Page 179 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

Her father was dead. The clans who had wanted her dead were either dead or had submitted to Kassein’s clan.

For the first time, it slowly hit Alezya that they had won this war and with it, her freedom.

There would be no one to use her anymore.

No more battles to come, no more need to run.

She was free to stay or go wherever she pleased with Lumie.

She was free to be happy and be loved by Kassein.

So many invisible chains she hadn’t realized had been weighing her down suddenly disappeared.

For the first time in years, or maybe ever, she felt safe and free.

The future felt so bright now, and it was almost..

. scary. Blinding with possibilities. Was that it?

There was nothing more to worry about, nothing else to fear? She could just... live?

“ Food ?” Kassein asked.

It snapped her back to reality, and made her smile.

“ Meat ?” she asked.

But he shook his head.

“ Mother said no meat for you. Not yet. ”

Alezya immediately pouted, a bit annoyed, but Kassein smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. He was about to back away, probably to go and get her food, but she grabbed his wrist. He immediately turned back to her, worry all over his features, but she smiled.

“Wait,” she whispered, gently pulling him back to her.

She pulled him close for a longer, more delicate kiss.

Not a mere peck, but one full of softness and longing.

One to tell this man how much she had missed him.

One to tell him how sorry she was. The glimpses of the war she remembered were scary, but more than anything, she remembered how she’d feared for his life.

She was the one to have caused all this, and if anything had happened to Kassein, Alezya knew she might not have survived.

She knew she shouldn’t have survived. She hadn’t been sure they’d meet again when she had flown away on Kein, and it had been the worst of their separations.

Even now, she didn’t want him to leave the room, even for a moment.

Their time together felt too precious. She had chosen to jump, knowing she wasn’t supposed to make it.

She had survived, and she would spend the rest of her life being grateful for that miracle.

Kassein seemed to read her mind because he leaned over, careful about her injuries and yet getting as close as he could, to caress her cheek, fully take her lips with his, fill her space with his smell, and fulfill her need for his presence.

They didn’t need to speak; every apology, every “I missed you,” every breath of relief was passed into their sweet kiss and tender gestures.

After a few more kisses, Kassein slowly pulled back, giving her one more loving gaze before he eventually left the room.

Alezya didn’t have to wait long as he quickly returned with a bowl of warm soup that smelled heavenly.

It had a faint taste of meat but no actual chunks in it, and truthfully, she wasn’t sure she would have had the strength to chew.

Kassein helped her eat, bringing each spoonful to her lips, as any head movement made her wince, and Lumie was holding her down.

She was more hungry than she’d realized, and before she knew it, Alezya had finished a second bowl.

It made sense, given how long she had been asleep.

Kassein seemed pleased with her eating, and she wondered how tired and frail she must look for him to seem constantly worried, unwilling to look away from her any second longer than necessary.

“ You hurt? ” she asked Kassein, still concerned.

But he shook his head and showed her the last of the bronze scales on his hands, then lifted his shirt to reveal a large patch of them on his flank. She frowned, but he shrugged, clearly over it already.

“ Kiera hurt? ”

He grinned.

“ Kiera’s fine . She’s angry at me. ”

“ Angry? Why? ”

“ Because she does Aqayir work, and I am here.”

Alezya smiled.

“ Kiera is a good Aqayir.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “ She can be Aqayir. I stay. ”

As if to show her, he leaned more into the bed next to her like he was about to take a nap. It was the first time he was acting a bit childish like this, and Alezya had a feeling that was his way of comforting her, of showing her things were fine.

“Kassein,” she whispered. “ ...You hurt? ”

She had already asked, but this time, she wasn’t asking about physical pain, and her gaze conveyed that. He frowned for a second before she saw him swallow. He sighed, staring at her with a deep, sorrowful look. The mist in his eyes came back for a second.

“ I was scared ,” he muttered. “ Scared I lost you . You were... cold. ”

Alezya let out a faint, pained breath.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it as tears pearled in her eyes, staring into his hurt, dark green gaze.

She was sorry he’d had to go through that.

She had made her decision on that mountain, but she knew she would carry that guilt for the rest of her life.

It hadn’t felt like a right or a good choice, and she didn’t believe there was such a thing, but it was the one she’d made for the sake of many.

