Chapter 140: Chapter 24

MAEVE

I had become a luna. The term for an alpha female. Adelie, however, never claimed the alpha title, she was always Luna. I decided to follow in her footsteps. From a born omega to ruling my own little kingdom.

Sitting in my study, I let out a heavy sigh, feeling like I was on the verge of exploding. ~I can handle this,~ I reassured myself. I just needed to find a beta. I never allowed Adelie to take on the beta duties. I treated her like royalty, keeping her away from my work. She still tried to help, but I managed to keep most of the work hidden from her.

I needed to find someone to take over these tasks, or I might burn out sooner than I anticipated.

Adelie entered my study. “Luna,” she chuckled as she said the word. “Someone is waiting for you.”

I furrowed my brow. “You could have brought them up.”

She left the room and called out, “Come up!”

I was still adjusting to my new life. I quickly moved behind my desk as a figure entered the room. “Collin?” I gasped in surprise.

He bowed his head. “Luna Maeve,” he said, a smirk playing on his lips. It felt strange to see him bowing to me.

I rose from my seat. “I… I didn’t receive any message from the king. I wasn’t aware that you were coming.”

“The king didn’t send me,” he replied.

I brought my hand to my forehead. “It’s been a month,” I said, my voice heavy with exhaustion. “We agreed not to meet. Why are you here? Why did you have to disrupt my healing?” I felt panic rising. “Why would you be so cruel?”

“Do you want me to leave?” he asked, seemingly unfazed by my panic.

“No!” I snapped back. I didn’t want him to leave.

He smiled.

I let out a heavy sigh and returned his smile. “Would you like a tour of the pack?” I asked.

“There will be time for that.”

My brow furrowed. “You’re not here just for a visit?” I asked, and he shook his head.

I let my gaze drift to the ceiling. “Moon Goddess, grant me patience. I’ve been ruling in the most chaotic manner.” I looked back at him. “There was a rogue attack on my pack. They thought that since Adelie is no longer in charge, they could take over my pack. Now everyone is testing my power. So go ahead. Tell me what it is?” I braced myself for the worst. Were there more killings? Wars?

He chuckled. So it wasn’t bad news?

He placed a folder on my desk. “What is this?” I asked. He didn’t respond.

I picked it up and saw that it was his file, containing all his life data. “Why are you giving me this?”

“I know you’re new to this luna business, but as a beta, you should know that werewolves submit their files for review to be accepted into a pack.”

My mouth fell open. “I know that, but why are you giving me yours?”

He laughed out loud. “I want to live here. Under your rule.”

“Collin…”

“Adelie contacted me. She said you’re looking for a beta.”

“Your beta position here would be a joke compared to your previous one. Has the king already approved this?” I asked, panic creeping in. “I’m sure you can still go back.”

“I’m not here just to be a beta. I’m here for you. To be with you.”

“I can’t make you alpha. That’s not how it works. You would still be beneath me…”

“Maeve!” he shouted, silencing me. “I don’t care about the title. I came here to marry you. I will be your beta. Serve you. Fulfill all my beta duties. But I will also be your husband. And I will love you and care for you.”

“Marry me?” I echoed.

“I am here to marry you, Maeve,” he said. “I don’t care who I am. But I know I am nothing without you.”

“Collin…you won’t be able to reclaim your position.”

He nodded. “I don’t want to.”

“Your legacy?”

“Once you left, I reached out to my distant cousin. He is now the Alpha King’s beta, and he’s doing a fantastic job. More than fantastic.”

“Collin, I can’t let you.”

“I’m not asking. You will be my wife and I will be your beta and you will also be my luna.”

I crossed my arms. “What if I don’t want to marry you?” I asked. He just smiled.

“Have you found someone else already?”

“I might.”

“I would like to challenge him.”

“I am very much in love with him, and I won’t let you hurt him,” I said firmly, picturing it.

He knew I wasn’t serious. He moved closer to me. “Do you want me to leave?” he asked. “Leave you alone with your lover?”

“You can’t just come here and demand to marry me!” I said, ignoring his question.

“Why?” he asked.

“Why?! Because it’s ridiculous and it’s a decision that involves two people.”

“Oh! I asked Adelie. She said I could. That’s two people.” He laughed.

But I wasn’t laughing.

He suddenly dropped to one knee. “Will you…” I quickly pulled him up.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You hate grand gestures. So. I’m telling you we’re getting married. And not once have I heard you say that you didn’t want to.”

“Who just decides that on their own?”

“You do!”

“What?”

“I will not marry you just like that. Are you insane! Straight up demanding me,” he said.

What? “I didn’t. You did!”

“You expect me to just marry you like that? You haven’t even properly asked me. I will not marry you Maeve!”

