Page 78 of Owned By Four Alphas

Kaelen rolled his eyes. “Fucking heavy, you are. I managed to get him clear before the big rocks started falling, but the entrance was blocked, so all we could do was cling to the side and pray.”

“And then, our prayers were answered,” said Ronan, his yellow eyes flicking to Selena. “Was that you, little dove?”

She blushed, leaning back into Elian, not able or willing to take her eyes from Ronan or Kaelen, “It turns out I was trying to control magic all this time that wasn’t mine to control.” She looked down at their daughter, a smile playing on her lips. The baby gurgled, little face scrunching up. “She has the Forest God’s magic now. She is the Forest God, I think.”

Ronan and Kaelen’s eyes met, before turning down to their daughter.

“She’s a bit small for a goddess, don’t you think?” Ronan said, his face splitting into a smile, letting her grasp a thick finger in her tiny hands.

“She’s perfect,” said Kaelen, his voice suddenly ferocious and protective, his amber eyes glinting as he looked down at the baby.

“God help the male who flirts with her,” muttered Elian, and Selena elbowed him.

“So what now?” asked Malek, glancing back at the ruined volcano.

“My soldiers should be stationed nearby, they can bring us provisions and send word out,” said Kaelen, “Selena. Where would you like to go?”

Selena practically blossomed, her blush spreading to her ears, “You’re letting me choose?”

“Of course,” said Kaelen. “After all, you’re queen. That is, if you still want to be queen.”

She looked down at the baby, tracing the tip of her tiny nose, “Maybe. But only until she’s old enough to claim her birthright. And I want you to be king. All of you to be kings. I want to do this together.”

“Aye, sweetness, I’ll don a crown for you,” said Ronan with a grin.

“I’m already a king,” said Malek.

Elian sighed dramatically, “IsupposeI could deign to wear a crown. It will be anawfullot of effort, but for you, little dove, I’ll do it.”

“Please, I’m amazed you didn’t crown yourself when your father died. The celebration certainly felt more like a coronation,” said Selena with a snort.

“You wound me, little dove.”

“Your palace is closest, right Kaelen?” she said, stroking her baby’s head, “Maybe we should go there first and regroup for a while. But then I want to go back to the Marble Halls. Caeda will want to meet her niece!”

“Very well,” said Kaelen.

“But then I want to build somewhere new! Somewhere in the heart of the Realm. A home for all of us, close to all your territories.”

Ronan raised an eyebrow, considering, “We could develop near the temple of the Forest God?”

“Perfect,” she said with a grin. But then it faltered slightly, and she looked back at the volcano.

“Theldir, is he…”

“He must be,” said Ronan. “We watched him be buried under a whole volcano of stone. Nothing could have survived that.”

Selena chewed her lips, holding their daughter closer. “Gods don’t die…” she said, trailing off slightly. With a shake of her head, she offered a small smile. “No, you’re right. Nothing could survive that.”

Elian caught the edge in her voice but didn’t comment. A conversation for another time, perhaps. As Kaelen stepped back to shift into a dragon, wincing at his wounds, Ronan stopped him.

“Wait, there’s still one thing we need to do.”

“What?” asked Kaelen, and Ronan smiled down at their daughter.

“What should we name her?”

“Eveya,” replied Selena, with no hesitation and a small, secretive smile. “Her name is Eveya.”

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