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He hadn’t seen her since he’d left on such bad terms all those years ago, but Drue greeted him with a wide smile, her piercing blue eyes bright as they settled on him.

She didn’t hesitate, striding forward and throwing her arms around his neck. ‘Good to have you back.’

After the shock ebbed away, Wilder returned her embrace. ‘I’m sorry,’ he told her. ‘I’m sorry for how I behaved.’

Drue clapped him on the back and held him at arm’s length to peer into his face. ‘You were young and stupid.’

Wilder gave a hoarse laugh. ‘As opposed to now?’

‘Now you’re just stupid,’ she said with a grin.

‘You haven’t changed.’

‘Why would she?’ Talemir interjected, striding forward and dropping a kiss to his wife’s temple. ‘There’s no improving perfection.’

A blush stained Drue’s cheeks, but she looked pleased.

Wilder glanced back at Talemir, who had his hands full with his spitting image.

‘This was who I wanted you to meet yesterday,’ Talemir explained, throwing the boy over his shoulder. ‘This is our son, Ryland.’

Breaking away from their embrace, Drue huffed a laugh. ‘Son. Menace. Harbinger of destruction. Whatever you want to call him.’

For a moment, Wilder stared, suddenly hit with the gravity of all he had missed over the years. Talemir had a son. And he hadn’t been here, hadn’t even known —

‘I’m happy for you,’ he managed somewhat awkwardly.

Talemir chuckled good-naturedly. ‘Didn’t think you’d see the day, did you?’

That, at least, put Wilder at ease, a genuine smile spreading across his face as his friend wrestled with the unruly child. ‘Fatherhood looks good on you, Tal.’

‘Everything looks good on me,’ the Shadow Prince replied.

Drue rolled her eyes. ‘We’re late for lunch.’ She motioned towards the main grounds.

Ryland threw his hand to his brow in salute. ‘Captain!’

Talemir laughed deeply. ‘You’ve got that right, Trouble.’

But Wilder blinked, still in shock. ‘Lunch?’

‘It’s a meal you have around midday,’ Drue quipped. ‘And we’re late.’

Wilder’s side warmed as Malik stood at his left, Dax’s tail beating against his right leg, as though they could sense him on the verge of overwhelm.

‘Sounds good,’ he managed, shooting his brother a grateful look.

As they walked through the university, Wilder was torn between marvelling at the lush grounds and the startling fact that he was here with his brother and Talemir after all this time, with Talemir’s son darting about their feet with Dax. There was no missing the pride in Tal’s gaze as he watched the little boy make a nuisance of himself. It was surreal, to say the least. So much had changed.

When they reached the quadrangle, Wilder spotted Thea in one of the alcoves. She was hunched over a notebook, scribbling away, looking deep in thought, far away from here.

What’s she writing? Wilder wondered.

He realised he’d stopped walking, and that Talemir had halted beside him, while Drue, Malik, Dax and Ryland had gone ahead. Tal followed his gaze to Thea.

‘Thank you,’ Wilder said quietly. ‘Thank you for going with her to the tower.’

‘Nothing would have stopped her,’ Talemir replied.