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“I think this is permanent,” she says, touching it lightly. “Some things don’t heal, even with shifter blood.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I tell her, covering her hand with mine. “Nothing about you could ever be anything less than perfect to me.” She smiles, but I can feel her fatigue through our bond. “You need to rest more,” I insist. “You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, too soon.”

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” she argues. “The antidote still needs refinement. We need to develop countermeasures against whatever the Silver Ring is planning next. I don’t have time to rest.”

“You don’t have a choice,” I counter, frustration edging into my voice. “I won’t let you work yourself into the ground, Maya. Not when we just got you back.”

She narrows her eyes at me, a spark of her old fire returning. “And how exactly do you plan to stop me? How will you know if I’m feeling better or not?”

“I’ll know,” I tap the spot where my mark sits on her skin. “I can feel everything you feel now, remember?”

“That’s not fair,” she protests, though there’s a hint of amusement in her eyes.

“Neither is you risking your health when you’ve barely recovered from dying,” I retort.

Cedric clears his throat. “Perhaps we should give you two some privacy,” he suggests, already moving toward the door. Leanna and Erik follow suit, though Leanna pauses to squeeze Maya’s hand once more before leaving.

When the door closes behind them, I turn to face Maya fully. “You shouldn’t be out of bed, much less working in the lab.”

“I’m fine,” she insists, though she doesn’t resist when I guide her to a chair. As she sits down, she admits, “A little tired, maybe, but fine.”

I kneel before her, taking both her hands in mine. “I’m sorry,” I say simply. “Sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. Sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

“You came,” she says softly. “That’s what counts.”

I search her face, remembering the words I overheard in that cabin. “You told them I didn’t love you.”

Her expression softens. “I knew if they used me against you, you might become their prisoner again—willingly this time, to protect me. I couldn’t let that happen.” She squeezes my hands. “Besides, I know now that you do love me. That you’ve always loved me, even when you pushed me away.”

“I never meant to push you so far,” I admit, the guilt still fresh. “I thought I was protecting you from the prophecy, but all I did was hurt you worse.”

“I should have trusted you,” Maya says, tears gathering in her eyes. “My mother told me to, but I couldn’t. I faced two massive losses in one day, and my heart couldn’t cope. I shut down.”

“Your mother was a wise woman,” I say gently. “She knew I loved you before I had the courage to show it properly.”

“She did.” Maya smiles through her tears. “I want us to start over, Griffin. A new beginning for both of us.”

I bring her hands to my lips, kissing her knuckles reverently. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for the time we lost.”

“No,” she corrects me. “We’ll spend it looking forward, not back. Together.”

I rise, pulling her gently to her feet and into my arms. The bond between us pulses with love, with promise, with a future neither of us could have imagined when this all began.

“Together,” I agree, sealing the vow with a kiss.

Outside, rain begins to fall, washing away the last traces of the darkness that once threatened to consume us both. A new day dawns for the kingdom, for our people.

For us.

I standat the window of my office, watching the palace grounds below where workers are already preparing for the mating ceremony next month. The gardens bloom with summer flowers, their colors bright against the emerald lawns. It has been two months since Maya’s transformation, two months of watching her adapt to her new reality with the same determination she brings to everything.

A knock at the door interrupts my thoughts.

“Enter,” I call, turning from the window.

Erik steps inside, his expression tight with barely concealed anger. “Aria’s been lingering out here trying to get an audience with you. If you don’t sort this out now, my head will explode.”

I suppress a sigh. “Give me a couple of minutes, then send her in.”