Page 39 of The Silent Mountain (Under the Werewolf Crown #2)

thirty-nine

Visitors

*ALANA*

A dreamless sleep had been keeping me in its grip. I can barely remember what happened after Favian appeared on the island, just that I was safe. And now, the moment I wake up, I can feel and smell Favian all around me. The room feels so familiar, proof that this is real and that I am truly safe, and not on that nightmare island anymore.

Favian has his arm wrapped around me, but his body is trembling slightly. Blinking my tiredness away, I try to focus on my mate. I am surprisingly awake and not drowsy at all. It seems like Ros truly healed me well, and that there is no curse or other injury left, aside from my hand, which is tightly wrapped up now.

To my shock, Favian has tears in his eyes; he seems to be so far away in his thoughts. I hope he isn’t crying because of me. But the moment he notices me, he instantly pulls me into his arms. I just need to feel his body, need to feel his skin, to know I am safe and that it’s all over. I fumble slightly with my clothes, but with Favian’s help, I manage to tug them off. He presses me against his body immediately, allowing me to feel the warmth of his skin.

“I am so glad you are back with me,” he says. “You never gave up. Elio told me all about it.”

“I don’t think I could have done it without him,” I admit. “He is so much stronger than he believes he is.”

Favian pulls me even closer to him. “So are you. I can’t believe what you did. It must have taken so much courage.”

I raise my arm to look at it. I feel a little twinge in my chest whenever I see that there is truly just a stump remaining, but at the same time, I try to remind myself over and over again that it was my decision and that it saved my life. Favian reaches out to take my hurt arm into his hand.

“Don’t you find it repulsive?” I ask quietly.

“Not at all,” he says. “Nothing about you could ever be repulsive. You are still the most stunning creature in my life.”

“I will need to learn how to work around it,” I admit. “It will take some time to adapt to it.”

“I am sure you will cope with it perfectly,” he says with a surprising amount of confidence.

I look at him, stunned. “You sound so convinced.”

“That’s because I am,” he says. “There is nothing you can’t do. I strongly believe that. You will be the Warrior Princess with or without a hand. You will learn how to ride and fight with one arm, and I bet you will learn it so quickly that you will surpass my warriors soon.”

I feel tears welling in my eyes, and I lunge forward to hug him tightly. I can’t believe how lucky I am to be mated to him. To imagine how reluctant I was at first, and how I didn’t want to give in to the mate bond. Now, I can barely imagine a life without him.

“Don’t cry,” he says quietly.

“You cried first.”

We stare at each other before chuckling. “You are right,” he says. “It just truly dawned on me how close I came to losing you and Elio. While you were gone, I did everything to remain focused and sane.”

“I knew you wouldn’t give up and would find us,” I say. “That’s why I didn’t give up either.” I gaze at my hand again. “Do you think I could use a prosthetic?” I ask. “I know it’s not going to replace my hand, but maybe for my balance and overall body feeling, it would be good.”

“We can try everything you want,” he assures me. “I will reach out to our allies and see what kind of options we have, if that’s what you prefer.”

He is truly leaving it completely up to me. “You really don’t mind,” I say more to myself than to him. He really doesn’t mind if I have a prosthesis or if I leave it the way it is. He will accept me either way. I turn over to straddle his hips, smiling when he grabs my waist. Yellow flashes in his eyes, a clear sign that he is very much intrigued.

“How gross am I?” I ask. “Or do I need a bath first?”

Something tells me that he wouldn’t give a fuck about me bathing or not, but to my relief his answer aligns with what I want. “You were bathed,” he says. “Your mother did it.”

“Wait a moment, my mother? She is here?” I snort. “You didn’t think about telling me?”

“I forgot,” he says.

“You forgot? What else did you forget?”

“Well, Ludwig survived but will need someone to watch over him. I was thinking he could proceed with training with you once you are both up to it. Cassie stopped the curse and got a new hair color. I made up with Stefan–it was exactly like you thought. Also, he is in love with Erin, or something like that. I didn’t enquire further. Oh, and I met your nixe friend, Lorelai.”

I gawk at him. “I was only gone for a day!”

“Well, weird things happen when you aren’t around,” he says evenly. “Clearly you can’t leave, ever.”

“I see that now,” I say with a smile. “And the person clad in that coat made of feathers?”

“He got away,” Favian admits. “But Elio drew a picture for us. Favia can’t sense his presence anymore, but we will be on alert. She thinks we can finally take a breath and rebuild the clan.”

