I race up to the Alpha suite and repeatedly press the buzzer. I’d hate to wake up Amelia right now, but this can’t wait. As I keep pressing the button I hear the door click and open to reveal Amelia on the other side in a short, green-satin robe, her face and chest are flushed, and her hair is a mess. For a second I thought I’d frazzled her, but I quickly catch a particular scent and now I realise why she looks like that. Oops. I feel embarrassed and guilty for having interrupted, but this is an emergency.“Mei? Is everything alright?” She asks with a worried look on her face.“I think I know how to be an empress to Longsang without having to leave Invictus,” I say in a rush, almost shouting the words at her.Her eyes widen a little, “Come on in,” she says ushering me into the suite where the scent only gets stronger. She shuts the door and walks over to me. “What’s your idea?”“A makkari.”“A makkari what?” She presses.“What if I asked a makkari to create a portal here on Invictus t
I thought returning home with Mei would make all the things I’ve been feeling go away but I guess I was wrong. Mei has settled back in far better than I expected and instead it’s me who is still constantly on edge. When she’s not near me all I feel is panic that something bad is going to happen. All I do is monitor her through our link day in and day out and even I know that’s not healthy. Even now, I’m standing at the back of the packhouse watching Mei like a hawk and all she’s doing is having a picnic with Evalyn. They’re close to the packhouse, getting to her would be no easy feat, and yet I’m terrified to turn away, paranoid that the second I do someone, or something will swoop in and take her from me again.“Holy shit, is that Goddess Morrtemis?” I vaguely hear someone say next to me.“Huh?” I ask, glancing to my left to see Tyson.“I have been standing here trying to get your attention for like two minutes, where were you?” He asks, frowning.“Sorry, I was distracted,” I say as
Stepping in I see Amelia behind her desk and Vitali sitting on the couch. I also notice her desk has changed.“Why the new desk?” I ask, closing the door behind myself and Tyson as he takes a seat in front of her desk.“I broke the previous one,” she says matter-of-factly.“Why did you do that?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.“Because she was pissed off at Setia and took it out on the desk,” Tyson answers for her.“Why didn’t I know about this?” I ask in confusion.“You weren’t exactly in the right headspace at the time,” Vitali says with a half-hearted smile. Oh. Well, that makes sense. I didn’t really care about anything when Mei was gone. Russia could have been dropping bombs on the US and it still wouldn’t have been enough to pull me out of my depression.“Where’s Marcus?” Tyson asks.“On the phone with Alpha Jasper. Marcus and I have been talking and as an allied pack and one that is practically a sister pack given Marcus’ previous position and ancestry, we have decided to invite t
Today is the day we return to Longsang, and I am a bundle of nerves. Maybe I should have gotten some advice from Jianyu. He had to become an Alpha before he was ready, and now I’m expected to be an Empress at nineteen. Safe to say I’m feeling the pressure. I’ve spent the last few days getting input from Amelia, Marcus, even Amelia’s parents and grandparents- and Chris of course. After many conversations I think I now have a plan of action, I just hope it goes well.I wanted to look presentable when I return to Longsang, to show my people that I’m taking this seriously, so Kennedy, Lacey and Fleur were kind enough to help me get ready. Lacey put my hair in a half updo with the top half pinned into a beautiful bun with a gold floral hairclip at the side. Kennedy went searching for a dress that spoke more to my cultural origins, so she found a stunning full-length qipao. It’s mostly black with a golden-yellow skirt underneath that shows through the slits at the side. It has three-quarter
Amelia was right. Aulen couldn’t open a portal that opened inside the barrier around Longsang. She got us to the barrier and then I had to grant her entry. Chris already had it from last time though. Once inside the barrier she then opened another portal that took us directly to the palace to save us the walk. Life seems very easy for a makkari. Want to go somewhere? Wave your hand and you’re there in an instant. Imagine having the power to see the whole world whenever you wanted. What a gift that would be.As we stepped out from the portal I could see many people around us. Each stopped what they were doing and politely nodded their head in our direction, and Chris and I did the same in return.“A girl could get used to this,” Aulen mutters as she looks around with a look of wonder on her face. “So this is Longsang. Seems criminal to keep such a beautiful place locked away,” she sighs. I do agree with her, despite the horrors that have occurred here I can’t help but remember the same
For the rest of our meeting, I went over the rest of my plans for the den, which I expected Qiang and Nuo to protest but they seemed thrilled by the idea. After that was over and done with we started discussing Chris’ and my coronation. I didn’t realise we needed to do something like that since I am already the nagata Empress, but Nuo explained there is a ceremony. In the past, the previous Emperor or Empress would relinquish their title to the next generation as they take their oath to the den. It seems a lot like an Alpha ceremony when I think about it - the transferring of power and authority from one person to another. The main differences are there is no previous Emperor and Empress to relinquish their title, and Chris isn’t a nagata.We talked for a while and came to the decision that for Chris his part of the ceremony should be conducted much like a Luna ceremony. Chris will take the Oath of the Emperor – which per tradition is all in Mandarin so he’s got some work to do – and
I make my way back to the palace following my bond to Chris and it’s not long before I find him again. He walks over looking at me cautiously. “How did it go?” “All done,” I smile brightly, “He took it down.” “That’s fantastic!” He cheers as he wraps me up in his arms and swings me around making me laugh, “You’ve done something extraordinary, my love,” he gushes as he sets me back on my feet. “I haven’t done an-” Before I can finish that sentence, Chris has placed his hand over my mouth to silence me. “No more of that. One of these days you will have to look around and realise all the amazing things you have done not just for yourself but those around you, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. So no more dismissing all your accomplishments, I won’t have it,” he says sternly. I frown up at him. “I mean it, Mei. It’s okay to take credit for all you’ve done. You’re making huge changes around here, own it,” he says, lowering his hand. “Do I have to?” I pout. “Technically no, but
We had lunch with Qiang and Nuo and then they took us around showing us more of Longsang. Seeing this place as a guest instead of a prisoner helps me to appreciate it more. Longsang is a truly breathtaking place, even Chris was in awe as we walked around. It did give Chris and me a chance to see what changes need to be made. The school here looks like no one has cared about it in years, which makes me sad. It hurts to think there are children here growing up without an education just like I did. The medical centre has definitely seen better days. Everyone’s homes are in good condition because they take care of them themselves, but anything that involves community or public wellbeing has been horribly neglected. When I think I’ve learned all there is to know about Zixin’s cruelty I learn something new that devastates me. Nuo, however, told me that my mother loved the school and actually was one of the teachers. Hearing this has made me even more determined to fix this place up and turn