Chapter 13

Coming back to Forge felt like a homecoming, a sensation I hadn’t anticipated until I left. The sight of the village nestled among the fields and trees was a comforting sight as I clung to Navine’s shoulders. The fear of being so high up in the sky had evaporated.

I had to admit, it was starting to feel normal. If I hadn’t lost my wings at such a tender age, I might have even flown like this.

“Such a picturesque place. I bet your childhood here was mostly serene,” Navine observed.

“It was,” I agreed. “I always loved exploring the woods and fields, even though I was always on guard for any ferals.”

“I didn’t think there were many around here. At least, I never saw any,” Navine recalled.

I shook my head. “Not usually, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. Anika taught me that.”

“A wise decision,” Navine agreed.

As we began our descent, he spread his wings wide. Anika’s house came into view, looking just as I remembered it. A wave of warmth washed over me.

This truly felt like coming home, a feeling I never thought I’d experience after the events of my childhood.

Anika was stepping out as we landed, and I rushed to her, enveloping her in a tight hug. This familiar embrace was something I hadn’t realized I missed until now.

“Oh, my dear Raelina! I’m so thrilled to see you!” Anika exclaimed.

“It’s wonderful to see you again too,” I replied.

Anika stepped back and turned to Navine, bowing politely. “I thank you for accompanying her here. It’s a pleasant surprise.”

“I’m glad you appreciate it, but I wouldn’t keep Raelina from you, especially when she wants to see you. It’s not my place to keep a child from her mother, even if she is grown now,” he said.

“Maybe, but it’s still very kind of you to bring her here,” Anika acknowledged.

“I hope we’re not intruding,” I interjected.

“Not at all,” Anika assured me. “Janice is handling the shop today, so I’m taking a few days off to rest. I’ve been feeling a bit worn out lately.”

That concerned me. “Are you feeling sick?”

“No, no. I’ve just been overworking myself. I’ve been keeping myself too busy since you left. I need to find a better balance, so I’m working on that,” Anika explained.

“It’s understandable, and I apologize for the abruptness of all this. I realize that Raelina has been your family for the past fourteen years, so I thought it was only right to bring her here to see you,” Navine confessed.

“And I appreciate that,” Anika assured him. She turned to me with a smile. “So, can you stay long? It would be nice to spend more time with you.”

“I’m not sure how long we can stay,” I confessed, glancing at Navine.

He dismissed it. “You can stay and visit as long as you like. I have no issues with you being here.”

“Are you not staying as well, my lord? Your company is certainly welcome,” Anika reminded him.

A soft smile graced Navine’s face. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. I thought of letting Raelina visit with you and coming back for her this evening, but if you insist.”

“Of course you wouldn’t be in the way! Please, my home is yours, especially since you’ve chosen Raelina. Please, come in with us!” Anika insisted.

Navine didn’t resist her invitation. In fact, he seemed quietly pleased.

The interior of the cabin was as familiar as ever, offering a comforting reminder of my childhood after all the trauma. We spent some time chatting inside before Anika suggested we continue our visit outdoors to enjoy the lovely weather.

“You really did surprise me with all of this, Lord Navine. I’ve always believed that Raelina is beautiful, inside and out, and deserves the world. But I must admit, I never imagined an alpha like you would choose her as a bride, let alone so suddenly,” Anika confessed as we sat at the wooden table under a willow tree.

I knew this conversation was inevitable, even though Anika had been holding back. As my mom, she was understandably taken aback by the whole situation, despite her understanding of the alpha dynamics in our world.

Navine, however, didn’t seem bothered by her probing questions.

“I get why you might be doubtful, but I’ve never had ill intentions toward Raelina. Even though I wasn’t present in her life, I’ve always been aware of her. She naturally became my choice, especially after we reconnected,” he explained to her.

“Reconnected?” I echoed, not bothering to mask my bewilderment. “Did we meet before?”

“We did,” Navine confirmed. “Though I figured you wouldn’t remember. I saw you right after the incident with your sect. I was at Jekia’s palace to discuss it when I saw you resting in the room he’d provided. I chose not to disturb you.”

That did make sense. I was in a terrible state for about two weeks after Jekia rescued me. I had lost my wings and had severe back injuries that kept me bedridden due to the pain. I remember sleeping a lot during that time. It helped numb the physical and emotional torment I was going through.

“But why didn’t you tell me this before?” I asked him.

“I didn’t see the need to dredge up the past. We can’t change it, so it’s best to just move forward,” Navine replied.

No need to dredge up the past. Navine had said something similar when I discovered those things in the bedroom. Did he genuinely believe it was better not to dwell on difficult past events?

Anika seemed to agree with him. “I concur. We may never fully forget, but dwelling on things only hinders our ability to progress in life,” she declared.

“I guess you have a point,” I conceded, albeit reluctantly.

