffed loudly in Reiya’s head. Hardly. We don’t submit to anyone. Reiya giggled. “Lumi says that would be a no.”
“Oh? But is it?” Hunter turned and grinned at his sister, who straightened up and stared her brother down.
“Go ahead. Order me to do something. It isn’t going to work.
” Reiya shook her head. The future fairy queen could not be ordered around by anyone.
It was the order of things. Just like how she wouldn’t be able to tell Hunter what to do as the King of the Werewolves.
There was a level of separation from the role you were born into and the one you chose.
She has chosen to follow the fairies, and her brother has chosen the werewolves.
Hunter shrugged his shoulders and smirked. “I guess there’s only one way to test it out.” Hunter stared at his sister. A strong, red energy surged out of him as he commanded Reiya to leave the area. She smiled at him and shook her head.
Yeah, that didn’t even phase me. He does know that I’m a special werewolf, right? I’m not the Alpha King or anything, but he can’t order us around. Lumi was panting happily with her tongue out. She found it a bit humorous.
“Well, now that we got that out of our systems …” Reiya giggled.
“Nope, she isn’t my subject. I can’t even feel her wolf, which is weird. You said you got your wolf, right?” Hunter tilted his head as he studied his sister.
“Would you like to meet her?” Reiya watched as Hunter nodded his head. Lumi, want to come out for a bit?
Do I need to answer that?
Reiya quickly shifted into Lumi. She had mastered shifting, and it was quick and effortless for her.
She stood up straight and tall on her massive white paws as she fixed Hunter with a commanding gaze.
Most werewolves would have to lower their heads.
They wouldn’t be able to maintain direct eye contact, but that wasn’t the case with Lumi.
“Well, aren’t you a pretty lady?” Hunter said as he held his hand out.
He brushed his hand on the wolf's head. It was strange. She was a werewolf. He could see her and feel her, but she wasn’t connected to him.
It was like she was but wasn’t. Honestly, it was confusing.
All he knew was it was like how it used to be before he became the King of the Werewolves.
It was like she was from another pack in that sense.
Her wolf was incredibly large. She wasn’t as big as his wolf, but he was the Alpha King.
She was bigger than their mother’s wolf, who was already enormous for a female wolf.
Lumi chuckled. He’s trying to figure me out. No regular wolf is my equal.
Is it because I’m the fairy princess?
Not exactly, Reiya. While you can’t order him because he’s the King of the Werewolves, it’s different with me. I’m not a regular werewolf.
Of course not, you’re also part fairy. Reiya thought this was common knowledge.
That isn’t what I mean, Reiya.
Well for goodness’ sake, let it out already.
I was curious if he could figure it out on his own.
Without telling him. Look how confused he looks.
Lumi was panting happily, seeing his confusion.
Suddenly, his eyes changed color as Blaze came forward.
Blaze was now looking Lumi over carefully, as he had become intrigued.
She could see he had finally put the puzzle together.
Well, I never thought I would see one of them again, Blaze said as he rested back in Hunter’s mind.
What does ‘one of them’ mean? Isn’t she a werewolf? Hunter’s silver eyes were fixed on Lumi.
She is a special werewolf. She doesn’t belong to our pack or any of our packs of wolves. In fact, I think she is the only one left in existence. She is a dire werewolf.