Page 180 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

Alezya felt tears spring to her eyes. For some reason, knowing that some of her mother’s clan had survived brought her a wave of relief she didn’t know she needed; her father hadn’t killed them all, after all…

Had they sensed the danger coming? Had they fled after knowing what had happened to her mom?

“Kiera likes to explore the west,” Cassandra smiled. “Would you like to find them?”

Alezya took a few seconds to actually think about it, but eventually, she slowly shook her head.

“No,” she said. “Well... Maybe one day, but not now. For now, I want to stay… To stay here for a bit. With Kassein. I want... I want to be happy here.”

She felt a bit shy announcing this to Kassein’s mother, but to her relief, Cassandra smiled gently.

“That sounds like a wonderful plan,” she said. “You can teach Kassein your language. From what I heard, he needs it.”

Alezya laughed, amused.

“...I will. Are you staying here?”

“Not long,” Cassandra shook her head. “Just to be sure you’ll recover. We were on our way to visit our daughter in the east, but Darsan said his little brother might need us here, so we flew back north first.”

“He told me this was your home.”

“It used to be,” she nodded, looking around the walls. “This is where we raised our children... But now that we’re older, it should belong to them. We live a bit farther south-east, with Kassein’s grandmother. We visit our children east, south, or north when we get bored.”

Alezya suddenly remembered that the woman had birthed eight children. Was it even possible to look so beautiful and young after eight children? Alezya hoped she would get to ask her a few questions before she left...

“Do you know what happened?” Alezya asked. “In the mountains?”

“I do. It sounds like you’re a very brave young woman.”

Alezya blushed.

“Kassein and Kiera… I put them in a lot of danger,” she muttered. “They didn’t have to fight this war.”

“A lot of men do terrible things for much worse reasons,” Cassandra said, a mysterious expression in her eyes.

“My son fought this war because he trusts you, Alezya. Because he loves you, and because he saw what you were capable of, and what you needed. Kassein spent a lot of years fighting against himself most of all. But you came, and for the first time, you gave him a reason to fight for someone else.”

“Still,” she mumbled, feeling choked up. “He didn’t have to… I used him. I used his love for me, and I–”

“No,” Cassandra interrupted her with a chuckle. “Alezya, dear, if there is one thing I have learned over all these years, it is that, eventually, a dragon will always do what a dragon wants, and none of my children are any different. Kassein…”

She took a deep breath, her eyes getting misty for a second.

“Kassein has been unhappy for a long time,” she said, “and there was nothing we could do or say to help. You’re a mother too, and I am sure you know that there is nothing more painful than to be helpless to help your child.

Kassein didn’t fit anywhere, and he and Kein were always, always fighting.

Trying to… harm each other. And then, all of a sudden, I hear that my son and his dragon are fighting, not against one another, but together, for a woman and her baby. ”

Alezya blushed. How odd must the situation have sounded for Kassein’s parents…? But his mother smiled.

“I hadn’t seen Kassein in a long while, and the first thing he says when he sees me, is to help you.

It’s the first thing he asks of me in years, and it’s to save someone.

So, of course, I do. And as soon as he knows you’ll be alright, he tells me everything about you, how brave, kind, courageous you are, and all I see is my son finally happy .

Happy here, and most importantly, happy with you.

And then I saw him holding your baby girl, and by the Water God, I cried happy tears. ”

She looked on the verge of tears now, and one escaped as she gently pressed Alezya’s hand.

“My children can destroy buildings, bridges, mountains,” she chuckled, “and they have. They can fly to the end of the world, lead armies, disappear for weeks without notice. They can love and marry whomever they please, and they can certainly give me dozens of grandbabies. The one and only thing that I ask is for each and every one of them to be happy. And you gave me that for Kassein. So, no, darling, I do not care that my son fought a war for you. So long as he is happy, you can ask of him whatever you want, Alezya.”

Now Alezya was the one choking back tears, and the two women exchanged a long, compassionate, and understanding gaze.

“I want to be happy too,” she finally muttered. “With him.”

“That’s all I wish for you two,” Cassandra smiled. “You both deserve it.”

Alezya forced herself to take a deep breath and smiled back. Then, after another silence, she frowned.

