Free Web NovelChapter 448: Their Happy Ending (II)
ZINA
(3 Months Later)
Three months later, Zina gave birth to their son, Zameon NorthSteed. And the thing that had her spellbound, other than the sight of Daemon cradling their child to his chest, was how easy childbirth had been for her.
The whole affair had taken twenty minutes from the moment she went into labour. Before she could even come to terms with the fact that she was about to give birth, the wet nurse screamed that the baby’s head was already out.
No bleeding. No traumatizing drama. Zameon had slipped into their world with a defeating silence that contradicted how loudly he cried.
Something about the way it happened felt like Zina’s own mother had paved the way. After all, Zina’s birth had been traumatic. So Zina was sure her late mother had taken the brunt of labour, only for Zina to reap the ease of it. And now that she was a mother herself, it only made her miss her own mother terribly.
Zina stared at Zameon with tear-stained eyes — part of it from joy at the occasion, part of it a silent tribute to her mother. In that moment, a heartache she never knew lingered from the loss of her mother disappeared. Because now, she knew she would move heaven and earth to protect this little one.
Just like her mother did for her.
"He looks just like you," Zina murmured, gently caressing the face of Zameon, who now lay asleep in her arms while Daemon hovered over them, entirely unsure of what to do with his hands.
"He looks so... small," he trailed off, smiling at her.
"Was Zameon really the best we could do?" Zina chuckled, wondering if, when their son grew up, he would resent the fact that his name was a shrewd combination of his mother and father’s names.
Daemon shrugged, chuckling darkly. "I suppose we will do better with our daughter."
"Our daughter?"
"Yes. Our next child."
"Aren’t you moving too fast?"
A perfectly curved eyebrow arched at her. "Who said she would fill my home with ’babies’?"
"Daemon!" Zina hissed in a hushed voice, smacking him on the shoulder while trying not to wake the little boy in her arms.
Daemon chuckled, the sound reverberating through his chest.
"The council wants to see him," he said when his laughter died down. "They believe Zameon is a true-blooded Alpha King. The astrologers sighted a rare star last night, said to herald the birth of a rare Alpha."
Zina smiled, swallowing the lump in her throat. With the power of vision, she had seen many fragmented things of the North and its future rulers, yet no vision came close to the feeling of holding her own flesh and blood in her hands.
"I suppose this little one will be a lot of things, Daemon," she whispered, caressing her son. "But first and foremost, he will always be our son."
Daemon’s eyes darkened, filled with varying emotions. His hand reached out, and he lightly gripped her chin.
"Our son, Zina."
A tear rolled down her face. He wiped it away.
"Do not cry, lest Fionna and Seraph badger me into believing I’ve said something wrong to you," he teased.
Laughter bubbled within her. "Don’t tell me you’re still traumatized by that incident?" she asked, even as another tear rolled down. Her emotions were a mess — but the wonderful kind.
"That incident?" Daemon scoffed lightly, wiping the fresh tear away. "You mean the incident when you were eight months pregnant and I argued with you not to go to the Temple because you were so big, and I was scared of you taking a single step in that state? And you dissolved into tears on the spot, bawling your eyes out and hitting me with punches softer than feathers, while accusing me of — in your own words — not loving you enough? Then Seraph and Fionna badgered me for abusing my power. I mean, I can understand them. But you even managed to move Yaren of all people, who — in his words — claimed that I was not being supportive enough?" freēwebnovel.com
Zina’s shoulders shook with laughter as she remembered the not so glorious incident that was evidence of pregnancy hormones.
"Are you seriously jealous that I was able to get Yaren on my side?" she taunted him, veering the conversation to another territory. Her brother-in-law no longer scowled when he saw her. In fact, it was safe to say that she was among Yaren NorthSteed’s top five favorite people, although that would be a bit overreaching since they were not up to five in that list.
"Best believe my jealousy will wait until he actually falls for Seraph in that ridiculous matchmaking you have arranged."
