Chapter 45

A month passed in the blink of an eye. I had to admit that this month felt like the most peaceful of my life.

Not only did things remain settled, but I also experienced a sense of ease I’d never felt before. It was as if I was finally free, and it wasn’t only me.

The difference within Rayne’s family had become noticeable too. Since my father’s banishment, they seemed to be getting along much better.

Rayne and Rin no longer wished to distance themselves as they had before. They often spent much time around the palace and with their parents and sister.

Of course, these pleasant changes seemed small to me when I thought of the tiny life that was steadily growing within me. I stood in front of the mirror in the cabin and stared at my reflection.

I allowed it to sink in for what must have been the thousandth time since I’d learned the truth. My belly had become slightly rounder, though it still wasn’t noticeable unless I pulled my dress tighter around me.

I felt a bit of comfort with that. While the other creatures appeared to be much more accepting of me, I wasn’t certain of how they’d react once they learned that I had so quickly become pregnant with Rayne’s child.

My mind drifted to the events over these last few weeks. Lord Jekia didn’t have much of a choice on how to handle what had happened.

He was well aware that he needed to tell the truth about it, especially with Camille’s sudden and rather violent death. It didn’t help either that word had gotten out within the first days that Camille had been using black magic.

This came about when a few of the families of the girls who attended the matchmaking house became concerned after not hearing anything from Camille or Lucille and had gone there to check on them. While this was a bit inconvenient, Lord Jekia had decided that honesty was the best policy.

He let them know that he was aware of this and that the issue was taken care of, although not without Camille’s death because of the pact she’d made. However, he’d also assured them that Lucille and Hailia had nothing to do with any of it.

Nor did Lucille have knowledge of her mother’s wrongdoings beforehand. She’d been as much a victim as anyone.

Well, that wasn’t exactly the truth, but at least it would keep the others at bay from possibly wishing to ostracize Lucille. That would only make things worse.

I admit that I did feel a bit bad for her. Lucille had been a bit reclusive as she stayed with Hailia from what I’d been hearing.

She had expressed quite a bit of how she wished to repent for her mother’s sins and even her own. Was she really not as innocent in all of this as we thought?

It was hard to say, but either way, her life was never going to be the same, and all of us, including her, knew it. The sound of footsteps brought me back to reality.

I stood up a bit straighter as Rayne stepped behind me.

“You’re fascinated with looking at yourself every day now,” he teased, holding me as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

I could see the knowing smile on his face through the mirror. “I can’t help it. I never thought that I would become a mother and I feel like my belly is growing each day now,” I responded, moving my hands over the small bulge.

“Well, I did tell you when I brought you here that I wanted you to have children one day,” Rayne reminded me.

“One day, not so soon, as Emelio told me too,” I corrected.

“That is true,” Rayne relented slightly. He moved his hand over mine on my belly. “I wasn’t expecting them to allow this so quickly either, but the more I think about it, the less nervous I become. I know it’s still early, but I cannot wait to see them.”

It was comforting to know that Rayne was so accepting of this. I had feared at first that he was just putting on an act to look confident in front of his family.

Yet the night after he learned of this and we finally had time alone to talk it over, he’d knelt in front of me and spoke of everything swirling within his heart and mind. Yes, he was very nervous, but he also felt this increasing happiness welling within him.

Not only did he have me, but now we would have our own little family, which was something he’d hoped for since he was quite young.

“I do wonder how the others will react when they learn of this. No one outside of our family even knows yet,” I continued.

“It will be fine, Luna. You are accepted as mine and as part of our family, especially now that the air has been cleared about many things that have happened. It will be a far better time for all of us,” Rayne reassured me.

“I’m certain it will.” I turned as he loosened his hold on me, wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders. “You’re back a bit earlier than I expected. Did everything go all right with Rin?”

“Everything is fine. We simply finished up a bit earlier than we expected, so I thought I’d come back here so that you and I could go out for a while. Are you feeling up to that?” Rayne answered.

“I’m absolutely fine, Rayne. Besides, getting out would probably be good for me, although I’m not certain how others may react to finally seeing me again,” I admitted. I hadn’t been to the towns or villages since the incident with my father.