“Why not?” I blurted out, realizing too late.

A victorious smile spread across his lips.

He took hold of my waist and kissed me. Deep and yearning. He soon pulled away. “Yes. I will marry you, Maeve.”

He leaned in for another kiss, but I stopped him. “Are we getting married?”

“I want to be with you every day. If fate didn’t assign us as mates, I want to have you as close to me as possible in every way. Let’s be friends. Let’s be lovers. Just be near each other.”

THREE YEARS LATER

“Don’t shout!” I warned Kairos, holding Elias’s birthday gift in my hands.

We quietly walked in. “Elias,” Kairos called him up quietly. He was too far in his sleep. “Elias,” he called out a little louder.

Nothing.

“For heaven’s sake. Child, wake up!” Kairos yelled out as I slapped him on his arm.

Elias shot up and looked at us. “I thought we all learned that my birthdays mean nothing.”

We both went to sit on his bed. “You will always be little to me,” I said, hugging him while he was trying to shake me off.

“Not to me!” Kairos said from his side. “I need someone to watch my back in the human city tomorrow.”

Elias didn’t seem to get it at first. Then he lit up. “Are you serious?” he asked. Kairos nodded at him.

Elias jumped out of his bed and went straight to his closet. “Mom, can I get some privacy?” I quickly put his cake down and put my arms up in surrender.

He almost pushed us both out. “I think we agreed it was too early,” I told Kairos as we went back to our room.

He shook his head. “That’s what you agreed on. He is old enough.”

“He’s eight,” I argued.

“With the mind of a fifteen-year-old. It’s not that dangerous. I’ll take care of him.” Kairos said and sat at the edge of the bed. “He grows up a little faster than other kids.”

“You are making it even faster.” I rested my arms on his shoulders. “He’s still little.”

“If he doesn’t get to do these things, he will do it alone…and then he will get himself in trouble. He already does. And even if he won’t be a kid for long, he will still be our kid even at forty. I hate that he is so big already just as much as you.”

I gave him a cheeky smile. “What is it?” he asked me.

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

He smiled back and played with a strand of my hair. “You look very pretty,” he told me.

I laughed it off.

“You look gorgeous,” he said again.

Maybe this was the time to tell him. I shrugged my shoulders. “Must be the pregnancy glow.”

His hands pulled back to him, as if shocked. “Adelie, if you joke like that, I will hate you so much,” he suddenly became serious and all I could do was smile.

“You couldn’t hate me.”

“Are you really?” He ignored what I said and asked again.

“It’s a little early,” my hands found his neck. “So don’t get too excited. I only just found out yesterday…”

He pulled me in for a hug from where he was sitting and I was standing. His head resting on my chest.

A knock echoed through the house. “That must be Fala, she mentioned wanting to smother her nephew,” I said.

“Didn’t you say no one was coming?” he questioned. I shrugged, making my way downstairs to answer the door, only to have Fala breeze past me. “Where’s my favorite nephew?”

“He’s your only nephew!” I called after her. She planted a quick kiss on Kairos’s cheek before darting upstairs.

Maeve and Esty arrived next, their hands full of gifts. I rolled my eyes. “You could have waited till later.”

“Hey!” Esty retorted, her tone a warning. “Mind your manners when speaking to your luna,” I laughed, a sound echoed by Maeve.

“I’m here for the little devil’s birthday, but there are more pressing matters at hand.”

Kairos moved to stand beside me, his hand resting on my waist. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Unusual activity has been detected near our border. Passersby are being killed.”

“Any from our pack?” I asked. She shook her head. “Thankfully, no. But they hold a meeting every full moon. They’ll have one tonight. I don’t think we’re the targets, but their killings are brutal.”

“I understand,” I said. Kairos glanced at me. “Shall we go together?” he asked.

“Not like we have a choice,” I replied, turning to Maeve. “Is Collin going?” As if on cue, Collin entered, three-year-old Marlena in tow.

“Going where?” he asked.

“To a dangerous mission where our targets enjoy killing anyone who interrupts them,” Kairos explained.

Collin narrowed his eyes. “Yeah… I think I’ll pass. Have fun though.”

Maeve sidestepped him. They both had a knack for discussing the world’s dangers with ease. As for Kairos and me? We had made peace with it. We weren’t going to run from danger. We would let fate decide.

“You’re missing out on a chance to have a free day from the kid,” Maeve pointed out, piquing his interest.

“Who will be watching Marlena?”

“Esty…” Before Maeve could finish, Collin scooped up Marlena and handed her to Esty.

“Have fun,” he told her.

“Hm…I never agreed to be your babysitter.” As she spoke, Marlena wrapped her tiny arms around her.

