The Delta's Daughter Chapter 41

LAMIA

I slipped on my black spaghetti-strapped dress, decorated with red vine flowers and a pair of black short heals. The king had wanted us to dress semi-formally, for a family dinner. I had just finished putting on mascara when Zane came up behind me wrapping his arms around my waist, holding me flush against his chest.

He was looking dashing in a pair of black jeans and light blue button-up, the color of the shirt making his eyes look even paler and his piercing giving him an edgy look. Moving my hair to the side, he planted a kiss on my mark, a small moan escaping my lips as I felt the pleasure of sparks ignite through my neck and down my arms.

“You look gorgeous doll, as always.” He murmured into my neck, planting small kisses up and down. I bit my bottom lip and smiled at him through the mirror, “those are my lips to bite” he growled and spun me around to face him, his lips finding mine and nibbling on them.

I reached up and snaked my arms around his neck, pulling away slightly as his pale blue orbs held my emerald greens, the lust in his eyes was unmistakable. “If you don’t stop now we will never make it to dinner.”

“Fuck it; I can have you for dinner.” He smirked before closing the distance and capturing my lips again. Our mouths moved in sync as the kiss became hungry and needy, our breathing became heavy and I could feel the buildup of an ache between my legs. “Fuck, I don’t want to go to dinner now,” he groaned as he pressed himself against me, letting me feel what he had in mind instead.

I threw my head back and laughed, pushing him off me. “Down boy.” I said, pointing at his large erection through his jeans.

A look of hurt flashed in his eyes at my rejection. I sighed, stepping forward and planting a kiss on his cheek “There will be time for playing after dinner. I promise.” That seemed to brighten him up.

“I have a present for you,” bringing out a small square box from his back pocket and holding it out for me. I was a little nervous, I have to say, I didn’t think he would present a ring to me this fast. “It's not a ring.” He quipped, as if reading my mind. “If it was, I would be down on my knees.”

“Oh, OK.” I chuckled and hurriedly opened the box. “Oh wow, they are beautiful Zane! Let me put them in.” They were the most gorgeous pair of emerald and diamond stud earrings I had ever seen. The emeralds bright, matching the color of my eyes.

“They suit you.” He smirked “You already have a necklace from Mike that I know you cherish and Kellen gave you the bracelet. I wanted to give you something that was special too.”

Smiling brightly, I turned after putting them in, “They are perfect, you will definitely get a reward for this later on.” I winked and headed for the front door, with Zane chasing after me and playfully growling all the way up to the 5th floor of the royal suite.

We all gathered around the large dining table with the people I call family, King Alex and Queen Sarah, Uncle Michael and Aunt Olivia, Kellen, Mike, Hunji, Tawny, Tyron, me and Zane. The only people who were absent were my parents, a feeling of melancholy seeping through my emotions that they were absent. I felt Zane squeeze my thigh under the table and Kellen’s sympathetic look from across the table. I gave a weak smile to them both.

Aunt Sarah had hired omegas to cater for the dinner and serve drinks for us. The food was delicious; roast beef served with carrots, green beans and garlic roasted potatoes. Conversation was light and polite around the table. The servers came and cleared up our dinner dishes, replacing them with big slices of tuxedo cake.

In the middle of the desert, Uncle Alex stood up and clinked his glass, gaining everyone’s attention.

“I would like to make a toast to Lamia and Alpha Zane. I want to congratulate you on finding each other and wish you both the best for the future. Zane, welcome to the family.” A small round of applause went around the table and I blushed at being the centre of attention and snuggled into Zane’s side when he pulled me closer. “I would also like to give thanks to the moon goddess for the recovery of our brother Marcus. Who wishes he could be here tonight.” We all took a drink and held our glasses up.

Uncle Alex then turned to me, his ocean blue eyes, the same as Kellen’s, were glassed over with unshed tears and his lips in a thin line as he addressed me.