Some of that was at Emelio’s suggestion. Not only was I pregnant, but he had felt that there could still be a bit of resentment toward me until what happened was accepted.

Not to mention I was still sporting my ivory horns, which some may associate with my father. Not that I minded my horns anymore.

With Rayne and his family’s support, I was learning to accept this part of me, along with the fact that I was nothing like my father. My horns were just part of who I was, not what I was.

“No one’s going to react badly to you now that they know the truth about everything. Besides, Sherry’s been on me for a while now about wanting to see you, and Rin’s been saying that Felicity’s asking for you too. They’ve been worried about you after all of this and want to be sure you’re okay, so why not show them that you are?” Rayne suggested.

I blinked, unable to hide my surprise. “They were worried about me?”

“You shouldn’t be so surprised, Luna. They do consider you their friend.”

“Their friend,” I repeated softly, letting that sink in. I’d never had friends before, and it felt like I’d missed all the signs of that for my own ignorance about it.

Rayne wasn’t the least bit surprised by my reaction to this revelation. He caressed my cheeks and gave me a gentle kiss between my eyes.

“Yes, you are their friend and have been since they met you. I’m glad of that too. I shouldn’t have kept you isolated like I did before. You need friends, Luna, as much as you need to feel like you’re part of our family,” he told me.

“Yes, you’re right, and I’m glad that I’m able to do that now. I’m also glad that you feel comfortable with it. You know I’d never betray you,” I responded.

“I know, and I’m able to be certain of it now that my head’s clear.”

Kissing him still felt as amazing as it did on the day we first met. I was certain with everything I had that I was meant to meet Rayne.

He was the real reason I’d been born into this world, not my father’s ambitions.

“Perhaps we should refrain a bit. This is quite tempting,” I whispered after a few more long, sweet kisses.

Rayne let out a breathy chuckle, leaning his forehead against mine. “You may be right. It would be better for us to go out since it’s still early, and we can always continue this later.”

His words made me giggle.

“It appears your libido has remained the same.”

“I can’t see where you’d find that to be a bad thing,” Rayne countered.

“Not at all. I love knowing that you continue to feel such an intense attraction to me,” I assured him. I gave him another kiss before stepping back. “Let us head out. It will be nice to see Sherry, and perhaps we will run into Felicity as well.”

“Indeed,” Rayne took my hand, leading me to the door. “Let us move on.”

The day was beautiful as we left the cabin. The sun was shining brightly, and the clouds were casting shadows over the land as they floated by with the breeze.

The air was pleasant as well for the late summer, and I could see that some of the leaves were beginning to change color, signaling the coming of fall. My child was due in the spring, which felt appropriate as I took in the sights of nature around us.

Like that season, they would be a new beginning. The trip to Jumal wasn’t that long, although Rayne remained attentive to me, ensuring that I felt okay doing this.

Honestly, I felt fine. It was nice to walk, and I reminded him that it was also good for me.

Aside from that, I was also enjoying getting out to spend this time with him. We had much to make up for.

The village of Jumal was like I’d always known it to be, although our presence there immediately attracted much attention. But it wasn’t any kind of bad.

Instead, many approached wishing to know how I was doing and offering any assistance I may need. This was quite different than what I’d come to know shortly after I’d arrived in these lands.

Though I confess that I welcomed the kindness they were showing me. I finally felt accepted and certain that they liked me being with Rayne.

I hoped it would make the announcement of my pregnancy go smoothly when it was time too. It took a bit longer to get to Sherry’s shop than I’d anticipated.

It was a bit of a relief going inside and getting away from everyone. Good intentions could be a bit exhausting.

As Rayne and I entered, Sherry perked up from where she’d been sitting behind the counter. A happy grin crossed her face as she hurried over and hugged me.

The gentle smell of lavender perfume came from her as she did. “Oh, I’m so happy to see you, my lady! I’ve been so worried about you after I heard of what happened!” she declared.

“I’m fine. I promise. I just needed a bit of time to heal and pull myself completely together,” I reassured her.

Sherry finally pulled back, wiping her eyes and looking at my collar. “It appears you healed as well as Lady Selenia told me. I can barely see an indent there.”