“The kids love you,” Kairos said, a smirk playing on his lips at Esty’s displeased expression.

“Elias!” Kairos called out. The boy quickly ran downstairs. “Tonight, you’re the man of the house. Got it?” Elias nodded.

“Where will you be?” he asked.

“Risking our lives.”

“Terrible parents. Who says that to a child,” Collin scoffed.

Elias rolled his eyes. “Can I claim your dagger collection if you die?” he asked Kairos.

Collin’s eyes bulged. “You are all a bunch of lunatics!”

Kairos laughed, pointing at Elias. “Yes. But don’t get any ideas. I only plan to die in battle, not by my son’s hand.”

Elias shrugged. “Bummer.” He walked over to us, hugging me first, then Kairos. “Come back, okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered in his ear.

I clapped my hands, turning to Maeve and Collin. “Meet you at midnight?” I asked. They all nodded.

***

We met up by the border. Maeve was right, they were having a meeting. They looked human, but they were drawing symbols on the ground. Men and women, dressed in normal clothes. I couldn’t yet discern what creatures they were.

We hid behind the bushes. I glanced at Kairos. “Ready?” I asked.

He nodded.

Without wasting time, I ensnared them all in vines. They screamed in unison. Some tried to cut themselves free with their knives, but it was futile. I had their bodies completely covered. Once they stopped screaming, we emerged.

We approached them from different sides, not wanting to risk walking into a trap. Maeve led us. “We hope you managed to get enough of what you wanted to do because this comes to an end now!” her voice echoed through the air.

A man looked at his peers, then back at Maeve. “Who are you?” he asked.

“I am the luna of the Night Walkers Pack. And you are in my territory!”

The man turned to a woman. “Eileen, you told me this was unclaimed land,” he said, more annoyed than angry.

“Well, damn, how am I supposed to know where their border is?” Eileen complained.

They all seemed eerily calm, despite being trapped. I stepped forward. “Who are you?” I asked. “And why are you killing people?”

The man rolled his eyes. “They’re not people. We’re demon hunters. Everyone we’ve killed has been a lost soul. We just prevent the demon from taking another.”

“You’re killing them in the most brutal way possible. The bodies we find are tortured,” Maeve said.

“We’re ten here for a reason. It’s not easy to kill a demon.”

“But then what are you?” Kairos asked.

The man stuttered. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re not a werewolf. I don’t see you using any powers. What are you?”

I tightened the vines slightly, and the man cleared his throat, fearing I would crush him. But he didn’t know that I was the one doing it. There was no way of telling that I possessed such power. I had become good at concealing it. “We’re humans,” the man said, and we all fell silent.

We didn’t really know what to do. “How do we know you’re telling the truth? About you and about demon hunting?” Maeve asked.

The man sighed heavily. “Because we’re humans. And I don’t know what you are, but I know you all are not. So we stand no chance in fighting back a single one of you.”

“How did you get into the mythical realm?” I asked. Humans couldn’t just walk through the worlds. They needed a guide.

A girl from the back spoke up. “That would be me,” she said. “I’m a vampire, so… I brought them here. We promise we’re very discreet. Our generation has been doing this for the past century. We’ve taken an oath of secrecy. We’re not a threat, but the demons we’re fighting are.”

I released them, still on guard in case they decided to fight, but they didn’t. “Thank you,” the man said to us all.

“Why here?” Maeve asked.

“We change our locations as often as possible. Otherwise, the demons who manage to escape remember our spot.”

I surveyed their belongings. They had books, daggers, swords, and guns. If they were demon slayers, then they would be able to trap one of my death angels. The thing they didn’t know about me, the thing I wasn’t famous for. For finding lost souls and for having death angel followers.

I summoned a black skeleton creature, and everyone scrambled for their things, while the four of us remained unbothered. One woman opened a box while the man thrust a sword at my death angel’s heart.

A loud screech filled the air, and they all chanted some words in a language I didn’t understand. They trapped the death angel in a box. They were all panting heavily, not from the fight, but from the surprise.

The man looked at us. “You could have been possessed, and you just stood there?” He questioned us. “He might not have looked like he was doing harm, but he was on his way to. We got lucky. Sometimes they look like humans.”

I approached the woman who held the box. “It wasn’t a demon, it was a death angel,” I reached for the box. “He’s mine. Harmless unless I command otherwise.” The woman handed me the box, and I opened it, releasing the creature and absorbing it into my body.

Their mouths hung open. “What are you?” one man asked, shocked.

Maeve stepped in. “That’s not important. But if you would come to my pack and talk like civilized people, I think we could form a close friendship.”

They all exchanged looks. “Why would you want that?” he asked Maeve.