“Lamia, you will be truly missed. You are important to us and loved as a daughter. No words can describe how much you mean to all of us, not just me and Aunt Sarah. The palace will seem empty again without you running around creating trouble –“ I felt the love pouring from his words and my eyes burned with tears “- I think I speak for everyone when I say you hold a piece of everyone’s heart.” He choked his last sentence and turned his back to the table pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a depth breath.

I looked at Kellen; I had never seen Uncle Alex this emotional. Kellen just shrugged his shoulders but had the same look of loss and sadness in his eyes. I got up and made my way around the table to Uncle Alex and wrapped my arms around his waist.

“I love you too, Uncle Alex.” And let a tear slip out, rolling down my cheek and getting lost in the fabric of his shirt.

His huge arms enveloped me around the shoulders as he hugged me back tight. “You be safe baby girl, you be safe.” He cooed in my ear rocking me side to side as if he was afraid to let go.

A clearing of the throat broke us apart, and Uncle Michael was standing there with a large box in his hands. “He’s right trouble; Alex isn’t the only one who is going to miss you. As you missed your birthday, we wanted to give you our gifts now.” For an older guy, old enough to be my dad, Uncle Michael was dashingly good looking, just like his son, and his award-winning smile eased the tension and bleakness I was formally feeling.

Now I had a bright smile as I took the box from him and glanced at Aunt Olivia, who gave me an encouraging nod. Ripping the paper off and opening the box, I found a pair of leather pants and a matching leather corset. I loved the outfit but was a little puzzled at why they would gift me clothes. The puzzlement must have shown on my face as Aunt Olivia giggled.

“Oh dear, they are not what they seem,” I tilted my head to her, waiting for her to go on “They are made from a very rare and special magnetic material. See when you shift, the seams will separate like so and the material will retract and fold.” She held up the corset vest and demonstrated how it would retract and fold against the magnetic band “…and the same with the pants.”

“That’s freaking’ cool!” I all but yelled. “I have my own super hero costume. Seriously, Kellen, did you see this?” I was super excited. “ OK, but what are these loops on the back for?”

“That would be to hold my gift.” Hunji stood and walked to the back of the room where he picked up a long antique-looking wooden box, holding it out towards me with two hands and bowing.

I unlatched the brass hooks that held it closed. I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands and looked up at Hunji, a twinkle in his dark eyes and lips curled up into a full smile; he nodded “For you my queen.”

I ignored him calling me his queen as I marveled at what was inside the box.

“Hunji… I don’t know what to say.” I gulped. Tears were brimming, again, as my hand ran over the cool steel. There, in the box, laid a pair of Roman short swords, the Damascus steel folded to perfection and the pattern twisting on the steel like it was infused with magic, the double edges sharp and gleaming. Both blades held engraved inscriptions on each side, in a language I could not read.

I picked one up. The handle is a polished wood entwined with twisted steel like branches of a willow tree, all sanded down to a smooth round hold, the groves slight and fluid. The branches extended towards the pummel and capped off with a molded wolf's head. They were beautiful, a true work of art. The weight was perfect and balanced and the blade was straight. The craftsmanship was impeccable. I gazed at their beauty until I found my voice and even then it came out breathy

“What does it say?” I asked, twirling it in my hand.

“The pair were forged by an Asiarian priest long ago, who believed Inanna would rise again. Some would say he was an old world high priest of a coven and he poured his last ounce of magic into them. When the priest passed, the blades were held in a temple and until not long ago they fell into my possession,

Roughly translated, it reads:

We call to Inanna, Queen of heaven and earth,

Daughter of the moon we greet you as our queen,

Our guide and our mother

Bless this land and hear our prayers

We call to Inanna, Queen of heaven and earth,

Daughter of the moon,

Guide us in our journey

Show us the way

Help us face the darkness

Of our own transformation

At your battle cry, the foreign land bow.

I now present them to their rightful owner. You.”

The room was silent as Hunji knelt before me. I felt Zane’s arms slip around me, grateful for his embrace as my legs felt like jello. The significance of the gift was overwhelming me. My hands shook as I laid the sword back in the box. Tears still threatening to escape as I looked at Hunji who had now stood up.

“Hunji… Thank you… I truly do not know what to say.” I rasped with a shaky voice.

