Page 126 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince
I can’t help but look at her lycan form in awe. Celeste has a majestic stance, and she is tall for a female lycan, but going by her heritage I am not surprised. Her fur is white at first glance, but when the moonlight touches it, it shimmers in silver. Now it makes sense why she isn’t supposed to shift in front of others. Celeste looks ethereal, like the otherworldly creature she partly is.
“Do you like what you see?” she asks.
For a moment, I am startled, but my surprise settles quickly. Royal lycans are able to talk in their lycan form. It easily weirds out other shifters, though, so we usually don’t do it and instead link each other. It strikes me again how many advantages we have. We are naturally bigger and taller than normal lycans, we can get up on our hind legs and stand even taller. It’s a lot of power and a lot of responsibility.
Celeste trots closer and I get down on my knees in front of her. “You look like something out of a dream, Celeste.”
Celeste nuzzles her snout into my hair, and I wrap my arms around her, feeling the warmth of her fur. Being so close to her, I am able to spot stripes going down her back, the fur there not so much white but rather silver. “Goddess, you are really magical. How did Regis and I get so lucky?”
“Flora and I got lucky, too,” she says. “You are selling yourself short!”
“Do you want to meet your counterpart now?” I ask.
As an answer, she nuzzles her snout into my neck to lick at my mark. I let Regis come forward and shift into his form, letting him meet his mate. He is obviously barely able to contain himself for finally being able to meet her in her lycan form. He is hard to control sometimes, with a bit of a temper, but here, I can’t blame him for not being able to keep his cool. Celestedoesn’t seem to mind either, in fact, she seems equally excited to meet him.
Soon, the two of them run through the forest next to each other, playfully chasing each other. I take a backseat to allow Regis to have some privacy with his mate. Celeste won’t be able to be in her form a lot, so every chance we have that she can shift, we should take it and allow her to appreciate it and live in the moment.
*FLORA*
We were outside for hours. Celeste just couldn’t stop chasing Regis and being chased by him. Regis himself is an intimidating-looking lycan with his pitch-black fur, and sometimes, only his glowing eyes can be seen. He must be terrifying if he is angry but to Celeste and me he is just our mate. Scary alpha or not, he is our cuddly pillow.
This night is probably one of the best I’ve ever had. Everything about it was perfect, starting from Elden and I mating and marking, up to finally being able to shift and for Celeste to run around through the wild.
“I can’t believe how tired I am,” Elden says when we drop into my bed, both of us exhausted.
“Me too, but in a good way.”
“Yes,” he agrees. “I am just bodily tired, but not mentally. Actually, my mind feels so refreshed.”
“Mine too. The shift was amazing.” I turn to look at him. “And everything else, as well.”
Elden pulls me into his arms, the mate bond helping me to relax so much easier now. I find myself drifting to sleep despite being excited about my birthday celebration the next day. It’s going to be small and relaxed, just like I wanted it to be. Without Grandma, I just didn’t feel like having a crazy party, instead, I want to be surrounded by my friends and chosen family. Until today, I felt sad whenever I thought of my birthday, but now there is a hint of joy too.
Child of Light.
I snap my eyes open at the whisper, finding myself amidst a broad meadow. I shouldn’t be as surprised as I am, as usually that’s how I meet my mom, but today it’s different. Itfeelsdifferent. The place is not where I usually meet Ersa, it’s not the same. It’s broader, and just a tad more surreal. The beings of light are fluttering around me, as if they want to push me in a certain direction. I decide to trust them, following their lead over the meadow and then further towards a stream. The water looks silvery, like out of a painting, and although I am barefoot, the ground doesn’t feel cold or wet. It just feels warm. Much to my surprise my little friends lead me upwards, not down the stream. Whenever I turn to look back, I notice a small lake in the distance, but unfortunately, that’s not our destination. Instead, we climb higher and higher, until the stream is only a little trickle and disappears behind some rocks. Taking the last part of the climb, I find myself on a hill, right in front of a castle made of white bricks, parts of it are covered in ivy, parts decorated with murals and ornaments. It reminds me of Ersa’s place, just that this one feels more ethereal. I should be intimidated, but instead, I am only curious.
“Look how confidently she strides forward,” I can hear a voice I easily detect as Ersa’s.
“You are here!” I exclaim.
“Of course,” she says with a smile, stepping out of the front entrance of the castle. I pick up my pace and run towards her. She wraps me in her arms. “Happy birthday to my dear child.”
“The Child of Light,” another voice says. “We finally meet.”
I gaze behind my mother, spotting another woman. She looks similar to Ersa with her white long hair and her pale skin, but it’s her eyes that instantly draw me in. I could swear I can spot the stars in them. “You are-“ I pause. “No way.”
“You turned eighteen today,” the Moon Goddess says, a smile lighting up her face. “I am beyond delighted to meet you at last.”
I keep staring at her until Ersa chuckles and nudges me. “I am surprised you are so shy.”
“I am not,” I say. “I just can’t wrap my mind around the fact that she is my grandmother.” I take a deep breath. “I have so many questions!”
Ersa puts a hand on my shoulder and leads me inside. “See,” she says to the goddess. “I told you she is one of a kind. She has to be.” Ersa shows me a warm smile. “She is mine after all.”
The Goddess reaches out her hand and takes mine, gently tugging me along. “Come inside. We have a birthday to celebrate.”
I don’t let her tell me twice. Who knows if I will ever see her again? This is a once in a lifetime chance. I don’t see much of the inside of the castle, instead the two goddesses lead me towards a surprisingly comfortable living room. On the table, there is tea, a delicious-looking cake, and an old-fashioned scale, sat in the middle of it. I wonder what this is for, but other questions are more pressing.
