Page 16

Amelia

“Why is Kabir sitting up front with Zane?” Seb leaned toward me and asked quietly, as I took my place at the altar after my walk down the aisle. Kaylan right behind me.

I didn’t mean to react, but my jaw tensed before I could stop it.

I gave him a tight smile. “He’s not one of the groomsmen.”

Seb nodded, but the subtle crease between his brows deepened. “Weird.”

You’re telling me.

I tried not to let it get to me. This was Zarek and Leora’s day.

It wasn’t about Kabir. It wasn’t about me.

Still, I couldn’t help the flicker of confusion—or maybe disappointment—that bloomed in my chest. Kabir should’ve been up there, standing with Zarek, Logan, and Dylan. Not sitting like an outsider.

But that wasn’t the only thing I noticed. Logan was missing too.

Zarek looked confused, eyes scanning the row of groomsmen. He leaned slightly toward Dylan and whispered something I couldn’t hear. Dylan just shrugged, glancing around casually like this wasn’t his problem.

Seb, standing next to me in his navy suit, would be officiating.

Of course. Because the man really could do it all.

And while I was trying to refocus my brain on how damn perfect this courtyard looked—the late afternoon light soaking into the white and green florals, the scent of fresh roses thick in the air—my ears caught the first soft notes of the song.

Rose by Honest Men.

Heads turned. Zarek stiffened.

His brow furrowed.

Still no Logan.

I could see the pinch in his expression—something between annoyance and concern.

But then…

There they were.

At the beginning of the aisle, Leora stood glowing in an ivory gown that sparkled in the sunlight like it had been dipped in magic. Her hand was tucked into the crook of Logan’s elbow.

And Logan—oh, Logan—stood beside her like he hadn’t just given every single person here a fucking heart attack.

His grin was wide, smug, and completely unbothered.

Zarek’s eyes met his as Logan began to walk Leora down the aisle. He rolled his eyes, but his mouth tugged up at the corners in that subtle, Ghost-style smile. The kind only a few people ever got to see.

Leora leaned in as they walked, and Logan whispered something to her.

She laughed.

I didn’t know what he said, but it made her beam even brighter. The world around them blurred for a moment as the two of them made their way down the aisle—best friends, partners in chaos, a bride and her best man.

When they reached the front, Logan placed Leora’s hand gently in Zarek’s. Their eyes met, and for once, Zarek looked… soft.

It was fleeting.

But it was there.

Logan stepped around and finally took his place behind Zarek. No apology, no excuse. Just a smug nod as if he hadn’t caused every single person to question his punctuality.

And Zarek?

Zarek didn’t say a word.

But he didn’t stop smiling either.

He looked calm… kind of. At least on the outside.

I could see the tension in his shoulders from where I stood just behind Leora—Kaylan at my back.

Then, as we all shifted slightly for Seb to start, I caught Logan leaning forward toward Zarek, his voice low but not exactly discreet.

“If you get too nervous,” he whispered, “Kaylan and I are happy to swap places. No one has to know.”

Zarek didn’t respond—just grunted quietly, jaw twitching.

Leora clearly heard it, though, because she let out a soft laugh, turning her head just enough to give Logan a playful, warning glare.

Unfazed, Logan leaned in again. “Seriously. Just scooch in behind me. Amelia—get Kaylan. We’ve trained for this.”

I bit down on a laugh so hard my eyes watered.

Kaylan snorted behind me.

Zarek didn’t even look at him. Just muttered under his breath, “I’ll kill him.”

“After the vows,” Logan grinned.

I just winked at him—grinning at his antics.

When the time for vows came, Leora didn’t hesitate.

She turned to Zarek, took both his hands in hers, and exhaled softly, her fingers trembling just a little as they settled into his palms. The crowd quieted, the golden light catching in her curls as she looked up at him with so much love, it was almost too much to bear.

Her voice was steady at first—clear and sure—even if her lower lip trembled.

“You didn’t want this at first,” she said, smiling through a tear. “Not just this—this day, this moment—but me. You were this stone wall of silence and rules. I think I scared you a little.”

There was a soft laugh from the guests, but Zarek only gazed at her like she hung the damn sun.

“And now,” she continued, her voice thickening, “look where we are. You blinked, Ghost, and suddenly you were stuck with me. No takebacks.”

Zarek’s jaw clenched as if holding something back—and for once, it wasn’t irritation. His lashes dipped, and I saw the faint shimmer of unshed tears. My chest tightened.

Leora’s hand lifted to his cheek, her thumb brushing the corner of his mouth like she was memorizing it.

“You’ve protected everyone for so long. Been everyone’s strength.

But you let me in. You gave me your trust. Your love.

And I know what it costs you, every day.

So here, today, I give you mine. All of it. No armor. No hiding. No outs.”

