Submission is Not My Style novel Chapter 166

Two years later

The palace feels lighter these days–alive with the kind of sweet chaos only children can bring, Llor’s laughter echoes through the marble halls like sunlight turned to sound–bright, wild, and impossible to contain. At two years old, he’s a curious little wolf, always running, climbing, and grabbing anything his chubby hands can reach.

And wherever there’s Lior, there’s Amara.

Nora’s daughter—my mother reborn. Even now, that truth still fills me with an ache that’s both strange and beautiful. They’ve been inseparable since the moment Amara was born. It should have felt impossible, yet somehow it didn’t. It felt… balanced. Right. Fated.

Of course, fate forgot to warn us what inseparable truly meant.

Nora’s pregnancy had been just as extraordinary–and unnaturally swift–as mine. Amara is only two months younger than Lior, but if he wakes from a nap and doesn’t see her, the entire palace trembles with his cries. And Amara–sweet, stubborn Amara–wails as if her very soul is being torn apart the moment he’s gone.

It was endearing at first. Then exhausting. Now… it’s almost unbearable.

In a way, it makes sense. My son carries the soul of my father–the late King–and Amara holds my mother’s, the late Queen. Two spirits bound for eternity, reborn into tiny bodies that have no idea who they truly are.

My adoptive mother and Jack’s mother, who’ve both been here since Lior’s birth, sit on the rug nearby, fussing over him like he’s made of gold. They’re trying to dress him in a tiny embroidered robe, bribing him with sweets, but Lior refuses to stay still long enough for either of them to finish.

“Lior, stay still, my love,” I say, half laughing, half pleading.

He giggles and dashes straight into my lap, burying his face against me. “Mama, I don’t want to!”

“Of course you don’t,” I murmur, kissing the soft curls atop his head. “You never do.”

Behind me, Jack chuckles quietly. He’s leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching us with that soft, adoring smile that never fails to melt me. But before he can say anything, a sharp wail pierces the peace.

Amara’s cry.

Nora enters the nursery, holding her daughter in her arms. Fury trails behind her, looking like he hasn’t slept in days.

“It’s happening again,” Nora sighs, swaying gently as Amara cries louder. “She was fine five minutes ago, and then she just-”

Before she can finish, Lior twists in my lap and starts crying too.

The moment their eyes meet across the room, their little hands stretch out toward each other, trembling with need.

1/3

“Oh, for the Moon’s sake,” Jack mutters under his breath, already pinching the bridge of his nose.

I exchange a helpless look with Nora. We both know what happens next.

Within seconds, both children are wailing, their cries overlapping into a sound that rattles the walls. It doesn’t matter what we try–songs, toys, even food. The only thing that works is bringing them together.

I set Lior down gently, and he runs straight to Amara, throwing his tiny arms around her. The moment they touch–silence.

Just like that, the storm ends.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify