(Amaia)

I have been meaning to tell Kacir and Rahria but I hadn’t gotten the proper time with the chaos erupting in our lives. Now that Alnilam kisses me in front of everyone they are left thunderstruck.

Rahria draws in a deep breath with her hands clamping her mouth. Kacir appears as if his eyes are about to pop out of his sockets.

Alnilam lets me go and gives them a strange look.

"What?" He asks, curious about their reaction. He thinks they know.

Rahria and Kacir’s eyes find me, questioning, with hints of betrayal.

"Sorry guys, I forgot to tell you. Alnilam is my mate too." I offer them a sheepish smile.

Rahria breathes out, trying to relax her nerves. Kacir bites his lower lip, unsure of what to say to me.

Twins chuckle beside me, and even Alnilam appears slightly amused at their reaction.

"Any other surprises we should know about?" Rahria finally snaps out of her stupor and folds her arms over her chest. She has donned a stunning red gown with a sweetheart neckline for the evening. Her hair is half pinned up.

"Yup, we thought we were friends," Kacir says in a small voice which makes me step towards him and hold his arms.

"Yes, Amaia. Answer for your crimes," Alnitak teases, earning a glare from Alnilam.

"Sorry, I wanted to tell you guys. But there was so much uncertainty and a lot happening that I couldn’t. I apologise, I should have."

Before Kacir can speak, I sense Alnilam’s hands on my shoulders. He towers behind me while facing Kacir and Rahria.

"It’s not Amaia’s fault. I was engaged to Jamina when I discovered that Amaia is my mate. I wanted to break the bond and then Jamina passed away which made me drown in guilt." He pauses and squeezes my shoulders. I pat his hands.

Kacir and Rahria listen with wide but emotional eyes. "I was still thinking about not continuing it, leaving her heartbroken and stressed at all times. I am sure she was just trying to spare you guys from extra tension since both of you were discovering each other again."

Slowly, they nod at us and I offer them an apologetic smile. "It’s truly my fault to leave her hanging but not hers. I apologise on her behalf."

Their mouths hang open again at Alnilam’s apology. No one expects him to do that and yet he did.

"Now, she belongs to me as much as she does to my brothers," Alnilam concludes and I take a step forward.

I place my hands on Rahria and Kacir’s shoulders. They are also so much taller than me.

"I didn’t want to drown you guys with my burdens. They were too much and you people needed space to come closer to each other. You already let me crash once when I was spiralling. So forgive me."

Both of them embrace me together, rubbing my back. "We love you. You can always come to us for anything without feeling like a burden. That’s what friends are for," Kacir kindly says, like the gentleman he is.

"Kacir is right. It can be overwhelming and we will be there for you in every aspect." Rahria’s voice holds warmth.

We separate and I can sense my mates beaming behind me.

"While we are on this topic, I want you guys to know that Saiph is also my mate."

Surprise has them biting their lips.

"Five? Now I understand why you came to us that time and just collapsed," Kacir teases.

"Yeah and the way Sir Saiph stares at her, it only makes sense." I shyly smile at Rahria’s words.

"That grump only smiles at Amaia and speaks softly with her." Alnitak comes to wrap his arms around my shoulders making others laugh.

Our conversation is interrupted by the arrival of two guards, dressed in blue and white uniforms.

"If you will follow us, we will be taking you to dinner," they address Alnilam.

He gives them a stiff nod, and every hint of amusement disappears from his face.

We take our positions behind him. Our little procession begins to move.

We are led through the brightly lit corridors until we arrive outside a grand hall with sliding glass doors with weird symbols painted on them.

The doors open on our arrival and we enter the dining hall with shimmering white lights strewn all over the ceiling. It floods the place, making it too bright.

The hall is sprinkled with round tables with six chairs each, covered with dark blue cloth.

People our age are occupying three of the tables. Every eye turns to watch us as we are led to the table with Orion Academy’s table card.

The air is suffocating and scrutinising while we take our seats.

Mintaka pulls out the chair for me and I sit down, letting my eyes waver and take in the surroundings.

My gaze finds the high table at the end of the dining hall and I find five men sitting there speaking among themselves.

The table is covered with a royal blue tablecloth and is laden with food and wine chalices.

The power exudes from them. One of them is King Orion V. He has also arrived. The rest have to be the renowned five.

Guards flank them as they speak among themselves and sip on wine from golden goblets.

Seeing my gaze fixed on them, Alnilam who has chosen to sit on my right side leans in and begins the introduction.

"You already know our father. On his right side and the man in the centre is King Natianu Jahaz of Istrale." He pauses, letting me take in the man who has taken innumerable innocent lives.

One would think, there has to be something remarkable about him but it’s not. His large flat ears remind me of an elephant. Balding head with sprinkles of black hair and dead blue eyes. Only hatred crept up on me seeing this man. He is busy whispering with King Orion in a hushed voice.

Then as if he senses me watching him with pure, undiluted hatred, his hard gaze flickers towards me and holds mine.

Creepy and unnerving. I stare back in disgust, until he looks away and turns his attention to the man sitting on his right. My gaze slowly drifts to him as Alnilam begins his introduction.