Chapter 110 Chapter One Hundred Ten

Chapter 110 Chapter One Hundred Ten
The feast unfolded beneath a canopy of glowing lanterns and twin-moon light, the palace courtyard transformed into something almost dreamlike.

Music drifted through the night in rich, melodic waves—harps woven with deep percussion and airy flutes that carried across the marble terraces. Long banquet tables overflowed with jeweled fruits, honey-glazed sweets, roasted delicacies, and goblets brimming with luminous wine that shimmered faintly beneath the lantern glow.

For the first time in centuries, Seelie and Unseelie mingled freely.

Not divided by pride.

Not separated by prejudice.

Together.

Laughter echoed across the courtyard as dancers spun beneath strands of floating lights. Children darted between tables playing games of chase, their delighted shrieks occasionally rising above the music as tiny fairies zipped after them, scattering trails of glittering dust.

Some of the older Unseelie warriors stood stiffly at first, uncertain beneath the warmth of Seelie celebration, but little by little even that tension began to melt away beneath shared drinks, shared stories, and the strange realization that none of them were rivals.

At the center of it all, Kaelani sat sideways across Julian’s lap at the royal table overlooking the festivities below.

One of his arms rested securely around her waist while the other held a crystal goblet loosely against his thigh. He barely paid attention to the feast around them.

Most of his attention remained on her.

Kaelani lifted a piece of exotic fruit from one of the ornate platters before them. Its flesh glimmered a pale blush-gold beneath the soft glow of the lanterns, juice catching along her fingertips as she took a bite.

Her eyes fluttered closed instantly.

“Oh my God,” she breathed.

Julian huffed a quiet laugh at her reaction.

Kaelani turned toward him immediately, already reaching toward his mouth with the remaining piece.

“You have to try the fruit here,” she insisted. “If you think the wine here is extraordinary, you’ll love this.”

Julian leaned forward obediently and took a bite from her fingers.

He chewed slowly.

Swallowed.

Then nodded once.

“Okay,” he admitted. “That’s actually really good.”

Kaelani grinned triumphantly.

“But,” he added casually, “I’ve tasted better.”

She furrowed her brows at him immediately.

“Oh really?” she asked, thoroughly invested. “Like what?”

Julian’s gaze dragged slowly over her mouth before he bit lightly against his lower lip.

“You.”

Kaelani stared at him for a beat before a laugh escaped her.

She smacked his shoulder playfully.

“Stop,” she said, fighting a smile. “You don’t have to sweet-talk me. I’ll still have sex with you.”

Julian looked at her for a long moment, completely serious despite the amusement flickering in his eyes.

“We don’t have sex,” he said.

Kaelani blinked once.

Julian’s arm tightened slightly around her waist as he leaned closer.

“We make love.”

A smile spread slowly across her lips.

“Oh,” she said, lifting a brow. “My apologies, Mr. Romantic.”

She shifted slightly against him, the sparkle in her eyes turning far more mischievous.

“Yes, we make love.”

Then she leaned in closer, lowering her voice just enough for him alone.

“But sometimes…”

Her lips curved.

“We fuck. Hard.”

She winked.

Julian stared at her briefly before a low laugh slipped beneath his breath. Then he cupped her face gently and kissed her—soft and slow.

Tender in a way that immediately unraveled every teasing word that had come before it.

When he finally pulled back just enough for their foreheads to brush, his thumb swept lightly across her cheek.

“We’re still making love,” he murmured.

Something in Kaelani’s chest melted completely at the quiet sincerity in his voice.

She kissed him again.

This time lingering.

Their lips moved together slowly beneath the glow of moonlight and drifting music, the world around them fading into warmth and closeness for a few precious seconds.

A soft clearing of a throat broke the moment.

Kaelani and Julian pulled apart slightly and turned toward the opposite side of the table.

Lyressa stood there holding a crystal goblet of wine, amusement dancing openly in her eyes.

Without waiting for permission, she lowered herself gracefully into the empty seat across from them.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything terribly important,” she said lightly.

Kaelani laughed softly while Julian looked entirely unrepentant.

Lyressa lifted her goblet.

“To peace,” she said warmly. “And to the two people responsible for giving this realm a future again.”

Kaelani and Julian exchanged a glance before lifting their own goblets.

“To peace,” Kaelani echoed.

Their glasses touched gently.

All three drank.

Lyressa lowered her goblet slowly afterward, studying them with something soft and admiring in her expression.

“It’s beautiful,” she said quietly. “What the two of you have.”

Her gaze flicked between them knowingly.

“Though I suppose it did begin rather… chaotically.”

