Page 187 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“After the official part of the celebration is over, later tonight, I thought we could meet around the lake again,” Flinn says all of a sudden. “You know, just our small circle of family and friends for a private party.”
I smile at his suggestion. “This sounds like a wonderful idea, Flinn. Let’s do it!”
Azadeh and I make our way outside and then through town to engage with the pack members and give them the chance to talk to us. It’s so lively and full of joy, it fills my heart with joy, too. It’s later that day when the festivities slowly dissolve and our inner circle goes through with Flinn’s plan, that Beta Shayan disappears for a moment, only to return with a young handsome man. He is clearly human, has a similar caramel skin to Azadeh, but looks older than her.
Azadeh gapes, then squeals and hurries towards him. He catches her in his arms and twirls her around. “Kiyan!” she beams and laughs, hugging him once more.
“I apologize for taking so long to visit you, Azadeh,” he says. “None of your letters reached me. I think Father caught them. I only found out recently where to find you. It was thanks to General Shayan reaching out to me.”
Shayan smiles. “This is my present to you, Azadeh.”
A hint of sadness had crossed her eyes at the mention of her father, but her joy of seeing the young man outweighs it. She grabs his arm and tugs him along. “Everyone,” she smiles. “This is my oldest brother, Kiyan.”
Kiyan smiles politely. He is a bit reserved, but he has kind eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. This place is nothing like I expected.”
“Right,” Azadeh chuckles. “Simin and I said the same when we came here first.”
Kiyan looks at her. “You look fantastic. And Queen, huh?”
“There is a bit more to tell about that,” she says. “Come, meet my mate and friends.” She turns towards me and takes my hand, too. “This is Endellion.”
“Mate?” Kiyan asks, shocked.
“I told you it’s a long story,” she chuckles, and reveals her neck to show him her mark.
Kiyan groans, throwing his hands in the air in a dramatic gesture. “My little sister, no.”
Everyone around us laughs at his antics.
Kiyan was the only family I had.She links me.I mean blood family. The only one who truly cared for me. He is a bit… extra at times, and he has something of a temper, but he is a really good guy.
Don’t worry,I reassure her.Your family and friends are always welcome here.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Prince Kiyan,” I say.
He recovers from his ‘shock’ and shakes my hand. “Likewise, King Endellion. It’s good to see my sister so happy and healthy. Thank you for watching out for her.”
I want to tell him that she doesn’t need much watching out for. But, I guess the whole story about her being haunted by the woman in white, and then riding into battle on a bear deity is something we should probably save for later.
“Come on, everyone,” my father approaches us. “Time for our own little party.”
My siblings follow him immediately, with Aylin tugging along. I can see Quinn and Simin helping Royan along to join us, Royan’s big hands resting on Simin’s small shoulders. Seeing them like this gives me a little twinge of hope. She was crucial for his physical recovery. Maybe she will be crucial to his mental recovery, too.
Shayan and Tynan usher Kiyan along, and I wait for them all to be ahead of us, before I take
Azadeh’s hand and kiss her. “I love you,” I say sincerely. “With all my heart.”
“I love you, too,” she replies. “I can’t wait to build a family with you.”
At her words, Caspian raises his head in excitement.Oh, a few pups would be fantastic! We should get on that right now, make babies!
I laugh. “Caspian is on board.”
She chuckles. “Let’s celebrate with our friends. And later tonight,” she lowers her voice to a whisper. “We can practice.”
I smirk, placing another kiss on her hand, before leading her along towards our friends. I can’t believe how much my life has changed ever since she appeared. She made it so much richer and more fulfilled, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.
fifty-nine
