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He laughed, as I continued to hit his chest.
“This isn’t funny! Stop laughing.”
“Yes, it is, your face is beet red,” he continued.
Violet’s laughter echoed as she lost the battle she had fought, joining in with the teasing.“Someone was lost in the spur of the moment.”
“Ah! So embarrassing.” I placed my head against his chest. I attempted to hide as I prayed to the gods to suddenly disappear.
“Definitely a breath of fresh air. Well, seeing all this food is making me hungry. Shall we set breakfast up?” Alexander announced with a satisfied smile.
“OH! The egg soufflés should be ready! Ryder let go.” I pushed out of his embrace before I raced to the second oven, quickly slipping on the oven gloves as I opened it to retrieve the goodies.
“Honey, Ryder. Why don’t you guys go set the table? Mako and I will finish up here.” She gestured grabbing her apron off the hook. Ryder eyed me, his eyes landing on the apron I wore – his apron.
I huffed at the smug smile that formed on his face before he turned to face his father who’d been eyeing his wife.
They both made their way out of the room, my ears perked up as I concentrated on their conversation.
“I guess I’ve been a bit harsh on you. I’m glad you’ve met someone who loves you whole heartedly,” Alexander admitted; his voice low made it hard for me to pick up.
“It’s fine Dad...as long as you stop with this absurd game of trying to find me a wife.” He pointed out.
“I didn’t think it would gather such foolish, low ranking shifters. You’re my son and deserve better.”
I wanted to continue listening, but didn’t want to intrude any longer till a hand slipped in mine and tugged me forward, Violet’s finger pressed against her lips, signalling me to be quiet.
I nodded as we reached the doorway before peeking out to the dining room, Ryder and Alexander faced each other.
“I...aren’t you disappointed?” Ryder whispered, his pained tone hurt my heart.
“Disappointed? My only son has worked his butt off these past sixteen cycles to find the woman he loves with his fellow knights, while balancing your mission and all tasks I’ve given you thus far. You even brought that feisty woman, who is the perfect person to spice things up in the castle. I know you may assume that we have harsh feelings towards you due to Anya’s kidnapping...but that was out of your control Ryder. Your mother and I will always love you and be proud of the man you’ve become. I don’t want you looking down on your gift. I want you to realize it may sometimes be a weakness to you, but it can be your strength, just as Makoto emphasized. Understand?” He stood there with pride as he stared down at Ryder whose eyes became glossy, looking away before nodding.
Alexander stepped forward, ruffling Ryder’s hair before pulling him into a hug.
“You will always be my son and bring joy and change to our realm. We will support you no matter what, so keep your head up high, my son. The Princess can always slap some sense into you if you need it,” he joked as he patted Ryder’s back.
I hadn’t realized tears overflowed from my eyes and onto the floor as I watched the loving scene between a father and his son. Violet rubbed my back, pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to me. I glanced back at her, those purple orbs filled with tears as she smiled at me.
“Thank you, Makoto,” she whispered, pulling me into a hug.
I finally knew how it felt to be accepted by family; the warmth felt as inviting as the sunlight that guided me home.
Thank you, Starlight gods, for allowing me to experience this moment. May their wounds heal, and they look forward to a better future, their trust lying within you. In stars, we trust.
CHAPTER29
Kai
Ireluctantly pulled my eyes away from the page I sketched on, my hand urged me to finish the image of the brunette, blue-eyed shifter who was pinned down by the blonde girl, their lips just an inch apart.
“Elyion will kill you if he realizes you ended up drawing that.”
I smirked at my phoenix’s prediction. I didn’t need my gift to know the chaos that would unfold if Elyion got a glimpse of the image.I’m saving it for when he finally has the guts to confess to her and stops letting morals hinder him from love.
Out of all of our tragic backstories, I sympathized with Elias and Elyion the most.
I couldn’t imagine being altered into something completely opposite, having no choice but to bear such circumstances for the rest of your life. There was the slight possibility we would find a way to fix him – return him to his original gender, but the chances were so slim that even hoping for such a miracle would be considered a waste of thought.
