Anaya couldn't hold back the gasp when her eyes focused on the castle in front of her. It was splendid, to say the least. She knew it was an ancient piece of work as the orange texture of the stone walls weren't so prominent anymore. Leaves and branches of wild trees had grown along with them, sticking out in all the directions. But the structure was carved with careful attention, a proof that whoever built the castle loved his community deeply, wanting the roof to always hold them all together.

"Why would you want to stay alone when you have something like this?"

"I'm not alone anymore. We have each other." Icarus smiled, tightening his hold around her waist. "Besides, I told you, it's crazy loud here." 

Anaya understood what he meant once they stepped into the threshold. Indeed, crazy loud. The chatter and laughter of people echoed throughout the castle and could be heard even when one tried hard not to. 

Icarus walked them through a well-lit corridor, which opened to reveal an enormous dining hall. She saw the people sitting across each other in their wooden chairs, possibly waiting for breakfast. 

At once, the noise halted and heads snapped in their direction. It was so sudden, Anaya stiffened and involuntarily stepped closer to Icarus.

"Mum, they are here!" A teenager shouted gleefully, bouncing out of her seat and towards them. She eyed Anaya before her face broke into a dazzling smile. "I'm Ivy, the alpha's sister. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Hello, Ivy!" Anaya beamed, starting to feel much better. "It's lovely meeting you too."

"Who does that sweet voice belong to?" A lady came rushing down the stairs, a young man and woman following behind closely, and Anaya felt her eyes widen at the sight of Immanuel. He looked exactly like her mate, same facial structure and build. She was sure she would not be able to tell them apart if they dressed similarly and stood side by side.

Fucking hell.

"Mum, Hazel, and Immanuel," Icarus murmured in her ear, stifling a laugh at her comical expression. Before she could process his words, the lady pulled her into a tight hug which Anaya didn't hesitate to return.

"You're as beautiful as Icarus described you to be." She stepped away and grinned at Icarus, giving him a thumbs up in approval.

Anaya blushed. "Thank you, Mrs. Vasilios. I'm glad to be here."

"Oh sweetie, call me Mom. We are a family now," she said, gently squeezing Anaya's hand. "C'mon, lunch is ready." 

Emotions swirled inside her and an unknown heaviness lifted off her heart as warmth covered her wholly. She tried to blink back the tears that pooled in her eyes but Icarus saw it all.

"Anaya..." He touched her shoulder, turning her around to face him. She shook her head and smiled just as a lone tear escaped her eye. 

'Tell her, you moron.'

'I don't want to scare her, Cy.'

"C'mere darling," he whispered softly. She quickly wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and stepped into his arms. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and the sigh that escaped her lips told him a lot about her feelings without her having to speak. He smiled. "Everyone loves you." 

'You human, very stupid.'

'Shut the fuck up. I want to give her as much space as I can.'

"You both, get over here. We are starving, so don't make us wait any longer," Immanuel grumbled and Anaya's eyebrow rose in surprise. His voice sounded like Icarus'.

"You can't tell us apart, can you?" he asked her as they walked to the dining table.

Anaya shook her head, feeling mortified. "I don't see a single difference." 

He pulled a chair for her and settled in the empty one beside her. "It's one small noticeable difference for everyone. But since I'm your mate, there's two for you."

She frowned, glancing at Immanuel and then back at him. "I don't know."

"I'm not telling you."

"I'll tell you, it's their face." Hazel grinned, winking at her. "Icarus has-"

"Quiet, Hazel," Icarus said. "Eat your lunch and let Anaya figure this out on her own."

Hazel rolled her eyes but obeyed him. Anaya chose to eat spaghetti with meatballs while her eyes danced between the two brothers who were gobbling their grilled steak and pineapple rice in the same practiced pace. It was amusing, to be honest. 

She heard a chuckle and turned to see Mrs. Vasilios smiling at her from across the table. "When my boys were young, Louis and I couldn't recognize them if they were together or stayed quiet. We had to make them wear different colored clothes and personality-wise, Icarus is the sweet one while Immanuel is a mischief-maker."

"That's not true," Immanuel said, drawing their attention to him. "Just because I got caught and he didn't, doesn't mean he wasn't naughty. You can ask Hazel if you don't believe me."

Hazel nodded. "He once pulled a very, very terrible prank on me."

"What did he do?"

"I was 16. He put a pregnancy test kit in my room, marking it with two lines. Mum saw it and showed it to dad. They were on the verge of murder, demanding to know the boy's name."

Anaya's eyes widened. "That's cruel, Icarus."

