Homecoming

Homecoming
Elowen POV

I felt warmth. Not the sweltering kind from blood magic or pain. Real warmth. Soft blankets. Gentle breaths. A bed so big I swear it could house a small village. The scent of cedar, smoke, musk, magic, and comfort wrapped around me like a damn cocoon.

And then I felt them.

One arm draped across my waist, Daxon’s, heavy and possessive. A leg thrown over mine, definitely Bram, the giant beast shifter blanket. Cool fingertips tangled with mine, Ashrian, always close, always calm. Lachlan’s forehead rested against my shoulder, whispering some half finished Gaelic nonsense in his sleep. And Vaelrix’s wing, his actual damn dragon wing, was draped over all of us like a goddamn protective tent.

My heart cracked wide open. Tears burned, but not the ugly kind. These were the holy shit I’m alive and my men are here kind.

“Lyssi…” I whispered into the silence of my soul.

"I told you they’d come, chosen," Lyssira purred, tail thumping in my head like an overexcited puppy. "Now GO love on them before I fucking burst!"

That’s all I needed. I launched up like a kid on Solstice morning. “You’re here!” I shouted, dropping onto Bram with all the force of a feral squirrel on espresso. “You’re all fucking HERE!”

He grunted, catching me like a damn boulder. “Damn right we are, little moon.”

I kissed his face five times in rapid succession before rolling to Daxon. He blinked up groggily, but then his eyes locked on mine and melted. “Elowen,” he breathed, voice wrecked. “You’re okay. You’re really okay.”

I straddled his hips, cradled his face, and kissed the fuck out of him. “You came for me.”

“Always,” he growled, pulling me down like he couldn’t stand one more inch of space between us. “You could be on the fucking moon, and I’d rip the sky open to get to you.”

“Mood,” Lachlan mumbled, now awake and smirking. “We did rip the sky, love. And I nearly combusted half the damn temple. Worth it, by the way.”

I tackled him next, cupping his face and running my hands through his golden hair. “You sound like poetry and war, Lach. And I love you.”

“About bloody time someone noticed,” he muttered with a wink, then kissed me so fiercely I forgot my own name for a second.

Ashrian didn’t wait, he pulled me right into his lap, arms curling tight around me like he was afraid I’d vanish again. “I watched you chained to that altar,” he whispered. “I felt it. I’ll never let you be taken from me again.”

“I love you,” I breathed into his skin, hands splayed against his chest.

“You better,” he smirked, then kissed me like a goddamn prince, it was slow, reverent, and full of promises.

I turned last to Vaelrix. He’d stayed still, silent, watching me like I was a dying star he’d chased across the cosmos. I crawled over, dropped into his lap, and pressed my forehead to his.

“You came too,” I whispered.

His voice was low. “Of course I did. I heard you scream, Elowen. Across realms. Through fire and blood. I heard you. I will always hear you.”

And when he kissed me, it was like dragonfire and tears and home. All five of them encircled me now. Kissing my head. Touching my arms. Rubbing my legs. Their fingers running over every inch of skin like they had to prove to themselves I was real.

I was covered in affection and gods, I loved every second of it. “I missed you so much,” I choked out, tears slipping down my cheeks.

“You’re never leaving our sight again,” Daxon said.

“We’ll rotate guard shifts,” Bram added, brushing my hair back.

“I’ll sleep in your damn bathtub if I have to,” Lachlan offered.

“You don’t have a bathtub,” I snorted through a laugh.

“I’ll build one.”

Ashrian just kissed my temple again and whispered, “Welcome home, my queen.”

And in my head, Lyssira howled with pure joy. “Tell them to cuddle you tighter. I want their damn warmth too. And food. You need food. And a bath. And probably sex but later. Maybe.”

I laughed out loud and curled in tighter with my mates. “Lyssi says we need cuddles, food, and possibly sex, but only after snacks.”

That made them all laugh. Loud and full and healing. And in that moment, wrapped in love and furs and five ridiculous men, I knew...The battle wasn’t over.

But I was home. And I wasn’t fucking alone.

Taya Quinn POV

I didn’t knock. Didn’t pause. Didn’t even pretend to be civilized. I sprinted down the royal corridor like the unhinged maniac I am, nearly body slammed two confused guards, and kicked open the door to Elowen’s chambers like a girl on a mission.

Because she was alive. My Elowen. My best friend. My war scarred, moon blessed, everything shifting, prophecy breaking baddie bestie was ALIVE.

“EEEEEEEEELO-FUCKING-WEN!”

She barely had time to look up before I launched myself across the room and tackled her with the strength of a caffeinated kangaroo. She caught me mid air, screamed my name, and we both went down in a tangle of limbs, hair, laughter, and ugly sobbing.

“Oh my gods, oh my GODS, you’re HERE!” I shrieked, clutching her face and kissing her cheeks and sobbing like a lunatic. “You were DEAD....or not dead but like altar bound and blood soaked and I swear I was gonna MURDER a whole damn cult and now you're BACK!”

