Back To Real Time

Addy

I’m wrapped in a hug from my mother. Her hand gently traces down my face. “It’s time for you to do what you need to do.”

I step back from her. “I will. Thanks for everything.”

She whirls around, pointing at Soloman. “You.”

He swallows hard, steps forward, and bows. “Yes, your Majesty.”

I place a hand on her shoulder, looking over it at her. “He did everything right, Mom. I can’t do what I need to do without him guiding me.”

She groans. “Fine. I was going to keep him here since he messed up.”

I move to block her view of him. “He didn’t mess up. I told you this when everything went down. Tate told you people were surrounding me while they were getting ready. We knew he was coming but weren’t sure when. Kevin had told us that he was on his way, but he didn’t know exactly when he was going to strike. He opened the portal with my help, but we left it for a few days allowing him to sneak through. When he was asked to help, he came to me after the meeting telling me everything. I had a meeting with Tate and Soloman about it where we could set him up getting rid of all of this once and for all.”

She blinks. “How did you do that without me knowing?”

I hold up my hand, my fingers wiggle, blocking her hearing while I turn around to Soloman. “You did exactly what you needed to do. There’s no need to fear this beast.”

We all laugh while she stands there with crossed arms. “This isn’t very nice, Mystic. I get the point; you blocked me out of the discussions.”

I snap my fingers, releasing the block. “I did so that we could get the plan in place so the higher powers could step in. This has been in the process for many centuries now, where it all fell into place this time.”

Her arms drop. She looks around at the three of us. “You’ve been planning this without me knowing?”

All our heads nod in unison as Tate speaks. “We did this because we knew if you caught wind of it, she wouldn’t be allowed back out of the safety of your walls. Sorry, we did this without your knowledge, but we all knew that you wanted him gone as much as we did, and his attempts on her repeatedly were enough.”

A smile slowly spreads across her face as a laugh bubbles out of her mouth. “I can’t believe you did that without anyone knowing.”

Soloman smiles. “The higher powers did. We couldn’t set this up without their permission. Do you remember when we ‘left’ for a few days, saying we had something to take care of? That’s when Mystic got us an appointment with them. We spoke to them to ensure that we wouldn’t get into trouble for what we were going to do.”

Her eyes narrow dangerously at us. “Do you realize what could have happened to you if they said no?”

I lay my hand on her arm. “I had been speaking to them about this before the meeting. They’ve been watching him from a distance but never had a reason to destroy him. I set everything up, saying I was his target and would be the bait.”

She rolls her eyes. “Really? How could you have been so stupid to risk your life like that?”

I smile gently. “They were about to step in when you appeared. The council wouldn’t allow him to do anything to hurt me. When you arrived, the head councilman told the council to stand aside to see how you would handle things.”

A breath blows out of her mouth. “I’ve underestimated you. All these years, you’ve grown into an intelligent and brilliant wolf. I’m proud of everything you’ve accomplished.”

Linking arms with Tate and Drake, I turn my attention to them. “I think it’s time we returned to the ceremony. We left them frozen in time.”

Soloman and Tate smile, but it drops quickly. “Do we have to wear those monkey suits?” Tate whines.

I pat his cheek. “Yes, it’s our crowning day.”

Both men grumble as Drake pulls me back against him, giving my body a gentle squeeze. “I’m so proud of you. I’ve said it so many times, but I am. Proud to be your mate, your Alpha, and now you’re making me your King. No words can describe how much joy it brings my heart to know all this is real.”

I turn around and give him a long kiss. He growls into my mouth. “I would do this over and over with you. I’ve had some great mates in the past, but you’re the best out of all of them. We’ll be with each other for a long time, where our reign will bring back the peace that our world needs.”

My mother taps my shoulder gently. “You’ve done a fantastic job this time, daughter. This will be one of the best lives you’ve lived. Some of the others haven’t been as hectic but still were good. I’ll call you home eventually, but not until you’ve lived a very long and prosperous life with your mate. There will be children and grandchildren before going into great grands. Your lineage will go on for a very long time.”

Drake’s eyes glisten at her words. “I still can’t thank you enough for choosing me for this journey with her. Being chosen to be an Alpha was a great honor, but now being King over all this is more than I ever expected.”

She gently embraces him. “You were chosen because of your strength and golden heart. It’s not easy to find a good soul to bond with my daughter.”

A smile graces his face as he looks over at me. I smile at him, thinking the same thing. He might have overlooked me for years, but this pull toward me was always buried deep inside him. She lets him go before turning around to all of us.

“You need to get back to your ceremony. People are waiting to meet their new King and Queen,” she waves her hand as the ground starts to shake, along with bright lights and screams from the people in the realm. Ranjit must be taking care of the place as he was instructed.

In a blink of an eye, we’re transported back to the palace, where the entire world is frozen. I’m alone in the room where he initially showed up to kidnap me. Blinking my eyes, she stands there with me, smiling.

“What?” I cross my arms.

She slowly shakes her head. “I’m very happy for you. I know this has been your life over and over, but I’m proud of you this time. The mate you and I picked together was better than I expected. I hated that Ewart interfered with those plans, but the high council had to see what he was doing so that his reign of terror could end. Now, you can continue your life as it was meant to be. No more pushing Addy to do things she doesn’t want to do. You need to be in the background until she asks for your help. Understand me?”

I roll my eyes. She scoffs. “Yes, Mother. I only pushed because she needed help. Now that the main threat is gone never to bother us again, she can have control. I was only protecting her so we didn’t get killed. I know there were times when I shouldn’t have been so pushy, but I had to. She now understands everything that has happened with us: Macie, Ewart, everything. Sometimes she tried to fight me, but once all of this started unfolding, there was more time to explain everything.”

She waves her hand a little. “As long as you know your place now since all this is over. We don’t need you pushing here anymore, and she can live her life with Drake without you interfering in their lives as you have done lately.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “I know, Mom. Don’t worry about any of this. I know my place.”

She quickly hugs me before swinging her arm towards the room. “You have a ceremony to attend. It’s time you take your place where it’s required for you to be. The time for a true King and Queen to return, and the rule is upon us. You’ll have fun down here for a very long time now.”

I smile at her a little. “Yes, ma’am. The time has finally come to restore what was lost long ago.”

She disappears in the blink of an eye, smiling at me one last time as the world around me dissolves back to real time. The girls around me continue the conversation they were in the middle of before he showed up, taking me away.

Myra turns her head toward me. “Why aren’t you dressed? The ceremony starts in a few minutes.”

I chuckle to myself. My hands grab the dress as four girls descend on me to get everything ready. I’m plunked down into a chair as they attack my hair and makeup. After a short time, they pull me up, shoving my body where a mirror stands in the corner.

Myra snaps her fingers. “Get your clothes off, woman. We’re on a tight schedule here, and you need to be finished before we can finish.”

A chuckle escapes me. My eyes roll at my insistent friend. They assist me in shedding my clothes, then I cautiously step into the dress that’s far too frilly for my liking. Once the zipper is secured, they twirl me around, lavishing me with one last round of attention.

When they’re finally content with my appearance, we turn our attention to the remaining three. The doorman’s announcement that it’s time interrupts us. I release a deep breath, closing my eyes to center myself for what’s to come. My mind finally finds a moment of calm after the whirlwind I’ve been through.