CHAPTER 36: SWORDS OF LOVE

CHAPTER 36: SWORDS OF LOVE
Maya’s POV

Warm laughter shattered my sleep, tiny mouths pressing kisses across my cheeks, damp and joyful.

“Mah-mah!” I woke up to giggles and wet kisses on my face all over.

I smiled. This was the best way to wake up and start my day. smiled, heart swelling as I opened my eyes. Bliss lived here. This moment. This family.

A deeper presence followed. Strong arms. A familiar scent. Sebastian leaned in.

“Hey, beautiful,” my mate, my King rasped. His mouth claimed mine, slow and possessive. The kind of kiss that stole breath and sparked heat straight to my core. I pulled back in surprise, yet he only smiled and kissed me again, then again, until the triplets dissolved into giggles beside us.

Soon, the triplet pups joined their father in his kiss-marathon charade.

I engulfed them all in a group hug and gave them a kiss each.

Sebastian asked for another one, making puppy eyes but I just laughed and got up to get refreshed. I had three kids and one man-child to be fed.

I went to the royal kitchen but Sebastian wouldn’t let me work.

“My Lord! Let go of me! I need to work and so do you,” I whisper-scolded the man keeping me close to him through the mate link but the Lycan King seemed to be in a mood today. He did not let go of me and instead, wound his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder.

“You are forbidden from working.”

“That is not how it works, Sir. And you can not neglect court affairs. I am not even sure if I am actually pregnant!”

“You are pregnant. And I am on a paternity leave.”

I looked at the smirking man in shock.

“You invented my pregnancy!”

“The pregnancy, no. The paternity leave? Yes. It is my creation along with the creation in your womb,” Titan proudly said, thumping his chest.

I burst out laughing. I could hear Sebastian chide Titan about talking nonsense to his mate and asking him to stop watching useless stuff online. My innocent mate, the great King Sebastian, was clearly mortified by the words uttered by his bold lycan. I chuckled softly. The duo was always fun to watch.

“Paternity leaves are everywhere, then why not in our court?” Titan sulked after Sebastian explained that Kings had no leaves.

Sebastian definitely sighed and mentally facepalmed himself. I could sense it.

“Maya, please ignore the mutt. He spouts nonsense.”

“I am not a mutt,” Titan indignantly replied. “I have great butt,” he proudly continued. “And mate knows.”

Sebastian groaned, lowly saying, “Shut up,” while I burst out laughing, unable to stifle my giggles any more. I sounded worse than a deflating tire but Titan’s fond and smiling face looking down at me, made me bolder to laugh to my heart’s content in his presence.

Even Sebastian seemed to be soaking in every reaction of mine.

“Your Highness? Is something wrong” I said through the mate link, suddenly conscious by how deeply the lycan king looked at me, almost longingly. Heat curled low in my belly. I tried to move. He held firm, mouth trailing higher, breath teasing my neck.

“No. Nothing is wrong. How can anything be wrong when it comes to you? Hmm? I have you right where I need you. You are my everything. My Belle,” he said and I blushed at his term of endearment for me. “My Queen, you are my everything. I might jest about anything but never about your well-being. You are indeed pregnant and if you don’t wish to keep the child then that is your choic- …”

I slapped the man’s mouth, glaring at him. How dare he even mention about aborting our symbol of love? An innocent life.

“Maya,” Sebastian softly said, voice bordering cautious. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just want you to know that there is no pressure and you have a choice. I feel guilty for not asking you before about kids. I love the triplets to death and they are my crown princes. We don’t need to–”

I kissed the man quiet. Angrily. And then got up from his lap before working out my emotions on the meat and vegetables as I cut them at speeds rivalling race cars.

“Have a good day at court, Your Highness,” I curtly said through the mate link.

I heard Sebastian sigh behind me.

“My Queen,” he pled, removing the knife from my hand and taking my palm in his large one. He kissed every finger before replying, “My Queen, I am delighted to be a father again. But I love you too much too. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I am not upset.”

Sebastian burst out laughing and I could not resist the smile that peeked over the corners of my lips.

“You are the best at everything except for lying,” Sebastian teased, cupping my chin and giving it a playful little shake.

I swatted away his hand and frowned. He chuckled and bopped my nose.

“My Belle. You look so cute when angry. Can I kiss you?”

The look I gave back was murderous but he shot back his head and laughed heartily.

“I am definitely in love. I love everything about you. Even your fiery temper and bad lying skills,” he teased.

The knife was on the slab one second and the next it was flying across the room towards the lycan king’s grinning face. The beast, true to his name, swatted away the knife as if it was a tiny insect and threw a handful of flour at me. Oh, he had done it!

Soon the utensils became our weapons and the kitchen our battleground. Sebastian effortlessly ducked and foiled every attack of mine while I doubled on my attacks. We glided, swayed and spun across the kitchen halls and between pillars, nothing able to stop us.

