The Isle (Chronicles of the Irish Princess Book 1)

The next morning as promised, I went over to the main palace to check on Liz and the kids. I took Sarah with me hoping that she would check on her mother and spend some time with her before the coronation later today. When we pulled up to the gates I could already hear Finn out in the yard playing with some of the other children. Most of them were children of the guards who lived in the apartments and there were only a few that were Finn's age. When they saw the carriage pull up most of them ran back to their homes as their mothers called them in. It took me back to the first time I had met Liz and the children. Finn stayed on the grass recognizing my horses and waited for us to come to a full stop.

When we did the force of the carriage jolted me and for a moment I was nauseous. I figured it was from Sarah and the babies, so I pushed it down and got out. Liz and Anabelle had come out to greet us, despite the trauma of last night, both of them looked well. I took a moment and analyzed them each check for changes in their inward appearance. Something my advanced powers allowed me to do no matter if the person was human. It was like having a connection to everyone, and I was learning to be selective with it.

"Princess, how are you this morning," Corbin asked as he helped Sarah and I from the carriage.

"I am well, thank you. How are you and your guests?"

"We are doing just fine," Liz was quick to answer, almost as of she was trying to shush Corbin from speaking further.

I smiled at her and Ana. Taking a piece of Ana's hair and tucking it behind her ear. I was pleased to find that she had not been physically injured in during last nights altercation. When the fear that came with those memories surfaced I turned away and grabbed Finn in a big bear hug from behind.

"Leah, put me down," he giggled against my hold.

I set him down and straightened my dress out some. Like most days it was a beautiful 75 degrees and sunny. I'd decided on a knee length, cream dress with capped sleeves that was made of tulle and had a silk bow. Thankfully this was a zip up and I didn't require help getting into it. I looked around hoping that Sarah was going to say hello, but she was already making her way up to the castle.

"Princess, all the decorations for today are back in my shop."

"I've already dispatched some people to retrieve them. They should be returning with them in the next hour at least. Along with some extra supplies should you need them. I also arranged for our floral team to assist you."

"Thank you, Leah. And thank you for last night as well. I don't know what I would have done."

I placed my hand on her shoulder, "Liz, relax. I love your daughter like she's family. I would have and will do anything to protect her. Just like I would any of my people. I may not be your Princess after today, but you can always count on me and call on me for help."

She smiled at me and led me towards the apartment. "You're going to make a great mother one day. Are you hungry?"

"Very."

"Kids, breakfast. Come on Finn, you can see the horses later."

I heard him sigh but quickly ran up to me taking my hand. "You're going to love Mr. Corbin's place. It's awesome!"

Once inside, I was amazed at how spacious it was. There was an open floor plan that lead from the living room and back to the kitchen. Off to the side there were three doors, I assumed two were bedrooms and one was a bathroom. I could smell the bacon cooking on the stove and was instantly starving. Following Finn into the space I hoisted him up into one of the barstools and stood with him. There were also some fresh biscuits and Liz was preparing eggs in another pan. I got a whiff of them and instantly felt another wave of nausea hit me. I leaned back and to a breath of air my hand resting on my mouth. Liz who was standing at the stove noticed and looked at me cautiously.

"Leah, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yes, Sarah is still dealing with morning sickness and occasionally it's strong enough that it affects me too."

"The bathroom is the middle door if you need it," Corbin said. "As delicious as this looks, Prince Luca needs me in the King's office. So I'll be taking my coffee and a biscuit to go. My apologies Princess."

"Don't worry, I'm sure my brother is nervous for today given last night's issues."

The kids both gave him a hug as he left. Then Finn came back and sat at the bar where his mother just placed his breakfast. I got another hit of the eggs and my stomach rolled again. This time unable to contain it, I dashed off to the bathroom and just made it in time to throw up. There was a faint knock on the door when I'd finally calmed my stomach.

"Leah, sweets are you okay?" It was Liz.

"Yeah, could you bring me a damp towel," I managed sitting back against the wall.

There was a twist of the door nob as she let herself in closing it behind her. She knelt next to me and dabbed my forehead with one cloth handing me a second to wipe my mouth on. Then she sat and looked me over.

"Leah, can I ask you something personal?"

"Sure," I sounded weak.

"When was your last period?"

I sat there thinking a moment. I'd gone off my pills about two weeks before the wedding. Now it had been almost three since.

"I should have had one last week, but I figured with the stress of my father's funeral and all that it was late."

"Is there a chance, maybe you could be?"

"Would I know so early?"

She sighed, "It's possible. I'm not sure how wolf pregnancies work."

She let me get cleaned up before I joined her and the kids again. When I did all evidence of eggs had been removed and she urged Finn and Ana to brush their teeth. I smiled at her as she handed me some water and a slice of bacon.

"Funny, mine was chicken with Finn and the smell of sweet things with Anabelle. What is Sarah's?"

"She's been blessed with just the motion sickness. If only, Liz, do you really think that's what it is?"

