The Prophecy: Empress Returns

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kalea happily bounced down the packhouse staircase. When Amelia saw her, her eyes widened in shock.

“Kalea, darling? What are you doing roaming about?” Amelia asked.

“Yeah, aren’t you contagious?” Stephen added, taking a cautious step back.

“She still is, but Luna Shaw’s Wiccan friend brought a set of potions that helped soothe the worst parts of the virus. It’s no longer airborne—only contagious through physical contact,” Renee explained as she joined them at the bottom of the stairs.

“Well, that’s wonderful news! I would hug you, but seeing as I can’t, I’ll just blow you a few kisses,” Amelia said warmly. Kalea smiled, reaching out to catch the blown kisses in her hands.

“If anything, Aimee, you could put a protective barrier around Kalea so no one accidentally comes into contact with her,” Stephen suggested.

“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea, Stephen,” Amelia quickly agreed.

“You couldn’t have suggested that sooner?!” Kalea threw her hands up.

“She couldn’t be anywhere near you before, sweetheart, remember?” Renee reminded her, gently patting her shoulder.

“Oh, right. Duh. Sorry, Nana,” Kalea pouted sheepishly.

“Quite alright, darling. Now stand still while I set this bubble around you,” Amelia said with a wink.

She raised her hand, weaving her magic to form a clear, shimmering protective bubble around Kalea. Anyone who tried to step closer than two feet would gently bounce right off. It allowed her to finally sit with her family and plan her wedding without putting anyone at risk until the chickenpox fully cleared.

With the glowing, translucent barrier shimmering gently around her, Kalea bounced over to the large wooden table in the packhouse dining room. Eddie tried to pull out a chair for her, but his hand hit the invisible bubble with a soft boing, nudging him back an inch.

“This is definitely the weirdest way I’ve ever been quarantined,” Kalea giggled, sliding into her seat while the magical force field settled around her like a giant glass dome.

Eddie chuckled, pulling up a chair right next to her barrier, pressing his palm flat against the shimmering magic.

“Hey, if it keeps you out of bed and lets us actually talk about our future, I’ll take it. But since I’ve had it, why can’t I at least touch you?” Eddie pouted, not liking the fact that his mate was inaccessible even to him.

“Well, future King Edward, some of us haven’t had it, so you can still pass it around from person to person,” Jared called out from the kitchen.

Everyone laughed at the fact that Jared was practically hiding from Kalea. After hearing that he was susceptible to catching it—despite having his werewolf healing capabilities—Jared wasn’t taking any chances. He refused to risk being anywhere near someone who could potentially pass the virus to him.

“Bro, seriously?” Kurt rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair.

“Damn, if anything, the Queen should’ve put the barrier around Mr. Scaredy-Pup over there,” Hailey mused, gesturing toward the kitchen door with a smirk.

“Hey! I’m taking smart precautions!” Jared defended himself, poking just his head around the doorway. “You guys can make fun of me all you f*cking want, but I saw how miserable Kalea was yesterday. I am not spending my week crying every time I have to take a piss!”

Amelia shook her head, a light chuckle escaping her lips. “Don’t worry, Jared, the bubble keeps all airborne and physical contact contained. As long as you don’t go hugging the sphere, you’re perfectly safe in the same room.”

Jared eyed the shimmering force field suspiciously before slowly stepping out of the doorway. “Fine. But I’m keeping a five-foot perimeter just in case.”

“Suit yourself, coward,” Kurt snickered. “That just leaves more cake samples for the rest of us to go over.”

“Who said anything about you eating the samples?!” Eddie exclaimed, raising an eyebrow at Kurt.

“What do you mean, bro?! Are we not voting on the cake flavor as a group?!” Kurt asked, looking genuinely offended.

“Why would your opinion on our wedding cake matter?!” Kalea shouted from inside her sphere, her voice coming through slightly muffled by the magical barrier.

“Because I have to eat it!” Kurt protested, throwing his hands in the air. “If you guys pick some weird fruit-and-flower combination like lemon lavender or elderberry paste, I’m going to be stuck eating plain rolls at the reception!”

“It’s our wedding, Kurt!” Eddie laughed, shaking his head. “If Kalea wants elderberry, we’re having elderberry.”

“Over my dead body,” Kurt muttered under his breath, though he kept a grin off his face.

Amelia smoothed her skirt, chuckling softly at the banter. “Well, as much as Kurt’s palate might protest, the bride and groom hold total veto power. However, I did take the liberty of requesting a few classic options from the royal bakers back home—vanilla bean with raspberry filling, spiced velvet, and a dark chocolate espresso.”

