Chapter 386: A Power Over Her Mates
Eira’s POV
"It was impossible to deny her anything. That face of hers... we all surrendered to it. She was our little princess."
"You miss her," I said softly.
He hummed in acknowledgment and stepped closer to zip up the back of my dress. When our gazes met in the mirror, the unspoken grief between us felt almost tangible.
I hated that he had lost so much.
He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to my exposed shoulder, his hands settling warmly at my waist.
"Don’t feel bad," he murmured. "Everything is fine now. I have you. I have my children. I have my brothers. That is my family."
I placed my hands over his, offering silent reassurance.
"Then I will give you many more babies," I said lightly. "We will build an even bigger family."
He shook his head.
"You are not a breeder," he said firmly. "We will be content with what we have. You deserve to live your life, not spend it endlessly carrying children and raising them."
His words silenced me. Well, I will leave it at time.
"If you have not noticed," he added, guiding my attention back to the mirror, "you should."
I finally looked at my reflection properly.
An elegant off-shoulder silver gray lace mermaid gown hugged my figure elegantly, flowing beautifully around the gentle curve of my belly. The fabric shimmered subtly under the light, making me appear almost ethereal.
I thought pregnancy wouldn’t make such perfectly fitted dress look good on me, but on contrary, it looked the best I could ever find. It felt more feminine and I loved it. I felt not just me, but the presence existence of my baby with it as my hands gently brushed over the round curve.
"You look beautiful," he said.
I nodded quickly. Yes, I look beautiful.
I turned around to face him. "Thank you."
He leaned in and kissed me, a soft gentle kiss full of affection towards his mate. I reciprocated in kind, letting myself drown in that overwhelming affection.
Once we stopped, he said, "Lucian and Jason are here to help you."
As soon as Kael said it, there was a knock, and the door opened. Lucian and Jason stepped inside.
Relief washed over me instantly.
Good. Now I did not have to worry about my hair or the jewelry. It truly felt as though I carried my own personal vanity team wherever I went.
Kael gave me one last look before leaving us alone.
With quiet efficiency, the two of them began their work. Lucian adjusted the fall of my dress and selected the appropriate pieces of jewelry, while Jason focused on the finer details, ensuring everything was balanced and refined.
When they were finally done, Lucian gently turned me to face the mirror.
For a moment, I could hardly recognize the woman staring back at me.
Every day, I seemed to discover a new version of myself. Stronger. Softer. More radiant than the day before.
The silver gray lace shimmered elegantly against my skin. The jewelry added a subtle brilliance without overwhelming the grace of the dress. My hair framed my face perfectly, enhancing rather than distracting.
I looked... royal.
And then I heard Lucian murmur to Jason, almost under his breath.
"Should we just not take her to the event?"
I blinked. What?
"Why?" I asked sharply. "I got ready for nothing?"
Lucian’s jaw tightened slightly as he looked at my reflection.
"You look so beautiful that I am questioning my own restraint," he admitted bluntly. "If anyone stares too long, I might end up pulling out a few pairs of eyes and turning the entire celebration into a bloodbath."
I stared at him.
Damn this wolf.
"A while ago, all of you were insisting I claim my identity and existence," I said, folding my arms. "And now you want to hide me from the world. Does that even make sense?"
"She’s right," Jason said calmly. "Control your temper."
Lucian exhaled slowly, visibly steadying himself.
"Fine," he muttered. Then his gaze softened as it returned to me. "But you stay near us. At all times."
"I will," I replied.
I was not foolish enough to wander alone, not when I knew exactly how the world coveted a pureblood shewolf.
Along with Lucian and Jason, I went downstairs where the others were already waiting.
The moment I stepped into the hall, I felt it.
Their gazes.
All of them were staring at me as if I were something unreal. Even Raven kept looking at me with wide eyes, and in that innocent gaze I saw nothing but pride. His mommy was beautiful in his eyes, and that alone was enough to steady my heart.
"Gosh, Eira," Roman breathed as he crossed the distance between us the instant I reached the bottom of the stairs. "You cannot be this unfair."
"What did I do?" I asked, genuinely confused.
He leaned closer, his voice dropping low as he murmured near my ear, his warm breath brushing against my skin.
"When you look like this, it’s unfair that you’re going to present yourself to the entire world instead of letting me take you to my room. It’s been days since I fucked you."
Heat rushed to my face.
It truly took no time for these wolves to become wild and horny.
I glanced at the others, and the intensity in their eyes echoed Roman’s words without any of them speaking.
Even Rafe, who had claimed he would not touch me, looked strained. His jaw was tight, his gaze darker than usual. The vampire in him seemed dangerously close to snapping, every muscle in his body drawn taut with restraint.
A quiet satisfaction stirred inside me.
So the bloodsucker was not as unaffected as he pretended to be.
Fine.
Let him struggle.
I would wait. I would watch how long he could maintain his act of indifference. And when he finally broke, I would remind him exactly how many times he had tried to provoke me.
Was I becoming revengeful?
Perhaps.
But after everything I had endured in my life, I believed I had earned the right to enjoy holding a little power of my own over my powerful mates.
But for now, I have to think about what will I do among so many people. I hope everything goes well there and I won’t end up embarrassing my mates and my parents.
I hope there’s no trouble waiting for me.