He shrugged, shoving more rice into his mouth. 

"I still think it was Immanuel who did it. He and Hazel always pranked Icarus."

"No, Mum. That was him. I'll never prank my sisters."

"Yeah. Do you want to hear what all Immanuel, Chloe, and I did to him?"

"Who is Chloe?" Anaya swallowed the wave of jealousy, her gaze shifting to Icarus for a plausible explanation.

"My sister. Chloe is mated to Alpha Evan of the Bluemoon pack. She is six months pregnant, so she couldn't come today."

"Oh." She felt stupid. Her cheeks heated up when Icarus smirked. "That's awesome. Are we going to see her?"

"I'm going to visit Chloe tomorrow with some goodies. You both can accompany me if you want to." His mom chimed in to which he and Anaya nodded happily.

"Okay, back to the story. Young Icarus couldn't stand the smell or sight of meat. So, one movie night, we replaced his veg burger with a chicken burger and it was too late when he realized. You should have seen his face. It was hilarious when he cried like a baby and threw up."

"All over you."

"You don't have to mention that." Immanuel scowled.

Icarus rolled his eyes. "You were so stupid, Immanuel. I'm glad you grew up." 

Anaya giggled to herself. "It must be hard being parents to kids who are always giving headaches." 

"Tell me about it. I don't know how I'm not crazy yet." Mrs. Vasilios massaged her temples dramatically. "What about your parents, Anaya? Did you give them any trouble growing up?"

Her smile vanished. "My parents left me at the orphanage doorstep after my birth. I grew up there."

Immediately the whole table went silent and Anaya lowered her eyes to her plate to avoid the sympathy filled gazes. What her parents did, shouldn't happen with any child. No circumstances should make you throw away your own flesh and blood.

Icarus found her hand under the table and held it in his lap, bringing her attention to the present. She glanced at him and a smile made its way to her lips. There was affection and...love.

"Mum, I'll show Anaya around." He pushed his chair back and stood up, pulling Anaya along with him. 

"Hazel and I can give her the tour." 

Icarus eyed his siblings carefully before letting go of Anaya's hand. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Tell me if they pull a prank on you."

Anaya nodded and then skipped upstairs with them. There were just too many doors and corridors, how did anyone not get lost here? When she couldn't keep up, they simply sat in the lounge area and chatted which was surprisingly fun and felt nice as if they were long lost friends.

"Alright, we should get ready if we don't want to be late."

"You two, go ahead. I'm gonna find Icarus." She walked down the stairs to the first floor, realising she didn't know where Icarus could be. She was passing by a door when she heard his voice.

"Dad, let it be."

"No, Icarus!" His dad pressed, sounding a little annoyed. "We should have held the official ceremony today. Everyone is eager to see their queen."

Her heart pounded in her chest.

"I know, but Anaya isn't ready. She needs more time to adjust to our kind. I don't want to force her into anything that will scare her."

When his dad opened his mouth to argue again, his mum cut him off. "I agree with Icarus. It must already be hard for her."

"Exactly." Icarus let out a relieved sigh. "This unofficial one will do." 

"Okay, son. If that's what you want."

Anaya slumped against the wall, finding it easier to breathe again as the knots in her throat loosened. 

"You can come in, Anaya sweetie."

She gave a sheepish smile and entered inside tentatively. "I'm sorry. I was just looking for Icarus and didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"It's okay. Meet Icarus' dad."

He smiled at her, holding out his hand. Werewolves had such good genes, nobody could tell he was old if it wasn't for the crinkles around his eyes. She could tell Icarus inherited his sharp features from his dad. "Welcome to the family, Anaya. I'm sorry if I upset you, but I'm trying to look out for my clan."

"No worries, I understand. Thank you for giving me the time to settle down."

His mom and dad smiled, and left the room, closing the door behind silently. 

Icarus pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and nodded. "Let's go." 

"Thank you." Anaya gripped his T-shirt and moved closer to him, nestling her face in the crook of his neck. Surprised at her actions, he wrapped his strong arms around her waist, breathing in her sweet scent. When liquid current zipped through her veins, leaving goosebumps in its wake, she found a difference between his brother and him. 

Her heart pounded in sync with his.

The realization struck her then. She never knew what home felt like, but now when she did, it was in his lap, his eyes, his lips, the space between his fingers and the hold of his arms.

Somehow he made everything better for her.

A/N
Oof, finally done with this chapter. Feels like forever since I last updated. Do let me know your thoughts via votes and comments while I work on the next chapter. ♥️