~Zinniah~

I woke up and put on my cherry blossom summer dress, white sandals, and put my hair in a bun. I walked out to get some breakfast and was confused when Mordikai wasn't cooking. Instead, he was sitting on the couch in a suit. He wasn't wearing a tie though, so he didn't look as formal.

"Hey, are we not eating here?"

"You and I aren't, I've already made Amorelli breakfast and she is watching TV at the moment. She's going to leave for the trench when we leave for breakfast to meet up with her family." I nodded and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. It was really nice here, and the view was amazing. It's a shame we might have to leave here soon.

I head Amorelli's door open and she looked ready to go. We walked to the car, but Amorelli walked to a remote part of the beach. She quickly got into a deeper part of water so she can change. It's amazing to watch. The way her body just changes from one form to another, it's outstanding. She then waved goodbye to us and dove into the water. Mordikai and I got into the car and drove off to a restaurant. It looked cute and cozy. Didn't look like they got too packed, but had service very often. We walked in and the hostess recognized him. She straightened herself up in respect.

"Your Highness, just the two of you?"

"No, we are meeting with my mates family. She will not be attending. I am accompanied by her sister." She nodded and grabbed two menus to start. She sat us in the corner where no one could really see us.

"I will grab more menus when the rest of your party arrives." She bowed to both of us and walked back to her podium.

"We shouldn't order food right away, but we can order our drinks. So, you can start looking at the menu." I nodded and looked through. There was quite a bit of alcoholic beverages, sodas, and coffees. I ended up deciding I wanted lemonade. Mordikai, however, ordered a scotch. Our drinks were brought out and we were waiting for the Agnelli family to arrive. When they did arrive, it was just Lynus and Ariana. The hostess brought them to our booth and we greeted one another quietly.

"Amorelli... How is she?" Her father asked with caution.

"Tired and upset," Mordikai answered bluntly. You could tell that Ariana and Lynus hadn't talked the night before. She purposefully tried not to sit too close to her husband. I cleared my throat.

"Ariana, I need to show both of you what happened to us. While we were in there, and while we were escaping." She took in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. She nodded and I took her hand. Our eyes glossed over. Lynus quickly put his hand on top of his wife's so he could also see. I showed them everything. The beatings, the farming, the sex slaves, the escape, the boss-

"Wait!" I let go of their hands.

"What's wrong? Who was that man?" Ariana was worried.

"I know what the boss looks like... I'm so stupid! I showed you guys the boss, but no one cared to draw what he looked like..." Mordkai looked enraged. He probably felt stupid too.

"Continue showing them in a moment." He called over a waitress and asked for a large pad and a pencil. When she came back she tried to say something but he dismissed her unless she was taking our order. She scoffed and I giggled. He did not care.

"You just dismissed her?" Lynus asked. He sounded very surprised.

"Yes. I knew what she was trying to do and I'm not having it. I have a mate, I do not care for anyone else unless it is my mate's family. Now, Zinniah, continue please." I nodded and continued to show Lynus and Ariana everything. I then showed them what Amorelli looked like when she changed and Ariana started to cry. That was when I stopped, and the food had been delivered to us by a male waiter.

"What's wrong?" I was worried. Did I do something wrong?

"It's disgraceful for a parent to not see their child change for the first time... We weren't there to see her..." She took a nearby napkin and wiped her face. I squeezed her hand and she squeezed mine. We then all sat in silence and ate our food. When that was gone, we all just sat there, silently. As if wondering what to say and who to speak next. Mordikai took the opportunity to speak.

"We need to discuss how to rescue everyone else... My sister is in there. She was one of the sex slaves. We also need to discuss how to disable the barrier. It makes the place invisible and disables our ability to shift and use our powers. We would all be utterly useless." Mordikai seems to be at his boiling point. He really hates talking about this.

"We will do whatever we can. Wouldn't you need to talk to other countries and rulers? Surely their children are missing as well."

"Yes, their children have been taken. We are in contact with you and a few other rulers. We are trying to find out details about the kidnappings. We do, however, know one thing about the kidnappings."

"What is that?"

"They always take the first-born female." I shivered. I don't even want to think about that.

