Chapter 157
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Xander POV
I watch as Eryx crawls across the grass. He sits up and laughs before grabbing his toy and shaking it. The threads in him come out and light up the toy, and Serafine laughs.
“I’m not sure you should find it amusing that he’s figuring out how to use his magic so young to light things up,” I say,
Serafine smiles softly. “I’ve been watching, he doesn’t have the strength to do anything big. He can literally just light up his toys with it, nothing else,” she says. “He’s safe, Xander, you know that.”
She moves and reaches out to take Amelia from my arms. I lean down and place a kiss on her forehead before passing her to Serafine.
It’s been fourteen months since the wedding. Amelia has magic, Serafine said she can feel it. All I cared about was if they had a wolf, though. Living in a world like ours without a wolf isn’t easy, no matter who you are.
They have a wolf, Serafine confirmed it to me. I watch as Serafine holds Amelia on her lap and talks happily to her, and Amelia giggles and chews on her
fist. It’s beautiful, and things are settled.
For a long time after we returned, I worried something else would come up, I worried that whatever Serafine was wouldn’t settle. It has, though, there
have been no issues, and none of the packs have come here trying to hurt her or Eryx.
They all held up the promise. On the anniversary of the battle with Gideon, they held a celebration, and this pack said we should as well. Now, for my pack and many others, that day is known as the Veyrathi festival.
It’s not just a celébration of Serafine and what she represents, but a celebration of the biggest battle anyone could have fought. It impacted everyone, not just a few packs. It’s good, it means that the world is more accepting of Serafine.
Hearing movement, I turn and see the Stoneback Guardians shifting. They, along with the Silvemane Hounds and the Ravens, stay close to the kids. It’s good, though. I have heard Eryx mumbling to the raven, only a few words, and I swore to Serafine that he can understand the Raven.
She laughed and said that he likely can. If she can, then why wouldn’t Eryx? I can’t, the book still doesn’t work for me, I can’t speak to the Hollowfang Ravens, and I don’t mind that I can’t.
I’m just grateful our children won’t be growing up in a world where the Veyrathi and Threadborns are barely heard of or understood. They will be understood and supported by a lot of people.
I look at Serafine and watch her for a moment. “Thank you,” I whisper, and she stares at me in shock. “I mean that, I know I say it a lot, but I feel like l should because you gave me something important, something that is more important than my pack, than money.”
Smiling, she leans into me and kisses me softly. “You don’t need to thank me. I might have given you a family, Xander, but you gave me one, remember?” She looks at me and I nod.
“It’s not the same, though,” I say quietly.
“It is, I didn’t have a family, Xander, I never did, and you gave me that. This is perfect because we’re both grateful for what we have. We don’t granted anymore.” She shifts closer and captures my lips with hers. “We built ourselves a family, one that means everything to us.”
She’s not wrong, we’re both grateful for a lot of things that many others take for granted.
“So now what? Another baby?” she asks with a wink, and I laugh.
“If that’s what you want, sure, but I was thinking of something different,” I say.
She tilts her head and watches me quietly.
“We’ve settled in our life and it’s a perfect life. But, we’re always with Eryx and now Amelia, so how about a weekend, just me and you?” I ask.
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08:50 Sat, 28 Jun
Chapter 157
She stares at me and chews her lip.
“Helena would love to have the weekend alone with the kids. It means we can have some sort of late honeymoon,” I explain.
I wait and watch her. She sits and stares at me like she’s considering it, and deciding if it’s something that she wants or not. After a moment, one that feels far too long, she nods and smiles at me.
“Yes, but there are rules, Xander,” she says.
Laughing, I nod. “I would be worried if there weren’t any rules.”
“No, Killian or Garrick, if we’re doing it, and leaving behind our children so we can have time alone, we don’t need Killian or Garrick there.”
She means that. “They are there for our safety,” I explain.
“We shouldn’t need guards, not if we go somewhere quiet, with no other people,” she says.
Laughing I nod. “Is that what you want? A place where there are no people at all, so we’re alone for the entire weekend?” I ask.
She nods and shifts before leaning forward and kissing me deeply. “Yes, just us, no one else. I don’t want someone knocking and saying the perimeter is clear. I want it to be me and you, no one else.”
Cupping the back of her head, I nod. “Then that’s what you will get,” I say before kissing her. When I pull back, she settles against me. Her arm is wrapped around Amelia, and I watch as Eryx climbs onto my lap and cuddles into me.
This is it, this is my family and life going forward. It’s one I never thought I would get, but one I’m grateful for. No mater what happens now, I know we can face it together, we’re not weak, we’ve proven that.
Now, we just need to live, and enjoy each other.
AD
