Page 16

We filed out and I paused in the doorway, casting one longing look back at Mic.

I hated leaving her. She looked so damn fragile, but I had to force myself to give her some space.

After she had time to process, I’d find a moment to talk, just the two of us.

Maybe then, I could stop screwing everything up.

“Lucius?” Fallon’s voice caught me just outside the door.

She closed it behind her and stepped into the hall, catching me before I could disappear.

“I know there hasn’t been time.” She paused for a moment before throwing herself at me, wrapping me in a smothering embrace.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered against my shoulder.

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for.”

She pulled back and held me at arm’s length. “Yes, I do. You should have never been exiled. I could’ve handled myself, but you and your damn gallantry had to take the punishment meant for me. Father would’ve been lenient with me.”

“You’re delusional if you think he’d ever overlook the fact that you murdered your newly wedded husband. The Raperes would never have let that stand. You killed the heir to their house in cold blood.”

Images of that night flashed in my mind—Fallon’s piercing scream, the blood-soaked sheets, the plume of brimshade smoke curling from her lips as she stood over her husband’s corpse with a serene smile.

“It wasn’t cold blood,” she said hotly. “My blood was boiling when I drove that blade through his heart. What he did to me… he deserved so much worse than what I gave him.”

“I’m not judging you, Loni. If I’d known, I would’ve killed him myself. But I wasn’t about to let Father give you over to his soldiers in some sick form of punishment. I couldn’t live with that. Taking the blame only got me exiled. For you, it would’ve been far worse.”

“You should’ve told our brothers the truth when they followed you to Neverland. It’s not right that they think so poorly of you.”

“It’s not my secret to tell. It never has been. Besides—” I shrugged. “I don’t give a shit what they think.”

She looked up at me with glassy eyes, her chin trembling. “I’m the oldest. I’m supposed to look out for you. Not the other way around. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

“I forgive you,” I said simply. The tears came then, slipping down her cheeks. “In a strange way, you saved me. Exile got me out of the life Father had chained me to. And if I hadn’t left, I never would’ve met Mic. I guess… I have you to thank for that.”

Fallon wiped her face and grabbed my chin, tilting my head down so she could stare me in the eyes. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“What do you mean? I’m having a heart-to-heart with my sister,” I said deadpan, trying to throw her off from the questions I knew she was about to ask.

“No,” she said, eyes narrowing. “I mean, what are you doing with this girl? You really are smitten, aren’t you? Is it because of the prophecy?”

I broke her stare. I was still trying to wrap my head around my feelings for Mic. The last thing I wanted was to talk about it. “We don’t know what the prophecy says. All we have is a picture. The way I feel about her has nothing to do with it.”

“But she can share power with the three of you. That’s unheard of. There’ve only ever been paired fateds. And she’s human. That shouldn’t be possible.”

“I know. Trust me—I’ve mulled it over a hundred times. But it happened. She shared power with all of us in Neverland. Maybe… maybe the rules don’t apply to her.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Fallon muttered. “Maybe one day, you’ll believe it.”

I squinted against the brilliance of the sun after days of traveling in the dark.

The forest beyond Whisperhold slowly came into focus—ancient trees cloaked in vivid greens, splashes of wildflowers stubbornly clinging to the last breaths of summer, and the heady sweetness of ripe berries lingering in the air.

For a moment, I stood still, overwhelmed by the realization that I had lived to see another sunrise in Hiraeth—something I never thought I’d see again.

The warmth of the sun on my skin was a gentle, wordless reminder: I was home.

My father’s hidden cabin, humble and weathered, could never rival the grandeur of Mathenholm, but its simplicity offered a solace the gilded halls never could. Here, in the moss-draped embrace of the forest, I felt a belonging no castle could grant.

I’d left Fallon in the hallway. She had the good sense to know when I’d said all I wanted to about Mic.

I needed more time to figure out why the thought of her drove me mad.

Why I couldn’t get that fucking kiss out of my head.

She’d asked me to forget it ever happened—like there was any chance in hell I could forget that.

My cock had been uncomfortably hard most of the day, just thinking about how she molded herself against me, how soft her lips were, how intoxicatingly sweet her scent was.