She also noticed the Red Jasper stone I was wearing. “Oh, you’re wearing the necklace Lord Rayne had me make too. It’s as lovely as I’d hoped.”

“You did a good job on that necklace, although I wouldn’t expect any less. You are one of the few Father trusts with such things,” Rayne told her.

“I am quite proud of that too.” Sherry beamed.

“As you should be. You make such beautiful jewelry here.” I decided to change the subject a little and speak from my heart to her. “Also, I wanted to tell you that I’m grateful for you too. You stood up for me after you figured out what was happening to me, and I owe you so much for that.”

“You don’t need to feel like you owe me anything, my lady. There was no reason for them to do as they did, though I do feel as though many are lamenting allowing such rumors to spread. Not only did it hurt you, but it was as though they had turned against Lord Rayne in a sense and even Lord Jekia, which is something most would never wish to do,” Sherry admitted.

“That is true. As we arrived, several people approached us, expressing their concern for Luna. While their worry seemed genuine, it also felt somewhat exaggerated,” Rayne noted.

“Please do not think badly of them, Lord Rayne. It is more of guilt than anything for jumping to such conclusions about her, and I wonder now if some of it was influenced too. It appears to me that Lady Camille cast quite a strong spell through the girls she was teaching. Even they are reeling a bit now that they have their senses back,” Sherry admitted.

“We believe that too, and it all does make grim sense when I think about it on my end as well. I had never felt so broken down as I did during that time, and I believe now that it was to attempt to change me into what my father wanted.”

“I’m just grateful that you stepped in as you did to help me. You gave me the push I needed to confront those things,” I confessed.

“I’m glad I was able to, though it wasn’t only me. I owe much to Quinta and to Felicity and her friends as well, along with Lady Selenia. They have much influence through these towns and villages and what they say is often considered as the truth,” Sherry told me.

“I can’t say I’m surprised. Felicity is Musket’s daughter, and any kit born to a nine-tail is usually pretty respected. Of course, I don’t need to get into the stuff with my sister. Selenia’s a force of nature when she wants to be,” Rayne stated.

“You say that Quinta was helping me too? I hadn’t even realized that,” I admitted.

Sherry flashed me a knowing smile. “Oh yes. I know that both she and Hailia were very upset when they learned of those malicious rumors about you. From what she was telling me, Hailia blamed herself for it. She thought they were started because you were friendly toward her. So Quinta was trying to step up and help as much as she could, both for you and her.”

“She always has felt a certain affinity for Hailia, hasn’t she? I’ve noticed it for a long time with how she tends to stay by her side no matter what comes,” Rayne pointed out.

“Yes, she does, though I could not say anything more to it. If that is what Quinta chooses and makes her happy, then I believe in leaving it be,” Sherry told him.

“True, and I see no reason to question it, especially if she was doing what she could to help Luna,” Rayne relented.

I was about to say something when the door opened again. We turned to see Felicity coming in. She looked much like the last time I’d seen her, wearing a short silver dress with a sweetheart neckline. Her long hair was tied up in a braid, and her golden eyes glittered as she saw me.

“I knew you’d come here once you decided to come out again! Are you okay now, Luna?!” she asked, hurrying over to hug me.

“I’m very well now. Things have been much better in the last month,” I answered.

“You still have the horns too?” Felicity continued, touching my horn as she pulled back. “I thought they might disappear once your father was gone.”

“I suppose they’ll just remain a part of me. They don’t look that bad, do they?” I wondered.

“Of course not. I would’ve thought all would be used to them by now,” Rayne answered.

“It’s not like we aren’t, and I personally find them cute. I was just wondering about it. That’s all,” Felicity assured him.

Her attention turned to him. “You and Rin have seemed to be doing better as well.”

“I didn’t believe we appeared any kind of bad,” Rayne responded.

“Not truly. It’s more that you both seem happier now. Even Selenia commented on that to me the other day when I saw her. She said that you and Rin were even getting along better than she can recall before,” Felicity explained.

Rayne downplayed it. “Perhaps we are, though I didn’t believe it was so bad before. Rin and I simply don’t always see eye to eye on certain things, that’s all.”

