bChapter /b173

    I stopped a little way from the open doors when Macey held up her hand, her eyes gleaming with mischief. Elliot mouthed, “Call them out.”

    I raised a brow, but shrugged my shoulders. It’s a harmless joke, so I’ll y along.

    “Brothers,” I called into the chamber, letting my voice carry, “I’m here. Where are youi?/ii” /i

    The conversations inside halted instantly. Chairs scraped back against marble, and I heard the heavy

    footfalls of my brothers crossing the floor toward the doorway.

    I braced for them to appear.

    “BOO!” the kids shrieked as theyunched themselves into the open, their little voices echoing off the stone walls. But Elliot didn’t stop there. A deafening crack of thunder split the air, rolling through the vaulted ceiling like cannon fire. Lightning zed bright enough to turn the whole room white for a heartbeat. Then came the fire…hellfire, coiling up from the marble in a jagged ring around the rooms, mes licking high like teeth. The chandeliers above ttered against their chains, and the very floor seemed to shiver. The great Alpha Kings screamed. Mchi shouted so loud it shook dust loose from the beams, stumbling back so fast hended half sprawled across the floor. Julius let out a curse and darted sideways, pressing himself t to the door like a soldier under fire. Arztec yelped, his cup ttering across the floor as he kicked frantically at the mes curling around his boots.

    The kids were howling withughter, Macey practically rolling against Elias, while Elliot stood proud in the centre of the chaos, smug as sin, a wicked little grin stered on his face. I pped a hand over my mouth, shoulders shaking with the effort to hold in myugh. Three of the most feared men in existence had just been reduced to frightened pups by three children. The fire sputtered and went out. The thunder faded. The chamber settled back into silence. And Elliot, as cool as anything, smirked and said, “Gotcha.”

    Mchi’s face was still crimson. Julius peeked out warily from his corner, glowering. Arztec pointed an using finger at my boy, chest still heaving.

    “That child,” he said hoarsely, “is a menace.”

    The children copsed into another fit of giggles, while my brothers tried and failed to recover their dignity.

    Theughter was still echoing when the great doors at the end of the hall creaked open. The sound

    49

    alone was enough to silence even the kids‘ giggles. Every head turned as our mother swept into view, regal as ever, her silver–streaked hair pinned back, her crown glinting in the torchlight. She moved with the kind of grace that made even Mchi and Julius straighten their spines like guilty schoolboys. Her eyes swept the chamber, sharp and knowing, before softening as theynded on me, and then on the three small shapes at my side.

    “Is that my grandbaby I hear?” she asked, her voice warm velvet, carrying easily across the marble.

    “Grandbabies,” Elliot corrected quickly, puffing up with pride. He tugged Elias and Macey forward. “This is my brother Elias, and you already know Macey.”

    Mum’s regalposure cracked into the softest smile. “Of course,” she said, as if she’d been waiting her whole life to meet them. She bent low, pressing kisses to each child’s hair in turn, cupping their cheeks with hands that had held kingdoms and battles yet somehow were still the gentlest touch. “Wee, my little ones.”

    Elias‘ eyes went wide, utterly starstruck, while Macey stood tall, soaking in the affection like sunlight. Elliot looked smug enough to burst.

    Meanwhile, Arztec was still bristling, his hair a little singed from the earlier mes. He threw his arms out, incredulous. “Did you not see what they just did to us?! Thunder! Fire! I swear my life shed before my eyes!”

    Mum barely spared him a nce, still fussing over Elias‘ curls. “Oh, hush,” she said serenely. “They’re children. And besides….” her eyes flicked, twinkling, to Elliot “they’re mine.”

    Mchi groaned, Julius pinched the bridge of his nose, and Arztec muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, “I knew I should’ve stayed in bed.”

    But the children beamed, basking in their grandmother’s pride, and I couldn’t help butugh softly. For all the chaos, for all the fear, this, right here, was what family felt like.

    Mum straightened, brushing her palms down the front of her gown as if the touch of her grandchildren had left her glowing. She reached for their hands. “Come, darlings. Let’s go into the lounge; it’s far morefortable there.” Her eyes flicked to Mchi, one brow arched in a way that made even an Alpha King obey without hesitation. “And you, fetch some snacks for them. Something sweet.”

    Mchi grumbled under his breath but turned on his heel anyway, muttering something about being reduced to kitchen duty. The kids exchanged grins, already victorious. Mum’s hand found mine then, warm and steady, and before I could prepare for it, she pulled me close. The embrace was firm,

    grounding, the kind that pressed straight through the armour I’d been holding up since the

    battlefield. She leaned back just enough to ce her hands on my stomach, her touch reverent, her eyes searching my face.

    “How are you, my darling?” she asked quietly. Not as a queen. Not as the mother of Alpha Kings.

    Just… my mum.

    The question nearly undid me. For a moment, all I could do was hold her gaze, feeling her thumbs rub gentle circles over the curve of my belly, and let the tears burn hot at the back of my throat.

    I swallowed hard, blinking back the sting in my eyes. “Tired,” I admitted, voice quiet. “But grateful. We made it through. And Mum…” I fumbled in the pocket of my coat, pulling out the neat stack of glossy ck–and–white sheets. “There’s something you should see.”

    Her hands slipped from my belly as I passed them over. She unfolded the stack carefully, as if it were spun ss, and when her eyesnded on the first image, her lips parted.

    “Is this…?” Her voice caught. She traced a trembling finger over the outline.

    I nodded, smiling through the ache in my chest. “That’s your grandbaby.”

    She turned to the second picture. Then the third. Her hand flew to her mouth, a sharp gasp breaking free. “Four?!” Her head snapped up, eyes wide as moons, scanning my face for confirmation.

    I couldn’t help theugh that burst out, shaky and disbelieving all over again. “Four,” I said, nodding. “Three boys. And a girl.”

    The papers fluttered in her grip as she stared, then pressed them t against her chest. “Oh, my stars,” she whispered, eyes wet. “Four little blessings.”

    Behind us, Julius groaned, “Four more little terrors, you mean.”

    But Mum only clutched me tighter, her voice trembling. “You’ve given us life, Envy. After everything that’s been taken… you’ve given us this.”