End of an Era: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 4)

by Kristan Belle

  “But it won’t go right! I’ve tried it ten times!”

  It had taken a while for Cala to calm her down. This was the moment the trainees in her group had been waiting for. It was a really big deal for them all, going out into the real world and putting their training into practice. Protecting the community. It was a big deal for them all. Hence why Aisline had turned into a bag of nerves. The enormity of what they were about to go into had hit her in a rush.

  Cala could totally understand it. She had butterflies in her stomach, but for a whole different reason…

  “Can we go now?” Kelton snapped, pulling Cala out of her thoughts.

  “We’re ready.” Kayleigh smiled before she spun on her heels. “I forgot the camera!” and she rushed off towards the bedroom.

  Kelton rolled his eyes. “Cala, will you help your brother into his car seat? If we don’t get moving soon, we’re going to be late.”

  “Sure thing. Come on, squirt.” And she took Elias’ hand, leading him out of the front door.

  Kayleigh rushed back into the room, stuffing the camera into her small clutch crimson clutch bag that matched her dress and shoes. “Sorry about that.”

  “Are you all set now? Nothing else you’ve forgotten? Can we go now?”

  As Kayleigh swung around to head towards the front door, Kelton grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close.

  She looked as beautiful as ever, if not more so. She radiated happiness and that made his heart swell. Now that their lives had finally fallen into place, things couldn’t get any more perfect. He had a wife that he worshipped, two beautiful children he adored and for once, being a warrior wasn’t taking over his life. Everything seemed balanced.

  “Now you’re going to make us late.” She chuckled, her fingers lacing behind his neck.

  “I don’t care.” Kelton said as he breathed her in deeply, loving her familiar scent. Bending his head, his lips met hers and he tenderly kissed her, showing his never-ending love for her.

  Kayleigh closed her eyes. They weren’t liked other couples who constantly quarrelled and fell out of love with one another. They loved one another, respected each other and were still in love, even after all this time. They were best friends, which was a strong foundation for any relationship. There was a huge difference between loving someone and being in love with them. Kelton and Kayleigh had the best of both worlds.

  “You look simply amazing.” He said as he looked down at her, brushing her rich auburn hair over her shoulder. The dress she wore fit her like a glove, clinging to the curves that Kelton knew by heart.

  “As do you.”

  “You are my everything, my world, you know that don’t you Kayleigh.”

  She chuckled good naturedly, “Don’t’ tell me the badass warrior is going soft on me?”

  “Only with you.” He grinned back at her.

  After all that they’d been through over the years, they had come out the other side stronger than ever. Theirs was a love that was meant to be and nothing could stand in their way. Most couples would have crumbled after all they’d been through, but their partnership had strengthened. It was like nothing could touch them now.

  “We’d really better be going now.” The last thing Kayleigh wanted was to break the spell of their moment, but they were starting to push it for time if they wanted to be at the academy before the ceremony kicked off.

  Kelton nodded and took her hand, leading her out to the door. This was a night that was going to make them all very proud.

  Ash put the last clip into her hair and sighed. Finally, she’d managed to do it just right. It had taken her hours, wanting it to be just perfect for today, and she’d finally done it.

  She’d been up for hours. Sleep had evaded her. She was way more nervous than she’d thought she’d be now that the day was finally here. They’d been through so much during her years training, but now the time to graduate was actually upon them, she didn’t feel ready for it.

  Last night, the trainees had partied it up together, relishing their last night of freedom before they were bogged down by warrior responsibility. Ash hadn’t stayed with them for too long, preferring not to have a hangover on such an important day. She and Jackson had spent the night together, talking about their future.

  It was scary. They couldn’t really plan for anything. Their futures were too uncertain and they knew that they’d have to spend the next few years adjusting to their new warrior life. Were they ever going to get there? It seemed like they were always putting their blossoming relationship on hold for what could come around the corner next.

  One thing they were certain of in this world of uncertainty was that they would be moving on together. No matter what happened, they were in this for the long haul. Plans could wait. They’d take each day as it came.

  A knock on the door had Aisline checking her reflection in the mirror one last time. She’d been surprised by how mature and efficient she looked in her official warrior uniform. This was the first time that they would all be wearing it as a group. She couldn’t wait to see the rest of the guys.

  “Ash?” Jackson called through the closed door.

  “Coming!”

  Checking her hair was in place, Aisline opened up the door with a shaky smile that broadened into a grin when she saw him standing there in his full warrior uniform. He looked amazing. From the neatly shaven hair, to the sleek black material, to the shit kicker boots. He looked bad boy delicious.

  “Wow.” Jackson said as he looked Ash up and down.

  “You too.”

  “Are you ready for this?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Ash sucked in a deep breath and grasped Jackson’s extended hand.

  Walking down the hallway, there was much activity. Staff were rushing about getting everything ready for today’s ceremony, warriors and trainees making their way down to the grand hall. It was nearly time.