Julian gave Kaelani a look and she gave one right back.

Lyressa’s eyes widened slightly.

“Oh.”

She lifted her hand briefly toward her mouth.

“My apologies,” she confessed. “I may have wandered through your memories once or twice during our first dream-walks.”

Her attention shifted toward Kaelani.

“I needed to know your heart was pure before I entrusted you with the fate of my people.”

Kaelani gave a small, empathetic smile.

“I understand,” she assured. “I would have done the same.”

Lyressa seemed relieved by the response as she lifted her goblet again, taking another slow sip of wine before settling back comfortably in her chair.

“If it is any consolation,” she added, “the Seers informed me that Lycans once sought their mates out in very similar fashion.”

Kaelani immediately narrowed her eyes, unsure what she was getting at.

Lyressa continued with entirely too much amusement.

“Back in more primitive times, of course,” she clarified. “Long before modern customs and civilized restraint.”

Lyressa carried on mercilessly.

“When a Lycan scented their mate, instinct often overruled logic entirely. And if the female happened to be in heat…”

She lifted one elegant shoulder delicately.

“There was very little stopping what followed between their beasts.”

Julian took a very deliberate drink of wine.

Lyressa’s eyes sparkled.

“These days, such things are handled in much more controlled environments to prevent… unexpected first unions.”

Kaelani rubbed awkwardly at the back of her neck.

“Unfortunately,” Lyressa went on smoothly, “the two of you were not granted such privileges.”

Julian kept drinking.

Honestly, at this point it seemed less like wine and more like survival.

“But,” Lyressa added warmly, glancing between them, “it appears fate compensated for the chaos rather generously.”

Her smile softened.

“You turned out to be fated mates.”

Kaelani’s cheeks burned faintly while Julian finally lowered his goblet, the slightest tension lingering in his expression as though he wasn’t sure whether to stay or take Kaelani and retreat.

Then, as if summoned by the universe itself to save them from further embarrassment, the Seers appeared seemingly out of nowhere beside the table.

Not a single one of them looked remotely surprised by the conversation they had clearly overheard.

One of the elder Seers inclined her head politely toward Kaelani and Julian.

“Queen Lyressa does not indulge in wine very often,” she explained with serene calm. “It tends to make her somewhat… freer with her observations.”

Lyressa lifted her goblet.

“I’m afraid she’s right.”

Another Seer stepped forward then, her white eyes settling thoughtfully on Kaelani.

“What Her Majesty is attempting to explain,” she said gently, “is that we believe your Fae abilities awakened long before you consciously realized they had.”

The Seer continued carefully.

“Fae magic is deeply tied to emotion, memory, and self-preservation. Especially among powerful bloodlines.”

A quiet hush seemed to settle around the table as she spoke.

“We believe that after everything you endured as a child… your magic responded instinctively.”

Kaelani stilled.

“You did not merely suppress yourself emotionally,” the Seer explained softly. “You sealed parts of yourself away.”

Her gaze sharpened slightly with understanding.

“A form of unconscious binding magic.”

Julian’s brows furrowed faintly.

“It is not uncommon among traumatized Fae children with unstable or overwhelming gifts. The mind protects itself by closing doors it is not yet capable of surviving open.”

Kaelani swallowed slowly.

“In binding your Fae side so deeply,” the Seer continued, “we believe your wolf may have become entangled within those same restraints.”

Another Seer stepped forward beside her.

“Which would explain the instability surrounding your first mating bond encounter.”

Kaelani looked genuinely perplexed.

The Seer remained perfectly composed.

“When you finally came into contact with your mate,” she explained, gesturing lightly toward Julian, “his scent, presence, and proximity likely stirred something buried deep within both your wolf and your suppressed magic.”

Her voice remained calm and clinical despite the subject matter.

“That sudden awakening would have triggered an intense pheromonal response between you both.”

Julian closed his eyes briefly.

Kaelani dragged a hand over part of her face.

The Seer finished serenely:

“In simpler terms… you were essentially supernatural hormonal disasters.”

Kaelani sat quietly for a moment, absorbing everything they had just said.

The music still drifted softly through the courtyard below. Laughter echoed somewhere farther down the terrace while lanternlight flickered against crystal goblets and flowing gowns.

Yet suddenly, the table felt strangely intimate.

Personal.

Julian’s arm tightened slightly around her waist beneath the table, grounding her instantly. The gesture was subtle, soothing, and she leaned into it without thinking.

Lyressa smiled softly as she watched the exchange.

“The point we are ultimately trying to make,” she said gently, “is that we have sensed a tremendous shift in you.”

Kaelani looked toward her.