“Moving on,” Anika continued, smiling at me. “How are you finding life on the mountain? Are you adjusting well?”

I nodded. “Yes, I’m doing well. It’s beautiful there, and Navine’s home is stunning. He’s made sure it’s very safe too.”

“Are you really that worried about how I’m taking care of her? You can clearly see she’s doing well,” Navine teased her.

“Can you blame me? I’ve only ever heard tales of the mountains and your home, so it’s only natural for me to ask Raelina about it,” Anika retorted.

“It sounds more like you’re being a bit nosy,” Navine remarked, his tone teasing.

“Shouldn’t I have the right? Raelina is my daughter.”

Navine shrugged. “I suppose you have a point, but I don’t see what else there is to discuss beyond what’s already been said.”

“Perhaps not, but it truly is a beautiful home. I can even hear the ocean in the distance, and I see it when Navine takes me flying,” I shared with her.

Anika smiled, her hands clasped together. “How wonderful. I bet you enjoy that a lot.”

“I do,” I confirmed with a nod. I couldn’t help but smile. “It had been so long that I was initially scared, but it’s become liberating to be so high in the sky again, and I appreciate that Navine does that for me.”

It was odd, but I thought I saw a hint of surprise in his eyes, though he masked it so well I couldn’t be sure.

“I’ve never minded us doing that, and I do enjoy seeing your smile,” he confessed.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I took in his content expression. A warm feeling washed over me. It was as if I’d seen this many times before and yearned for it.

But that was strange too. Why would I feel this way when we hadn’t been together that long? It felt so much deeper than just my growing attachment to him.

Before we had a chance to process it, we noticed someone approaching the house from the nearby path. Anika, Navine, and I turned to look, and my heart skipped a beat when I recognized the Fox coming our way.

Even after a year apart, I would’ve recognized him anywhere. It was Rin, Rayne’s twin brother.

Rin and Rayne, despite being twins, were as different as night and day. They even had different fathers, though Lord Jekia had claimed Rin as his own since birth.

Rin’s biological father was a powerful silver Fox named Sage, who was once a contender for the throne of these lands. From what I’d heard, Sage and Lord Jekia were close friends until Sage’s untimely death when Rin and Rayne were just five years old.

Though I’d never met Sage, I had a feeling Rin bore a striking resemblance to him, save for his red hair, ears, and tail—a common trait among young Foxes from Sage’s lineage. His golden eyes were as captivating as Rayne’s, and he was a handsome young alpha.

I’d always thought that the female Rin chose would be one lucky lady, and that sentiment remained even after he chose a human woman. Not that I held any judgment. Everything I’d heard about Aurora was positive, and I looked forward to meeting her someday.

“Good afternoon, Lord Rin. What a surprise,” Anika greeted him as he joined us.

“Good afternoon,” Rin replied, looking surprised to see Navine. “I thought I’d drop by to check on Raelina, but I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Navine.”

Navine shook Rin’s hand warmly. “Raelina wanted to visit her mother, and who was I to deny her that?”

“I understand. It’s been a while since we’ve seen you too, Navine. We were all a bit surprised when we heard you’d decided to marry Raelina. You’d been a bachelor for so long, we thought you preferred it that way,” Rin confessed.

“I thought so too, for a while. But when the right one comes along, you don’t deny it,” Navine replied.

By then, I’d joined Rin. “It’s good to see you, Rin. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It has,” Rin agreed, giving me a friendly hug. “We were all happy to hear about your marriage to Navine. You should visit the palace soon. Mom, Selenia, and Aurora have been hoping you would. Aurora hasn’t had the chance to meet you yet.”

“Maybe I can make that happen soon. I feel bad that I haven’t met her yet,” I confessed.

“It might be a good idea to arrange a visit when your father isn’t too busy. I’ll talk to Emelio tonight to see what we can set up, if that’s okay,” Navine suggested.

“That should be fine, even though things have been a bit chaotic lately. Father would probably appreciate the distraction,” Rin admitted.

Anika looked concerned as she joined us. “I hope I’m not prying, but are things really that bad?” she asked.

“It’s okay, Anika. You’re a close friend of our family, and we don’t see your question as prying,” Rin reassured her. He sighed and put a hand on his hip. “Things have been pretty hectic and a bit unsettling. I’m sure you’ve heard about what’s happening with Luna, and now it seems Rayne might be affected too.”

That worried me. “What do you mean? Has something happened to him?”

“Yes, please tell us. I haven’t heard anything about Rayne either,” Anika added.

“Well,” Rin paused, considering his words, “it’s not that anything has happened to Rayne yet. It’s more that Father is worried about potential influences. He and Emelio think the recent issues with Luna might be connected to her father.”

“Her father? But isn’t he an Incubus?” I asked.

