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My mind spun, clawing through worst-case scenarios—visions of the council twisting at this moment, poisoning it, shaping it into a weapon to use against her.

They’d done it before. They’d take anything pure and twist it until it bled.

And if I gave them even the smallest opening, they’d sink their claws in.

I can’t be the reason her authority shatters. I won’t . They will not use me as a pawn to control her. They won’t whisper doubts into her ear, won’t reduce her to a puppet the way Thalor tried all those years ago. A colder thought, quieter but sharper, cut through my chest.

“Am I a liability, Sienna?” I asked before I could stop myself, my voice low and frayed at the edges.

Because if I were. If loving her, being hers , meant putting a target on her back. I needed to know. And, goddess, help me. I didn’t know whether I could walk away. But I’d rather died before I let them use me to break her.

She paused. Not long. Just long enough to gut me.

Her expression gave nothing away. Calm, composed, unreadable, and yet it felt like she was staring straight through me. The silence dragged out, tightening around my ribs like iron bands. I couldn’t think past the question still echoing in the room.

And then… she changed. Her eyes glowed—soft at first, then brighter, deeper—like she wasn’t just looking at me, but into me. When she finally spoke, her voice wasn’t entirely her own. It vibrated with something ancient, something far more powerful than flesh and blood.

“No, hybrid,” she said, and every word landed with the weight of prophecy. “You are exactly what the princess needs to claim her birthright.”

The air in the room stilled. Her words weren’t reassurance.

They were a declaration. Absolute. Final.

And it struck like a tidal wave—cold, sudden, and inescapable.

My doubts didn’t stand a chance. It drowned beneath the certainty in her voice, in her eyes.

I searched them anyway, hoping—maybe fearing—I’d find hesitation.

But there were none. Only truth. Only conviction.

Before I could respond, Sienna’s voice softened, the glow in her eyes fading as she returned to her usual self.

“You may not realize it, Adrian, but the path that led you here wasn’t just a coincidence. It was fate. The council will question, they’ll probe, but you must stand firm, stand with her. That is your role as her mate. It’s your duty.”

I had spent my life defying my father as he always said my duty was to the Nikolai name, but now I wonder if I rejected that because this was my place all along.

My fate.

“I’ll stand with her, always. But they need to understand that if anyone dares to challenge her, they will face my wrath and join Thalor’s destiny.”

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Sienna’s lips, though her eyes carried a trace of sadness. “The council will challenge you, Adrian. This is how they operate.” Her gaze flicked briefly to Iryen, still lying peacefully on the bed.

“Then help me.” I plead. “How do I make sure they don’t use last night to turn on her?”

Sienna sighed and sat down in the chair by the bed. “First, we inform the council of Thalor’s treason and his death. We must frame it as justice served, both for Iryen and for the crown. His alliance with Draven and his betrayal of Aetheria will speak for themselves.”

“And if they don’t buy it?” I pressed. “If they oppose her, threaten her crown?”

“Then we remind them of what’s at stake,” she said. “A divided council is the last thing this kingdom needs with Draven’s allies still out there. And if they’re stubborn enough to ignore that…” Her tone darkened. “Iryen will need to show them she is not twenty years older anymore.”

My jaw tightened.

“And I’ll do just that if they oppose me. ”

My princess is finally awake. Her soft, melodic voice, laced with exhaustion, cuts through the static in my head like light through murky waters.

And gods, it almost breaks me.

I’d been holding it together, barely clinging to the edge by my teeth. But hearing her again? It’s like something inside me uncoils all at once. My throat tightens. My chest aches in the raw, splintered way grief does when it’s kept at bay.

She’s alive.

And for a second, just a breath, I almost cry.

“Hey, take it easy. You need to rest.” Still cradled in my arms, she tried to rise from the bed, but I stopped her with a gentle hand, helping her sit up instead. “You scared the hell out of me,” I murmured, my gaze locked with hers.

“I know,” she replied, her tone soft, almost apologetic, though she had no reason to be sorry. “I’m sorry for—”

“Don’t you dare apologize for almost dying,” I interrupted firmly, leaving no room for debate.

Her eyes softened as she glanced toward Sienna. “Could you give us a moment?”

“Of course.” Sienna rose gracefully from her chair. “I’ll check on Elora.”

With that, she exited the room as quietly as she had entered, and I was grateful for this moment of solitude with Iryen.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like someone impaled me with ice.” She replied jokingly. “You killed Thalor.” It wasn’t a question—it was a statement.

“You’re damn right I did. He attacked you. You almost died because of him, Iryen. I couldn’t let him get away with it.” Anger rose inside as the memories of that moment played in my head. “And I’m not sorry I did. ”

“Thank you, Prince Adrian.”

Prince?

She’d never called me that before, not even after we uncovered the truth about who I was, what I was.

The word felt foreign, like it belonged to someone else…

yet hearing it from her lips? It hit differently.

I wasn’t supposed to like it. But in that moment—wrapped in her voice, shaped by her acknowledgment—it didn’t sound like a title.

It sounded like belonging. Like possibility.

And damn it, I liked it more than I thought I would.