There was a knock at the door. When she went to open it I was surprised to see my aunt on the other side.

"Princess Emilia, good morning," Liz said with a slight bow.

"Oh relax, Liz. I'm just here to talk about what I found out about your late husbands family. It's not formal at all."

I plastered a smile on her face hoping to hide my nerves about what Liz and I had been talking about. Em smiled back and sat down. She looked again to me; she looked me up and down before sitting back and looking some more.

"Leah, is everything alright?"

"Yes.. I'm curious what you found out though."

She took one last glance before moving on. "As it turns out, your late husband was in fact a small fraction of witch. In his case his family line is dominant only with females and they usually don't show signs as early as Anabelle has," she began.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Well at this stage its hard to tell what she's capable of. But if it's alright with you, I'd like to assess her and maybe even begin a light training. When I spoke to Melissa she said that generally they don't show signs until nine or ten. Melissa herself is a rare dormant of the coven and wasn't taught any magic growing up. With the rest of the coven in Israel it will be hard to contact them. She said they went into hiding about six years ago and she hasn't heard from them."

Liz looked relieved. "I don't know his family aside from Melissa and we hardly talk. If you can help my daughter by all means please. I know there used to be a school but when Queen Lily died they closed it."

"I had just started my tenth year teaching there when it closed."

I looked to my Aunt curious. I had no idea that's what she had been doing before she took over for my father. "Maybe now that we are here for good its time we talked about reopening it. But first things first.. We have to get rid of Aideen."

"Agreed," both women stated.

"Which is going to be a lot harder to do with you being pregnant Leah," Emilia added.

I couldn't hide my face any longer. "You knew?"

"The second I walked in here I knew. Its a trait other people in our family have, being part goddess and all. You mean to say you didn't know before you got sick this morning."

I shook my head. "I thought it was Sarah. Hers had been really bad all week moving back and forth."

"I guess mine is stronger than yours. With my own miscarriages I knew I was pregnant each time without a test."

"Do you think I should tell Kai?"

"Maybe not until you've been looked at by the doctor. I don't think your mate needs to worry just yet. Better make that appointment today though. I know with the women in our family we are very smell sensitive and it is an all day sickness not just mornings."

I nodded. "I'll be sure to talk with them as soon as we get back. But what was it you were saying about a school Liz?"

"Oh yes, when I was a kid growing up in the village, there was a school for children who had magical abilities. Not just for witches, but shifters and wolves too. Queen Tatiana who was King Tobias' mother, she opened it when Tobias and Athena were born."

I looked to my Aunt, "Did you and my father attend here as well?"

"Yes and when I graduated I went to the states to get a teaching degree. Not that you need one when your supernatural. But I got it and came back two years later to begin teaching. I was twenty at the time. It was about the time your mother and father met too."

"I want to reopen it. When this is all over of course. I think our community will need that again."

Liz and my Aunt went on talking about it for a while. It turns out that Liz also has a degree for education and has been homeschooling some children on her block. Emilia and I left Corbin's cottage around 11 that morning. She immediately led me to the medical wing where I was assessed by Dr. Margaret. She confirmed I was about two weeks along in my pregnancy and it would last about 34 weeks. Shorter than a normal pregnancy but seems as I was also a descendent of the Goddess it could be up to 36 weeks. Thankfully I was only carrying one child so the probability of me going to the 36 was likely.

Ultimately what the doctor had told me was that Sarah and I were more than likely going to give birth within 3 weeks of each other. As she was carrying the next generation of my family legacy it was likely she would go into labor around 38 weeks. However they were hoping that she would make it to the full 40 of a human pregnancy. I had told her that Luca and I were born at 38 so she should plan for that.

Sarah was nearing the middle of her first trimester. She told me she could feel a difference in her hormones and her wolf was very much at bay. From what she said it sounded as if her wolf was hibernating. From what Gran and Siobhan had said, hibernation is pretty much what goes on. They said since she was carrying twins it was more likely that she would start to show by 12 weeks rather than the 14 or 15 that I would.

The whole afternoon I couldn't stop touching my belly or looking at it. Kai and Luca had been holed away in Luca's office. As the sun began to move into my windows I began to get ready for the ceremony. Jael helped me twist my hair into ceremonial braids. Then she helped me into my dress. It was navy, adorned with crystals, some that were in the shapes of stars and two crescent moons that faced back to back. The dress itself had capped sleeves that sat on my shoulders, attaches to it was a silver cape of sorts it hooked onto the dress at the back and flowed behind me like the train on my wedding dress. Malakai was dressed in a navy blue suit with a silver tie and had a tartan on much like the on my brother wore. This one was adorned with a Celtic wolf pin and the crest of the Ponca tribe. On his head was a silver crown, on mine sat my tiara that I was gifted from my aunt. Holding my braids together was the clip that belonged to Queen Lily. She was once a member of the Serbian pack and I wanted to honor that with my appointment as queen.