She was crying too, her hands shaking as she held mine. “Taya… I missed you so fucking much…”

That’s when we both completely lost it. We jumped up and down on the bed like deranged ten year olds, screaming and crying and hugging and laughing while Lyssira howled in her head and probably mine too. Elowen’s braid whipped me in the face. I did not care.

Then there was a...CRASH! “Bitch, move!” came a familiar, thunderous voice.

“Not without me!” another called right behind her.

Amaris and Princess Rivena barreled into the room like they were storming a damn castle. And suddenly there were four of us shrieking and crying and hugging in a glorious dogpile of estrogen, magic, and feral feminine chaos.

Rivena dropped her cloak and threw her arms around Elowen like she’d been waiting her whole life to do it. “I KNEW you wouldn’t fucking die on us!” she sobbed, voice thick. “Not my fucking Queen!”

Amaris kissed Elowen on the forehead, then her nose, then her cheeks. “Took you long enough. I was ready to blow up the world.”

We collapsed into a giant pile on the bed, all tangled together like vines and fury and love, shoulders shaking with the kind of emotion that only comes after you almost lose the girl who is your soul sister.

“Y’all are gonna suffocate her,” Rylen muttered from the doorway.

We all whipped our heads around at the same time and I scoffed at my mate. "It's a girl thing." Zukie growled in our heads and he grinned and stepped back.

Jace stood there too, smirking like the smug bastard he is, arms crossed, one brow raised. “Should we wait until the estrogen tsunami passes before we come in?”

“No,” Elowen said, still laughing and crying. “Get your asses in here.”

Rylen walked over first, pulling Elowen into a firm, quiet hug. “We missed you, warrior queen.”

Jace clapped her on the shoulder before tugging her into a softer one. “You scared the shit out of us. Don’t do that again.”

“Working on it,” she sniffled, wiping her face.

Then, my gods, Druen entered, standing next to the Dryad prince, his expression soft but proud. Rivena lit up like a fucking festival torch.

“Look who came to see you,” she said.

Elowen gasped and jumped up again, hugging Druen tight, then bowing a little to the Dryad prince. “Holy shit… I’m in the presence of literal royalty.”

“I mean,” I snorted, “technically, you are the goddess blessed vessel of the prophecy, soooo...”

“She’s our queen,” Rivena declared proudly. “And I would burn the world for her.”

“Nope,” I corrected, hugging Elowen from behind. “We’ll rebuild the world with her.”

And in that moment, with laughter and tears and love so thick it hung in the air like magic, I knew the truth....We were a fucking force.

And we were whole again.

Rivena POV

Elowen stood in the middle of her chambers, laughing with Bram and Rylen, barefoot and radiant, hair half a damn mess, and eyes glowing with that Moon touched wildness that never quite left her. Gods, it was good to see her whole again.

I cleared my throat with all the dramatic flair I could muster, stepping forward with my mate beside me, tall, elegant, ancient as fuck, and hotter than summer sin in a storm. His presence carried that weight of old magic, like the forest had grown legs and decided to join the rebellion.

“El,” I called, chin tilted up like the proud, bonded, chosen badass I was. “This is Prince Lazurien Sylvendril. Yes, that Sylvendril. Of the royal dryad bloodline.”

Elowen blinked once. Twice. “Shut. The fuck. Up.”

I grinned. “Nope. Earth Goddess said balance was overdue, and apparently I’m part of restoring it. Lazurien is my bonded mate.”

Elowen’s mouth dropped open, and then she let out a squeal I’d never admit I loved. She launched herself at Lazurien and wrapped him in a hug that caught the prince off guard, though he recovered quickly, resting one graceful hand over her shoulder like he'd known her forever.

Then she pulled back and jabbed a finger into his chest. “You hurt her, bark boy, and I swear to all nine hells, I’ll set your sacred grove on fire.”

Lazurien smiled, soft and ancient and wise. “It would take more than flame to undo what I feel for her. But I appreciate the warning.”

“She’s got a fuckin’ prince,” Elowen whispered to Lyssira, grinning. “And not one of those stuck up fae ones. This one’s actually useful.”

“He’s got vines that choke people out,” I added with a smirk. “You should’ve seen what he did to a vampire. Thing didn’t even get to scream.”

“Gods,” Elowen said with a twinkle in her eye, “Elowen Sylvendril has a damn nice ring to it. Just sayin’.”

“Bitch,” I growled, swatting her arm as I laughed. “Don’t make me push you back into your bedrest.”

She winked. “You love me.”

“Unfortunately.”

Then Druen stepped up behind me, all alpha heat and narrowed eyes, arms crossed like the overprotective bastard he was. “So you’re the tree boy.”

Lazurien turned to face him with calm grace. “And you’re the wolf turned lycan. I’ve heard tales.”

“Hope you heard I bite.”

“I hope you heard I grow thorns.”

Elowen clapped her hands between them. “Alright, dick measuring contest later. Right now, we celebrate the fact that Rivena’s finally mated to someone who doesn’t piss on fire hydrants.”

“I hate you,” I muttered with a smile.

“Liar,” she grinned.