Rejected, Then Reborn
Chapter 88

A very tired but fully satiated Lacy and her mate returned to the B***d Moon Clan a good two days later, hoping that the excited uproar that had stemmed from their rather much anticipated mating ceremony would have died down somewhat,

But they were in for a surprise.

As custom demanded, they had had to go through all the realms, starting with the realm that had been generous enough to host their simple, and yet very elaborate ceremony, the Fae Realm.

And so, the Dark Queen and her Alpha King Mate walked hand in hand, their steps light and carefree, as though they were walking on air as they walked down the streets, dressed in a stunning matching set that Lacy had gracefully provided them, given that they had practically lived in their own skin for the past two days.

It had really been a glorious two days.

I guess being left all alone, and forgetting for a moment that you were responsible for lots of people other than yourself could do that to anyone too.

The couple had been left to themselves almost as soon as they had marked each other and finished binding themselves to one another, whatever magic that had been broadcasting their intimate moment to the entire kingdom going off almost immediately, leaving them to continue their lovemaking in private once more without any interference.

But Lacy and Reed had barely had much time together, Aura and Ace seizing the moment all for themselves, going at it all night, and then all day, and then spending the rest of whatever time was left getting to know each other better.

The Dark Queen and her Alpha King had actually not minded, Ace’s excitement too endearing to encourage him to share.

As a matter of fact, one would say that he actually deserved the day and more, given how much of a patient angel he had been even with all his annoyance, but back to this very moment.

Faefolk lined up in the streets, loyal subjects excitedly welcoming them back with open arms, cheering and waving as they passed by.

It was seriously the same in the rest of the Kingdom.

Excited people welcoming them with so much cheer and excitement.

As they made their way through each of the realms, Lacy and Reed couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the attention.

They had expected some kind of celebration upon their return, but the extent of the fanfare greatly surprised them both.

Reed’s hand tightened around Lacy’s, as if he was seeking comfort in her presence and Lacy turned to him, her gaze softening as she took in the exhaustion etched on his face.

She knew that despite his many redeeming qualities, being a people person was not among the list, but she also knew that Reed was a strong alpha, capable of handling anything that came his way, even if it wasn’t something he was exactly keen on, but it didn’t stop her heart from going out to him nonetheless.

“We’re almost home, my love.”

She told him through the mate bond, another part of the union that she was really enjoying.

Now, all his emotions were completely bared to her, she could access them anytime, and he actually had to go to great lengths to keep them from her. It was the same for him too.

She squeezed his hand reassuringly, pouring all her love into the mate bond.

It took a long while, but as they finally touched down in the B***d Moon Clan and trudged wearily towards the castle, simultaneous sighs of relief left their lips, leaving them in a fit of chuckles.

It felt good to be home.

“I wish I could have whisked you back into our chambers, snuck you back in there without anyone knowing.” Reed whispered to her with a pained g***n, but before Lacy could respond, they entered the castle, where her sisters and the rest of Reed’s generals stood, ready to welcome them.

Even though they tried to hide it, Lacy could feel it, the knowing looks on their faces that they tried so much to hide.

At least Anaya and the rest of her family had been exempted, but the Generals had certainly watched it all.

Thankfully, her sister-in-law was all the way in Blue Valley.

Instantly, Lacy felt b***d rush to her cheeks, a sight that was not lost on her elder sister, Eliana, who was already shooting her a teasing smirk.

Oh gods, could the ground open up and swallow her now?

“Welcome back, you two,” Elise, her eldest sister teased as well, a twinkle in her eye. “Did you have a good time on your little getaway, your Majesties?”

Lacy hadn’t felt this vulnerable in a long time, and she didn’t really know what to do about it, but she also knew that the sooner she went through this, the quicker everyone forgot about this and moved on, and so she kept her head up and smiled, but before she could open her mouth to speak, Reed beat her to it, “Whatever we did on our trip is our business,” He growled, his voice low and threatening, even as he took a protective stance in front of his mate.

The mate bond was in full effect now no doubt.

And it made Lacy scared of what her mate could do to her sisters as a result of it, because she knew how wickedly unrelenting they could be, and if Eliana’s face was any indication to go by, then they were just getting started.

