𝙪𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙. 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙮𝙖𝙢

Epilogue

"You are overthinking this Ma Neteyam." Ny'reiya shook her head as she let the water flow around legs. She leaned back as she sat on the dock, placing her hand on her growing belly. 

She didn't think she would be a mother at this age, though she was excited. She couldn't wait for her eyes to meet the ones of her baby, a crossbreed between a Metkayina and a Omatikaya. Both clans had such beautiful features and she couldn't wait to see them on her newborn. 

"You make me nervous." Neteyam walked up to her. "I don't want you to fall and have something happen to you and our baby." 

She glanced down at her stomach, her lips curled into a smile. "I told you that everything is fine, you just need to calm down my love." 

Neteyam took a seat beside her and placed his arm around her shoulder. Ny'reiya leaned her head against his shoulder and took a deep breath in. She closed her eyes and let time pass as she sat there in peace with her mate by her side. 

It was one of the many things Reí and Neteyam did whenever they were alone. They sat in silence, their tails intertwined as they watched the Metkayina people fish or ride their Ilu's. Occasionally the two would spot Neteyam's siblings playing in the water. 

Ever since the gunshot Reí took to the chest, Neteyam never left her side. Out of fear that something would occur to her health, Neteyam never kept her out of his sight. Ny'reiya took note of this and began asking Neteyam to help her with things around the village, knowing that him being by her side would keep him at ease. 

He moved in with her shortly after and kept a close eye on her, before finding out that she became pregnant. 

Now he was always within at least ten feet apart from her. 

To think that over two years ago, she would be promised to a warrior from her own clan. Only to turn him down as he proclaimed his love for her and pushed her to mate with him. The warrior was chosen by none other than her parents. She was about to become the Tsahìk of her clan after she said yes to the warrior chosen for her, yet she turned everything down for a warrior of the Omatikaya clan. 

She didn't have any regrets for her choice. If she knew she would get knocked up a year after she met the son of Toruk Makto, she probably would have taken things more slowly with him. She loved Neteyam and how things progressed between them, he understood her. He always knew the right things to say at the right time. She was sure Neteyam was popular among the girls of the Omatikaya clan. Still, he chose her. 

"If the baby is a girl, what name would you want to give her?" Reí opened her eyes to meet the gaze of Neteyam's. 

He pressed his lips together as he thought of an answer. "What about Zuleika." 

She smiled and nodded. "It's perfect, I love it."

"And if our baby is a boy?" Neteyam asked. 

"I like the sound of Ikalu." Reí answered. 

"I love it." Neteyam smiled and placed his hand on her stomach, feeling a kick as his skin made contact with hers. "Either way I will love him or her unconditionally." 

16/3/23 - I was originally going to make the ending as if she was actually a human just shifting and making her dream world with Neteyam but I decided to scrap the idea. 

19/4/23 - If you're interested, I have another book that I am currently working on called possibilities. It's a Neteyam x Omatikaya reader.