"Zinniah, is it true? They only take first-born females?"

"I'm an only child... But yes, it's true." I looked down at my hands. Can't we go home already?

"That's why they haven't taken Mariana..." Lynus mumbled to himself. He was not happy.

"We should all get back. I'm sure Amorelli is wondering where we are and why we're taking so long. Mr. and Mrs. Agnelli, we will be in touch." He shook his hand and kissed hers. I hugged both of them. We made our way out to see Amorelli was on the beach. We walked over to her to see her just staring out at the ocean. When she heard us, she turned around to look at us. She looked happy to see us. But when she saw her father, she lost frowned.

"Amorelli, I do believe you. The only reason why I didn't at first is that so many girls have come forward and claimed to be you. They wouldn't even look like you do and they would say they were. We were offering a large sum of money to be rewarded if anyone knew where you were. And when girls just kept coming up, we knew that none of them were you. When we asked them to use their powers, that's when they would show their confusion. We immediately had them removed from the area until they were proven to be someone else. That's why I didn't believe you at first... Amorelli, I'm so sorry... Please forgive me." He looked broken. He truly meant what he was saying.

"I forgive you daddy..." She hugged him and we could feel the tension in the air dissipate. Everyone could breathe clearly without the thickness in the air.

"Amorelli, we're probably gonna go home soon. Unless you want to stay a few more days?" Mordikai looked like he wanted to get home as soon as possible.

"Yeah, we can go now. We need to find the others and get into contact with more rulers. What's in your hand?" Amorelli was curious, and this was a bad thing. Whenever she gets curious, it's her intention to find out what is going on.

"Um... You really want to see it?" He looked worried. What if it brought up memories for her? I know it did for me because I'm the only one who can show people what really happened.

"Is it bad?" Now she was worried. God, this is not going to be good.

"It's a composite sketch of the Boss..." He rubbed the back of his neck. She grew stiff and turned around to face the ocean again.

"Nevermind. I don't want to see it." She grew defensive. She didn't like talking about him, let alone looking at what he looks like. He's done so many terrible things. I don't blame her for not wanting to see a sketch of him. Mordikai walked away and called someone. He was mumbling so we couldn't hear what he said. When he walked back there was a car and a large bucket of water. Mordikai already had towels ready for her. Her family said goodbye to her but shielded her from a few people's views. I took the bucket of water and poured it on her. She turned back into her human form and Mordikai was there with the towels and a robe.

"Thank you. Can we go home now?" Mordikai lit up when she said that. Home. I wonder if I'll ever be able to say that one day.

"Yes, we can go home now my love." He kissed her forehead and led her to the car. We all said our goodbye's and left to go pack our things. We didn't even stay a week so we didn't really take much out of our suitcases, so it didn't take long to pack. We finished in twenty minutes and made our way to the plane. We took off almost immediately. I looked at the time and saw it was noon. we would arrive home in six hours. That mean's we'd arrive at five am. This is going to be a fun ride. We decided to have lunch and see if we could take a quick nap. After we ate, we fell asleep.

~Six hours later, Amorelli~

I woke up next to Mordikai. I hummed softly and snuggled into him. He rubbed my arm softly and groaned as we woke up. We were landing when we all woke up. I checked the date and saw it was October 24. I'm glad I made it home before my birthday. I thought Mordikai wouldn't let me go home to see my family, but he did. And for that, I am entirely grateful. I took a peek at his neck before we landed and I saw my mark. I looked like the waves. I then got up and went to the closest mirror. I don't think I've ever really taken a look at it. It looked like the moon. It was beautiful, and I absolutely loved it.

"I'm glad you like it, my love." He kissed my mark gently and it caused my knees to shake. He held me still and pulled me closer to him. I smiled softly and he did the same. He put his chin on top of my head and sighed. He seemed a bit stressed.

"Are you alright, Mordikai?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I have you, and you are all I need."

"That doesn't answer my question baby."