It doesn’t sit right with me that our main attacker got away, but judging by the creepy feeling I got when watching him, it might be better that we didn’t have to take him on. Hopefully, destroying his base weakened him enough that he has to recover for a while or rebuild his base somewhere else. It gives us valuable time.

“And now?” I ask him, gazing down at him with what I hope is an innocent expression.

Favian is still holding me by my waist, while his thumbs are brushing over my stomach. “You tell me,” he says, equally faking innocence.

“I guess you are naked, and I am naked, so it would be a missed opportunity not to take advantage of that moment.”

“I love your strategic mind,” he says seriously.

“Does that mean I am more strategic than Stefan?” I tease.

“You are definitely more attractive than him,” he replies with a serious expression.

The look on his face makes me laugh, my body vibrating, until Favian groans. “That’s torture,” he says.

“I will make it better,” I promise, adjusting my position slightly until I can feel his hard cock between my legs. If I had doubts about him finding me attractive before, I now know I have nothing to fear. This man is clearly still hot for me. His hands move to my ass, lifting me up just enough to position myself. I use my good arm for some balance, keeping it on his chest, while he snaps his hips upwards, entering me in one go.

“Fuck,” I moan.

“Too fast?” he asks, worried.

“No! Continue,” I demand.

Favian keeps fucking me while I meet his movements halfway. I have never done this position before, but it feels so liberating and empowering to be on top and riding my mate’s dick, setting the pace myself. Favian obviously enjoys it too. One of his hands keeps supporting me for balance, while his other moves to my breasts, squeezing them before pinching my nipples. I tense my muscles around his cock, making him groan. “Fuck, Alana, you are a goddess.”

“Good to know that with one or two hands, I can still make you come,” I say. When he stares at me, I blink. “Too early for jokes?”

He grins. “No, but I am intrigued by the things you say. Next time, I want to fuck your pretty mouth.”

He snaps his hips upwards, making me moan in delight. I forget everything around me, just relishing in the sensation of feeling him fill me up, and how close I feel to him. I can’t imagine my life without him anymore. My body tenses up, a shiver going down my spine as I feel my orgasm hitting me. I keep riding it out, feeling how Favian’s cock pulsates inside me and his warm liquid fills me up.

With a sigh of pleasure, I enjoy the intensity of all the sensations I am feeling now, before finally pulling away and dropping down on my back next to him. Favian turns over to pull me back into his arms. “Did I already thank you for coming back to me?”

“Plenty,” I say, feeling content and peaceful lying next to him like this.

“I feel like I should thank you every day anew.”

I feel drowsy with sleep, yet force my eyes to stay open to look at him, to take in all of his features, the way his intense blue eyes look at me, and the way he smiles. He doesn’t smile a lot, but he always does for me. In a way, I got incredibly lucky. I have a loving family, and despite struggling, going through tough times, and losing friends and my first love, I was rewarded with a second love and with a second family. Other people have nothing, and here I am with so much. I want to remember this feeling, for whenever I have to make tough decisions, and when I help those in need. Everyone deserves a family and love in their life.

“I would always come back to you,” I say quietly before slowly drifting back to sleep.

“My queen,” Stefan approaches me on a sturdy, brown horse. My heart makes a leap of joy to see that he’s picked up horse riding too, like many of the warriors and clan members have.

It has been a couple of weeks since Elio and I were caught on that Goddess-forsaken island, and both of us have done a lot to deal with the changes in our lives. Elio has begun to study under Erin and Frederick. Once he is of age, he will travel to one of our adjacent kingdoms to learn more about medicine. It looks like he has found his calling.

Meanwhile, I was officially announced as the clan’s queen, a mere formality as both Favian and Stefan kept explaining. Unlike with other shifters, coronation ceremonies are a very private celebration for dragons. Only the clan is allowed to be present. I found it very fitting for me to be surrounded by my fellow clan members and experience how happy they were to see me officially crowned.

By now, I have also gone back to horse riding, something that was surprisingly easy for me, despite my new handicap. I also picked up my training again, together with Ludwig, to learn how to fight one-handed. Ludwig has been so patient, almost eager to help me. He doesn’t talk much, and he is far from the person he was before, but I will make sure to help him through these tough times. Barbara loved him, and we will honor her by helping him recover.

“Stefan, I didn’t know you were looking for me, or I wouldn’t have blocked my mind link. Ludwig and I decided to train on the outskirts, in my wolf form. Ros is still learning how to handle her handicap.”