Kalea’s eyes lit up inside the shimmering bubble. “Dark chocolate espresso? Nana, you know me so well!”

“See? Now that sounds like a cake,” Kurt chimed in excitedly. “Can I at least vote on the chocolate one?”

“Only if you sit down and shut up!” Eddie replied.

“Done!” Kurt immediately zipped his mouth shut and slid into a chair at the table.

“Okay, well, before we try the cake samples, we need to go over the guest list,” Amelia said, resting her hands on the table. “I know you two have different friend groups, and Edward, I’m sure there are more than a few Alphas in the region you’re going to want to invite. I wanted to let you all know that invitations for the wedding are already in preparation—we just need names.”

“Nana, what are you talking about? I thought we agreed that we were having a small wedding here in the pack territory,” Kalea said, her brows furrowing inside her magical sphere.

Even Stephen and Tobias looked over at Amelia in confusion.

“You—you were serious about that?” Amelia questioned, looking around the room. “Oh, darling, I thought you were joking. I have this massive ceremony planned at the Royal Palace—all of Parliament will be there, and—”

Kalea’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head, her breath hitching as sheer panic set in.

Seeing her granddaughter's horrified reaction, Amelia couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into full-blown laughter.

“Oh, darling, I’m joking! I have nothing planned—I’m leaving it all up to you, just like you insisted,” Amelia said, her tone instantly softening into a fond laugh.

“Nana!” Kalea gasped, slumping back against the far wall of her bubble while everyone else around the table broke out into chuckles. “That wasn’t funny! I almost broke out in hives all over again!”

“Mother! Why would you do that? Hasn’t she suffered enough?” Tobias scolded Amelia, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, Tobias, I couldn’t help myself. Mummy did the same thing to me when we planned my wedding to your father, and she told me that when my pup got married, I should do it too just to see the reaction. But since I couldn’t do that to you, I’m doing it to Kalea instead,” Amelia said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye.

“Wait, so this is some kind of royal generational prank?!” Kalea called out from inside her bubble, her eyes wide as she pointed an accusing finger at her grandmother.

“Technically, she skipped a generation,” Hailey commented, raising her hand like a student making a sharp observation.

“Why didn’t you do it to Dad?!” Kalea questioned Amelia.

“Oh, it’s not that I didn’t want to, darling. It’s that I couldn’t. Your father had a keen sense of when I was going to pull a prank—it wasn't fun anymore,” Amelia explained, fondly rolling her eyes at her son.

Tobias crossed his arms with a smug grin. “I grew up watching you try to slip gag gifts into Parliament care packages, Mother. I knew every tell you had by the time I was twelve.”

“So I’m the sacrificial lamb here? Great,” Kalea sighed dramatically, though the soft giggle bubbling up from behind her invisible barrier proved she was officially over the panic. “Remind me to never play poker with you, Nana.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, sweetheart,” Amelia winked.

“Yeah, you do that.” Kalea shook her head and rolled her eyes, though a small smile betrayed her amused irritation.

“Well, if my mother is done playing her pranks on folks, maybe we can get down to business about why we’re here?” Tobias said, leaning forward to pull the stack of parchment folders to the center of the table.

“Yes, yes! Let’s get this wedding planned and underway, shall we? A two-year engagement is long enough.” Amelia clapped her hands, and everyone got situated around the long wooden table.

The royal family and the ranked members of The Hounds of the Night Pack went over Eddie and Kalea’s wedding specifics, right down to the very last detail. Kalea had the final say in everything, with Eddie only putting forward a few stipulations he felt strongly about—especially about the color scheme. Though Renee and Amelia strongly wanted light colors such as pink or even marigold yellow, Eddie wanted something simple and basic, nothing too over the top. So, when he suggested a black-and-white theme, Kalea immediately agreed.

Amelia and Renee were horrified, but Kalea put her foot down and stood up for Eddie’s choice. Black and white would be the overall theme for the venue and the wedding party, but everyone else could wear whatever color they wanted. That way, guest attire would bring that pop of color and liven up the venue while keeping the bridal aesthetic sleek and timeless.

From inside her shimmering protective sphere, Kalea pointed to color swatches, approved the twilight forest ceremony layout, and laughed with her family as they finally locked in the guest list. By the time they reached the dessert selection, even Jared had crept out from his safe distance near the kitchen to chime in on the truffle options, though he still made sure to keep a solid six feet between himself and Kalea’s bubble.