"I'm stressed at the moment, but I'm fine when you're around." We grabbed our belongings and made our way off the plane. One thing I did notice before we fell asleep was that it was an elderly woman as the new flight attendant. Mordikai seemed to notice the same thing and we laughed quietly. We got into the limo and drove off back to the palace, where I was hoping some food would be ready for us. I watched the scenery as we passed. I missed the greenery of the forest. It made me calm somehow. I was also calm in the ocean, but this is my home. I can't leave Mordikai. We've already marked one another. There's no turning back now. I then saw the palace gates come into view and I got excited. I was home and I get to eat food. Mordikai chuckled, probably reading my mind again. I hate it when he does that. I wonder if there's a way I could prevent him from doing that? I looked over at him and he went a bit stiff.

There is a way! I'm going to ask Alyx when we get inside if she's awake. It was only a few more seconds after that when we pulled up to the palace. Diesel was there waiting for us, looking a bit tired. Mordikai got out and opened my door and let Zinniah and I get out.

"Thank you." We both said it quietly, not wanting to break the comfortable silence too much. We all then looked to Diesel and he was smirking at the two of us.

"Congratulations, Alpha and Luna." He bowed and I grew confused.

"He saw our marks, my love. He knows that your heat might come in soon. Don't worry, I'll explain what that is when we get inside." I nodded and continued to walk inside.

"Uh, Alpha... There's something you should know." Diesel cleared his throat. This can't be good.

"What happened while I was gone?"

"Well, word has gotten out that the princesses have escaped and made it here safely, and that Amorelli was returned to her home. However, since they know the location of where the other royals are, they are in great danger. And the rulers want a meeting as soon as possible. So far, the Emperor of China, the King of Vampires, and several other rulers have called asking where you three were and when they could arrange a meeting. They want it now, my lord..." Diesel bowed and Mordikai grew irritated.

"Mordikai, it's just a meeting. Do you not like the other rulers?" I was being curious again. This could get me into some trouble.

"It's not that. We just got here, and now we might have to leave again to god knows where. And if they found out about the two of you, the people in India found out." Mordikai stormed inside the palace. Now I see why he was upset. He's afraid they're going to take me back and hurt me.

"Mordikai, they aren't taking me back. I'm safe here with you."

"If that was the case then Samara would have been safe here with us as well."

"Mordikai! You were, what, seven years old? You couldn't have done much back then! You're older now and much stronger. You know a lot more now than you probably ever did years ago. You can protect me and get Samara back... I'll make sure of it." I put my hand on his arm and he sighed and rubbed his face. He was stressed.

"Come on, let's get something to eat." I took his hand and made our way to the kitchen. The chef had just started cleaning certain areas of the kitchen. Including the counter and some utensils.

"Alpha, Luna, so great to see both of you." He bowed. Mordikai just sat down at the counter.

"Hi, Jamie. We were just coming in for breakfast."

"You were coming in to get your mates mind off of something. I'm already on it." He smiled wide and started to get out ingredients and mixing bowls. I sighed and sat down next to him. I held his hand and watched as Jamie cooked. He seemed very happy to cook. I then saw a little girl. She looked no older than five. She had dark brown pigtails and had the smile of Jamie. That must be his daughter. I went to speak but she put her finger to her mouth. She wanted to scare her father. I smiled and put my finger to my mouth, to show her I'd be quiet. She smiled and tiptoed behind her father. She then poked his sides.

"Boo!"

"Ah!" He faked a scream, but it sounded so real to her. She laughed and so did he.

"Mary! You scared daddy!" He picked her up and put her on the counter.

"I know daddy!" She continued to giggle.

"What are you doing out of bed? It's very early." He hadn't stopped trying to make our food. I smiled, he adored his daughter and I could tell why. She was adorable and innocent.

"I heard Alpha and Luna were back, and I wanted to see them." She smiled and turned her body towards Mordikai and I. I giggled.

"It's nice to meet you, Mary. I'm Amorelli." She looked at me like I was a goddess. I blushed.

"I know! You're really nice." She then sat in quiet and watched her dad cook. He's going to have to teach her a thing or two when she's older.

"Okay, one french toast eggs and bacon with extra syrup on the side for Miss Luna," I giggled ad he gave me the entire bottle of syrup.

"And one waffles eggs bacon and sausage for Mister Alpha." He smiled and sighed as he leaned back. He was obviously exhausted and it looked like this job was taking a toll on him.