“True, and Rin does tend to have a bit of a stubborn temperament. It reminds me of a bit of my daddy’s at times.” Felicity crossed her arms, appearing to buy his explanation.

“It’s just a Fox trait I suppose,” Rayne allowed.

Sherry turned back to me. “You truly are feeling better now, Lady Luna? I’m certain it was much to go through with what happened, especially learning the truth of what Lady Camille did.”

“It was,” I conceded. “And I never expected that anyone would want to contact or make a pact with one like my father. I still haven’t figured out what she had to gain out of it.”

“Perhaps it was life, as many believe now. Lady Camille was quite sick, and with how she was, I doubt she was willing to accept her inevitable death.”

“She probably would’ve done anything to prolong her life, even sacrificing her own daughter,” Felicity surmised.

“Out of curiosity, have either of you heard anything about how Lucille is doing? I know it’s been said that she’s had a rough time since she came back, but I haven’t gotten to see her yet,” I asked them.

“That is true, but I believe she’s finding strength in both accepting the truth about things and finding ways to amend for them,” Felicity answered.

“I’ll take it you’ve seen her,” Rayne guessed.

“I have,” Felicity confirmed. “I paid a visit to Hailia’s home about a week ago with my father because we wanted to see how things were there.

“I’m not certain Daddy trusts her yet, but he was impressed with how she did speak to us and seemed rather open about things. It may take some time, but I believe she may be able to overcome this and build back trust.”

“Perhaps, but I’d rather that Luna stay away from her for a while, just until we’re completely certain about things,” Rayne responded.

“You need not be so overprotective, Lord Rayne. We know that Lady Luna is quite strong in her own way, so she’ll be all right,” Sherry reminded him.

I admit that I did feel much stronger than I ever had before, even if I would heed Rayne’s words and be careful about things, especially with Lucille.

I didn’t know either how much involvement she may have had, and I would’ve rather not taken too many chances with my child.

“I will be, and it feels much better knowing that I have friends now. That’s not something I was able to have before, and I’m grateful that you both want to be friends with me,” I told them.

“Why wouldn’t we? Even if you were not Lord Rayne’s beta, I would still want to know you. You’re a very interesting woman, both in what you are and who you are. You’re also definitely much more Willow Fae than succubus, at least to me,” Felicity informed me.

“I agree, though I confess that I had not gotten to see a Willow Fae before meeting you. I’ve always heard that they are among the loveliest of them, just as the Sun Fae were,” Sherry added.

“True, though to me it feels like Lady Luna is more like the moon in appearance whereas Raelina has always been more like the sun,” Sherry noted.

“Raelina?” I repeated. I had never heard her name mentioned before and it made me curious.

“She is the last surviving Sun Fae, although we haven’t seen her in a while now, though it sounds like you two have,” Rayne answered, looking at Sherry and Felicity.

“I did a few months ago, though I heard recently that the Dragon King Navine has chosen her as his mistress. Do you know if that’s true?” Felicity asked him.

Rayne shrugged. “I haven’t heard anything about it, although Father might not have had the time to think about mentioning it to us. That is interesting though. I had thought that Navine had no interest in taking any females as his own, especially after so long.”

“I would have thought the same, but with as lovely and sweet as Raelina is, she very well may have caught his eye as well as gotten to his walled-off heart,” Sherry suggested.

“It’s quite possible,” Felicity concurred. She turned her attention back to me. “But enough of that for now. Let us focus on Luna’s company, and I suppose Rayne’s.”

“Thanks a lot. So glad to know you would like my company too,” Rayne scoffed. His tone was more good-natured than spiteful.

Our conversation turned lighter from there, dropping the subject of the Sun Faerie and Dragon King. However, it remained in the back of my mind.

I couldn’t deny my curiosity about it, especially since it appeared that Rayne knew this Faerie.

A few hours later, as we headed home, I decided to ask him about it. I chose to ease us into the subject so as not to appear too eager.

“That did end up being a nice visit. I just wish that we hadn’t been so crowded when we went out,” I said as we walked the path back toward the glen.

“It was to be expected, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Besides, Felicity tends to be a big enough presence to quell them when she needs to, just like me,” Rayne responded.

