Kattlyn
I felt like I was marching to my death as Jakke and I headed to Father’s office. To say I was nervous was the understatement of the year.
“What a mess.”
I heard Jakke’s mumble but ignored it.
“Sydney’s mad at me. Father soon will be.” He sighed loudly.
I wanted to tell him to shut up. Instead I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Jakke to think only of himself and how Father will react. The only time he ever stood up to him was when Father upset Sydney. He’d do anything for her. Well, almost anything.
A light knock on the door, and Father’s booming words, “Enter.”
The door swung open and there he stood with his arms crossed, perched against his desk. A pissed look on his face.
“Kattlyn. I see you have decided to return home.”
I didn’t like his condescending tone but decided to keep quiet. He was the king.
“Nothing to say?”
For some reason, his patronizing voice didn’t bother me this time. Maybe Alan had changed me. Watching him face so much opposition with such strength had showed me a different way. Oh, I’d stood up to Father before, but this felt different.
An image of Risshi popped into my head, and I wondered if this was how he felt just before he left the castle to live on his own at the beach house.
Father rounded his desk, pulled out the chair, and eased into it. Rubbing his forehead, he said, “I asked you to stay away from him, to give me time to think.”
“Impossible—” Jakke started, but I thrust my hand in the air to stop him.
“Thank you, Jakke. But I have this.”
Casually, I took a seat and crossed my legs. With a level gaze, I said with confidence, “It is impossible to stay away, and until you know the feel of the true mate pull, you will never understand it.”
“You are right. I do not. I have read writings, of course, heard of rumors, and Jakke”—Jakke’s eyes darted up at the mention of his name— “was already mated when he returned. As were the others.”
All but Risshi, who never stayed around for long. I was starting to really understand why.
Holding Father’s heavy gaze, I stated the obvious. “I am not mating Jussin.”
He huffed out a quick breath, leaned back, and crossed his arms. “You know I hate to admit when I’m wrong.”
What an understatement. “I know.”
“I will say, you handled this very poorly. You should never just run away. You’re too old for that.”
Many things surfaced with his remark. I did talk to you. If you had been a little more reasonable, Father, and less of a tyrant . . . the list went on and on. Thankfully I held my tongue. He was giving in and that was all that mattered.
“So you will tell Jussin the mating ceremony is off?”
“I will. He will not be happy, but—”
“You are the king.”
“That I am.”
And just like that, the weight lifted from my shoulders. We talked a little longer until I finally stood. “Thank you, Father.” And then I headed out. I couldn’t believe it went so well. He was so much more amenable than I’d expected.
Jakke stayed behind, and when the door was almost closed, I heard them speak. Like a youngling, I pressed my ear to the door and hoped no one would catch me eavesdropping.
“Takkeo said he killed Lottia.” I heard the awe in Father’s voice.
“He told me that also. What was Kattlyn doing that far out?”
“I do not know. When Takkeo came to see me, he only said that the Human had taken on three of them and came out the victor.”
“Surprising.”
“It is. Maybe we have misjudged their species.”
When I heard the respect in Father’s voice, and Jakke’s, an overwhelming feeling of pride blossomed inside. No doubt Alan’s actions, his willingness to defend me, was the real reason Father gave in so quickly. I also knew that Takkeo had a lot to do with it.
“What are you doing?”
I jumped in surprise. When I spun around, Dazz stood with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. “Nothing,” I said sheepishly.
Dazz just laughed. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be? Besides here?”
A little embarrassed, I straightened up. “I do. See you later.”
~~~~
Alan was sitting with Sydney and Chloe. He was so handsome with his messy hair and scruffy face. It still felt like a dream, one I never thought would come true. He laughed at something Sydney said, and my heart fluttered.
His eyes caught mine, the smile faded, and he jumped to his feet. I met him halfway and wrapped my arms around his waist.
“How did it go?”
“Surprising well. Father is calling off the ceremony.”
“Thank God. I would’ve hated to have to kill Jussin.”
The sincerity in his voice made me laugh. “Well, now you don’t have to kill anyone.”
Hand in hand, he led me over to where Sydney sat on the bench. When he sat down, he tugged me down between his legs, leaning my back against his chest. His arms circled my body and it felt so wonderful to be this close to him, touching him in front of everyone. This is how it was supposed to be in the beginning.
When Krista joined us, Sydney glanced around. “I think we need to make this area bigger. Add more benches.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Krista agreed as she lowered herself onto the bench next to Sydney. Krista stared at us oddly and then smiled. “You two look so good together.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I missed it.”
Alan leaned forward and kissed my temple.
Krista still studied us. “It all makes sense now. Why you wouldn’t talk to me very much. I wondered.” Krista shook her head in amusement. “I thought you just needed time, or maybe you were mad at me. But now I can see you were just preoccupied.” She laughed.
“Sorry, sis.”
“No, it’s okay. I totally get it.” She still had a stunned look on her face. “So what now?”
Alan tightened his grip. “If it’s okay with Kattlyn, I’m going to stay with her. No offense, but you and Kollin are too close. It’s like living with Mom and Dad.”
Everyone chuckled and Krista nodded. “I agree. I love you but . . .” She shrugged. “I like my privacy too.”
I listened to everyone as they talked and laughed. They didn’t feel like aliens to me anymore, but family. All of them. My family.
After about a standard hour, my stomach growled. Alan must have heard.
“Let’s go get something to eat.”
I twisted to look him in the eyes and nodded.
“Yeah, I’m hungry too.”
“Me too.”
Looked like we were all heading to the dining hall.
When we filed in, Jakke smiled at Sydney, and Father’s eyes briefly locked on my and Alan’s entwined fingers. After a few seconds, he looked away and started talking with the others.
I smiled. No more hiding.