https://youtu.be/GX7f1Btk1yM

I woke up the next evening to the sound of whisperings around me. I opened my eyes to see Zephyr and Rosario sitting on the bed I was laying on while my mother sat on a chair laying on the side of the bed.

"Where are we?" I asked slowly and they quickly turned towards me with smiles on their faces.

"You're awake, finally..." Zephyr exclaimed and kissed my forehead.

"How long have I been sleeping? The last thing I remember, I was in the garden." I told them and looked around to see where I was. I widened my eyes and sat up straight to take in the view outside the window that stood next to the other side of the bed.

"We're back in the woods?" I asked and they nodded at me with a smile.

"Wait, where are the others? And whatever happened to Rosapast?" I asked again as there were no traces of the other vampires of our Coven and I wanted to know if what I did was worth it.

"They're fine love. They just went out to hunt. They'll be back soon. And also, thanks to you, Rosapast has got her powers back and is all well now." Zephyr replied, still smiling and I hummed to his words, slowly smiling back.

"Well..." Mother slowly began, looking at me and then to the door and continued, "There is someone else." She said.

"Who?"

At that moment, the door to the room opened and a hooded figure slowly walked towards me. Then the figure slowly removed the hood and revealed himself.

"Father?!" I exclaimed in shock.

"Irina." He smiled back at me and embraced me in his arms as he sat down on the bed. Zephyr stood up respectfully while Rosario fidgeted with his fingers.

"My daughter, how have you been?" Father asked me and I shook my head.

"Father, I really missed you... All these years..." I said as my eyes started tearing up.

"It's okay now, I'm here." He said and I nodded in his arms.

"But how... How is it that you're here now?" I asked and he leaned back to look at me.

"The vampires are dead now, aren't they? As the news spread, our people finally believed our side and now," He smiled at mother and continued, "all of us are asked to come back to the kingdom."

"We can go back to Valeria?" I asked in disbelief and he nodded along with mother. It took me a while to take in his words and I slowly opened my mouth again.

"Father..."

"Yes?" He asked and I looked down.

"Shandris is..." I stuttered and he lightly patted my shoulder.

"I know. She's finally at peace." He sadly smiled and continued, "She deserves it after struggling for such a long time." He pulled me into his embrace again and rubbed my back in comfort.

After a short while of silence, we both pulled back and smiled at mother. My parents slowly pulled each other into their embraces before turning back to me.

"Well now, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" Father asked me and I smiled at him before turning to Zephyr.

"Father, this is Zephyr. He is...well my mate." I said slowly and shared a small smile with Zephyr.

"It's an honour to meet you Lord Mediveh." Zephyr bowed and father smiled at him before sharing a hug with him.

"Well, who would've thought my daughter would find her mate with the vampires." He exclaimed, glancing at Zephyr and me, which made my cheeks get heated up.

"And now she's blushing." He said and I hit his shoulder softly.

"Stop it father," I said and he gave me a wide smile before turning towards Rosario who hasn't spoken a word ever since I woke up.

"And who might this gentleman be?"

Hearing his name being called, Rosario bowed to him and stood there respectfully. I quickly shared a glance with mother only to see her looking down. Then I took a deep breath before answering with a smile.

"He is Rosario. A close friend of mine, pretty much like a brother to me." I said and moved closer to hold Rosario's hand. He slowly looked at me and I blinked both of my eyes in assuredness. He just nodded and then smiled at father.

"It's an honour, Milord." He bowed again but father shook his head.

"If my daughter regards you as her brother, then you're no stranger to me. You shall call me father, my son." Father said and mother looked up with tears in her eyes. I glanced at Zephyr and he smiled at me, nodding.

"Thank you...father," Rosario said with tearful eyes and shared a hug with father while the rest of us watched the scene with smiles on our faces.

I moved away and walked over to Zephyr, still not letting my eyes wander away from them. Zephyr wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.

"Finally, we're home, love. It's you, me and our family. I get to love you as much as I want." He whispered to me and I looked at him.

' No. you don't get to say that now. Tell me that after we get back home, you hear me?' What I had told him during the fight rang in my head.

Home. After all the struggles and fights we faced together, we were still together. Still loving, still one. I smiled to myself and held his hand firmly.

"Yes, we're home," I spoke back slowly, nodding.

"I love you, Irina."

"I love you, Zephyr."