“Is... Is everything alright?” she asked shyly. “With the clans?”

“Yes,” Cassandra nodded. “Don’t worry. Kassein will take you up there soon enough for you to see. Right now, all that matters is that you recover first. Lots of rest, soups, and, once you can, some meat. Kassein told me you’re quite fond of it.”

Alezya wanted to melt under the covers, but she only gave her a nod while she turned a terrible shade of red.

“Alezya!”

She turned toward the door and blinked. Lorey stood there, beaming, a vase of flowers in her arms. She barely had time to react before the young woman crossed the room, dropped the vase on the bedside table, and pulled her into a hug without warning.

The hug was so unexpected and blunt it caught her off guard, and yet, Alezya found herself returning it without hesitation.

She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she knew Lorey was the first friend she’d had in a long while, maybe ever, and she was so grateful for the kindness and patience she’d shown her.

“Lorey,” she smiled in her shoulder.

Her friend pulled back, her eyes sparkling with happiness, and she cupped Alezya’s cheek.

“ You hurt? ” she asked. “ You alright?”

Alezya wasn’t sure which to answer, so she just smiled back, feeling her throat tight with emotion.

Then, Kassein’s mom spoke, and Lorey relaxed, visibly pleased with whatever she’d said about Alezya’s condition.

She turned back to smile at her, and the two young women exchanged a long, complicit look.

“Kiera?” Alezya asked.

“ Kiera is fine, ” Lorey smiled. “ She is hunting some people. ”

“ Hunting again? ” Alezya worried.

“Kiera’s gone to track down those who refused the peace treaty Kassein offered,” Cassandra explained. “Most of the Northern clans were happy to end the war, but a few individuals have acted dishonorably. She’s making sure they will not be a problem in the future.”

Alezya nodded. She knew better than most that there would be some unwilling to let go of the old ways.

They had profited off the weakness of others for too many years, and the Dragon Clan coming to establish a society where fear of dragons would no longer be a tool for control was bound to carve a very different future for the Northern clans…

She turned back to Lorey, who shrugged, like her partner going to hunt down some men was just some regular errand. But Alezya took her friend’s hand, giving her a serious expression that had Lorey raise her eyebrow questioningly.

“... Thank you ,” Alezya said. “ Thank you, Lorey. ”

Lorey seemed slightly confused, but she smiled back softly.

It didn’t matter if Alezya couldn’t translate all her words of gratitude into the Dragon Clan’s language yet; she just needed to say them.

After everything she had gone through, after she’d had such a close encounter with death, Alezya felt like she could finally look back on her journey and see who had helped her survive it.

Right after Kassein, Lorey was at the very top of that list. She wasn’t a fighter like Kassein or Kiera, but she had shown Alezya so much kindness it felt like she had been fighting alongside her from the beginning.

Lorey had helped her navigate a foreign world, teaching her their language without hesitation, being a constant, reassuring presence when anyone but Kassein had been too frightening.

And when the battle had come, Lorey had stayed behind to keep Lumie safe.

Having someone she could fully trust with her baby meant more to Alezya than she could ever put into words.

So, she just smiled at her friend, and tried to show her gratitude with her eyes. Lorey must have felt something, because her eyes got misty for a bit, and she leaned in again for another long hug.

“ You’re home, ” she whispered to Alezya.

After that, Lorey and Kassein’s mother, Cassandra, stayed by her side whenever he wasn’t, never leaving her alone for a moment.

His father made a few quiet appearances, but by all accounts, he seemed to be Lumie’s new favorite as the little girl seemed stuck to his side and beamed whenever she spotted him.

She was going as far as learning to walk at a scary pace to be able to follow Kassein’s father around in the rare instances he wasn’t carrying her.

While Alezya remained stuck in bed, her headaches easing and injuries slowly healing, the hours passed quickly with Kassein’s mother at her side.

Cassandra was incredibly lovely and easy to talk to, and eager to learn all she could about Alezya and Lumie, asking lots of questions about the north, and how different their cultures were.

Whenever Kassein returned and crossed paths with his mom in her room, she witnessed him acting a bit shyer than usual, something she loved. It was clear, no matter what had happened, that his parents cherished him dearly.