Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1708 - 150 : Always

*Briella*

Sometimes, I felt as if the little girl who wanted to be a cut-throat warrior was a completely separate person from who I was now.

That wasn’t completely accurate. I still felt that part of myself raging within me, especially whenever my kingdom or family was even slightly threatened. I still loved to spar with Kryzen, taking great satisfaction in besting him even slightly. He was much bigger and stronger than I was, but I was still able to be a challenge against him.

I could make him sweat when I lunged at him. Even though I was smaller and not as strong, I could often still get him down on the training mat and cause him to sweat a bit when he had to try and keep me at bay.

What actually made me see the girl I once was as a completely separate person was taking a step back and just looking at what my life had become.

“Mama, are we almost there?”

I looked down into the wide green eyes of my son, smiling softly and brushing some of his raven hair away from his forehead. “We’re getting close, sweetheart,” I soothed my rambunctious boy.

“We are a little closer from when you asked a few minutes ago,” Kryzen said, raising an eyebrow at the excitable little boy. “If you wait even longer before asking next time, we’ll be even closer.”

Kryzen was mainly just teasing for my benefit. He wasn’t actually irritated by Sulien’s impatience, which was definitely a good thing considering that it was inherited from himself.

“Do you want to play a game, Sully?” Emberly asked her brother, holding out her hand to him.

Kryzen and I beamed with pride at our little girl, who had fallen into the role of big sister beautifully. She absolutely adored Sulien. Even when Sully was just a baby, Emberly was very gentle with him, almost viewing him as one of her dolls. She loved having him sit with her at her little tea parties with her stuffed toys. She was fiercely protective of him too, often holding his hand so that he wouldn’t get lost in crowds when we were out as a family.

“What kind of game?” Sulien asked excitedly, slipping off of my lap so he could take his sister’s hand.

I watched the two fondly as Emberly led her little brother over to the large window in our suite. I couldn’t believe that she was already six years old. Time continued to move steadily forward, and it showed in how much our little girl had grown over the past few years.

Emberly’s gray eyes were still wide and full of life, but there was a maturity in them that glowed whenever she held a conversation with either Kryzen or me. She was a curious and compassionate child. Her wavy dark brown hair hung down to the middle of her back. She loved it when I or one of the maids tied ribbons in her long locks.

“It’s called raindrop racing,” Emberly said, kneeling up on the padded bench that was pressed against the wall beneath the window so the kids could look out during our train ride. “We each pick a raindrop. Whoever’s drop gets to the other side of the window first is the winner.”

“I want to play,” Kryzen murmured to me teasingly, but he was watching the two with warmth in his eyes.

It was a clever game that even kept our hyper little son entertained for a while. The two were giggling madly as they watched the raindrops against the glass.

Kryzen and I had been sitting on the sofa, reading to the kids when Sulien got bored. Now that the kids were occupied, Kryzen leaned back against the couch and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his chest.

“This is your fault, you know,” he said into my ear.

I shivered slightly since his warm breath tickled. I leaned away from him so I could narrow my eyes up at him. “What’s my fault?” I demanded.

Kryzen scoffed and then jutted his chin in the direction of our children. “Our boy obviously got his endless energy from you.”

My jaw dropped. “Excuse me?” I replied, completely affronted now. “You’re the one who can hardly keep still.”

Kryzen rolled his eyes. “Says the one can’t go a few days without challenging me to a sparring match.”

“I can too,” I argued, sticking my tongue out playfully at him. “I just don’t so that I don’t get all soft. I need to keep up my strength, you know. I’ll never be the kind of queen who just sits around in the background.”

Kryzen smiled down at me fondly, squeezing me affectionately. “I know you won’t,” he said.

I nestled into his side as we continued to watch our children play. “I don’t know where Emberly’s calm personality came from,” I said with a light giggle. “She’s way calmer than either of us.”

Kryzen chuckled and nodded in agreement. “She reminds me of Kai, actually,” he said.

“You’re right,” I said with glee. “I completely forgot about him.”

Kryzen laughed. “I won’t tell him you said that,” he promised.

Thankfully, the rain stopped when we arrived at our destination. It had been a dream of ours ever since Sulien was born to take them to the Enchanted Isles. We originally debated taking them to all the places we had stopped at during our honeymoon but ultimately decided to wait to take them to the Whispering Wood until they were older.

“We’re here, Ember!” Sulien exclaimed, grabbing his sister’s hand and pulling her toward the door leading off the train.