“I’m not sorry for almost dying.” Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, eyes darting away as a flush stained her cheeks like a fragile secret. Shame, and why? Why would she feel shame for surviving? “I’m sorry for leaving you without a chance to fight. Without giving us a chance.”

Ah, that. That confession slammed into me like a wave I’d been drowning beneath. Between the pain, the nymphs, her past, and everything else tearing at us, somehow I’d forgotten. She couldn’t be with me because of her duty.

I leaned in, hazel eyes locking onto hers, my grip firm but tender on her chin, demanding her gaze, because she needed to hear this.

“Yeah, we definitely need to talk about us. Because I’m sure as hell not leaving you.

Not after I bought the island just so your kingdom could stay hidden, safe from humans.

Not after I lived like a ghost, because I need you, Iryen. You’re the air I breathe.”

Her breath hitched, fragile as a whispered promise, but I pressed on, voice rough with everything I felt but couldn’t always say.

“You’re the other half of my soul. My mate. The woman I want to spend every goddamn lifetime with.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, the ache raw and electric.

“The one who owns every piece of me, my thoughts, my heart, my very being. I don’t even remember what life was like before you. And I don’t want to. You’re not just a queen, Iryen. You’re my queen. My home. My everything.”

Her eyes glistened, tears threatening to spill, but I couldn’t stop now.

“I’ve never felt like this before. This raw, consuming need. It’s terrifying, maddening, but it’s all I know. I don’t care what the future holds, what this bond means, or what sacrifices we have to make. I’m not letting you go. Never.”

My voice lowered, trembling with fierce resolve.

“So yeah. We need to talk. About us. I’m not here just to protect you. I’m here to love you. To fight for you. To stand beside you until the end of time.”

I brushed my thumb along her cheek, slowly and reverently, my grip tightening gently.

“Tell me you know we’re meant for this, for each other . Because I can’t live another second wondering if you’ll slip away.” My voice cracked, bare and desperate. “Please, love… end this torture of not being with you.”

Her lips trembled, and I leaned in close enough to feel the heat of her breath against my skin.

“Because I’m here. I’m standing beside you. Always.”

I whispered every word soaked in love and aching need, raw and unfiltered.

Her gaze locked with mine, her emerald eyes revealing the storm of emotions raging inside her.

“You think is different for me? You’ve consumed me. Completely.” A tear slipped down her cheek, and she whispered, “There’s no part of me you haven’t touched, no corner of my soul that isn’t screaming your name.”

She placed her hand over mine, her touch feather-light yet electrifying.

“You’re not just in my heart—you are my heart.

Every time I breathe, every time I close my eyes, it’s you I see.

I’ve fought this, tried to push it away, because I’m terrified.

Terrified of losing you, of failing you, of what it means to be yours when I can barely hold myself together.

But I can’t deny it anymore. You’re mine. ”

Her voice cracked, and she leaned into my touch, her trembling lips brushing against mine as she continued.

“You’ve given me everything, Adrian. Your strength, your love, your loyalty, and you’re right, we’re meant for this. For each other. I’ve known it from the moment I looked into your eyes, even when I was too stubborn, too scared to admit it.”

Her tears came freely now, but there was pride in her expression.

“And I’m yours, Adrian. In every way that matters. And I’ll fight for us, for you, with everything I have. You’re my mate, my home, my future. I won’t run again. Not from you, not from this.”

She pressed her forehead against mine, her voice dropping to a raw breath. “I love you, Adrian. With everything I am. And I’ll never let you go, not as long as I live.”

“Good. Neither am I.” The words barely left my mouth before I claimed her lips, raw, desperate, and all-consuming.

The world vanished, swallowed whole by the heat of that kiss.

Her fingers tangled in my hair, clutching like she was afraid I’d disappear, afraid I’d slip away before she could hold me tight enough.

Her lips were soft. But the kiss? Nothing gentle about it.

It crashed against me—fiery, wild, unrestrained.

The storm we’d held back for too long finally broke free.

I poured everything into that moment—my fear, my aching need, my love too fierce for words.

She answered in kind, arching into me like I was the only thing keeping her tethered, like she could never get close enough.

When we broke apart, gasping for air, our foreheads pressed tight, her trembling hands found my chest, fingers gripping my shirt like it was the only solid thing left in a world gone mad.

I saw it all in her eyes—the love, the pain, the fierce, unyielding resolve.

Every wall we’d built between us crumbled, leaving us bare and unbreakable.

“Did you really buy the island for me?”

“Yes, I meant every word.” My voice was raw but steady against her lips. “You’re mine, Iryen. I’ll fight for you every damn day. I’ll tear down anyone who tries to take you from me.”

Her gaze burned through me, tears shimmering like fire in her eyes. “And I’ll fight for you,” she whispered, voice shaking but fierce. “For us. For our future. No matter what.”

I kissed her again—slow this time—letting the heat fade into something deeper, something sacred. She melted into me, and her lips spoke the promises words never could. It wasn’t just a kiss. It was a binding. A vow. The beginning of whatever hell or heaven awaited us together.