"You still don’t believe Yaren and Seraph will work?" Zina guffawed at him.
"Indeed. Although not as little as I believe that Marcus and Fionna will work."
Zina smirked. "It’s a good thing you’re Alpha King and not a matchmaker then."
He rolled his eyes, not daring to argue further though. Daemon had learnt throughout her pregnancy period that some arguments with her were better not ventured into.
"Let me hold him." He beckoned for Zameon.
Zina handed the little one over to him. He smiled, cradling him in one arm with a fragility so rare of him.
"Let me hold you too," he beckoned with the other arm.
Zina smiled, and then quickly scooted over to him, nestling herself in his large arm and resting her head against his shoulder.
"Fionna writes to me that she’s coming back to meet the Alpha Prince," Zina said, feeling so relaxed and at peace. "She says she also has good news for me — I believe she and Marcus have moved way past first base, so you’re quite off the mark. She intends to tell me they will be marrying."
Daemon sighed dramatically. "You seem to revel in having my close subordinates entrapped in love. Yet I suppose Marcus and Yaren deserve to have a taste of the completion I feel with you."
She looked up at him. "You complete me too, Daemon."
He smiled down at her. "And now, this little one completes both of us even more."
Tears misted her eyes while her heart swelled with fullness. Damn, she was so full. High on all the toxicity of happiness.
"Daemon," she called softly, "my story... or our story, as far as I’m concerned, started in that little village with the WolfKnights...."
Daemon shifted his weight, allowing her to relax even more against him.
"I used to think I was at that temple praying for the WolfKnights, whom I believed were the last thing I had in this world. Especially after Jacen Vampage had just declared that I was fit to only be his mistress and not his mate."
Daemon stiffened slightly at the mention of the man whose Pack now suffered stigmatization under Daemon’s pettiness.
Zina smiled, her fingers creeping up to his neck, which she stroked slowly and softly.
"But now, I realize that I was at the temple because of you. Between the WolfKnights’ lack of love for me, and the fear of being abandoned again, you — the gallant man dressed in rags — were whom I wanted to meet more than anything. And every step from that temple led me to you. Even if it was to betray you."
Daemon stared down at her longingly. Zameon stirred, but went back to sleeping, as if he couldn’t be bothered with his parents’ love story.
"I would rather be betrayed a million times by you, than not to have met you, Zina," he whispered so softly she almost strained to hear the words.
"And I would rather have been abandoned a million times than not to have crossed paths with you, Daemon."
His lips met hers in a kiss so soft it seemed to have a life of its own. They pulled apart — long enough to stare longingly at each other — then they were kissing again.
Slowly. Softly. Then fiercely. Scorching.
Zameon’s cry pierced through the air at that moment. They pulled apart, Zina chuckling at Daemon, who looked like he wanted to do more than just kiss.
"It seems our son is hungry."
"Again?" Daemon groaned, narrowing his eyes playfully at Zameon while Zina took their son.
"What? Realizing you hate to share?" she taunted him as she began feeding Zameon.
"I suppose I have no choice but to manage," he smirked. "Although you will now have to indulge two men. Sure you can handle it?"
Zina threw her head back, laughter engulfing her. Daemon’s laughter followed, the sound wrapping her in warmth. Without a doubt, Zina knew she was in the place she was always meant to be from the beginning of this story.
And she would do anything... give anything... just to be here with the man she loved more than anything, their son who completed them, and the children they were sure to have in the future.
And if she had to live this life again, she would rather live it with Daemon NorthSteed, over and over again. Because this... this life had always been her blissful fate, and the blind fate he never saw coming.
To the future generations that would hear of their love story, they should hear that she once pointed her staff at him and declared him a traitor of the North. And they should hear that, despite such enmity existing between them, fate still blinded them, and gave them another chance to know each other not as enemies, but as lovers.
Because indeed, love has the power to dissolve even the hardest of hearts, and mend a lifetime of loneliness.
THE END.
