Chapter 183 Epilogue pt 1
Seren
The children’s laughter drifted across the courtyard, bright and careless in the warm afternoon sun. I leaned back against the stone railing, watching them chase each other between the garden beds. Duncan and Julian stood a few steps away, pretending not to notice that the boys were very obviously winning their game.
Five years ago, this place had been a battlefield. Now, as I stood here and watched my family, it smelled of roses.
Historians were already arguing about what to call it all. The Elder Archivists at the palace preferred the Mikhail Rebellion, something neat and politically precise that placed the blame exactly where it belonged. The vampire archives leaned toward the Black Vein War, after the blood magic that had bound the hybrids together.
The bards, of course, had their own opinions. I’d heard at least three songs calling it the War of the Silver Light, which made Duncan laugh every time he heard it.
Personally, I suspected history would settle on something far less dramatic. It usually did. Whatever name it eventually kept, the truth was simpler. It had been the day the kingdom nearly tore itself apart…and the day we chose to rebuild it instead.
That choice led us back to the New Dawn Pack. It was time for Gideon to take his place as the king of our people, and he specifically requested the coronation take place here. He wanted to demonstrate the healing that had taken place over the last several years, as well as honor the beacon of light New Dawn had become.
Finlay turned out to be the Alpha we had all hoped he would be. He opened his pack to hybrid survivors who didn’t want to join the group that Phineas took to the territory between the wolves and vampires. New Dawn became a place that offered refuge and solace rather than abuse and exploitation. Other packs were finally starting to follow his lead.
The hybrids settled the land that was donated to them by my father and King Dorian. They called their territory the New Horizon and have adopted the temporary ruling council as permanent. The council was expanded to include more of their own people as well as representatives from the other supernatural races, and they named it the Convergence. Phineas still served as their first leader, though if you asked him, he insisted the title meant less with each passing year. The first ruling act of the Convergence was to name the race. They called themselves the Luminar. Phineas said they wanted a name that honored the light that broke their chains.
Duncan turned, his gaze unerringly falling on mine. He smiled, then snagged Gavin as he chased Julian and Kayla’s son, Ross, around a rosebush and walked over to me. Julian caught Ross and followed them over.
“Momma! Daddy said I was the fastest wolf!” Gavin bounced in his father’s arms.
“I just bet you are,” I said, leaning over to give him a kiss. He reached out his arms to me, but Duncan set him on his feet instead.
“Mom can’t hold you right now, buddy. You know that.” He squatted down and pressed a kiss to Gavin’s temple. My hand went to my large belly even as Gavin pouted. As if she knew her brother was upset, the baby gave one strong kick.
“Soon, little pup. Once your sister gets here, I’ll be able to pick you both up.”
I looked at Duncan and Julian. “Kayla’s looking for you, Julian. She wanted to make sure Ross was ready for the ceremony. You may want to find her,” I told him. We’d both dressed our boys in play clothes this morning, fully aware that they’d get into mischief in the time before the coronation.
Julian grinned at me. “That’s the next stop, Luna. If we can tear these boys away from each other.” They’d already gone back to playing.
My gaze softened as I watched them. Their bond was already strong, an excellent sign for the future leadership of Crescent Moon. Joy swelled in my chest.
“It’s fine. Gavin needs to get ready, too. Duncan, I’ve set both of your suits out in the room.”
“Thank you, little wolf.”
“You have an hour to get him cleaned up and get ready. I’m going to go help Cora and check in on my brother. I can feel his nerves from here.” My bond with Gideon was as strong as ever, though the bridge I’d created between him and Duncan had faded over the years. They could still link each other, but distance had a severe impact on their ability, and Duncan didn’t get the emotional echo that I did. We hadn’t needed to share power since that day, but I knew they would both be there if that ever changed.
I gave Duncan a kiss, hugged Gavin, and said goodbye to Julian and Ross, then crossed the courtyard to search out my brother. I found him nervously pacing while Cora was putting the finishing touches on her makeup. She had been a rock for Gideon over the years, giving him a solid sounding board even as she completed her own training to be able to take over my mother’s role. She complemented my brother, evening out his rougher edges. He was a better prince, would be a better king, because of it.
I stopped him mid-pace. “You’re thinking too much.”
He threw his hands up. “Of course I am! I’m not ready for this. I’m twenty-three, for Goddess’s sake!”
Cora and I exchanged a glance. Her rolled eyes told me this wasn’t the first time he’d gone on this rant.
“Of course you’re ready, Gideon. Dad wouldn’t pass the crown to you if you weren’t. But aside from that, look at everything we’ve accomplished in the last five years. Running a kingdom after defeating an evil hybrid king and uniting new races should be simple.”
The look he gave me could only be called sardonic. “That wasn’t just us, and you know it.” He dragged his hands through his hair. “What if I fail?”
I wrapped my arms around him. “What if you fly?” I squeezed tight, then stepped back so I could look him directly in the eye. “Gideon, you’re one of the best men I know. You’re brave and you’re smart. You understood early on that the purpose of the king is not to be served but to serve. You’ve already proven that you’ll stand for the people of this realm. They couldn’t ask for a better king.”
He blew out a breath, and his head tilted back as he looked at the ceiling. He thought for a moment, then met my gaze again. “Okay. You have a point. You’re right.”
“See? It’s not just me who thinks you’re going to be a great king,” Cora called out. “He’s been like this for days, Seren. Days. I’m ready for the ceremony to be over with.”
I laughed. “We’re almost there. Less than an hour now.”
“Thank the Goddess!”