“I bet she is holding up well,” Stefan says.

“She is.”

Ludwig straightens his back, nodding his head at Stefan. “Advisor,” he says politely. “How may we help you?”

“The king has sent me,” he says. “We have visitors.”

I help Ludwig gather our weapons and saddle our horses before we both mount them and follow Stefan. “What kind of visitors?”

“He said not to tell you,” Stefan chuckles. “It’s a secret.”

“You are not telling me, even if it means crossing your queen?” I ask with a grin.

“My queen can be scary,” Stefan chuckles. “But I know better than to upset my king.”

“So, I lose against Favian?”

“I am sorry, Your Highness,” he says evenly.

I laugh. “It’s okay, I understand you. As long as Ludwig can keep being at my side, we are even.”

“Of course,” Ludwig promises.

We ride the rest of the path in silence until we approach the castle. There, I can finally pick up his scent. That’s why Favian told Stefan to keep it as a surprise! I pick up my pace, leaving the other two men behind, and chase towards the castle, where I jump off my horse easily. Right at the entrance door, I can spot Favian and our guest.

“Endellion!” I blurt out, jumping into my brother’s arms. I haven’t seen him for so long. Ever since he became king of the werewolf kingdom, he’s been so busy. I was really happy when Azadeh visited us a while ago, but sad that he couldn’t make it.

“Alana,” he says warmly, hugging me back. “I am so happy to see you.”

“Did you come by yourself?”

“Yes, Aza stayed at home to lead the country, but I have my beta with me and some warriors.”

“So, Shayan came?” I ask. “This time without Tynan.”

“Yes, although Ty almost threw a tantrum,” Endellion says with a grin. He draws back to look at me. “It’s good to see that you recovered so well. Mom said you are doing well, but I wanted to see for myself.”

“Is this why you came in person?”

“One of the reasons,” he says.

I draw back, glaring at my mate. “You knew it, didn’t you?”

Favian smirks. “Of course.”

“My mate really knows how to keep a secret,” I chuckle.

Favian puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me closer. “Was it a good surprise?”

“The best,” I reassure him.

“Actually, Endellion has some things he wants to discuss with us,” Favian tells me.

“I wish I could use this as a vacation,” Ende says, “but Favian is right. I have work-related issues to discuss. And I would like to hear what you found out about the cult. I have done my own research, but seeing how you were caught up in this whole ordeal, I need to hear firsthand what you know.”

Favian and I exchange a quizzical look, both of us curious as to what Endellion has planned. “Actually, this goes on par with my own desire to exchange information,” Favian says. “If you hadn’t come, I would have proposed a meeting soon.”

“I would like to invite you to take the discussion inside,” Stefan says. He has approached us while Ludwig handles the horses. Although he just sounded perfectly polite, I can see the anxiety in his expression.

Favian must have noticed it too, because he just shakes his head slightly. Unlike before though, he doesn’t comment on it and simply gestures towards the door. “Let’s go to my office. Maybe we could have some tea there.”

“I will have the kitchen prepare something for us,” I say. “Is it just you and Shayan, Ende?”

“Yes, my warriors voiced the wish to mingle with the dragon shifters and eat together with them,” Endellion says. “That is, if it’s okay with both of you.”

“Of course,” Favian says. “I appreciate the wish to get to know each other. Our people haven’t had the chance to meet each other a lot in the past.”

“I am all for strengthening our bonds as well,” I say.

While the others head to Favian’s office, I make a detour to the kitchen where I order something to eat for all of us and some hot beverages. On my way to the meeting, I bump into Shayan.

“Queen Alana,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Beta Shayan,” I smile.

For a moment, he just looks at me, his eyes study my arm and then back to meet my eyes. He doesn’t say anything, nor do I. He is the only one who truly understands what I lost and how hard it is to accept it sometimes. “I see, you didn’t give up fighting,” he says after a while. “Not that I thought you would.”

“It’s hard sometimes,” I admit. “But I am learning how to cope with it.” I gaze at his arm. Many years ago, he lost it in battle, but it got replaced by a well-crafted prosthesis. Favian told me I could have one too, if I wanted, but I wasn’t ready to make any decisions until now. “If you can make some time for me during your stay, I would be very grateful,” I say

His gaze softens at my words. “Of course. Anytime.” He offers me his arm. “Meanwhile, allow me to escort you to our meeting.”