A shaky breath left Zarek’s mouth, and his lips pressed into a thin line like he was trying not to fall apart.

“I promise to fight beside you,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “To walk into every shadow, every storm, if it means finding you there. I promise to pull you back, again and again, no matter how far you fall. Because you’re it for me. You always were.”

A tear rolled down her cheek, and Zarek caught it with his thumb.

Even Dylan was smiling now, like he was remembering something soft and painful all at once.

And me?

God , I was a wreck.

Because the words Leora was saying? I felt every one of them in my bones. Not for the man standing beside me, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, officiating this perfect ceremony.

But for the man across the aisle.

The one who wasn’t looking at me.

The one I’d kissed and ran from.

Kabir.

This was the kind of love I wanted. The kind that cracked you open. The kind that made you fight. And if I had any doubts before, they were gone now.

Because Zarek ‘Ghost’ Rivera was tearing up.

What a sight!

And Logan was sniffing through his tears, his gaze landing on Kaylan behind me.

And all I could think was—I would burn every fucking thing to the ground for the chance to say something like that to Kabir Gill.

Zarek took a moment. Just one long, quiet breath as he composed himself. His fingers tightened around Leora’s for half a second before he brought them to his chest.

“Mi Corazón,” he said softly. “My heart.”

There was something so raw, so utterly undone about the way he said it, that the air left my lungs entirely.

“I started calling you that before you even knew you’d stolen it.” His voice was rough, like he had to fight every word past a wall of emotion. “You became my heart before I saved you. Before I kissed you. Before I let you in.”

Leora smiled, her eyes glistening, like she knew where this was going.

“You became my heart before I even admitted it to myself. Before the obsession started. Before I knew how far I’d fall just to keep you breathing.”

His thumb brushed over the back of her hand, and he let out a low, shaking exhale.

“It wasn’t the day I carried you out of the fire, or the night I held you. It was the day you saved me , Leora. Looked me right in the eye and called me a damsel.”

He chuckled, as did the others. “That’s the day I met my warrior goddess. The one who would destroy me in the best way. That’s the day you became mine. And I became utterly, hopelessly yours.”

A hush fell over the room. Not even the wind dared move.

Sebastian, calm and collected as ever, gave them both a warm nod. “Let’s exchange rings.”

Leora’s hand trembled as she slid the band onto Zarek’s finger, whispering something only for him. And Zarek—his entire body stilled as he gently placed the ring on her hand like he was crowning her queen.

The applause was immediate. Loud, celebratory.

And I tried to lose myself in it.

But then my gaze slid—unbidden—to Kabir.

He was smiling.

Not big, not loud. Just a soft, crooked, quietly happy smile. The kind he probably didn’t know was on his face.

Zane whispered something beside him, and Kabir chuckled under his breath. The two exchanged a quick grin like they were sharing some inside joke at the end of the world.

And damn me, but it made my chest ache.

My eyes didn’t abandon Kabir. Not when Zarek and Leora stepped out to sign the marriage certificate.

Not when they came back.

He didn’t look at me once.

I lifted my champagne glass to my lips—anything to quiet the thoughts clawing at my ribcage. The bubbly was too dry, too sharp. Or maybe that was just the bitterness settling in my throat.

He looked so… comfortable.

Comfortable with the distance between us.

Comfortable with the fact that we didn’t orbit each other anymore.

That if this were before that kiss, we’d be glued together at the hip. Always were. Until we weren’t.

When Zarek and Leora took the center of the room for their first dance, I finally tore my gaze away. I needed a moment of joy that didn’t scrape down my spine.

“You look murderous,” came a familiar murmur, just behind my ear. I jumped slightly before my training kicked in, and I exhaled sharply.

“I’m just wondering why he didn’t ask Kabir to stand with the groomsmen,” I said.

Sebastian shifted to stand right beside me, following my line of sight—thankfully, now on Zarek and Leora. “You seem awfully irritated by that.”

My head whipped toward him. “Of course I am! I was too stupid to see it before—that Zarek, Logan, and Dylan have their own little brotherhood. It’s been years. And I wouldn’t have even noticed if…”

I trailed off.

Seb’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk. “If you hadn’t become the outsider too?”

I didn’t answer.

His arm slid around my waist, pulling me subtly closer. “Wow,” he drawled under his breath, gaze flicking over my shoulder. “That man is about ready to bawl his eyes out.”

“What the—”

He turned me gently, angling my body toward his. His voice dropped to a low, rumbling murmur, the heat of it ghosting over my cheek. “You’ve properly enticed him, sweetheart.”

And I didn’t dare look.

Because I didn’t need to.

I already knew .

But what I didn’t know was how many drinks had Sebastian had for him to be pulling this shit.