“Yep, Niles filled me in on the situation when we caught up the other day. It’s safe to say a lot of people are worried, even if Luna isn’t their main concern,” Navine chimed in. He’d been quietly observing our conversation, making his own mental notes.

Anika’s concern was evident as she turned to Rin. “Is it even safe for Lord Rayne to be involved with her? I mean, I have nothing against Lady Luna, but if her dad is in the mix…” she trailed off.

“Look, we all understand the concern, but none of this is Luna’s fault. What we need to do now is make sure her dad doesn’t have any sway in this situation. We think the best way to start is to figure out who’s been trying to undermine her from behind the scenes. They might even be under his influence,” Rin clarified.

“That does make sense. I’ve heard some rumors about her, and it’s been bothering me. No one should be dragged through the mud out of petty jealousy,” I voiced my thoughts.

Rin nodded in agreement. “Absolutely, no one should. And I know you’d be the first to defend her, even though you two haven’t met yet. You’ve always been a compassionate Fae, Raelina.”

“I’d like to think so. I mean, I was a bit jealous at first too, I won’t lie. But I’ve realized that it’s just a natural reaction, something we all go through until we find the right one,” I admitted.

“That’s very true. No one should be blamed for experiencing such natural emotions,” Navine agreed, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I smiled at him, feeling reassured by his understanding. It only confirmed that the feelings developing between us were genuine.

“It’s nice to hear you say that. Seems like a lot of people are forgetting that,” Rin said, shifting the conversation slightly. “Speaking of which, there’s something I wanted to ask you, Navine. Would you be willing to help us with something related to this?”

Navine crossed his arms, his face unreadable, indicating he was open to hearing what Rin had to say.

“I’ll listen, but I can’t guarantee I’ll agree,” he replied.

“I can live with that. I know this is a bit out of the blue. It’s something Father mentioned he might talk to you about as well. We were hoping you could talk to Dominick about these rumors. He’s got a good rapport with the Matchmaking Houses, so he might know where the rumors started,” Rin elaborated.

Navine didn’t hesitate with his response.

“Absolutely not.”

“You won’t help Lord Jekia?” I asked, surprised by Navine’s abrupt refusal.

“It’s not that I don’t want to help Jekia, or that I don’t care about what’s happening in his family. I just don’t see why I should subject myself to the drama that Dominick will undoubtedly stir up. If Jekia wants information from him, he can ask himself. I know he’s more than capable,” Navine explained.

Rin took Navine’s refusal in stride.

“I figured as much, but it was worth a shot.”

“I know it’s not really my place, but maybe it’s better if Lord Jekia deals with Lord Dominick himself. Everything I’ve heard about him suggests he’s a handful,” Anika suggested.

“That’s putting it mildly, especially in this case,” Navine said, turning to Rin.

“Here’s a piece of advice, Rin, and make sure you pass it on to your siblings: take anything Dominick says with a grain of salt. He loves stirring the pot, especially when it involves other alphas he sees as competition. He has no problem using women in any way he sees fit.”

Rin nodded, his face serious.

“I’ve heard similar things from Father. I’ll keep your advice in mind, especially if he gets involved in this.”

He softened as he looked at me.

“Anyway, I’m running out of time, so I need to head back. It’s good to see you’re doing well, Raelina. Maybe Navine can bring you by for a visit soon.”

“That sounds lovely. I’ll look forward to it,” I replied, giving him a quick hug.

“Would it be okay if I dropped by your folks’ place soon? I haven’t seen Lady Lana in ages, and I’d love to chat over a cup of tea,” Anika suggested.

Rin responded with a smile.

“I can’t imagine they’d object. I’ll give Mom a heads-up.”

Watching him leave was a mix of sweet and sour, but I didn’t dwell on it. Instead, I turned to Navine, voicing my thoughts.

“Do you really despise Lord Dominick so much that you can’t even have a conversation with him about Luna’s dad?” I asked.

Navine was quick to respond.

“There’s no need for me to. If Jekia needs that info, he can get it from Dominick himself. We shouldn’t even be involved in this.”

Anika backed him up.

“Navine’s got a point, Raelina. I know you want to help, but it’s best to let them handle it. You’re on their side and Luna’s. That’s all that should matter,” she advised.

“I guess you’re right,” I conceded, albeit reluctantly.

But deep down, I knew I wasn’t ready to back down. There had to be a way I could help Rayne and Luna. I just needed some time to figure it out.

Anika took my hands in hers, her face lighting up with a smile.

“How about we go inside and whip up some lunch? I’d love it if you and Lord Navine could lend a hand—if you’re up for it.”

Navine let out a playful huff, a warm smile spreading across his face.

“Well, how could we say no to that?”

“Sure,” I agreed, setting aside my worries for the moment.

“Let’s make the most of our time together.”