Chapter Forty

Itold Ayden about the baby as we walked towards his family home. The portal had landed us right in the middle of the forest in Montana, right where his uncle had once traveled to the Forgotten Realm himself in search of his stole powers.

The joy that lit up his face as he lifted me and spun me around in the air. I laughed as Rory scolded him for manhandling a pregnant woman, though she didn't dare to let go of Baer.

It had broken her to see him die like that. Her entire world had fallen apart right before our eyes. It was a miracle and a gift that the sisters had blessed him with his life returned. A gift for us all for defeating Morus and ending the threat he posed on the world.

I still didn't understand exactly what it was he needed from me. Or anyone like me, but it no longer mattered. There would be no answers to that question as they died with him and Minerva. Now, the only one alive who might have those answers was destined to be forgotten. A fate I would say was worse than death, but I wasn't sure if he would have agreed.

"We're here," Ayden said with a sigh as he breathed in the scent of his home. "The scouts have spotted us. They'll be here soon."

No sooner than he said that, a small pack of wolves appeared in our paths, the largest of the wolves quickly shifting to his human form as he rushed to pull Ayden into a tight embrace.

"Hey Dad," Ayden greeted with a pat on the man's back.

"We were so worried about you," the man sighed, then stepped back. "Sheka said you were bringing friends with you. But I never imagined it was the missing Crete-Rigel girls or the missing Alpha king for that matter. Thank the gods you all are safe!"

I smiled as Ayden's father's eyes moved to our interlocked fingers; his brows raised with surprise as he looked at us.

Ayden smiled and pulled me to his side. "I have a few things to share with everyone."

We all followed the scouts and Ayden's father back to their ranch. Three older women with eyes like Ayden's rushed over, each of them checking him over with concern and relief as they found him in one piece. The fourth woman of the group I recognized immediately from her visits to the school When Ayden attended.

Artemis Fairchild smiled at me, then cupped her son's cheek. "I told you not to go on any wild goose chases." She scolded him lightly. "Leave it you to find the goose after all."

Ayden frowned, his eyes following his mother's as she looked back to the house where his uncle stood in the doorway with a grin on his face.

With a flick of his wrist, light appeared around us like a million fireflies dancing in the air around us. Ayden's eyes widened with excitement as he rushed to his uncle and hugged the man he had left on his journey for.

"You got your magic back!"

"Thanks to you, kid," his uncle laughed. "I do not know how you did it but thank you." He looked over at the rest of us. "Thank you all."

Ayden looked back at us as well and smiled as he stepped back to my side and took my hand.

"Well, I came back with a little more than Atlas's magic," he said as he brought my hand to his lips, then looked at his parents. "How does the names Mimi and Papa sound to you two?"

Everyone's eyes widened as they looked over at me. I nodded and placed a hand over my stomach before they all erupted into excited cheers and congratulations.

The three older women all rushed us inside the large ranch style home, and they piled food in front of us all as Ayden's mother took the phone and called mine and Rory's family to tell them we were here.

They questioned us about our adventure. Our audience was in awe as we narrated our story from the realm of the forgotten and depicted the conclusion of our battle against Morus.

One of the older women who I now knew was Ayden's great-great aunt Nikini smiled at us and lifted her finger.

"I've made my decision," she said. The rest of the table went quiet as everyone looked towards her.

"What are you going on about?" Ayden's great grandmother growled to her sister.

"I've decided who will take my place on the council," she said, as if it was obvious. She pointed her finger at each of us and winked. "You four, together will take my place."

"Oh, that's rich, Nikini. How do you expect the council to allow you to replace yourself with four representatives?"

"If you would stop interrupting me, Chandra, you would know," Nikini responded as she pointed a finger at her sister.

We all bit back smiles as we watched the interaction, just waiting for Nikini to explain what she was saying. She slowly looked at us all and smiled.

"They will accept you four, because you are already leaders of the largest packs and covens in this country. Combined, you are the two largest combined forces in the world. They will want to keep you close to them, and you all will need the positions to manage your packs and covens properly. It's a win-win for everyone."

Ayden looked over at his aunt and frowned. "What about Aylin?"

"She will watch over the coven here, like Chandra and Selene have done," she smiled at him and wiggled her finger. "I always knew you were destined to achieve greatness. I could feel it in my bones from the very day you were born."

As we finished eating and settled into the rooms given to us for the night, I curled against Ayden's chest. His arms wrapped tightly around me, but neither of us could close our eyes.

"I can't believe it's all over," I whispered to him. "I can't believe that after all this time, we actually did it."

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and sighed. "It feels like a long dream now. Everything from that place is a blur."

I nodded. "Maybe that's for the best." I looked up at him and smiled. "After all, it is the Realm of the Forgotten."

He chuckled and reached over to his bedside table. I squinted my eyes in the dark as I watched him hold up a large rectangular shaped object.

"Yeah well, not all things are that forgettable," he said as I recognized what he held.

The book he had been obsessed with for the last length of the journey lay in his hands.

"How?" I asked. My eyes widened as I sat up in bed.

"It was here when I got in the room," he replied. "Along with a note."

"What did the note say?"

He chuckled. "It said, ‘Add this to the family library where it belongs, Alkmene'."

"Will I get to see this family library of yours?" I teased as I laid back beside him and watched him place the book on the table.

He hugged me against him and sighed. "Of course," he said. "You're family, and it's all of our history. It belongs to us all. And I'll be sure our kids know that as they grow and teach their children the same."

"Teach them what exactly?" I asked.

"We should never deny that knowledge because someday, it could be exactly what we need to save the world."

I smiled and nodded. I couldn't agree more as I imagined how much quicker our journey could have been completed if we had all just shared what we knew instead of treating each other with suspicions.

"I love you, Ayden," I said.

I could feel his breath catch in his chest as he tightened his arms around me.

"I love you too, Rigel. To the shadows of the moon and back."

I smiled, the wisps of shadows in the recess of my mind swirling with the light magic like an intimate dance between lovers.

"To the shadows and back," I agreed.