Page 41 of King

Elves stop their conversations and turn to watch our group pass by. Juveniles creep closer for a better look. None of them seem alarmed or threatened. Just curious. They trust their leader completely. I wish I could say the same about her.

“Please, sit,” she says smoothly when we reach her side. “We have much to discuss.”

Durin grips my hand when I growl, but he doesn’t try to shush me. I hope he finds a way to punish her for the pain she’s caused us. I get why Vaegon had to leave, but she made the separation far more traumatic than it needed it to be.

“This is our Hendama,” Vaegon tells the shifters. “You will show her respect, or you will no longer be welcome here.”

“And you are?” my son asks him, choosing to remain standing when Allina and the other shifters join the seer on the grass.

“I am Vaegon,” he says with a hint of a grin.

Fucking elf. If only we could go back and choose a different name.

My Vaegon raises an eyebrow. “If you’re my namesake, I surehope you’re more impressive than you appear.”

The elf hums and looks at me. “So much like his mother.”

It’s true. At least the side I’ve shown the elves while I’ve been here. I scowl at him even though he’s right, then redirect it toward the seer.

“I regret nothing,” she says evenly. “This is how it had to be. You’ll accept it once you stop focusing on yourself.”

“You’d better pray you never have a pup of your own,” I hiss. “I’ll snatch it away and drag it to the other realm myself. We’ll see how casually you react to someone ripping that control out of your hands!”

She brushes off the threat, infuriating me even more, and turns to the other shifters. “A battle is approaching. It will determine the future of this realm and all who dwell in it. Vaegon has a crucial role to play.”

Jade gets up and takes Vaegon by the hand, leading him to her spot on the grass. She climbs onto his lap and settles against him. Durin and I remain standing, making our anger and disapproval known. But Durin also stands in authority as the leader. There should be no mistaking who holds the power here. He’s only letting the seer speak because we need her insight.

“The rest of you may be as involved as you like,” the seer continues, “but you mustn’t interfere if you decide not to join us. Now, which of you became Vaegon’s peace?” she asks, scanning the group of shifters.

They all look at each other curiously.

When none of them speak up, she turns to Allina, “Who did he imprint on?”

Allina must be feeling remorse because she looks at me to explain, not the shifters. “Before we left, the seer cast a spell on Vaegon to shield him from the bloodlust. The spell promised he would find calm in someone of his choosing. Peace and tranquility would flow from them and give him relief during histime away.”

“Anders…” Jade says, her eyes widening with some kind of realization. She jumps to her feet and races over to the pale Alpha, throwing herself into his arms. “That’s why he’s always been able to soothe you.”

Anders holds her in his arms quietly as she covers his face in kisses.

“Yes,” Allina says. “We visited many packs. It took two years for him to imprint. But when he saw Anders, it was immediate.”

Vaegon grunts. “Anders is the only thing that kept me from burning the realm to the ground. So, thanks for the spell, I guess.”

“Yes, thank you,” Paren says, climbing onto Anders’s lap beside Jade. “I couldn’t have survived the realm without him, either.”

I’m confused. Not about the unusual mate-group with two Omegas, but because the spell was meant for Vaegon, not Paren.

“Why am I able to help her, too?” Anders asks, voicing my confusion. “Shouldn’t the spell just help Vaegon?”

“Elven magic isn’t always predictable,” the seer says, her eyes piercing into Anders as she studies his face. “Spells can carry meanings that only reveal themselves when they’re needed. And… you bear a resemblance to our kind. It’s possible you have elven blood, which could amplify the spell’s effects. It could also be what drew Vaegon to choose you.”

“Anders and I are brothers by blood,” Lucas says, shaking his head in confusion. “I only have shifter magic, and Vaegon didn’t imprint on me. How could Anders have elven blood when we share the same parents?”

“Fate knows all, down to the smallest parts of who we are. You may indeed have our blood. Vaegon chose Anders as his source of tranquility, but you had your own important role in his life.”

Lucas looks at Vaegon, who bares his throat in submission.Tears fill my eyes as I watch the most powerful Alpha, likely ever, show so much humility to this other Alpha he clearly loves.

They’re brothers–all three of them. Anders was Vaegon’s peace. Lucas really was his guardian, but not in the way I’d thought. Vaegon grew up with a family. Maybe even a set of loving parents as well.

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