Chrysalis (Book 1.5 in the Wolfen Brethren Series)

VANYA

Epilogue
23 years old
Januar

I don't remember how I made my way back to my room. My sight had been blurry as I had staggered from the tent leaving a solemn and grieving Carson behind. I had destroyed his dreams last night but I couldn't regret it, even if I wanted to.

We had come to a conclusion that nothing would come of us and any lingering negative emotions I had left had been put tonnes. I had said it all, he knew how I felt about him and he knew how his actions had affected me.

There would be no more delusions any longer. Me and Carson could not be and with the finality of that came the end of a chapter.

My eyes burned as I strolled down the corridor, rubbing at them as I made my way to the main hall for breakfast. Everyone was already seated when I entered, seated and fully dressed in appropriate clothes but not me.

I had thrown on anything in my haste to get here and from the looks I was receiving by the whole family I knew I looked crazy.

Lara motioned towards my top as discretely as possible and when I looked down I noted that a button was undone. I quickly did it up before pulling my jumper tighter across my body.

It was a bit nippy this morning. Winta was coming to an end but it was still unbearably cold in the mornings.

"So Vanya, how are you this morning" shouted Khan from all the way across the extended table.

The whole family was here. Lara, Ferron and their brood, Khan's sisters Norah and Ariah were also here with their children and mates, two males I hardly knew or met but seemed nice enough. Alpha Nathaniel and his mate Vanessa were also here alongside Ryan but Carson and Manal were missing. It didn't surprise me much, Carson was probably still recovering from yesterday and Manal was likely back at Nathaniel's compound with Kai and Nobel.

"I'm alive and breathing" I grumbled earning hearty chuckles from everyone, the younger children laughing a bit louder as they overcompensated because they didn't get the joke.

"Well I'm going to need you to be more lively than that because I have a wedding gift for you"

My brow hit my hairline because I was pretty sure he had the whole wedding gift scenario messed up.

"Don't hog all the glory Khan. It's not a wedding gift but a thank you gift from all of us." Replied Neema, squeezing his shoulder roughly.

"We know how much you enjoy healing so we have given you some land to build a school or hospital. I know that's something you have wanted to do," murmured Vanessa her grey eyes so loving and thankful.

"You can't mean," my hand clenched my jumper as I stared at every face at this table. Their eyes alight with joy as I squealed and laughed, jumping out of my seat and bouncing up and down like a mad woman. I dashed to the head of the table hugged Neema and Khan before making my way around the table and hugging everyone who had participated in this surprise. This lovely gift that would just keep on giving.

"We just wanted you to know that we believe in you Vanya, you are our butterfly and you are made for so much good" grinned Khan, smiling up at me.

"We are proud" murmured Ryan his eyes damp with joy.

At his tears I knew something wasn't quite right, he wouldn't just cry over something like this. They all seemed quite emotional this morning and as much as I was grateful it just didn't make much sense.

"What's going on" I questioned quizzically as eyes met across the table, conveying secrets that they couldn't quite share. Khan gnawed on his lip as he looked to Neema but she only glared at him, saying nothing at all. They all said nothing.

Vanessa looked down at her lap as if she feared she would blurt it all and Nathaniel rubbed at her shoulder in reassurance. Ryan played deaf, dumb and blind and the kids were no help.

And so I stood there feeling weird and nervous, their energy was charged with joy, relief, anger radiated off of Neema and guilt rolled off of Khan. No one could meet my stare, no one but Neema. She had this manic glint in her eyes as if she had planned something devious and was waiting for it to splatter into my lap.

The clapping of the doors took my attention away from assessing their emotions, my body spinning as I braced myself for Carson's thunderous approach.

I could feel him.

My knees smacked to the floor as overwhelming emotions rocked over me.

Breath caught in my throat as tears rolled out of my eyes.

"Mama" squealed Kai, his little legs pumping as he jumped into my arms, his heart thudding erratically in his chest.

But it was a healthy thud.

Not the previous, thump, thud, thud, thump of his heart but a steady thudding beating of a heart well worked because a child had been running. His skin was a beautiful golden caramel, that deathly yellow leaving his skin a little while ago.

"I've missed you soo much" I cried. It had been a few weeks since I had seen him last and it felt like a lifetime. A lifetime without him.

"I missed you too but my cousins helpded me feel better," he smiled his adorable dimpled smile, grey eyes full of so much life.

"You've already met your cousins," I looked over my shoulder at my family to see Neema grinning mischievously at me. Ryan was smirking heavily, mocking me for not knowing.

"Yeah but aunty said I couldn't tell you cos it was a surprise. Oh, I just said it" his small hands covering his mouth as he looked at me in shock.

"It's okay Kai, Vanya can know now" called Carson, my head tilted up and caught sight of his red rimmed eyes.

"I wanted to surprise you, we knew he had recovered enough to come for a week now but-"

"But I made him promise not to say a thing and since he owed me for not telling me about this beautiful bundle of joy, he didn't say anything" Neema's eyes glinted that scary amber colour they often did when she had a lot more to say.

She would be ripping me a new one soon but not when so many young ears were around and it at this joyous moment.

"Now why don't we all sit down and eat like one family, the food should be coming out soon" she flounced back to her seat and fell in. Leaning back into the chair as Khan whispered something in her ear, it looked like an apology but I could be wrong. The poor male would be apologising for quite some time.

Rising to my feet I dusted myself off and then picked Kai up, his legs wrapped tightly around me as he chatted in my ear.

Manal sashayed across the room an extra roll in her hip as she strolled by Ryan before sitting down near him. He stared deeply at her, trying to pamper her with his touch and his words but Manal was a female of little words. I could see that even in the years they had know of each other they had yet to blend seamlessly in the way that mates did.

She was perhaps still resistant.

That thought was confirmed as she stabbed heavily into a piece of chicken with her ever present silver blade, all the while grinning at him. His throat bobbed in fear but then he relaxed when she put it down and lightly patted his hand.

Poor male.

I sat down in my seat, Carson on my left, Kai in my lap and Jana on my right. A wide grin spread over her lips as she lightly tickled Kai.

His soft laughter filling my ears as I looked on at my family seated around the table.

Kai's heart thudding lightly beneath my left hand as I picked at food with my right. Me and Carson taking turns to feed Kai as he rattled off story after story between mouthfuls.

Eyes enraptured by him as he caught everyone up in his web and weaved us with his love.