“You’ve opened yourself up to the world,” Lyressa continued. “More than you realize.”

A warmth touched her expression.

“And it makes us extraordinarily happy for you.”

Kaelani’s lips curved faintly.

Her thoughts drifted despite herself.

To Julian.

To her father.

To the strange, overwhelming way her life had changed in only a matter of days.

For so long she had survived by closing herself off from everything.

And now…

Now she felt everything.

Lyressa’s expression grew slightly more serious then.

“It is important that your powers continue to unfold naturally,” she said carefully. “Which is also why I feel obligated to make you aware that when you are ready… you may open your womb.”

Kaelani blinked.

Slowly.

“I’m sorry,” she said after a breath. “Open my womb?”

Lyressa nodded calmly.

“Mhm.”

Julian nearly choked on his wine.

The Seers, meanwhile, looked entirely unbothered.

“Fae possess complete control over their fertility,” Lyressa explained. “Your body will not conceive unless you consciously allow it.”

Kaelani stared at her.

Lyressa continued serenely:

“You and Julian may mate as often as you wish, but so long as your womb remains bound, conception cannot occur.”

One of the Seers inclined her head slightly.

“We believed this to be… rather vital information for you both.”

Kaelani and Julian slowly turned to look at each other.

A long look.

Kaelani nodded once.

“Yes,” she admitted carefully. “I suppose that is very important information.”

Julian took another drink.

A larger one this time.

Lyressa rose gracefully from her seat, smoothing the pearl-colored fabric of her gown.

“Well,” she announced lightly, “it is well past my bedtime.”

Amusement flickered in her eyes as she looked between them.

“You two enjoy the rest of your evening.”

The Seers moved as well, robes whispering softly against the stone.

“We shall retire also,” one of them said politely.

Together, the Seers bowed before Kaelani, then they departed through the glowing courtyard, disappearing gradually into the sea of music and celebration.

Silence settled over the table once they were gone.

Kaelani let out a small, nervous laugh before lifting her wine and taking another drink.

Julian watched her carefully.

The silence stretched just long enough to become noticeable.

Then he finally cleared his throat.

“Well…”

Kaelani glanced at him.

“I guess now we can have an actual discussion about the idea of children before we leap straight into it.”

His mouth twitched slightly.

“Since we never really talked about that.”

A pause.

“I’ve pretty much just been knotting you every chance I get.”

Kaelani’s eyes widened.

Then, very slowly, she nodded.

“And I didn’t object in the slightest.”

Julian’s thumb brushed slowly along the curve of her chin before settling against her bottom lip.

His touch lingered there.

Warm.

Possessive.

He dragged his thumb gently across the softness of her mouth, his gaze fixed on her with dangerous focus.

“No,” he murmured softly. “You really haven’t objected at all.”

The deep timbre of his voice lowered further, turning smooth and seductive.

“You like when I knot you?”

Kaelani’s eyes lifted to his.

Then, without breaking his stare, she pressed a slow kiss against his thumb.

“I do.”

Something darkened in Julian’s expression at the answer.

His hand shifted, fingers brushing lightly along her jaw.

“You like the feel of me?” he asked quietly. “Stretching you?”

His voice dipped lower.

“Filling you up?”

The bond between them pulsed hot and molten.

“Locking us together?”

Kaelani held his gaze steadily, storm-dark eyes glimmering beneath the low golden light. There was something almost foxlike in the look she gave him then—playful, wicked, entirely aware of the effect she had on him.

“Are you trying to seduce me right now?” she asked softly.

Julian’s mouth curved slowly.

“Is it working?”

Kaelani tilted her head just slightly.

“Maybe.”

That answer alone nearly shattered what little restraint he had left.

Julian leaned closer, brushing his mouth near her shoulder.

“Maybe,” he murmured against her skin, “we should continue this somewhere private.”

A shiver rolled through her at the feel of his voice there.

“Maybe we should,” she agreed.

Julian kissed her shoulder once.

Then again.

Slow.

Wandering.

“I want you in nothing but that crown and those heels tonight.”

Kaelani smiled instantly.

“You are such a naughty boy.”

A low sound rumbled in his chest.

“Mmm,” he said. “I am.”

His eyes lifted back to hers.

“Very naughty.”

The grin that followed was pure temptation.

“You’ll have to punish me, my Queen.”

Kaelani laughed softly beneath her breath.

“Oh, I’m definitely going to punish you.”

She rose smoothly from his lap and extended her hand toward him.

Julian took it without hesitation.

And together, beneath the glow of twin moons and the distant sound of celebration, they disappeared into the privacy of their chambers.