The Arena novel Chapter 83

Eight Months Later

“Momma, Kenna blew her fire on me!” My young son comes running into the room, his arms raised and big alligator tears streaming down his face.

I reach down and pick him up, putting him on my hip around my growing, pregnant belly. “It didn’t hurt you, did it?” I ask. Our son, even though he has the Lycan gene, is immune to our fire. He got enough dragon blood to give him immunity from our heat.

It had taken much longer this time to get pregnant. I was worried that it wouldn’t happen since my uterus ruptured with Liekki’s birth, but Cedric had promised to try as many times as needed to put a pup or dragon in me. And he didn’t fail me. I’m considered a high-risk pregnancy, but so far, three months in, everything is going well.

Kenna comes walking in behind Liekki. “I warned him, Momma. I told him if he touched my gemstones, I would blow my fire on him. He didn’t listen. He touched my gems, Momma.”

“Sweetheart.” It’s so strange talking to Kenna when she’s in her human form. She’s the size of a seven-year-old, but she’s a fully grown dragon. It’s an odd combination, one that she often tells me she can’t stand because people tend to treat her like a child when she’s in her human form. “Can’t you just give him one of your gems?”

“I tried Momma,” she whines. “He wants one of my special stones. You know I can’t part with them. I found them. And the one he wants is one of the first stones I found. He promised that if I took him to my cave, he wouldn’t touch anything he wasn’t supposed to, but he did.”

Cedric walks in, taking Liekki from me. “Son, what have we discussed about your sister’s gemstones?”

Liekki’s bottom lip rolls out in the biggest pout I’ve ever seen. “They’re hers.”

“That’s right. And what have I told you about future Alphas?”

“We don’t whine, pout, or complain.”

“And?”

“And we look out for our pack and take care of our own.”

Liekki is more advanced than a child his age should be. I have to think that he got some of the advanced growth from the dragon side as well as the Lycan. His language and even his ability to walk and run are more advanced than a one-year-old child should be.

“And were you taking care of your sister when you tried to take her gemstone?”

“She said I could have one, Papa,” he says, looking up at Cedric with wide green eyes. He looks so much like Cedric with this dark hair, and even his skin tone is darker than mine, but his eyes are emerald-green like mine. And every once in a while, I swear I see them flash red when he’s angry.

“But she was specific about the one she wanted you to have, right?” Cedric continues to question our son.

"Yes, Papa."

“So, you, the future Alpha of this and all werewolf packs, were being selfish? Is that what I’m understanding? And then, the future Alpha of this and all werewolf packs came crying to his pregnant mother and pouting to his father?”

I watch Liekki’s mouth press into a thin line. Even at his young age, he already seems to have developed an understanding of what it means to be the future Alpha. Of course, it could be because Cedric always reminds him, telling him stories at night of all the great Alphas in history rather than reading him the books he reads to Kenna.

Kenna walks over to Cedric, who is still holding Liekki. “Here, Liekki. This is the one that I was going to give you.”

It’s a beautiful emerald, one I’m surprised my young daughter is willing to part with. I walk up beside Liekki and kiss the side of his head.

“Do you know, son, that when a dragon gives you something special to them, it has a meaning. Your sister chose this gem for you for a reason.”

He looks at her. “You did?”

She nods. “Mmhmm. It’s the color of your eyes. You have Momma’s eyes. I have Papa’s eyes, but you have our mother’s eyes, and the emerald is the same color as yours and Momma’s eyes.”

“Oh.”

“What do you say to your sister, Liekki?” Cedric prompts him.

“Thank you, Kenna. It’s beautiful. But next time you look for stones, could you find me a red one. I wanted one that looks like you.”

“You want a ruby?” she asks him.

“Yes, because it’s the color of yours and Momma’s scales. It’s so beautiful. The emerald is pretty, but Avani isn’t as pretty as you and Momma.”

Kenna pulls Liekki from Cedric’s arms and hugs him closely. “Maybe you and I can go find one together. Would you like that?”

He throws his arms around Kenna’s neck. “Really?”

She laughs at his excitement. “Yes, really. But not today. The other dragons are coming in, and I need to be here for the meeting, okay?”

“Okay.” He slides down to the floor, completely placated. He runs off, turning to look over his shoulder. “Thanks, sissy!”

“You’re welcome, little bro.”

“Well done, Kenna,” Cedric says to our daughter. She beams under his praise.

“Thanks, Papa. I didn’t know he wanted it because it looks like me and Momma.”

“It doesn’t matter. He needs to realize now that he can’t just take what he wants. As the Alpha of Alphas, he will one day be able to do just that. It’s a good lesson for him to learn early that he shouldn’t just because he can.”

I lean into my mate. There are so many reasons I’m proud to be Cedric’s mate and dragon, and this is just one of them. He understands what it means to be a good leader. His pack is absolutely dedicated to him, willing to risk their lives for him, and many have given their lives.

This past year has been difficult. We eventually found The Chief. And while that has made things better, it’s still not done.