"Thank you, Jamie." I started to eat my delicious food when I saw a piece of bacon leave my plate. I looked over and saw Mary taking a piece of my bacon. I laughed a little and shared my food with her. She smiled and took a seat next to me and grabbed a napkin. When we finished our food, Mary yawned and I giggled but yawned as well. I was tired once again after my meal. Mary climbed into my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. I rubbed her back and stood up.

"Jamie, I'm gonna take Mary back to her room, is that alright?" He nodded and kissed his daughter's head.

"Kai, do you know where their rooms are?"

"Yes, I do. Follow me." He smiled and started to walk away. I followed him down a series of hallways on the first floor. When we arrived at Jamie's quarters we knocked, but not loud enough to wake her up. Her mother opened the door and bowed.

"Oh, that's not necessary Nancy. Mary and Amorelli shared a breakfast that Jamie made, and now she's tired. We just came by to drop her off." I gave her to Nancy and she nodded.

"Thank you. Have a nice day Alpha and Luna." She then shut the door before I could speak. We started walking away and when we were far enough away to where she wouldn't hear me I asked Mordikai.

"What was up with that?" He sighed.

"Rumors are that Nancy doesn't like it here. And she doesn't like anyone here. However, she is the main chef's wife, so we treat her well. We would have done so anyway even if she wasn't Jamie's wife, but she isn't from here. She wants to go back home. She's from North America. America is home to a lot of beings like us, vampires, etc. But, North America is also home to humans. Granted, they're spread all over the world, but mainly they are in North America."

"Wait, so, Nancy is human?"

"Yes. She misses her home in Florida. She's been begging to see her family there for a few years now. She calls them every day and talks about how she hates it here. Too cold, Jamie is too busy, Mary is sick again-probably because of the cold weather here. It's an endless amount of complaining. And she can't really leave him because they're married and have a child. Plus, she's human. So, if she left Jamie would die. The only reason why my father hasn't died is that he still sees his mate about every day. If Nancy left, she would go back to America and Jamie would die within a matter of days. And whether Nancy took Mary with her or not, she would become an orphan. But by Werewolf law, if a non-werewolf mate leaves the werewolf mate, and they have a child, the child would be better off here. But in our case, that won't ever happen, so our children would switch between here and Guam." I nodded. I didn't know that. But it seems like no one really likes Nancy. Jamie is a sweetheart, why wouldn't she want to be here with him?

"Does she not get out much?"

"She asks Jamie all the time if she can go out and go into town and buy things, and he will say yes but she has to take a guard with her for safety. Talk about how he can't lose her or Mary. And she will immediately take back her question and return to their room. He's giving her freedom, and she won't take it because it's not good enough for her." I frowned. Why wouldn't she take that option?

"Wait... Do you think she is using the 'wanting to go into town bit' as a rouse to escape? That's why she won't take up the guard option?" Mordikai stopped dead in his tracks. He thought it over and then turned right around. I looked forward and saw we were right outside our room. He started to walk down the hallway and I followed him.

"Mordikai, where are you going?"

"To talk to Jamie. If you're right, she'll definitely show it. She hates confrontation."

"Hold on, it was just a thought. If I'm right, then I'll feel awful about it and I don't know who will hate me for it or not."

"Trust me, no one likes her. She doesn't speak to anyone, and all she cares about is Mary."

"Yes, but don't talk to him about it now. You can see how stressed he is. Just wait until later today or something. And don't say it's a fact because it's not. It's a thought. We don't know if that is what she really want's to do. And if you think she is lying, then you can go into her mind and see what's really going on up there." He sighed and nodded. We made our way back down the hall to our room and shut the door. He pulled me close and kissed me gently. I was taken by surprise but kissed him back nonetheless. The tingles and sparks were enough to make my heart soar. I stopped kissing him and laid my head on his shoulder and sighed.

I was home.

"Happy to be home, my love?" I nodded and hummed in reply. I yawned once again and made my way to the bed. I stripped off my clothes and got under the sheets. Mordikai soon joined me and I snuggled into his warmth. He held me close and kissed my head. I kissed his chest and fell into a deep sleep.

"Sleep well, my love." I fell asleep to the sound of his breathing and voice.