Kassein swallowed again, and he leaned until his face rested in the crook of her neck, opposite to Lumie’s.

Only Alezya was close enough that she heard the broken breath he let out.

She held his hand tighter, but he moved it over her stomach, splaying it there, and she realized he had been worried about losing their baby too.

She put her hand over his, caressing his skin with her thumb.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“ Don’t go ,” he muttered. “ Don’t go ever again. ”

“ No, ” she said. “I swear. With you. I’ll stay with you. ”

The two of them remained like that for a while, in silence, until Kassein calmed down, breathing peacefully against her neck, and Alezya fell back asleep again, listening to the soothing rhythm of his breath against her neck.

When she woke up again a while later, the sun was high.

Alezya had to blink a few times before her eyes got used to the influx of light, though the sunshine felt nice on her skin.

Kassein was gone from her side, and so were Niiru and Lumie.

Instead, the chair next to the bed was now occupied by a beautiful woman who was busy sewing something.

Alezya was slightly confused. She had never seen someone with such pale skin aside from her daughter.

It wasn’t as snow-white as Lumie’s, more like a pale, warm beige color.

It made a beautiful contrast to the woman’s thick, long, wavy chestnut-brown hair held in a half-up hairdo, and the beautiful dusty pink gown she was wearing.

Alezya had never seen such amazing fabric, and it was half covered by the thick cloak of fur wrapped around the woman’s shoulders.

When she glanced up and their eyes met, she smiled, her eyes a beautiful green color like the fresh grass in spring.

“Hello,” the woman said.

“...Hello,” Alezya muttered, feeling slightly intimidated for some reason.

The woman put aside her work, which looked like a small dragon plushie, and leaned over to check something on Alezya’s head.

“Does your head hurt?”

“It’s... fine.”

It was. There was still a lingering pain, but now, it was so faint it was almost forgettable. It certainly wasn’t as bothersome as how heavy Alezya felt. Her entire body felt unwilling to move, even as she was dying to stretch a bit. The woman gave her a gentle smile.

“It looks fine,” she said, putting something back on the injury. “Do you hurt elsewhere?”

“No,” Alezya said, which was true. “...Where is Kassein?”

“He went to the mountain for a bit,” the woman replied with a sorry smile. “Tievin insisted he come and help. He will be back soon. He didn’t want to leave you.”

Alezya blushed, pleased but feeling a bit shy.

“You’re... his older sister?”

The woman raised her eyebrows.

“I’m his mom,” she said.

Alezya’s jaw dropped. Kassein’s mother? There was no way. That woman didn’t look forty! And didn’t Kassein have many older siblings? She was scared to ask that woman’s age. Reading her surprise, the woman chuckled.

“You’ve met my husband already,” she said, “but you were asleep every time I came.”

“You’re a healer,” Alezya remembered. “They... told me.”

The woman nodded.

“I am Cassandra.”

“You’re not... like the others of the Dragon Clan.”

Alezya wasn’t sure how to say it without sounding offensive, but that woman looked different from her husband and the two of her children Alezya knew. She looked different from the men at the camp too, and as different as Alezya was from all of them. Cassandra smiled.

“I am from a different clan,” she explained. “The Rain Clan.”

“...The Rain Clan? From the mountains too?”

“No,” Kassein’s mother gently shook her head. “I came from somewhere more south. East of the Dragon Clan’s territory.”

“Is that why you speak our tongue?”

“No. My language is different too. But we met another clan from the north, the Lumiata Clan. They taught us–”

“The Lumiata?” Alezya exclaimed, nearly sitting up. “You met the Lumiata? When?”

Cassandra rose, gently pushing her to lean back before she answered.

“Yes,” she said as she tucked the blanket around her.

“They descended from the mountains, one bad winter, many years ago. They knew a bit of our language, and taught us theirs, and once we understood, they said they were in danger and wanted to find another land to live on. We gave them a safe route to the west, but I do not know where they went next. ...Do you know them?”

“...My mother was a Lumiata,” Alezya said. “She is dead, and… I thought her clan was dead too.”

“I think some of them stayed behind in the mountains,” Cassandra nodded, “but others left... after they spent the winter here.”