I used two knives, one in each hand while Sebastian just used one wooden lid to defend himself. We moved fast, bodies circling, breath coming hard. He blocked each strike with maddening ease, strength coiled and ready.

Attack is the best defense but only if you are well defended. Having two knives left me with no weapon of defense and soon the Lycan King caught me at a weak moment by the waist.

My back hit stone. His grip locked my wrists. My pulse thundered. His eyes burned as he disarmed me with effortless control.

“Yield, My Queen,” he rasped.

He caged me against himself and a pillar, and brought my hands along with the knives near my throat.

His lips curled deeper in a victorious grin while eyes twinkled with mischief while my chest rose and fell heavily. He removed the knives with just one hand and spun me around to face him, my back hitting the pillar. He gathered my wrists in the other hand before bringing them above my head.

“Never,” I breathlessly answered through the mate link.

His mouth curved.

“My Queen, please calm down. Please spare the father of your children,” he rasped, letting the cold and sharp tip of the blade slide across my breasts, the robes tearing apart, giving way to the knives as if on hot butter. The cool edge of the blade traced along my collarbone, sliding lower, deliberate and slow. My breath hitched. My skin sang beneath the contrast of steel and heat. Every nerve screamed awareness.

Heat pooled in my stomach as the cold knife went south, teasing the exposed skin at my mid riff and without drawing even a drop of blood.

I lifted my gaze and met the lycan king’s dangerous ones. Any playfulness that had been there in them were long gone. Only heat and danger swirled in their depths.

“You are playing an unfair game, Your Majesty.”

“Is that so, My Queen? But everything is fair in love and war.”

“Oh, this is war, alright,” I replied through the mindlink before trying to knee him in the nuts. He stopped it mid-air and pressed closer, hard lines of his body leaving no space, desire undeniable. A sound slipped from me before I could stop it. I moaned as he jabbed himself deeper against my core.

“Hurting my family jewels, Ma’am? Ouch, that wounds my pride. Don’t you want more children with me,” Sebastian teased, rubbing himself softly against me.

“They are notorious,” I teased back, our breaths mingling and lips hanging dangerously close. I lifted my gaze to watch Sebastian’s intense eyes looking back at me.

“My nuts or my children?” Sebastian asked, his eyes lowering back on my lips. I could already feel the heat of his gaze on them. I suddenly felt breathless.

“Both,” came back the reply and that was it. Sebastian rushed forward and punished my lips, biting and kissing them till they were swollen enough to his heart’s content. Our mouths crashed together. Teeth. Tongue. Heat spiraled, fierce and consuming. He kissed like a conqueror, claiming, devouring, until my knees weakened and my hands fisted in the soft collar of his flowing robes.

“I love you,” Sebastian whispered.

“I love you too. And our pups,” I whispered back and that was all the approval the lycan king needed before he made a mad dash for my neck and exposed skin, trying to get me pregnant over and over.



I ended up in the throne room with the clingy Lycan King, the imperial kitchen becoming Princess Hannah’s punishment-cum-responsibility after she interrupted us.

My body was borderline relieved while Sebastian could barely contain his frustration. However, the man was as easy to calm down as a crying child distracted by his favourite toy. I merely sat beside him on the throne and held his hand. He seemed to be in his element even while he attended to the grim matters at the court, presence vast, commanding. Even seated, he ruled the air. His attention brushed against mine through the bond, deliberate, grounding, possessive. A quiet claim.

“Beta Zane,” he commanded. His voice carried with ease. Authority flowed from him as naturally as breath.

“Your Highness,” Zane bowed.

“Announce the judgement and imperial decree,” Sebastian commanded.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Zane obeyed and took out the imperial golden scroll. The words shimmered and took off from the scroll to magnify in the skies above. Every citizen of the supernatural kingdom dropped everything to bend on their knees in reverence and anxiously waited for the royal decree.

‘I, Sebastian, the Lycan King, hereby announce that Dr. Maya Veneto is my Moon Goddess-blessed mate and legitimate Queen of the Supernatural Kingdom. Owing to her magnanimous contributions during the war and acts of generosity, I henceforth announce her to be the High Mistress of Healers and Minister of Medicine. In addition, she will command the Council of Supernatural Heads. Every King and Alpha of every kingdom will report to her, including the Lycan Throne.

Now, for the judgement in the cases of the late Lycan King and the Late Northern Queen, and the corruption cases in the palace, I hereby announce my formal judgement after a deep and detailed investigation by the Ministry of Justice impartially. May this judgement set precedence for generations to come and serve as a warning to criminals and corrupt minds before they act on their nefarious plans. The corrupt officials’ list is attached at the end of the decree. Their assets will be seized and absorbed into the imperial treasury. Their families shall be outcast to the lands of the Northern Kingdoms to serve the Late Queen’s palace while the corrupt officials shall be punished with rigorous work and menial wages.