While she was grateful for his protectiveness, she also knew without a doubt that she had to do some kind of damage control.

She had to get her mate out of here.

She knew he wasn’t going to hurt them physically, but anything else was on the table, especially with how Ace had become super protective of her and Aura.

“My love, maybe you should catch up with Lobo and Rieka and Henderson, while I deal with my sisters, yeah?” She placed a hand on his chest as she tried to calm him down, sighing in inward relief when she felt him visibly relax under her touch, even as she shot the two snickering women a dirty look.

He seemed to process her suggestion for a moment, and then finally he said, “Alright.” He claimed her lips gently, shot the two blond headed women one last look of irritation and walked off, his entourage of generals in tow.

Reed had barely left when the two women grabbed their baby sister, dashing off with her to one of the rooms that had been made ready for them.

As soon as the door closed, they both burst into squeals of delight, leaving Lacy in a fit of giggles. “Y’all couldn’t at least wait for Reed to leave before laying it thick on me?” She asked with a chuckle.

“Now, that wouldn’t have been fun, would it?” Elise laughed, wheezing hysterically. “Did you see his face?”

“He looked like he wanted to kill you, Elise,” Eliana laughed, holding her sides in pain, and Lacy couldn’t help it, she joined in on the laughter. “If only you two knew the thoughts that were running through his head, I’m not sure you’d be so casually laughing right now.” She chuckled, laughing even harder when they started to copy him, acting all manly and s**t.

Gods, she had missed them.

You know, after they had incorporated the humans into her kingdom, and everything was in full swing, she had sought them out, unable to stay away from her family anymore. She had told them everything, from how she had had come back home, to who she was now, and they had been stunned into silence.

But thankfully they believed her.

To say their reunion was a teary and beautiful one was an understatement.

Everyone had been in tears, even her stuck up parents.

She had been introduced to each of her sisters’ family, met their husbands who were very nice people and gotten to see her nephew, Elise’s son.

Eliana had also had an adorable girl in the space that she was gone, and she had gotten to meet her too, and she could already say with a certainty that she was already the favorite aunt.

Ramona, her nanny had almost bitten her head off for putting them through all of that stress, after she had cried her heart out but Lacy had known that it had all come from a good place. The endearing old lady was actually very interested in studying the culture of the other realms, and so now that she didn’t have anything doing at the Reynold’s mansion, she had resorted to travelling, and getting to know her former ward, now turned Dark Queen’s expansive kingdom.

The rest lived with their families in the human realm, and so Lacy was actually quite surprised to find them here in her home.

“What are you two doing here though? It’s really a pleasant surprise, but I still can’t help but wonder.” She quipped sitting down on the bed.

“Your husband actually reached out to us and told us about his plan,” Eliana explained, turning serious. “He invited us to come stay the week with you.”

Oh Reed.

Lacy felt her heart well with even much more love for her mate, it threatened to burst out of her.

“What he didn’t tell us was that your ceremony was crazy and freaky and full of all of that…” She trailed off, trying to look for a safe word, “…stuff.” She decided.

“But how was it for you?” Elise asked, collapsing onto the bed, her eyes wide open, reminding Lacy of her adorable son even as she sat cross-legged on the bed, waiting for the tale.

Lacy joined them, sighing deeply, a dreamy look on her face, “It was perfect. He was wonderful, it was wonderful. I’m glad we waited all this while and got it right.” She replied truthfully.

“You don’t mind that everyone was in your business like that?” Eliana piped in.

“Not really.” The Dark Queen admitted, “It is something that would fade from their memories when the next mating ceremony comes around, so I don’t really mind. This is their culture, and now that I am a part of it, it is mine too. Though I‘ll put it before the council and see if the Werewolf and Lyken Realm want to have it changed.”

“I still can’t believe you’re Queen, Lace…” Elise squealed, jumping up and down on the bed even in her sitting position.

And so on and on, the conversation went, the blonde sisters taking about everything and nothing all at once.

They spoke for what seemed like ages, and then when conversation finally slowed into a comfortable silence, the Dark Queen sat up, a mischievous look on her face, “Now who wants to meet my Lyken wolf?”