But I can’t be a prince,I argued.This is all happening too fast.
Destinies have a way of unfolding very quickly, Oberi said slyly.
This can’t be my destiny, I told her.
It is, and you must believe it, Charlie. I will support you every step of the way, but you cannot run from this.
I knew what she said was true. But still… I wouldn’t accept it.
“Don’t you understand?” Eddie asked brightly. “Why do you think everyone was cheering in the streets?”
I gaped. “I-I thought they were cheering foryou.”
Eddie chuckled. “No, silly. They were cheering foryourreturn.”
Ava took my hand in hers and squeezed it. “Charlie, this is great news! You have afamily.”
I knew she was trying to be supportive, but all I could do was shake my head. “I don’t understand any of this.”
“Allow me to explain,” Emperor Cassiel offered kindly. “I was a young Elf when I fought during the Great Supernatural War.”
“That must make you over a hundred years old,” Marcus remarked.
Emperor Cassiel sounded amused. “Yes. I’m a hundred and twenty, which is still quite young for an Elf. We are immortal, meaning we do not age once we reach adulthood. At the time of the Great Supernatural War, Darke Island was a place for refugees. The Elves weren’t the only ones to make Darke Island our home. Witches, Elementai, and others sought refuge here as well. But we were found, and most were killed during the genocide. A few of us escaped into the caves, and we’ve been here ever since.”
My guts twisted at the story. I couldn’t imagine.
“Your grandmother was one of the Elementai who escaped with her parents during the Great Supernatural War,” Emperor Cassiel continued. “She was only a baby then. Many years later, when your grandmother was grown, she saved me from aserpens speluncaattack. I was in the caves when the serpent bit me. Your grandmother was Yapluma, and trained as an alchemist here in Forevermore. She developed an antidote to the venom, and saved my life. We were married soon after, and we had your father several years later.”
“I thought my father was from Kinpago,” I said, trying to make sense of it all.
“Your father rebelled, as most young men do,” Emperor Cassiel explained. “He left Forevermore and went to Kinpago, where he could learn his Elementai magic and bond with his Familiar. It was there that he met your mother, Kelly Catori. As you very well know, your mother was Nivita, and at that time, the Elementai did not allow members of separate Houses to marry. Your mother was put to death, and your father was sentenced to life in prison. You were sent away, and we had no way of finding you. That is... until you showed up in our caves.”
“Is that why you went to the surface?” I asked. “To find me?”
“The surface?” Emperor Cassiel sounded confused.
“Eddie said you’d just returned from the surface,” I explained. “He said you’d been gone a long time.”
Eddie chuckled. “I wasn’t talking about Emperor Cassiel. I saidmy emperor. I meantyou. As I told you, I was born to serve the Emperor’s legacy— that’s you, Charlie.”
My eyebrows shot up. I thought when he’d mentioned it before, he’d meant he was born to serve the emperor himself— not theprince.
“Did you know who I was when you found me in the caves?” I asked. “Why did you let me go back to the Institute?”
“I did not know at the time,” Eddie admitted. “With Elves, what we are born into becomes a sacred, magical contract. But I’d never experienced the magic before, so I didn’t understand it. I went out in the caves that day because I… I justhadto. I couldn’t explain it. Now I know that my magic was pulling me toward you, calling me to serve you in your time of need. You’re my alpha— my master.”
“Alpha?” I repeated. “Like a wolf pack?”
“In a sense, yes,” Eddie confirmed. “I said we were very similar to the fae. They themselves shift into wolves and have their pack hierarchy. We too have a hierarchy. I was born to serve you. I did not know who you were or what the magic meant that day I found you wandering the caves— not until I returned to Forevermore and researched your history. But by the time we figured out who you were, we weren’t sure how to get you out of the Institute. We were planning to help you escape through the mines, but hadn’t figured out all the details. Now you’re here.”
“Wow,” I breathed. “It’s a lot to wrap my head around. Being your alpha makes it sound like we’re bonded or something.”
“In a way,” Eddie said.
I took a step back. This was a little weird. “How can that be? I’m bonded with Ava. It’s not like a… romantic bond, is it? I’m not gay.”
Eddie burst into laughter. “No, Charlie.I’mgay, but it’s not that kind of bond between us. It’s more that I am bound to the magic and obligated to obey and protect you. I cannot disobey you, even if I want to. I was born to serve you.”
