“Whose markings are those?”
A soft chuckle escaped from Zirene, and he pulled me closer as his tail ran up and down my leg.
It seems I am not the only one surprised by her keen observation.
“I didn’t think you were old enough to know about markings,” Kaede huffed. “But I won’t deny you the truth, for I proudly wear them. There is only one being who I will allow to bite my neck and live to tell about it. The fact that she has multiple times only proves my trust in her.” Throwing his long dark hair over his shoulder, he tilted his head to the side, exposing the trail of markings I left on him. “I’ve been claimed by your mother and have been officially added to her clan.”
“Is it true, Mother?” Meti asked, addressing me as she backed away to allow her brothers to see the screen. “Do we have a new clanfather?”
“Yes, I claimed him as my own.”
“Are the rest of our clanfathers well?” Meti surveyed the nestroom. “They told us Xylo and Odelm were injured protecting you, making them heroes to the throne. Aunt Masmi told us that we needed to be careful around all of our clanfathers when we return to Destima because it will take them a long time to heal.”
“This is true...”
“You won’t be able to mock battle with them for a while,” Zirene warned; the authoritative tone of his voice left no room for rebuttals. “We will find replacements, even if I have to do it myself, or recruit from the rookies in the academy.”
“Or you could just throw Zyxel at them,” Kaede scoffed. “I’m sure the three of them can easily take him.”
“We aren’t going to have my cubs fight him because you hold a grudge against him,” I growled, rolling my eyes. “You can work out your differences between yourselves.”
“If Kaede is our clanfather...” Neazzos began; the tone of his voice and glistening in his eyes didn’t hide his excitement. “Does that mean he can teach us how to be an assassin?”
“Yeah!” Nocrez exclaimed, grabbing his brother’s shoulder. “We can be the most feared twins in the galaxy!”
“If you are going to be secret agents, what am I going to be?” Meti crossed her arms, frowning. “I can be just as deadly as you both.”
“You are going to be the new Beacon after Mother,” Neazzos explained, pulling her close. “Just like Aunt Masmi has been telling us.”
“As your brothers, it’s our job to protect you,” Nocrez soothed, wrapping his arm around her back. “That’s why we need Clanfather Kaede to teach us.”
“But what if I don’t want to be a Beacon?” Meti frowned. “What if I want to be a member of the Fab Five?”
“You have time,” I stressed, shooting a concerned glance at my Shadow. “You haven’t even turned one year yet and have your whole future ahead of you. Let your father and me handle ruling the empire.”
“Your mother is correct,” Zirene agreed. “Wait until you graduate and need to decide what specialized academy you want to enroll in. At that time, you can determine the path the Stars have led out for you.”
“And until that has happened, I would appreciate my cubs to not be conditioned or told what their futures are going to be,” I stressed loud enough for Masmi and whoever else around them could hear my order. “My cubs will not have their adolescence robbed from them because those who surround them want to force them into early leadership roles. They may be the Sovereign's next of kin, but that doesn’t give you the right to tell them what they will become. Let my mate and me discuss it with our cubs when it’s the time being, not you.”
I didn’t miss how my daughter had visibly sighed in relief.
There hadn’t been a Beacon from the royal line since before the first Darcaw. While Meti was already showing signs of being the more mature and powerful one out of the three of them, claiming her as the empire’s next successor would create chaos. If Zirene and I didn’t prepare for it now by making changes to lead the empire to a brighter future, then we would’ve failed as both leaders and parents.
He wanted to end the divide and unite the two sexes, but I would refuse to sacrifice my only daughter to force it to happen. If she doesn’t want to rule the empire, I won’t pressure her, especially not after what Zirene had to go through. He had plans to lead the military as his brother Royak took the throne, but his sire had forced his hand in order to save me.
It was too early to try to discuss such a thing.
If none of my cubs wanted to rule, we would deal with it when the time came. Zirene had his two brothers and Masmi, who could still provide the next heir to the throne, so there wasn’t a reason to start worrying when they hadn't even started their primary academy.
“I am sorry, Beacon,” Masmi muttered as she reached around Nocrez and turned the vidscreen toward her. “We were overzealous about change and having our future amongst us. I didn’t mean to offend you, but I wanted to make sure your cubs understood what others thought of them and that they needed to protect each other.”
“I understandwhyyou did it,” I hedged, hoping I didn’t ruin the beginnings of a blossoming friendship with the only sister to my Shadow. “And I am thankful for everything you and your colony have done. It turned out to be a greater blessing than I had originally thought. I know having your brother Pavryn and the royal doctor, Vikvez, there may have created some disturbances amongst your all-female colony, but I needed….”
“Familiarity,” Masmi answered, nodding as she gave me a gentle smile. “I knew why you wanted them to go. You needed someone you knew and had been around your cubs to be with them. It’s a part of your motherly instincts, which was why I didn’t resist your request.” She glanced over her shoulder and shrugged. “I wouldn’t anyway. Pavryn is my littermate, and we get along; and Vikvez is basically family, especially since he was raised alongside us.” Facing us, she chuckled and gave us a wide toothy grin. “Having them both here has been a treat, but when will our new leaders grace us with their presence?”
“If it is okay with my cubs, we have some unfinished business here that needs to be taken care of…” Sighing, I bit my bottom lip as I searched the three pairs of familiar eyes focused on me. “We are hoping to leave here in a few days to make it in time before the Harvest Games begin.”
“Is there anything I need to worry about?” Concern laced her voice as she glanced between her brother and me, searching for answers.