When we were ready we sat in the office that sat near the Hall in the Manor. With us were my brother and Sarah. She looked so elegant in her emerald gown. It was covered in beaded lace and had a cape much like mine. My brother wore the same outfit from our coronation 5 months ago. He looked just as handsome now as he did that day. He was quiet as we sat, lost in thought. Kai paced the room as Sarah and I sat on a couch along the East wall. She looked up at my mate with concern in her eyes. It was clear to us both that something was eating at his thoughts.

Without a second thought, I got up and made my way over to him. When I touched his arm, he flinched, but I could also see the tension in his shoulders ease some. "What's troubling you?"

"Nervous is all. I'm fine Leah."

"Don't lie to me Kai, what is really the matter?"

"I'm worried. What if something goes wrong?"

"Malakai, my mother is locked away in the dungeons with heavily armed guards posted almost every 5 feet. I'm sure we are quite safe."

"What if her followers try to come and hurt you."

Aunt Emilia walked in then. "Well Malakai, they'll be dealing with one angry Demigoddess, not to mention me. We are ready to begin. Are you?"

"Very," I smiled to my aunt, taking Kai by the arm.

"Good."

She kissed my head as we walked by lead by the Elders of the packs. Some were familiar, like Gran and chief, Marta and Demeter from Hungary, and Freya from England. Her mate, Alpha Theo was in attendance, but in his semi-paralyzed state he sat at the front in his wheelchair. Oran was standing up at the front on a slightly raised platform. Kai and I stood to his left, my brother and Sarah to his right.

As the ceremony started, Oran began by blessing us individually, then Arianna came in and blessed each pair. As my father was dead, it was required for Oran to start with Luca, he was the King over all of us, although we knew that when it came to the King of wolves, it was less effective.

"LUCA, DO YOU SOLEMNLY SWEAR TO UPHOLD THE LAWS PASSED DOWN BY THE KINGS BEFORE YOU, EVALUATE THEM FOR THE SAKE OF THE PEOPLE, AND CHANGE OR ENFORCE NEW LAW TO BETTER ENSURE THE CONTINUATION OF ALL SUPERNATURAL KIND? DO YOU PROMISE TO PROTECT AND CARE FOR ALL WHO ARE UNDER YOUR DOMAIN? IF SO, SAY, I SWEAR."

"I SWEAR." My brother responded.

"SARAH, AS LUCA'S MATE, DO YOU SWEAR TO AIDE HIM AS THE KING, SEEKING TO BETTER THE PEOPLE IN EVERY SOLUTION. IF SO, SAY, I SWEAR."

"I SWEAR," she smiled.

"BY THE POWER VESTED IN ME AS THE KING OF WOLVES, I HERE BY CROWN YOU, KING LUCA AND QUEEN SARAH OF LAMBAY."

There was a moment of clapping to celebrate their new status. Then Oran and Arianna came and stood in front of us. As she took her spot in front of me for the first time I saw how much she looked liked pictures of Lily that I'd seen. It was hard not to notice, she herself had come from the same pack and she was her Aunt. She mind linked me then still smiling.

Leah, my dear girl. I'm so very proud of you. I know that I am a quiet person on the outside, submissive by trade, but in my mind I've been telling myself how good you'll do. I'm so grateful to have been here for this and to see you grow into this strong young demigoddess. I am happy knowing that you and Kai will be strong for each other and take our people into new territories, teaching them and helping them to move past their old ways. Please know if you ever need to chat, I'm here for you.

I smiled my thank you to her as she took my hands.

"MALAKAI "WHITE WOLF" PRINCE TO THE PONCA AND IRISH PACKS, DO YOU SOLEMNLY SWEAR TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF THE WOLVES. TO LEAD THEM INTO THE NEW AGE AND ENFORCE OLD AND NEW LAWS SET FORTH BY PAST KINGS IN ORDER TO KEEP PEACE AND PROTECT ALL OTHER CREATURES OF THE NIGHT. IF SO, SAY, I SWEAR."

"I SWEAR."

Oran placed the larger golden crown onto Kai's head as Arianna turned to me.

"LEAH "MITEXI" PRINCESS OF LAMBAY, MATE TO THE PRINCE OF WOLVES, DO YOU SWEAR TO AIDE HIM AS HIS LIGHT AND GUIDANCE TO PROTECT THE WOLVES AND ALL OTHERS THEY SERVE TO PROTECT. IF SO, SAY, I SWEAR."

"I SWEAR."

I felt Arianna place her crown, which was similar to the one Oran gave Kai on my head. This one was smaller, fit for a queen and made of gold.

"BY THE POWER VESTED IN US, AS THE FORMER RULERS, WE NOW PRONOUNCE YOU KING MALAKAI "WHITE WOLF" AND QUEEN LEAH "MITEXI" OF THE WOLVES."

The whole audience erupted into a roar of cheers and howls. I smiled in awe of how quick things went. It wasn't long before we had finished the meal after and Kai had spun me a few times on the dancefloor. After a small celebration, we carried ourselves back to bed where we instantly fell asleep, exhausted from the day.