(Alnilam)

As soon as we enter the room, the sight of the bed has me drawing in a desperate

gasp.

Amaia is lazily resting on the bed in her beautiful white gown. Her black tresses spread all around her like velvety ribbons, carrying our colours, silver, black and red.

This newness about her holds a dusky allure. Like a dark rose blooming. It pulls me.

Saiph’s wolf form is grandiose in every way imaginable. It’s lying on top of her, resting on her soft chest in a cosy manner.

Snow howls in my head seeing his older brother.

"He is our blood, my older brother. He is an alpha..." Snow proudly tells me and he is hardly ever proud of anyone except Amaia.

The mindlink forms and Saiph’s wolf lifts his head.

"Zlatka!" He announces through the bond.

"Snow!" My wolf makes his introduction.

His head turns towards our younger brothers. Eyes hold intelligence. Power oozes out of every pore—the power of an alpha.

"Zevran!"

"Zelen!"

Our wolves introduce themselves to him without hesitation. The swirling bond strengthens with every second between the four wolves.

Zlatka casually returns to lowering his head on Amaia’s chest.

Snow squirms inside me, impatient to be let out. He wishes to meet Zlatka and Amaia.

It’s then that Amaia speaks, her eyes swirling with hankering desires. "What are you all waiting for? Get undressed and join us, let your wolves meet their elder brother." Her hands softly graze Zlatka’s fur.

We do not need to be told twice. The three of us shed our clothes and shift into our wolf forms.

We jump and climb on the soft bed. Snow’s paws sink into the bedding. He prances towards Amaia and gives her face a slow, wet lick before settling near her head.

She hums in satisfaction. "I love you too buddy."

Snow’s eyes find Zlatka. A mutual understanding forms. They turn to face each other, eyes meeting with a deep, unspoken respect. Zevran and Zelen have settled on the other side of Amaia, their paws resting on her shoulder and arm.

Then, as one, they raise their heads and let out a soft, rumbling howl—not a call of the wild, but a shared song of brotherhood, recognising the strength and loyalty in each other’s gaze.

A promise they make to protect each other and their shared mate.

Lowering their heads, everyone focuses on Amaia. Her wings shoot out behind her. Golden essence from Zlatka flies over and creates an outline of gold on the edges of her wings. That’s him, contributing to them.

"Thank you! I appreciate that." She leans forward and places a kiss on the tip of his muzzle.

She is holding a grin, which promises pain for the ones who have hurt our loved ones and us.

"We are going to war soon and I don’t know if all of us will survive. But remember I love you all."

The combined howl of our wolves shows their agreement that they love her too. We haven’t felt a shard of peace in a long time.

But today my heart tastes a moment of ease, seeing and meeting Saiph’s wolf and lying beside my mate. Her free hand touches Snow’s fur, patting it gently.

With Snow’s head nestling against her soft cheek, we inhale her scent and close our eyes.

I drift into sleep, a blissful sleep after a long long time.

When I wake up again. My brothers are gone and the bed is empty apart from Amaia and me. She is sleeping beside me, with her arms wrapped around Snow’s neck. I don’t know how long I have slept but I feel fresh.

Snow lets me take control and I shift. My arms wrap around her warm body, pulling her into myself.

She stirs, her sunken cheeks which used to be so fluffy, tell me she has hardly been eating. We have to feed her more.

Slowly her eyes open which hold the beauty of a thousand forests. Half-hooded, they silently watch me. My fingers brush away the hair from her face and shoulder.

"Where are the others?" I softly ask.

"Zlatka needed fresh air and time with Rigel, the king and queen," she explains. "You were sleeping so peacefully after such a long time. I didn’t wish to disturb you." She places her soft hand on my cheek.

I sigh. "How much did I sleep?"

"A day, maybe a bit more." Amaia smiles in understanding.

"I can’t believe I slept that much."

"After everything you have been through. You deserved rest. We are going to have a long war ahead of us. We need to replenish our energies."

I nod at her. She presses her palm into my face. "Share your burdens with me. You know you can speak freely."

My heart has been so heavy with all these revelations and truths. The person whom I believed loved me the most turned out to be the vilest in this world.

My mother. The one whom I believed held unconditional love and called me her light. She never wanted me in the first place. It hurts so deep, the wounds she has left. I don’t know how they will ever heal.

But it explains this darkness I have always carried. The one which makes me indifferent to others, which propels me to make decisions which hurt the people around me. The way I hurt Amaia, pushed her away. That darkness came from that woman, the one who birthed me and wishes me dead.

"How can a mother hate her child? I don’t understand. I can’t bring myself to believe that she is the one who birthed me," I unburden myself in front of my mate.

She exhales. "Evil and hate can blind people and over-ambition can kill the love they hold. She doesn’t define you." Amaia places a kiss on my forehead. "You have a beautiful soul, Alnilam. And that Fae blood in your veins. I love you for who you are. I might not be able to erase all the damage she caused but I promise our love will only grow." She then smiles at me, such a warm, self-assured smile.

"And one day when we will have a family of our own. We will be exceptional parents to our children. We will make them feel safe and protect them from the evil that resides in this world."

I gather her in my arms and kiss the top of her head. The thought of having a family with her blooms my heart like a morning flower. "Yes, we will."

I have a surprise for her and I am sure it will be here soon. Can’t wait to see what she will do with her new transformation. That will be perfect for a test.