“She certainly does seem to like me. I’m not certain I understand why though. It isn’t like we have known each other that long,” I continued.

Rayne shrugged. “It’s just how she is. She’s always been good at reading others, and she probably saw how genuine you are before anyone else aside from our family and Sherry. That’s always attracted her. She does tend to be pretty selective with her friends too, so you should take it as an honor.”

“I suppose,” I said. After waiting a few long moments, I eased into the subject I’d been thinking about. “I was wondering too. You mentioned that you knew the Sun Faerie they mentioned. Her name is Raelina, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. She was a childhood friend of me and Rin, although I admit that I haven’t seen her in about six years now.” Rayne stopped and faced me. “Why bring this back up? Was she that interesting to you because they happened to compare the two of you?”

I shook my head. “No, not really. I guess I was more interested because you had known her before and hadn’t mentioned her. But it makes sense when you haven’t seen her in so long,” I concluded.

“There’s no reason for you to have any concern about her. Raelina was always only a friend to us, nothing more,” Rayne assured me.

“I’m not,” I insisted, though I had to look down to hide the blush crossing my cheeks. “I simply wondered about her, especially when they mentioned that Dragon King. Is he a ruler like your father? I don’t recall hearing of a fifth.”

“No, he isn’t, though he carries power just under my father and the other rulers,” Rayne said. He took a moment to think about how to explain this to me. “I believe it’s best to start with the basics. I know you’re aware of how the rulers were chosen, and how Rin’s father Sage was just under the power level of my father. Well, there was one more who was like that, and that was the Dragon named Navine.”

“I see. So is he considered a backup here now that Sage is gone?” I asked.

“He is from what I know, although it’s much less now that Rin and I are around, and our child may make that even more so. Besides, it’s not like Navine has ever had an interest in ruling, even in the beginning. I believe he simply likes having his status and living as he pleases, although I do agree with Sherry and Felicity that it’s surprising that he’d take Raelina as his mistress.

“Maybe he really did finally decide he was lonely, or he wanted to sate desires he’d been trying to repress,” Rayne elaborated.

I tilted my head. “You all keep calling her a mistress. Why would he not take her as a beta if he wishes for a relationship with her?”

“It’s hard to say, but to be honest with you, I don’t believe he’d ever do that. A beta is equal to their alpha, and everything I’ve ever known of Navine would say he’d be against something like that. He’s always been the type to want to maintain supremacy.”

I didn’t like that. It sounded far too much like Raelina was more of a prisoner.

“Perhaps your father should say something to that, or we should. Isn’t it unfair for her to have to obey him because he decided to lust after her?” I suggested.

“I doubt it would be our place, and it’s not as though Navine is the abusive type. I’m certain he treats Raelina well if she is there, and who knows? They might be right about her melting that frozen heart of his,” Rayne suggested.

“I suppose,” I reluctantly agreed.

Rayne put an arm around me, pulling me close to him. “You needn’t worry so much about such things. Our only concerns should be for us and our child,” he reminded me.

“I know, but I can’t simply turn a blind eye when I hear such things,” I contended.

“I understand, and if you are concerned, then I will speak to Father about it. I know he’ll ensure that nothing untoward happens to Raelina. He always has before,” Rayne promised.

That made me feel slightly better.

“Thank you, Rayne,” I said, giving him a grateful kiss. “I’ll feel better knowing that.”

Rayne returned my smile, kissing me again. “There is no reason to feel any kind of jealousy either, my Luna. Raelina is my childhood friend, but nothing more. You are the one I longed to find, and I’ll always be happy here with you.”

“I believe you, and I’ll always be happy here with you too,” I assured him.

“Why don’t we enjoy our alone time when we get back? It has been a while,” Rayne suggested, placing a few gentle kisses on my neck.

“A while was only last night you know.” I giggled.

“What can I say? It will be better to get in as much as we can before our pup comes,” Rayne contended, caressing the side of my belly.

“I suppose I can go with that,” I teased, kissing him again.

I couldn’t say that I knew for sure we had a smooth road ahead of us. After all, nothing had been that smooth since I’d first come there.

But at this point, I believed that we were strong enough to face anything and that we could make our future together bright.

All we needed was to keep loving each other as much as we did.