Page 13

Rue

We move quietly through the elven forest until we reach their large gathering area. The seer sits gracefully on the grass, waiting for us. Her gaze is fixed proudly on Vaegon as if she brought him back to Faerie herself.

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 sure hope 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 his time 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.

That last thought hurts, but it also brings some healing. Vaegon wasn’t alone. He wasn’t afraid. He was cared for and comforted. The realm needed Durin more than Vaegon did. I can see that now. Hopefully, Durin will come to understand it, too.

“You all need to rest,” the seer says, breaking the silence. “Allina, go to your daughter. I’ll show our guests where they can spend the night. We’ll come together in the morning to discuss a plan.”

I watch as Allina hurries off to find her pup. If only I had the magic to trip her. I’m starting to accept the way things are, but the desire to see her face in the dirt will never fade.

Vaegon kisses his mates and clasps the arms of the other three Alphas before coming to stand next to Durin and me. A knot of anxiety tightens in my stomach. I appreciate that he’s given us a moment alone, though. Whatever he has to say is his truth. I will accept and respect it.

He gazes up at the moon, slowly rising into the sky. “My whole life, I thought I’d been abandoned,” he begins. “I was glamoured until right after Paren showed up. But I always knew I was different. I figured that’s why I was tossed aside.”

I know he’s not done, so I stay quiet, holding onto Durin’s arm for support. It hurts to know Vaegon held onto those thoughts despite how happy he was.

It only deepens my hatred for the elves.

He moves his gaze to the clear, shimmering pond and absently runs a hand through his hair.

“I didn’t even know what the bloodlust was until Paren explained it. Anders soothed me, but only when he was close by. The bloodlust still filled me with rage a lot of the time. I thought I was just damaged. Luckily, once we had both mate-claimed Jade, he could send his calming presence through the bond, even from a distance.”

“That’s incredible,” I whisper.

Mate bonds are a powerful kind of magic. I’ll never get to experience one, but I don’t need to. I have a simpler wish. All I ask for is for Durin to return safely once the battle is over.

Vaegon finally looks at me. A faint smile flickers across his lips before he turns his eyes to the ground.

“When did you lose your glamour?” Durin asks.

“It fell during a battle two seasons ago. We were actually fighting a Beta shifter from this realm. He had built an army of Alphas from our own realm to seize our lands and bring his pack over from Faerie. He wanted to be a hero, happily doing so at our expense.”

“Shit,” Durin says, running his fingers through his hair just as our son did moments ago. “I take it he was dealt with?”

“Yeah,” Vaegon says, briefly meeting his gaze before turning away. “But he recognized me. Said I looked just like you. He spoke of your deadly magic but never what you were trying to do to help. I had a lot of thoughts about you... most of them not good,” he admits.

Durin nods, but his grip on my hand tightens. I slip my arm around his waist and rest my head against his chest, hoping to bring him some comfort. Today should have been a celebration for our pup’s return. I don’t understand why we’ve been buried in so much sorrow instead.

“I thought you’d forced yourself on my birth mother and abandoned her,” Vaegon continues quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Or that maybe you killed her, and I just stumbled into the realm by accident.”

His words pierce my heart like fangroot thorns. Durin doesn’t deserve to be thought of that way. It’s a horrible slap in the face after what he’s been through.

“Paren said she’d heard stories of you helping shifters,” Vaegon continues. “I’ve been conflicted ever since.”

“He would never hurt me,” I say, hugging Durin’s hand against my chest. “He protected me. He saved me.”

Vaegon nods. “I can see that you care for each other. Scent match and all.”

“Scent match?” Durin asks, looking sheepishly between Vaegon and me. He shifts his weight to his other leg and clears his throat. “I’m sorry. I still don’t know as much about shifters as I should.”

“It’s okay,” I reassure him, gently squeezing his hand. “A scent match is a shifter’s fated mate. Mother said the same about us. I didn’t believe her at first because you’re not a shifter.”

“I’m only half shifter,” Vaegon says with a shrug. “But Jade is my scent match. She’s my brothers’ scent match, too, even though we share no blood. My family accepted that it was fate. What else could it be?

“I see how you two react to each other. You’re fated to be together, which means I’m fated to be alive, which means at least some of this bullshit the elf was saying is probably true. So, I’m in.”

Hearing that is a relief. Durin won’t have to face the queen alone. Still, I wish neither of them had to walk into danger like that.

“Thank you,” Durin tells him. “We can strategize tomorrow. I’m going to turn in now.” He gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and walks away, leaving me alone with Vaegon.

As much as I want to admire the Alpha my son has become, I struggle to look at him. I have no idea what to say. My mind spins, searching for a topic that won’t be awkward for him or painful for me. Eventually, I give up and plop down on the grass.

He lowers himself to the ground in front of me, thankfully knowing where to start. “I can see your pain,” he says, pulling blades of grass from the ground nervously. “It’s shitty that it brings me relief. I don’t want you to hurt, but it’s nice to know my parents didn’t abandon me.”

I wring my hands, fighting back tears. What he’s saying makes sense. I’m glad he can finally let go of any doubts about why he grew up without us. But my heart aches knowing he ever had to wonder.

“I’m also glad you weren’t hurt in order to bring me into the world,” he says before I can steady my words enough to voice them.

“After learning of my father’s other role...” He clears his throat and looks away from me. “It seemed he was fond of the queen. With the way Paren described how the queen and other fae treat shifters, I had little hope you were okay.”

I’m surprised to know they already knew of his role as consort, but his admission is what crushes me. I’m touched that he cared enough to worry about me but devastated that anyone could ever think that of Durin.

“He’s the one who was hurt,” I whisper.

The tears I’d been holding back escape, leaving warm trails down my cheeks. I let them fall for Durin. He suffered and felt ashamed because of what happened to him. He tried to stay away, thinking his trauma would somehow infect me. Instead, he ended up saving me from the same fate he’d been suffering through all along.

“I can see that now,” Vaegon says, tossing the grass in his hand aside. “I’m not innocent,” he continues. “I hurt my mate in ways Durin would probably hate me for. I’m sorry for thinking that way about him.”

I’m not sure what he means about hurting his mate. She clearly adores him. I appreciate his apology, but I can’t fault him for what he thought. He didn’t have very much information to go on.

“It’s okay. I understand,” I reply softly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he says, rising to his feet and offering me his hand. “I may have suffered longer to this point, but I think your wounds are deeper. They’ll take more time to heal.”

My hand trembles as I reach for his. He pulls me up with a firm grip and looks down at me with compassion. It’s not love, but it’s more warmth than I would have expected.

He lets go, looking a bit unsure. “I’m going to find my mate-group. I’m not sure what to call you. It doesn’t feel right to call you by your name, but I have a, uh…”

“A mother,” I finish for him. “It’s okay. I’m glad you do,” I say honestly, even though it chips off another small piece of my heart. “You can call me Rue. That’s fine.”

“He considers it for a moment, then nods. “Okay. Goodnight, Rue,” he says before turning to leave.

I sigh and turn away, too. Back to my mate, my greatest blessing in this life. My only hope and prayer is that after all the suffering fate has put us through, it lets us be together when the battle is done. In life or death, I don’t care, as long as we’re together.