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He’d loved his nephew and served him when Gio died. Unfortunately, the boy had grown into a male plagued by his father’s insecurities. Suspicious of Ari’s intentions to the point that his identity as a Moretti all but faded from memory. All because he loved his brother and family.

It was Gio’s blood that ran through their veins, not his, so it was that loyalty that meant Ari never felt he had a right. That same mentality followed him when he reconnected with Brayden and Vincent recently.

Ari’s life flashed before his eyes, all fifteen hundred years of them, as he held Sage against his chest.

If he’d chosen differently, would they be in this situation right now?

God had given them a hundred years to create the race, and Gio had done it single-handedly. Ari, the infertile one. If they’d both been able to procreate and lead together, things might be different.

So yeah, Ari was furious.

He wanted answers.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t fuck like a rabbit in the early years to impregnate a female. Not for the lack of trying.

Ari lifted his eyes and found Vincent and Brayden watching him, knowing if he answered Sage’s question, the princess and queen would hear.

It was likely they knew more than Sage, but why waste their last five minutes talking about the horror that was about to take place?

Her beautiful eyes looked at him pleadingly, and his promise to always protect her kicked in. Ari was letting his mate down, and that wasn’t fucking okay.

What he did have left was the truth.

“It’s over darling.” Ari cupped her face.

“The war?” she asked so innocently that his heart almost cracked open into two pieces.

“Our life,” Ari replied. “Not our love—that’s eternal.”

“Oh God.” Willow whimpered.

Sage’s face crumpled as she began to cry. “Ari.”

“I’m here, my darling.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere. Together, we will take our last breath.”

“Fuck,” Brayden cursed.

Sage began to shake violently, clinging to his arms as he held her cheek and tried to give her all his courage.

You fucking asshole, God.

At least it would be fast. It was the waiting that was painful. No. Correction. It was watching the people he loved shake in fear that hurt him.

Ari watched the little princes who’d grown up to be powerful men and guided the race into the modern world they now lived in.

And only for another few minutes, you bastard, God.

“I should’ve killed him,” Brayden spat. “I should’ve killed Nikolay in Seattle.”

“Instead of saving your daughter?” Willow gasped. “No. Bray, you did the right thing.”

“She’s about to fucking die right now. God fucking damn it.”

“This is on me.” Vincent stared at his son. “I am the king.”

They were wrong.

Ari should’ve intervened. He thought they had time. He knew his blood was more powerful than all of them and could have gone to Seattle that day and destroyed Nikolay himself.