I’d smelled her desire—and the animal in me wanted to pin her down and rut with her on the forest floor.

Shit. I couldn’t keep going down this line of thinking.

Not when she’d shut me down so completely.

I spotted Luca and Nico in the clearing by the creek. A few males had gathered around them. The more people who saw us, the more vulnerable we became. Any of these peasants could rat us out to the new monarchy.

The tall one they called Sawyer stood back, taking it all in with cunning eyes and his arms crossed over his broad chest. His silver-blond hair made him look older than his years. He was the one to watch. They hadn’t said it outright, but I knew a leader when I saw one.

“The price on your head is substantial. They’re offering more laurric than I could earn in two lifetimes,” a gaunt, older male in tattered clothes rattled off as I approached.

“There are reports of crown soldiers pouring into Dunharrow. They won’t stop until they find you,” Levi confirmed. “It may take more than your family name to keep your secrets when that much is on the line.”

Nico stroked his beard, listening carefully to Levi’s warning.

“I can’t tell you how to make that kind of decision.

I understand—coin like that could change your lives.

My only request is that you think carefully.

Do you trust Johan? You know the kind of lecherous scavenger he is.

Would he simply give you all those riches and let you waltz into court with the other nobles?

Or would he kill you the moment you gave him our whereabouts?

It’d be a lot easier to slit your throat than allow you to live. A constant reminder of his mistakes.”

The men murmured among themselves, shifting uneasily. Nico had painted them a bleak picture.

“The entire realm has fallen on dark times since the vulture took over,” Sawyer finally spoke.

“Once fertile land has stopped producing crops. Taxes keep rising, stealing what little we have to feed the gluttony of the noble houses. Sickness is burning through Dunharrow like wildfire. That’s why so many are fleeing the city.

It’s not safe anymore. We can’t go on living like this. ”

“I understand what?—”

“You understand nothing!” Sawyer snapped. “You’re a spoiled cub, masquerading as a king. When we needed you most, you were off drinking and spreading your seed across the cosmos. Your privilege made you too weak to lead.”

The others rallied behind him, standing defiant before us. I could feel the tide shifting against us.

“Maybe now’s the time to use your skills,” Luca whispered to Nico.

“You think I want to manipulate these people after Mic called me out?” Nico muttered. “If I’m going to win them over, it’ll be because I earned it.”

“Spoiled cubs? That’s all you see when you look at us?

” I spoke up, unable to contain my anger.

They looked to one another for confirmation, nodding, mumbling their agreement.

“You know nothing—other than the lies the noble houses have fed you for years. Yes, we were born of royal blood. But we’ve spilled that blood in defense of Hiraeth.

I stood side by side with the crowned Queen of Neverland—against the bastard prince. ”

A wave of chatter rippled through the group. The myth of the bastard prince had spread far and wide across Hiraeth. The very mention of his name still sparked fear into those who knew the stories.

“We fought back against his dark armies. We were in his grasp—and still, we defeated him. When the other realms abandoned Neverland, the Hiraethian princes were there. We fought and won in a war of the realms. We are battle-hardened soldiers. The things we’ve seen would give you nightmares for the rest of your life.

Now tell me—what have you done for this realm? ”

Silence followed. Hostile stares faded into awe and wary admiration.

“I understand your hesitation,” Nico said quickly, seizing the moment. “I’ll prove myself to you. Prove I’m worthy to lead. Just give me a chance.”

“And how do you propose to do that?” Sawyer asked.

“How any real Hiraethian settles things,” Nico said. “We let our beasts sort it out. Me against your best male.”

“What are the terms?” Sawyer stroked his beard as his eyes filled with mirth.

“If I lose, Whisperhold is yours. I’ll even surrender myself—no resistance, no fight. But only if you let my family go.”

His damn honor would be the death of him.

“And if you win?”

“If I win, you lead me to your camp. Introduce me to the leaders of the Raven’s Hand. Let me share my side of the story. If they don’t like what I have to offer, we part ways.”

Sawyer stepped back as the group huddled around him, whispering among themselves.

“This is stupid,” I muttered. “We should finish off any loose ends and keep our heads down. We can’t trust them.”

But it was a waste of breath. I could see it in Nico’s eyes—his mind was made up.