Page 61 of The Alien Noble's Little Human

“Your word means nothing here, need I remind you?” I hiss.

“Enough of this!” barks Kantha. “I’m staying until I see to it that you’re better.”

“No, I want you to leave and never come back!” Hanai is firm. She then looks up at me for support, which I gladly provide.

“You heard her. Now get out of here and take your mate with you.”

“Son of a…” groans Zephyron. He then grabs Kantha’s arm, holding firmly onto it when she tries once more to pull away. “We need to get out of here before there’s any more trouble.”

“You should listen to your fated mate,” remarks Zaya, wearing a smile so confident that it makes heat roll up my spine. Kantha growls at my woman, clenching her fists just as guards – ours, from Mountain Kingdom, not her imposters from Cloud Kingdom – step forward.

“Come with us. You need to leave the premises,” they say.

“No,” hisses Kantha. She then spins around on her heels, marching forward to face the Thane, who has been spectating this whole time from a distance. He sits there stroking his chin in a manner of deep thought, reflection deeply written across the wrinkles of his brows.

“Surely none of this is serious, Your Highness?”

The Thane leans forward in his seat, a light behind him casting a looming shadow over the floor. It engulfs Kantha in its darkness, and for a moment, she seems to cower in the Thane’s grace.

“Kantha, you no longer bear the title of Princess here in the Mountain Kingdom. You revoked all of your titles when you dissolved your union with my heir the Prince. His wishes and those of Princess Hanai prevail.”

“But…”

“Kantha, for years, I’ve held my tongue. But you’re a disgrace to our Kingdom. You chose to surrender your position, but you should consider yourself an exile. It’s not that you left. It’s that you abandoned everything without a second glance. Don’t think that because of my age, you can pull a blindfold over my eyes.”

“Thane Odar, I…”

“I reject your appeal. Now leave at once!”

Hanai squeezes my hand as guards seize Kantha by the arms. She rips them away.

“Hands off me! I can escort myself out of here, thank you! Come on, Zephyron, let’s return to the Cloud Kingdom.”

As she drags her mate out, I motion for Hanai and Zaya to follow behind me.

“Let’s go bid them farewell, shall we?” I say with a smile. Shooting a nod at Thane Odar, I leave the room, sticking close behind the group of guards. Soon, we’re all outside the main palace, waving mockingly at Zephyron and Kantha as they prepare themselves to leave.

Kantha turns around, giving all three of us one final glare. She then pulls herself into the shuttle, its door sealing with a satisfying finality. The shuttle takes off, and soon we are rid of her, never to be seen again.

“You did a good job, Hanai. Well done for standing up to Kantha like that,” I beam, lifting her into my arms. She smiles and wraps her arms around me, whispering into my ear.

“I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you, too, my angel. I’ve never been prouder of you.”

I turn to Zaya, seeing tears fall down her face. Her sniffles catch the attention of Hanai, who shifts around in my arms.

“Hanai,” chuckles Zaya. “Did you really mean all of what you said back in there?”

“Yeah, I did,” says my daughter so innocently. She reaches for her, and so I pass her into the grip of Zaya. My heart melts as they share a hug, and in that moment I see Zaya as the perfect mother to my daughter, a true parent not by blood but by love.

“Now then.” I laugh, putting an arm around Zaya. “How about we all go inside and get something to eat?”

31

TAUREK

Ikiss Hanai on the forehead, to be greeted with an adorable smile. “I’m so proud of you, Hanai. I can’t believe how strong you’ve been in your recovery. I can’t believe how strong you’ve been the whole time, even before you recovered.”

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