Page 47 of Ruling in Flames (Reborn 5)
Anani and Atlas chuckled as Sai made a surprised noise in the back of his throat, all of our attention drawn to the two individuals that skipped the line and walked proudly towards the front. No one stopped them, though they did receive some dirty looks, and I felt a pang of sympathy for Sai, who looked both embarrassed and frustrated. I knew he had always felt forgotten by his family, and with his parents striding boldly towards him as if they were thrilled to see him, most likely because of his current placement next to Maya… That had to fucking sting.
“Mom, Dad.” Sai swallowed as he stepped forward, my beautiful mate joining him. I noticed the way she shifted on her feet, which despite being barefoot was no doubt a sign of them being sore. She wouldn’t complain, though. My gaze moved over the line, counting at least twenty more people left. We would have to make this quick.
“We are so happy to see you! You never visit!” Sai’s mother pulled him into a hug before pulling back and looking at Maya. “We didn’t even know you had a mate, and such a beautiful one at that! Queen Maya, we are absolutely honored to be part of your family. Please call me Brienne.”
“You’re Sai’s mother,” Maya clarified. Brienne nodded and motioned to the man next to her, his expression a bit more reserved as he and Sai exchanged a look. “This is Arolly. The minute we heard you were being crowned, we had to come see the moment for ourselves.”
“I’m glad to finally meet you,” Maya said formally, but Sai wrapped an arm around her, causing her to relax.
“How about we talk later?” Sai suggested. “Maya has at least two dozen more people to greet, but maybe during the celebration?”
I couldn’t hear their answer, because suddenly my gaze was on the group of individuals that Maya’s fathers were talking to. The man following them, with a woman and child, had my full attention.
“Anani…” I hesitated.
“I see it.”
Maya stepped back next to us as the family came towards us. The woman with him was small like my own mate, and the little girl she was holding was even smaller—but that wasn’t the part that caught me. No, it was that the man in question looked exactly like my brother and me.
“Queen Maya,” the man said, giving a small bow of his head before looking towards us. “Brothers.”
Fuck.
