Chapter 345 Ageless and Eternal

Chapter 345 Ageless and Eternal
Eleanor's POV

Theodore commanded everyone's attention with just his presence. The ballroom fell silent as I stood beside him, trying to look confident despite my racing heart. Though I'd grown more comfortable with attention over the past months, standing before hundreds of unfamiliar vampires still made my pulse quicken.

"Many of you have heard rumors," Theodore began, his voice resonating through the grand ballroom. "Rumors about my past relationships with human women and the possibility that such unions resulted in dhampir offspring."

I tried to keep my face neutral, though my fingers trembled slightly at my sides. Sebastian watched me from among the Council members, his expression carefully composed.

"Tonight, I confirm those rumors are true." A collective gasp swept through the crowd. "I present to you my daughter, Eleanor Astoria, the most vampiric of triplets born to a witch eighteen years ago."

Whispers erupted throughout the room. I caught fragments of conversations—some shocked, others intrigued. Theodore raised his hand, and silence fell once more.

"Eleanor has inherited not only my strength but other rare and unique abilities that make her extraordinarily valuable among dhampirs." His voice carried a clear warning. "Earlier this year, she found her soul mate in Sebastian Astoria, and they completed their bonding ceremony."

My cheeks warmed as all eyes turned to me with renewed interest.

"Several members of the High Council attended their bonding ceremony," Theodore continued. "Now, let me be perfectly clear." His voice dropped dangerously. "Any who dare mistreat my children will suffer a slow and painful death."

The threat hung in the air, and I noticed several vampires shift uncomfortably.

"Now, please enjoy the celebration and feel free to appropriately greet my daughter." Theodore smiled and unexpectedly thrust the microphone toward me. "Eleanor would like to say a few words."

I nearly choked on my breath as I accepted the microphone. This wasn't part of the plan. My eyes darted around frantically until they found Sebastian standing among the Council members, a proud smile on his face. Drawing strength from his presence, I cleared my throat.

"Thank you all for coming tonight," I managed, my voice embarrassingly small at first before gaining strength. "I look forward to meeting each of you individually." My cheeks flushed as I struggled to think of anything else to say. Nothing eloquent came to mind, so I simply handed the microphone back to Theodore.

Polite applause followed as Theodore led me off the platform. The music resumed, and couples began moving to the dance floor once more. I exhaled with relief when Theodore guided me back to Sebastian.

Sebastian immediately kissed my cheek. "You did wonderfully, princess."

"You looked so sweet up there," Penelope commented. "Such a contrast to your father's icy demeanor."

Penelope's lips curved into a teasing smile. "Everyone must wonder how someone as cold as Theodore produced someone as lovely and gentle as you."

Theodore raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps I have hidden depths, Penelope."

"Oh, I doubt that very much," she laughed.

"I didn't notice the resemblance until they stood together," Gabriel remarked. "But it's unmistakable now—those same almond-shaped eyes."

Gabriel smiled at me. "Though yours sparkle with life while your father's look like he's mentally calculating the most efficient way to dismember everyone in the room."

Theodore's lips curved into the faintest smile. "If I were, Gabriel, you'd be first on the list."

Helena smoothly redirected the conversation. "Eleanor, have you met my soul mate, Grace?"

I offered Grace a polite greeting, studying the young woman I'd noticed earlier. She had deep brown skin and warm eyes that assessed me curiously.

"It's wonderful to meet you," Grace said. "Sebastian has been gloomy or angry for most of his vampire life. I'm glad to see him finally happy."

She turned her attention directly to me. "So when will you be having children? I'll need them to visit my territory at least two or three times a year." Her eyes sparkled. "I plan to spoil them terribly."

I blushed deeply, staring at the floor. It had been a while since anyone had mentioned babies. Both Sebastian and Gavin had been told I needed to reach nineteen before considering children.

Sebastian smoothly intervened. "When Eleanor is of proper age, we'll be sure to inform you, madam. For now, we're letting her enjoy being taken care of rather than taking care of others."

"You may call me Grace, Sebastian," Karina corrected him with a laugh. "You're practically family now."

She turned to me with a warm smile. "Sebastian's little temper tantrum with his childe ended up being quite the blessing, didn't it? I'm proud of how he turned a negative into such a positive."

Sebastian rolled his eyes slightly, then took my hand. "If you'll excuse us, we should greet the other guests."

He guided me through the ballroom, introducing me to Helena's other children. We encountered Irene Thorn, who gave me a rare warm smile. Her soul mate, a rather jovial man, continuously refilled her blood-wine and doted on her. When he attempted a joke with Sebastian, he seemed shocked when Sebastian actually responded with humor.

I met more vampires than I could possibly remember. Male vampires asked me to dance and sought promises of alliance. They all seemed eager to align with "Death's daughter" and "The Traveler's childe." I deferred all alliance decisions to Sebastian, uncertain how to navigate these political requests. Sebastian carefully evaluated which alliances would benefit our territory, eventually establishing several with strategic importance.

By the time the evening ended, Sebastian and I collapsed onto the bed, exhausted from the social demands. As he helped me out of my elaborate gown, we cuddled close.

I couldn't help comparing how differently my two husbands expressed their love. Sebastian wasn't like Gavin, who would passionately grab me without hesitation in public. Sebastian wouldn't guide my hands to his body or slip his hands under my dress whenever we were alone. He didn't suddenly lift me onto the nearest surface when desire overtook him.

Instead, Sebastian focused on romantic details—gently biting my ear during movies, sucking sweet sauce from my fingers, taking me to watch meteor showers where we kissed under the falling stars as he whispered "We'll be like these stars, ageless and eternal, together forever." He would kiss every inch of my body until I begged, then make love to me slowly and thoroughly. His love was an elegant symphony for the senses rather than the primal passion of my wolf.

I loved both their approaches deeply. When my European travels with Sebastian ended, I realized I missed having both of them together. In my mind, I thought of them as my "fiery wolf" and my "cool vampire." Being with each individually was wonderful, but when the three of us were together, I felt most complete.

It seemed everyone expected the three of us would eventually find our way to each other permanently. I snuggled closer to Sebastian, drifting off to sleep with dreams of returning home to my wolf.