Chapter 127
"You still haven't told me you love me." I mocked him, and he growled in annoyance before putting his palm to my face and pressing his lips to mine in an avaricious kiss.
"You are the love of my life, Kylie—now tell me what you saw." As I recovered from his punishing kiss, he demanded.
Once more, I placed my hand on his mark and traced the form that I knew was also sitting on my neck with my fingers. I shuffled in his lap and felt his grip tighten. I had slept far too much and not done enough exploring with him.
"It seems like a lifetime ago, but you talked to me about conceiving your heirs once." I felt my cheeks blush as his hand automatically went to my stomach, but he pulled a frown, stuttering a little when I reminded him of that day. That day, I had escaped from him by jumping out of a window.
"Have you always wanted a lot of children?" I enquired.
"When my parents were taken from me, I experienced a long period of solitude." He responded. "I never want our children to be alone, and the easy solution to that is to have lots of them." He was resolute, and I couldn't help but chuckle briefly.
"Well, she showed me them—all five of them." I saw the realization flash across his face, and I halted before moving on. "That I know of."
"You're going to carry my babies—five times over?" You would think I would have told him I was pregnant by now, but he got up and hoisted me into the air, whirling me around with excitement. "Tell me everything about them; I want to know everything." He had excitement and brightness in his eyes, and I chuckled as I held him close.
I told him, "You're the family I've always wanted, but I won't ruin the surprise for you," but he didn't seem to mind. The news that I would be having his children thrilled him.
I felt my stomach churn as he started kissing every inch of my face.
"They're serving lunch in the pack house," he said. "Vera and your brother are there too." With a determined gait, he guided me back into the pack house while holding me close to his chest once more. This time, he acknowledged the greetings from his pack members, smiled, and said something.
Upon arriving at the dining room, there was an abrupt silence while Derrick led me to the head of the table. Vera spotted me and immediately got up to come over to me.
"You should probably put me down." Reluctantly, but fortunately, Derrick obliged when she crashed into me and pulled me into her arms. Derrick growled a warning, and I staggered back from her tremendous force.
"You and your brother should come with a fucking heart attack warning." With a sour expression, she said, "I'm so happy that the both of you are awake now—your mate was unbearable without you." I rolled my eyes, seeing only the tension that must have existed between them while they waited for their partners to awaken.
From behind me, Derrick said, "You were equally as unbearable," drawing me close until my back was against his chest.
A moment later, Kyle was at her side, his arms naturally encircling her waist. The way he held her possessively made her cheeks flush.
It was the first time I had seen them since they had finished their bond, so my eyes darted to the mark that rested on her neck before settling on my brother's.
Kyle calmly studied me, unsure of how to respond.
"Is my brother treating you well, or do I need to kick his ass?" My brother's lips curled into a tiny smile, and I made the atmosphere lighter.
"I'm a much better fighter than you, Kylie—you wouldn't stand a chance."
"But I would." My friend was already glaring at my brother when I turned to look up at him.
"Not again." Vera let out a moan. "Can we shove down the toxic masculinity a notch or two? Besides, I quite like his ass, and I will be the only one who kicks it." As I pulled at Derrick's hands to get us to move to our seats, she remarked.
"Never say something like that in front of me ever again," I said. She laughed heartily and slid back into her seat.
With Derrick's assistance, I found my seat and felt the gaze of the entire group on me once more.
The first to speak was Morgan, who got up from his chair, made a fist, and put his hand to his heart.
"I'm happy to hear that you're doing well, Luna. You have my sincere thanks for everything you accomplished and for giving up your life for our Alpha. Everyone is indeed grateful."
As your Luna, it is my responsibility to look after and protect your pack, and I will do so with your alpha by my side. I am grateful that you are all okay, so you don't need to thank me." I replied sternly, sensing their appreciation for my hasty click-through the pack link.
A serene form of closeness swept through me and encircled my heart.
"I hope everyone will allow Luna some time before you bombard her with your excitement. She is still healing. My mother hasn't been here in a while, but I know she would be pleased that Kylie is stepping in for her." As I watched him raise his water glass and extend it to the other members of the pack, my heart began to expand.
They both took up their beverages, and their following words left me feeling completely speechless.
"Long live Luna, and long may she reign." Their chorus made my heart skip a beat, and the room began to buzz.
With his arm resting on the back of Vera's chair, I turned to watch my brother sip from his glass. He gave me the same respectful look that he had given me all those years before, acknowledging the strength and suffering I had gone through next to him. Instead of being the tiny child he had looked after, I had transformed into a queen determined to ensure that no one would ever again be treated in the manner we had.
With lightning speed, Derrick grabbed the plate in front of me and loaded it high with everything he could find.
I sat back in my chair and put my arms by my sides.
He speared some pasta onto a fork and delivered it to my mouth without complaining. Knowing that he loved the act of feeding me, I parted my lips. He kept putting food on my plate, and if I made a little noise of satisfaction, I would tell him which items were my favorites.
He growled, "Those noises you make are making fun of me."
"And what are you going to do about it?" I answered.
He lifted a second forkful of pasta and brought it to my mouth. I covered my stomach with my palm and groaned a little.
"What I'm going to do is wait for everyone to leave this room." He took a moment to come nearer to me. He moved to say his next words via our mate bond.
"Following that, I will position you on the table in front of me and consume my meal from the space between your legs." His playful remarks set my magic ablaze, making me tremble with anticipation.
When he noticed, he put his hand around mine and brought my hand back to his mouth.
I knew nothing could ever hurt me again when he gave me that look. I was confident that he would love me for the rest of my life and provide me with all I could possibly want, including possibility, passion, protection, and pleasure.
Forever, it appears as though I belonged to him and he belonged to me.
THE END