She shrugged. “You can never have too many friends. And I don’t have any demon slayers in my friend group yet.” This meeting might have turned out better than expected. Maeve always tried to make connections of different kinds.

She was an amazing luna. She went out of her way to consider every possible threat and build a strong defense against it.

They agreed to hold a meeting sometime next week. This time, it all ended without a fight, but with potential new allies.

The four of us walked through the forest. We were far from our pack, but none of us were in a hurry. I walked up to Maeve, leaving our men chatting behind. “That went well,” I said.

“It did. How could it not when we have you to keep them in place,” she replied, smiling at me.

We fell into a comfortable silence, just looking ahead at our path under the moon. “Are you happy?” I asked her.

She turned her gaze toward me, a sweet smile playing on her lips. “How could I not? I’m surrounded by people I love and who love me in return,” she said, intertwining her fingers with mine. “I’m aware our struggles aren’t over. But regardless of what the future holds, I’ve already experienced a love that makes even the thought of dying tomorrow worthwhile.”

I squeezed her hand, my voice barely above a whisper. “That’s what terrifies me. The idea that something could happen at any moment. I’m living this perfect life and it feels too good to be true. I’m scared.”

She squinted her eyes at me, her voice soft. “We all fear losing what we hold dear. I do too. What’s brought on this sudden fear of the future? You seemed fine. The last time you were this scared was when you were pregnant with Elias.”

I shrugged, a small smile on my face. “Well, then brace yourself for nine months of my deathly fears.”

She halted, her eyes wide. “What?” she asked, her voice filled with shock.

I grinned at her just as Kairos and Collin caught up with us. “What’s going on?” Collin asked, his gaze shifting to Maeve. He rushed to her side. “Are you okay? Is it the baby?”

It took a moment for his words to sink in. “What?” I echoed, my body frozen in surprise.

Collin glanced at me, then back at Maeve. “Oh…she didn’t know.”

She turned to me, her eyes questioning. “Are you?” she asked.

“Are you?” I echoed, and she nodded. Kairos walked over and planted a kiss on my forehead.

“The more the merrier,” he said, his voice filled with warmth.

Collin chimed in, his tone serious. “That just means that while you’re carrying our pups, you both are absolutely not doing the things we just did.”

Kairos nodded in agreement. I shot him a look. “We promised that we’d face battles together,” I reminded him.

“Not when you’re pregnant. Argue with me more and I won’t let you go anywhere without me chaperoning,” he retorted.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Neither I nor the baby are that fragile. I’m sure we can handle it.”

He challenged me, his voice firm. “Fight me on this, I dare you.”

Maeve caught my annoyed expression. “Want to go home or will Kairos have to carry you?” she teased. Just as Collin was about to scoop her up in his arms, she twisted his arm behind his back.

“Collin, we’ve discussed this before,” she said, rolling her eyes as Collin whimpered in pain. She released him and he collapsed onto the ground, lying on his back.

Maeve walked ahead, glancing back at us. “You, go ahead,” I told her.

I turned to Collin, his eyes following Maeve. He let out a heavy sigh. “She’s a formidable woman.”

He sprang to his feet and ran after her, grabbing her by the waist. They bickered all the way until they were out of sight.

I didn’t follow them for a reason. Kairos eyed me suspiciously. “Stay here,” I instructed him before running toward the lake.

He narrowed his eyes but didn’t question me. The night was dark, the full moon casting a soft glow. I reached the lake and spun around once.

I looked at him from a distance, the same feelings washing over me as when I first met him at this very spot. When his scent hit my nose and there he was. My mate. My love. We were so young then, so hurt and naive.

He remembered too. His eyes were fixed on me as he slowly walked toward me. We weren’t the same people we used to be. We didn’t look the same. Our love had changed, but not for the worse. It had matured.

He stopped a few steps away from me. “You are so beautiful, Adelie,” he said, his voice dreamy. “I wish I was more of a romantic, more of an artist to put into words how you make me feel. I’m afraid no language can do justice to describe you. There is no me without you, no time without you. There will never be enough of you.”

“Kairos…”

“And I know that I promised to not think of the what if’s. But I need you to know. I need you to understand how afraid I am. Because I have never loved anything so much. I am so afraid that there will be a day when you are not here.”

I reached up to touch his cheek. “I know. But we can’t stop it, Kairos. We can’t make our time run when it’s done. And I am too, so afraid that you could die first because I can’t imagine how it will kill me.”

Time might be our only real enemy. The one we couldn’t fight.

“But we are here, breathing. And so in love,” Kairos said, his voice dreamy as he looked at me.

He took my hand and spun me around, dipping me down with him hovering over me. I smiled up at him. “Forever?” I asked.

“Forever!”

End of Book 4