With a heavy heart, the palace informs that the mate of my late brother, Prince Theodore, Princess Selene miscarried her pup, fathered by Gavin Thorne, the son of the former Minister of Medicine and Prince Theodore’s beta. However, the palace announces that the duo is fated and shall be married on the next full moon night.

Failure to carry out any of the above, shall be seen as an act of treason and a proclamation of war against the throne. The decree hereby has been announced.’

I stayed rooted at my spot and shocked to my core in disbelief. The same was true for every single soul in the Supernatural Kingdom. I was the single most powerful figure in the entire supernatural universe, even more than the Lycan King himself! I was the supreme ruler as Supreme Council, in other words. My word would be absolute. Even for Sebastian!

Every knee bent.

The decree rang through the kingdom, each word striking deeper than the last. Queen. Supreme Council. Absolute authority. The weight of it pressed into my chest, sharp and staggering.

When the final word settled, silence followed. Then the hall erupted.

“Hail Supreme Council Maya!”

The chant rolled like thunder. My vision blurred. Power surged through me, vast and humbling. I rose slowly, breath tight, fingers curling against the armrest.

The scroll folded in Zane’s hands and applause broke out everywhere.

Chants of ‘Long live the Queen!’ spread across the kingdom while tears gathered in my eyes.

The Lycan King’s gaze softened, pride shining fierce and open while he guided me back on the throne beside him.

“My Queen, is something wrong? Are you not happy with your reward?” Sebastian whispered.

“You-yo –” I muttered through the mate link.

Sebastian kissed my forehead before he got off the throne and descended the steps.

Gasps rippled through the hall as the Lycan King removed his imperial crown – a swirling silvery mist adorned with the rarest of gems and diamonds. Magic hissed softly as he placed it upon the stone at my feet. Then he lowered himself, powerful form folding with deliberate grace, forehead touching the marble.

The world froze.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

Every courtier followed, a sea of bowed heads. Reverence filled the chamber, thick and electric.

I instantly shot on my feet.

“What are you doing?” I gaped through the mate link. The King of Beasts was kowtowing to me!

Every man and woman dropped to their knees and followed Sebastian’s lead, the chorus of ‘Congratulations, Supreme Council Maya’ reverberating throughout the palatial halls and the entire supernatural kingdom.

“My Lord,” I whispered through the bond, shock threading every syllable.

He lifted his head, eyes steady, voice quiet yet unbreakable. “You stand above all. I honor that.”

Emotion crushed my chest. I stepped forward, breath shaking, hands trembling as I reached for him. “Please rise, my King.”

He obeyed. Sebastian graciously got up before raising his arms in a soft circle, divining his supreme weapon in his hands – the Golden Lycan Sword! The blade gleamed as it formed in his grasp. He pressed it to his forehead in reverence, eyes softly closed, devotion carved into every line of his body.

The imperial army warriors joined behind him with their own swords and what unfolded next was a miracle.

Steel rang as they moved into formation.

The Lycan King and his warriors, led by Zane performed the ‘Warrior Dance,’ delighting every citizen of the supernatural kingdom with their once-in-a-millennium Warrior Dance, personally led by the regal ruler of the Lycans, that welcomed the new Supreme Council.

Sebastian was the epitome of grace and strength. His sword skills were flawless as he moved from one foot to another lightly. Attracted like a moth to a flame, I stepped down the stairs, with my own sword in hand. Sebastian moved like living legend. Strength and control fused in every step. His blade carved arcs of brilliance through the air, each motion precise, reverent, devastating. The crowd watched in rapture.

My feet carried me forward before thought could intervene.

I picked his crown with the tip and flung it high with the flick of my wrist, before our swords clashed in the center of the palatial hall.

Gasps of surprise rung out through the imperial hall as Sebastian and I moved in sync, while our swords clashed.

We moved together, bodies aligned, power interwoven. Our blades met at the center of the hall time and again.

The impact sang amidst huge cheers.

In a swift and remarkable show of swordsmanship, the Lycan King locked my sword with his and caught me by the waist as the crown descended towards me.

Our gazes locked as we swirled together in the center of the warriors. The world narrowed to breath and bond.

I softly smiled after Sebastian centered me towards the descending crown. However, at the final moment, I rose, using his strength as my foundation and took leverage of his strong shoulders to reach high, fingers closing around the crown. I caught it just in time and landed before him before placing it over its true owner’s head with reverent care.

“The Lycan King bows to no one,” I proclaimed through the pack link, affirming equal status of the Lycan King as the Supreme Council.

“My Queen?” Sebastian whispered, taken aback and voice choked with emotion. “Why?”

“I love you,” I mouthed. “My king. My mate. The father of my children.”

That sealed the deal. Emotion cracked across his face. Pride. Love. Devotion without restraint.

Sebastian broke into a smile.

“And I love you too. Oh goddess, I love you the most,” he replied and he showed me how much the whole night from head to toe, until dawn claimed us both.