Emberly pulled lightly on his hand, bringing him back to her side. “We need to wait for Mama and Daddy, Sully,” she chided gently, sounding ten years older than him as opposed to two.

“She’s right, son,” Kryzen said, reaching down to stroke Sulien’s hair affectionately. “Your mother and I need to gather our bags.”

Sulien shifted but obeyed, holding his sister’s hand while Kryzen and I grabbed our things. We just had a couple of backpacks. The rest of our luggage was being delivered straight to the guest home we were staying in for the next week.

The kids’ eyes were wide as we stepped off of the train. The sun was shining beautifully, and the sky was clear and vibrant thanks to the rain we had on the way over. It had been a few years since Kryzen and I were back on the Enchanted Isles, and it was just as magical as before with its crystal clear waters and shimmering rainbow-colored sand.

“Daddy, can we go swim?” Sulien asked Kryzen hopefully, tugging on his father’s hand.

Kryzen gave Sulien’s head a reassuring pat. “We will be swimming later today, Sully,” he said. “Your mom and I want to show you both something first.”

Both kids were intrigued by that announcement and made no moves to argue as we started the trek to the crystal caves. We had been on the train for nearly a day, so our little family was ready for a nice walk. We took a trail up to the caves. The trek was a bit precarious in spots, so Kryzen lifted Sulien onto his back while I held Emberly’s hand tightly as she hopped from rock to rock.

The kids were wide-eyed as we entered the caves with their glittering walls and magical pools. We allowed them to wander just a bit but not out of our sight. They ran through the caverns, running their tiny fingers along the rainbow walls.

It felt surreal to be back in that place. The last time we were there, Kryzen and I had just become king and queen of the realm. We had been uncertain and needed somewhere to go where we could reset and unwind, destress from all of the responsibility and expectations that came with ruling a kingdom.

I set my hand over one of the colorful walls, feeling the energy pulsing through my hand at the contact. I shut my eyes for a moment, relishing in the sensation of connecting with such a beautiful land.

The warmth through me doubled, and I opened my eyes. Kryzen had placed his hand over mine, his large hand completely encasing mine. My eyes trailed from his hand up his arm to his eyes, and I smiled up at him, knowing that my expression was a wistful one.

We didn’t have to say anything to each other at that moment. It was clear just from that simple touch. The love we had was palpable, evident in the shock that went through me when Kryzen’s skin brushed mine.

The kids were getting a bit antsy, so we decided it was time to leave our colorful caves and head to one of the many beaches the Enchanted Isles had to offer. Sulien could hardly sit still as we took one of the little wooden boats to the main island. Kryzen had to settle him on his lap and allow Sully to paddle a bit.

I just smirked at Kryzen from over Sulien’s head. While it was still too soon to tell which of our children would rule Embervale, their personalities were hinting at Sulien taking that honor. He was already fearless and charismatic. If he wanted to be, he would make a fine king. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

That was not to say that Emberly wouldn’t make a wonderful queen. I believed she truly could be one if she wanted to. She was compassionate and brave. It was hard to say if she would want to given her shyness.

Emberly and Sulien were practically shaking with excitement to go into the water, so Kryzen and I quickly helped them into their bathing suits before we raced to the water. The shimmering grains of sand seemed to glow when our feet made contact.

As they splashed in the water, our children’s delighted squeals were music to our ears.

When our little family was tiring out, Kryzen and I guided our children so they were sitting in the sand. We sat across from them. “I want to show you something,” I said, looking into their curious eyes. I took their hands and tugged them until their palms were pressed into the sand.

I looked at Kryzen, and he nodded, his eyes brimming with excitement.

I took a breath and pressed my hands over theirs, transferring just a bit of magical energy through their tiny fingers. They both inhaled sharply as they gasped at the sensation. “Don’t be afraid,” I told them gently. “I am allowing you to feel the energy from the land.”

“It feels alive,” Emberly said, her eyes wide as she stared up at me.

Pride swelled up in me at her insight. “Yes,” I said, my tone saturated with approval. “That’s because it very much is. Everything is connected and alive. You will come to know that well in time and with it, you’ll know that you are never truly alone.”

Sulien couldn’t seem to help himself and rose up on his knees, looking between Kryzen and me with large eyes. “I can feel it between all of us!” he claimed loudly.

I grinned at him. “That’s because our connection is strong,” I told him, reaching out to ruffle his hair fondly. “We’ll always be together, bonded by our love for one another.”

Kryzen met my gaze before leaning forward so he could kiss me.

It was a short, chaste kiss, but it still left me breathless.

Kryzen’s smile was dazzling. “Always.”