"What if they've changed? What if they blame me? What if they don't love me anymore?"
"Delia, they wouldn't be moving in if they hated you. Everything will be okay."
She shook her head. "You don't understand. It's all my fault. I'm the one who left, dragging them with me. So many years wasted…"
"Maybe it took that dramatic step for the queen to see the light. Maybe she wouldn’t have budged on the rules, but losing her only three daughters helped her see the error of her ways."
"Did I mention I love you?"
He chuckled. "I'm leaving now. I'll send the girls up to see you."
****
She could barely catch her breath as she awaited the long anticipated reunion with her beloved Carna and Freya. The moment they entered the castle, she knew. She was so in tune with their scent, their emotions, that they were like an extension of herself, even after all this time.
When the door knocked, her heart stopped for a second. She stood in the middle of the room, frozen in place.
"Delia? Caleb said you were in the sunroom…" Freya's blonde head poked in the door. She couldn't help but smile. Her sister was so beautiful, familiar but different. "Delia!" Freya ran forward after spotting her, crashing into her arms, almost knocking her over.
Carna joined them in a group hug. Delia's tears came without warning, a mixture of nerves and happiness, regrets better left forgotten.
"We're home," said Carna, wiping away tears of her own.
"This time we're all mated women, not naïve young girls," added Freya.
Carna ran her hands over Delia's hair, assessing every detail of her face. When they were younger, people used to mistake them for twins. "We have a lot of catching up to do."
They moved to the glass walls, looking down at the ten shifters unloading the boxes and furniture. Freya laughed. "There'll be a lion in the palace for the first time in history. Don't worry—he's a big softie."
"And two bears apparently," said Delia.
Carna stifled a laugh, cupping her hands over her mouth. "And…and a fox," she teased.
"Hey, he's a very sexy fox."
"I saw that. You've done well, Delia. We all have."
Delia kissed both of her sisters, energized by their presence. It was as if all the years of heartache and loneliness dissipated into nothingness. All that mattered was that they were a family again, everything else a lesson learned. Delia wasn't the last princess. This was just the beginning.
The End
www.staceyespino.com
Other Books by Stacey Espino:
Beyond the Wall
'Twas a Dark and Delicious Christmas
Catch Me If You Can
Claiming Their Mate
Freya's Mates
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
The Last Princess Page 9