Ileus: The Dark Prince

Five years later.

Kingdom of Werewolves, Silver Vales

A day before onset of Spring Festival 

Ileus Volkov, the crown prince of Draoidh relaxed in the shade of an old oak with gnarled roots and a thick canopy as he scanned the rolling lawns and hills that were filled with new grass and wildflowers that swayed in the cool breeze. His mother, father, sister, her husband, Haldir and Inyanga, Aidan and Darla had gathered to join him and Anastasia for the naming ceremony and spring festival. 

Anastasia sat beside him. She was talking to Iona, who was nursing her younger son, Ryne. 

Anastasia had given him children, both with golden eyes but while the elder one had golden hair, the younger had dark hair, just like his father. 

Their older one, Nikolai—whose birth in Ileus' life had taken loads of tension off. Anastasia had her hands full with two kids, including their father, and now the third one had come just a month back. 

At five, Nikolai Volkov was definitely a bully and clever, like his wolf father, but too beautiful and innocent, like his mother. The one-month-old Alexander was too young to have his features judged, but Ileus insisted that he too looked like him. However, there was a tussle between Adrianna and him about it on a regular basis. 

Ileus had Alexander cradled in his arm, sleeping more comfortably—at least that's what his father believed. The main reason was that it was Ileus who was taking care of their baby even at nights in order to give Anastasia as much rest as possible. She was still recovering from the delivery.

Nikolai was his grandparents' apple of the eye. He was rotten-spoiled by Dmitri. And his magic was being controlled by Adrianna. Yes, the child was wilder than his parents and grandparents and his power showed at that young age. Along with Ruvyn, the two were little devils. 

When Nikolai was born, Ileus had been extremely cautious because he had taken all of Anastasia's time and attention away from him. A few days later, when his son opened his eyes and looked at his father with focus, he started crying for his attention. And Ileus' heart melted like ice cream under the sun. He felt like his mommy. The child would be too happy and giggled and sought for him, whenever Ileus came near him. Nikolai was never afraid of how his father would burst in shadows, rather he would demand it from Ileus to show more. 

Anastasia was only twenty-three, but damn, motherhood agreed with her. She wanted to give everything to her children whatever she was denied in her years of torture. She had never been able to forgive Etaya for what she had done to her and her family. She had asked her father to keep a tight watch on her while Seraph constantly stayed in her cell. And she was least bothered about Aed Ruad. The entire family was ruined because of Etaya's greed and ambition. 

Áine and Ian had a baby boy, Kerr, who was only four years and looked just like his sister, who incidentally adored him crazily. They couldn't come to the festival but Anastasia had her plans to visit them as soon as Alexander was a little older. 

Haldir and Inyanga were waiting before having the next baby. Inyanga had miscarried their next child and suddenly Haldir thought that he wanted to go around the world with his wife and son before settling. Their next stop was Evindal. 

Ilyana and Theodir had twin boys, just three months back. Theodir had named his elder one Ileus, which was very puzzling for Ileus because Ilyana didn't protest. Ileus still wondered as to why would Theodir do that. The gist was that the elf king and queen were just too happy in their world. Their heir was born and the whole kingdom was in the longest celebrations ever. 

Ileus and Anastasia had decided on the name of their younger one already but the ceremony was an essential one in which the netizens were invited, since it also collided with the spring festival. The arrival of Nikolai in the world had immersed Draoidh in a week-long celebration and the same thing was going to happen now. 

Darla and Aidan had their daughter Nina, their sons, Lev and Alex and surprisingly they had one more coming up. Aidan was completely smitten by his daughter and wanted one more, but Darla had two sons in a row. He had convinced her that if they didn't have a daughter next time, it would be the last. Darla shook her head and kissed him on his lips. 

Kaizan and his two dogs were playing with all the kids who were chasing him in the field of flowers and butterflies across the brook. Currenly, he was waylaid by them. It was lovely to see all the kids climbing up on him and having fun. He was fond of all of them. 

Ileus took a deep breath as he looked at all of them with affection. They had come a long way. Suddenly, Iona's daughter ran and wrapped her little arms around Anastasia with a pout. Anastasia laughed as she held Lena's hands and said, "What happened, Lena?" 

"I hate Ruvyn!" the little five-year-old pointed. "He is not taking me in his team." Her tiny horns were like little buds. And people at Galahar said that Lena would never get lost, because she was the carbon copy of Rolfe with softer features. If she got lost, she would be returned to her parents immediately. 

"Why, that's sad," Anastasia replied. Being the oldest, Ruvyn was the leader of the gang. "Come and sit with us then." She patted the blanket beside her. 

"No!" Lena protested. "I will go and punch him." 

"That's not a good thing, Lena," Iona chided her, as she buttoned up her dress after nursing Ryne. He was sleeping now. She called a nanny to take the child, but her husband Rolfe accosted, picked up his son in his arms and sat beside Iona. He kissed her temple as she settled in his arms. Iona studied architecture at Galahar and often visited her cousins Daryn and Dawn in the human realm to get study material. The demon kingdom had prospered under Iona and Rolfe's rule. 

Lena pouted more. Then she ran to the group and Ruvyn allowed her to join them without a word. 

Anastasia got up from the blanket and walked to Ileus. "Are you okay? You've been holding him for a long time." 

"I am," he replied with a smile. "The child keeps looking like me with every passing day." 

Anastasia shook her head at the obsessive, narcissist father of her babies. He had supported her so well all the time that she couldn't thank her stars enough. Ileus had demanded that they wait for the next child rather than having it fast. 

"And oh, his lips part like yours and he drools like you when he sleeps," Ileus added, brushing the tuft of silky black hair on Alexander's head, sighing lovingly. 

She swatted him on the arm and said, "I do not drool, wolf." She picked up the baby from his arms and gave him to the nanny. Ileus collected her in his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I love you, Ana," he said in a soft voice as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Wind ruffled her golden hair and covered his face. He inhaled her scent. "I don't think there's a luckier bastard in this world than me." 

Anastasia giggled. "Correction. There's no other as shameless as you." She turned her gaze at her strong family and friends and thought there was nothing else she wanted more than this. They all have grown together through thick and thin, and were closely knit. 

"Ah, that too," he chuckled. How could he forget that he had renovated his library and it was still a secret from all the women of the house. 

--- The Beginning. 

A note from the author:

Dear all,

Thank you so much for completing this journey with me. Ileus and Anastasia were a part of my life as they were yours, these past eight months. These characters had been very relatable to real life characters, except that they were in a fantasy world. I know you all loved Kaizan a lot and want to know about his mate. Soon… 

I loved all the comments you gave and kept everyone engaged. It was a roller coaster ride which I couldn't finish with 'The End'. It is 'The Beginning'. 

Hope to see you in the comments section of my next book, Dark Hunger. 

Loads of love,

Misha K