“Well shit, now I don’t even want to give you my gift after that.” Tawny huffed, I choked out a laugh and turned to her. She handed me a box. “After his gift, all ours are crap.” She pouted and fiend hurt.

I tore the gold paper off and found a new iPod and a pair of wireless headphones. “Tawny, are you kidding me, this is an awesome gift!”

“Yah well it’s already downloaded with some of your favorite songs and bands.” She waved her hand like it was no big deal. I knew this had cost her a small fortune. I also knew she didn’t have the money.

I broke away from Zane’s hold and embraced my little were-kitty friend, squeezing her tiny little frame. “Thank you, it’s honestly the best gift, most useful.” I whispered in her ear.

“OK – choking me, get off you lump,” she joked, trying to push me away so I crushed her more. “Seriously… can’t… breathe…”

Wow. I truly felt the love in the room, a sudden pelt of sadness washed over me as I looked around the room. I may not be going across the other side of the world, Zane’s pack was only a 6 hour drive away, but I would truly miss my family. It was going to be weird not having the boys around. No more late night snacks, no more midnight runs to the swimming hole. No more movie nights on the couch, the three of us fighting over popcorn, or fighting with it.

*Doll, you are not moving to the moon, you will still see them, and talk to them* Zane’s calm voice came through my head. Now that we were mated and marked, I forgot he could sense my feelings and mind link me.

We managed to finish dessert and the guys were sitting in lounge chairs drinking and talking shop, the ladies were still around the table talking about shopping, hair, makeup, you know girly stuff. I excused myself and headed out to the balcony that overlooked the royal gardens.

The night was warm, the sky full of stars, winking at us like thousands of fairy lights. I bent over and leant my elbows on the stone railing, clutching my chin in one palm. Taking in the serenity of the evening, I could hear a small animal scurrying deep in the forest, the light breeze that kissed the tops of the trees. Taking in a deep breath and inhaling the surrounding scents of what I called home.

Although it was no longer my home. Not after tonight. Zane was my home, where ever he was, was where I would be. Where ever we were, that was our home, as long as we were together. I felt at peace with that thought, though I had felt like that with Mike and Kellen. This was different though. It’s true that your mate is your other half, making you both whole, bringing balance to each other. I had never felt as complete as I do when I’m with him.

“Hey beautiful, how’s it going?” I didn’t even turn to Mike when he came up beside me and mirrored my stance. A calm silence between us for a few moments, as we both stared out into the dark forest, the moon and stars the only light casting down, revealing the outline of foothills in the background. “It’s kinda of surreal huh... I’m really going to miss you Lamia.” He sighed.

I stood up and turned towards him. My heart ached as the light caught his eyes filled with unshed tears and a longing. I went to say something but was cut off before I could even begin.

“I know this isn’t going to be goodbye, it will never be goodbye… but Lam’s, I thought it would be the three of us. Together. Forever. I know now you have your own path to walk but it still hurts.” He scratched the back of his neck, refusing to meet my eyes.

“Out of all the possibilities life could have thrown at us, this was not one I would have expected. I love you Lamia.”

“Oh Mike, I love you too.” I flung myself into his arms, his warm embrace comforting me as we both shed tears, his wet droplets falling onto the top of my head where he kissed them away.

“He better take care of you, or you kick his ass. Do you hear me?” he murmured, pressing his lips into my hair. I’m sure it was a mess by now. 

“She will be treated like the queen she is.” I jumped back at Zane’s baritone voice, his icy glare casting daggers at Mike. Reaching for my elbow, he pulled me from Mike into his own embrace, his warmth and tingles danced from his skin to mine ignited my arousal, he bent his head and placed a soft kiss on my mark, causing an involuntary moan to escape me. I could feel the jealousy radiating off him.

“I will see you both in the morning.” Mike nodded, giving me a half-hearted smile, the look of hurt clouding his deep hazel eyes. He then turned and left.

We stayed on the balcony for a few minutes letting my possessive Alpha hold me until he led me back inside to say goodnight to everyone. He was on a promise and I was sure he was ready to collect.