  Luckily, they didn’t have to move out of the academy straight away. Ash wasn’t sure she could handle packing up at a time like this. So much was changing and she didn’t want to lose everything in one go. This place had meant a lot to her. It wasn’t just the mansion itself, it was the life it held within it. They’d become a family to her. The trainees were her brothers and she’d be working side by side with them for the rest of her life.

  Everything was changing. It was scary, but Ash knew she could do this.

  Walking down the elegant staircase, it struck Ash again how much she loved this place. It was easy to take your surroundings for granted and she took the time to look at everything with fresh eyes.

  Seeing the families of the trainees start to file into the great hall, Ash’s heart tightened. It was an odd feeling for her. She wanted her family to be here to witness this moment, but even her father wouldn’t be attending. He had business to attend to. And seeing as her father was the only family member who would have anything to do with her, without him she’d have no one.

  Luckily, Lana would be coming to see her graduate. Aisline couldn’t wait to see her. It had been way too long since they last got together and although they still talked constantly on the phone, seeing her in person would make the day even more special for her.

  “Are you okay?” Jackson asked when he saw Ash glancing around self-consciously.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  It was strange for her to be attending a formal ceremony like this and not getting dressed up like the rest of the women in attendance. She was wearing her full warrior uniform, with boots and her hair scraped back. There wasn’t any point in putting on any make-up as she’d only have to wipe it off later.

  Jackson grinned when he saw his mother and sisters walking through the main doors. Ash’s grip on his hand loosened and he glanced at her questioningly.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I want to introduce you to my family.”

  Ash shook her head. They hadn’t talked about this, but the possibility had crossed her mind. Were they ready for t
his? They’d been together for a long time already, but this was a huge step. She said as much to Jackson.

  He laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous!”

  “I’m not!” She protested. “You should go and enjoy your time with them.”

  “Stop trying to get out of this.”

  “What if they don’t like me?” That was one of her main worries. Would they want Jackson to date the only female Lamia Matris warrior? Wouldn’t they want more for him?

  “I like you and that’s all they’ll care about. Come on.” He insisted, dragging her over to meet his large family.

  They were all so friendly and chatty that Ash instantly felt more relaxed, despite the over-whelming number of sisters. All of them seemed happy that she and Jackson were together and were all eager to get to know her.

  It was strange to be around so many girls again. At the academy, she’d been limited to Cala, Kayleigh, some of the staff and talking to Lana on the phone. It was strange to think how used to being around the boys’ she’d gotten over the time.

  When Aisline spotted Lana moving through the crowded reception area, she politely excused herself and went running into her friends’ arms.

  “I’m so glad you could make it.”

  “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

  “It wouldn’t have been the same without you here.” Ash’s eyes started to tear over but she refused to cry.

  “Are you kidding? I get to see you graduate and I’m surrounded by all these muscle bound specimens, where else would I be?” She giggled, her eyes going wide as she watched all the warriors and trainees moving around her.

  “I’ll make sure to introduce you to a few of them before you leave.” Aisline grinned, pleased that Lana had such a calming influence on her.

  “Come on, I need to go and find my seat.” Lana grabbed her arm and walked towards the great hall, ogling the men as they went.

  Kayleigh waved over at Aisline, who was stood in the long line with the rest of the trainees waiting to graduate. She looked terrified. To anyone who didn’t know her, Ash looked confident and sure of herself, but Kayleigh knew her too well. The tightness around her eyes and the serious expression gave her away.

  They all fell quiet as Master Warrior Verynai stepped up to the stage, slowly walking to the centre.

  “Thank you all for coming today. This is a very important occasion for all of us. This is the day that we add more warriors to our ranks. They will be the ones out on the street, protecting you all and ensuring your safety.”

  A round of applause rose up amongst the audience. Verynai let it continue for a moment, letting the trainees bask in their glory before holding up his hand for silence.

  “Over the years, we have initiated many warriors and it never gets old for us. Each batch of trainees that graduate brings us new blood. We are an age old race and it would be easy to get stuck in our ways.” He wanted to growl as he thought of the amount of arguments and battles he’d had with the council over heading into the future and making sure their methods were up to date. No wonder Kelton had hated speaking with them for all those years. He wasn’t sure how he was going to do it.

  “This is a very special day for each and every one of our trainees who have fought and trained to get to this point. They’d all worked hard and gone above and beyond the call of duty. However, this is an extra special day for us as this is the first time in our history that we will not only have a female warrior in our midst, but also a warrior of shifter origin.” Another round of applause sounded and Verynai saw young Rees clapping wildly in the third row. Even though he had been training for the same length of time as his brother, they all thought it would be prudent to hold of his graduation for at least another year or so due to his age.

  He waited for the crowd to quieten again before speaking, “And not only do we have a female and a shifter graduating today, they are among the top in their class. May I present to you all, the top three graduates of this year – Jackson, Aisline and Caleb.”

  The crowd went crazy as the three of them took to the stage. The nervousness had now left Aisline and all she felt was a rush of pride. She couldn’t believe she’d graduated in the top three, and to have her two best friends at her side was just the icing on the cake.

