“Shall we proceed to the throne room?” King Henri suggested. “There’s much to discuss about the future of our realms.”
We followed him through one final set of double doors into a vast chamber that took my breath away. Twin thrones sat on a raised dais at the far end, gleaming with inlaid gold and silver. The ceiling soared overhead, painted with scenes of forest and sky so realistic I had to blink to convince myself they weren’t moving. Windows of stained-glass cast jewel-toned light across the marble floor, creating patterns that shifted with the sun’s movement. They also now held a story of us within them. I stood in the center with the three beast heads around me. A dark-haired prince beside me in the middle. My unicorn along the edge and even the raven. Roses were hanging around everything.
“It’s exactly as I remember it,” Queen Charlotte whispered, tears in her eyes as she gazed around the restored throne room. “Every detail, but that window is new.”
“It’s beautiful,” Laurent offered.
King Henri led his wife to the dais, where they both paused before the thrones, as if uncertain of their right to sit there after so long.
“Your Majesties,” I said, stepping forward. “The forest has welcomed thee home. These thrones are yours again.”
They exchanged a look, then slowly seated themselves, backs straight, heads high, reclaiming their birthright with dignified emotion.
I stood before them, my father on one side, my four mates flanking me like the cardinal points of a compass. A circle complete. A family forged through curse and sacrifice and impossible love.
“We have much to discuss,” King Henri began formally. “The reintegration of our realms. The search for our daughter. The future governance of the Enchanted Forest.”
“And other matters,” Queen Charlotte added, her gaze moving meaningfully between me and her sons. “Of a more personal nature.”
“I think the first thing is us turning the kingdom over to our sons,” King Henri stated.
“What?” Marcel asked.
His father smiled with a tiredness that couldn’t be described. “We’ve been protecting our people below for nearly twenty years, my son. I might be untouched by age, but I’ve lived my time as king.”
“But how would it work?” I asked.
King Henri gave me a look of pure adoration. “This is the Enchanted Realm, Lady Dubois. We are the keepers of not only the forest, but other magic that hides within our realm to avoid persecution. As you've learned about your mother's blessing on the fields behind us, hidden within a single acre to the naked eye. Our rules do not follow the standards of the kingdoms you know.”
I caught what he called me, planning to knight my father which gives me his title. It felt odd to be anything other than the inventor’s daughter, but it made me proud too.
The queen cleared her throat. “You will all rule, together. Five is an excellent number to govern when the decision is split, future queen.”
I felt the claiming mark pulse once, as if in anticipation. Alain took my hand and gave it a squeeze, hearing their words with me as the others readied themselves for their call to the throne.
Whatever came next, whatever challenges awaited us as leaders, I knew I wouldn’t face them alone. I had my father back. I had four men who loved me in their different ways. I had magic flowing through my veins and the blessing of a god.
For the first time in my life, I stood exactly where I was meant to be. And this time, I didn’t feel guilt for my beauty.
sixty-eight
Marcel
My fingers fumbled with the buttons of my shirt for what felt like the hundredth time. Decades as a beast had left me with memories of how to dress, but my newly human hands refused to cooperate with the simple task. Frustration bubbled in my chest as another button slipped through my fingers.
Beast or prince, I’d never been a man who tolerated incompetence, especially my own. I’d slid by earlier by wearing my royal jacket, but I needed to do my buttons up for dinner.The claiming mark on my shoulder pulsed with warmth. A constant reminder that I was no longer alone, no longer trapped. That she was here. That she was ours.
I glanced at the mirror across the room, still startled by the reflection that stared back. Not the massive, honey-furred beast I’d been for decades, but a man. Dark hair with golden highlights, a strong jaw, and eyes that remained amber despite the transformation. My body was human now—muscled, scarred, and naked apart from the half-buttoned shirt hanging open across my chest and the trousers I’d managed to pull on but not fasten.
This room. My room. The very one where Isabeau had slept during her first stay in our castle. I remembered watching her from the shadows, fascinated by her courage, her defiance. I’d gone mad with wanting her then. How many evenings had I paced outside this door, claws scoring the stone floor, fighting the urge to claim what instinct told me was mine?
She was ours, and I had claimed her while she stayed. Not as much as my brothers, but I had her first out in the forest when she arrived. I’ll never forget the need that came over me. It blinded me until I was done claiming her.
Now, she was marked and claimed by all three of us. And, unexpectedly, by Alain as well. The thought of sharing her still dug claws into my pride, but the claiming bond left no room for jealousy. We were connected now, all five of us, in ways that defied traditional understanding.
A soft giggle from the doorway pulled me from my thoughts. I turned to find Isabeau leaning against the frame, her eyes dancing with amusement as she watched my struggle.
“Having trouble, Your Highness?” she teased, the light in her eyes making my heart stutter in my chest. She wore a simple gown now, her torn and bloodied dress discarded somewhere. She was also freshly washed like us. The blue fabric huggedher curves in ways that made my newly restored human body respond with immediate interest.
