To Claim A Crown Book One: The Half-Blood King (Complete)

37.

Raurlin stirs in his sleep as Naomi offers a small flurry of kisses across his cheeks. She meant it as a sign of his forgiveness. Raurlin slowly cracks an eye open and his eyes are a glowing red. Naomi frowns at him as she pushes herself back onto her side of the bed.

"Your eyes, Raur."

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. Good morning doll."

"You didn't scare me. Is it because today's the awakening?"

"I guess so. What time is it?"

"Just after seven. I ran you a bath. I thought you might want an early start to the day."

Raurlin smiles lazily at Naomi as she steps out from the shared bed.

"Thank you doll."

"Oh and Raur you'll never guess..."

"It's snowing?"

Naomi rolls her eyes at Raurlin and she smiles then walks into the bathroom and Raurlin shortly follows after her.

Jackson sits up in the bed and reaches out across the sheets. He rubs his eyes and then slowly opens then to find Sarah standing by the balcony looking out the window.

He hopes out of the bed and walks to where she is standing. Her skin is covered in goosebumps. Jackson wraps his arms around her and Sarah settles into his chest.

"What are you looking at?"

"I'm watching the snowfall but..."

"But what, Sarah?"

"I only see blood where it lands."

The four settle into the breakfast table and the young wolves are there to join them. There's an air of extreme excitement and Raurlin finds it contagious. He grins at Naomi as she scoops a mouthful of scrambled eggs into her mouth.

Mikain is sitting at the edge of the table and Sandy is back beside him. She looks exhausted and Naomi steals glances at her as she rubs her belly. Sarah catches Naomi looking at Sandy and she raises an eyebrow to her best friend who merely shakes her head. Mikain stands up and raises a glass. He looks surprisingly tired. The table falls to silence.

"Today is the day," is all he says and there is cheering and banging on the table. Naomi grins and soaks it in. She already feels a certain nostalgia to the place and her surroundings. She places a hand over Raurlin's and she can tell that his heart is racing. The wolves at the table eyes turn to a dim yellow and Mikain's change to a bright golden yellow. Long claws much like Raurlin's extend from his fingers but they're not as long. Raurlin's red gleaming eyes pool a deep gold and they match Mikains just briefly before returning to the gleaming red.

Jackson raises an eyebrow and turns to Mikain who is sitting back down. The look doesn't go unnoticed and Mikain simply nods his head once. He settles into his chair and clasps onto Sandy's hand. Sandy's eyes are a golden glow and she looks down the table with a proud smile. For a moment Naomi can almost see her imagining her little one at the table, banging on with the cutlery.

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Naomi thanks Benedict for the afternoon training session. The other wolves are clearing the mats and punching bags and Naomi immediately jumps into assistance. They carry the training things into a small room inside and then start carrying out a few chairs. From the same room Benedict carries out a large bowl and a large knife. The younger wolves begin gathering outside with nervous chatter. Raurlin is not among them. Naomi walks upstairs and their bedroom door is open.