  She tried to hold in a grin when she saw Lana, Kayleigh, Cala and Elias on their feet, their faces bursting with pride.

  Jackson’s family were standing, clapping wildly and he couldn’t help but laugh. All those years of training and putting the warrior ship first had paid off.

  Caleb remained straight faced. Rees was there for him, clapping and cheering loudly, but he had no other family there to represent him. It was a lonely feeling, until he locked eyes with Cala and his heart swelled. She was worth it. She gave him something to work for, to be a better man and get over the obstacles life threw at him.

  Ash beamed as she stepped forward. She couldn’t help it. As a warrior, she knew she should take this in her stride, but the excitement was too much. Glancing back over at Lana, she blinked back the tears and her breath hitched when she saw who was sitting next to her.

  Her father.

  Her mother.

  And her sister.

  It had been so long since she had seen them. The only thing that would have been better would have been to have Granny Ivy there, but that wasn’t to be. Over her time at the academy, she had been in contact with her father after a shaky start, but her mother and sister had never accepted her new position within the Sons of Satrina. The moment the warrior mark appeared on her temple, it was the moment that she lost her mother and sister. Seeing them sitting there among the rest of the families, although obviously uncomfortable and awkward, clapping stiffly, it meant the world to her.

  It was almost too much for her to take. This was one of the biggest days of her life and to see her entire family there to support her in this time meant everything to her. She never thought she’d see the day that her mother and sister would step up and acknowledge her position as a warrior. She knew that this wouldn’t be easy for them and that it took a lot for them to come to the ceremony, and she was grateful.

  They stepped up to accept their certificates and moved to the side of the hall, clapping as the remaining graduates received theirs. It was a very proud and emotional moment for them all.

  With each trainee that was called up, Verynai and Kelton shook their hands and officially welcomed them into the world of warrior hood. This was the moment that they finally grew into something more.

  The buzz in the air was electric. Usually, at functions of this kind, where you were waiting around for an eternity, things could get kind of boring and there was often less enthusiasm for those at the end of the line, but not with this. Each and every graduate got the joy and respect they deserved. The applause and the cheers were just as loud and enthusiastic for the last graduating trainee as it was for the first.

  This was a time that the entire community revelled in. It was a proud moment not just for the family of each individual graduate, but for all. The life they were about to step into was to be celebrated. They were now the protectors of the race.

  When the last trainee had finally graduated and all the certificates had been handed out, Verynai gave a final speech which had most of the crowds’ eyes brimming with tears. He paid a heartfelt tribute to all they had loved and lost and the passion in his speech had the graduates brimming with pride.

  Kelton stepped forward to say a few words. He thought he would find it hard to see Verynai taking his place, but he didn’t. His friend and brother had stepped up to the position and was leading the academy onto bigger and better things. It was a big moment for both of them. Verynai was handing these guys over to him to take out onto the street, but it’s not like he was washing his hands of them. Verynai was a warrior and would be proud to work out on the streets with these graduates.

  It wasn’t like they were going to be thrown into the deep end. Graduates had a period of time to adjust
to their new roles, but it would be greatly different from all they had been used to. It was Kelton’s job to see them through the transition.

  As the head of the warriors as a whole, it was his job to welcome them, and he did with a strong speech that made them all feel ready and willing to get out there and rid the world of their enemies.

  Once it was all over, then came the time to celebrate. The new graduates ate and drank with their family members, laughing and joking and feeling the weight of all those years of training falling off their shoulders. It was easy to see that they weren’t ready to think about the reality of their future just yet, but that would come later.

  “Kelton?” Kayleigh tried to get his attention.

  “What’s up?”

  “There’s a call for you.”

  “Any idea who?” He wasn’t expecting any calls today. They all knew how busy they’d be.

  Kayleigh shrugged and he kissed her on the cheek as he nodded and moved out of the room. The quietest place for him to take a call would be in his office. The crowd was happy and noisy and he wouldn’t be able to hear a word.

  Shutting the door behind him, Kelton crossed the small room and picked up the phone on his desk, tapping in the extension number to receive the call. “Master Warrior Kelton speaking.”

  “Kelton?” A tired voice asked.

  “Hello, Marshall! Good to hear from you.”

  “I’m just calling to see how the ceremony went. Our dear leader is currently in a meeting.”

  Kelton smiled to himself. The council had finally appointed a new leader for the race, but all wasn’t quite as it seemed. Charles Worthingly was the public face of the office, a leader for all to look up to, but Kelton knew who was really running things.

  The council had finally got their fingers out their asses, but Kelton knew that it wasn’t Charles that was running things. Marshall was the man who knew everything about the race and how to keep order. Charles was the front, but Marshall was the one that ran things.

  Not that you could ever say that to him. Marshall was a man who lived to serve, but to serve the race as a whole? He didn’t think he was good enough for that. Kelton had tried to convince him otherwise to no avail.