Page 109 of Lycan’s Hunt

“Max’s, Your Highness. He is refusing—” Mary starts.

“Refusing dinner until I can bathe, Grandma. I can’t go to dinner like this. I’m covered in grass,” Max tells her, and Mary huffs.

Soren chuckles behind me at his antics and Damian lets Max down on the step, where he quickly rushes up them. I shake my head and giggle, making Damian step back to peer up at us.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying the show up there. Your son threatened to fire me from the guard and make me scrub toilets.” Soren snorts. “It’s not funny, Soren, that is our future king.”

“Best humble him then. I will put toilet scrubbing on his chores list then, shall I?” Soren asks.

“Please do.” Damian laughs, trotting up the steps and I sigh at how carefree life is now. For the first time in what feels like forever, everything is exactly as it should be.

“That boy loves getting me in trouble,” Soren whispers.

“Are you really going to make him scrub toilets?” I ask, knowing how many there are in the castle. It would take him a good hour to do all of them.

“Yep, never hurt me, though I will give him a toilet brush. My mother only gave me a glove and washcloth.” He snickers. I shake my head. The boy truly is too much like his father.

“So what’s next, My King?” I ask quietly, a small smile playing on my lips as I stare out at the gardens.

Soren doesn’t answer right away. His hand moves down to rest on my belly, his touch gentle. When I look up at him, there’s a soft smile on his face that makes my heart swell. My breath catches, and I place my hand over his, feeling the warmth of his palm through the fabric of my dress.

“We grow our family.”