Page 41 of Third Offense

She gazed up at us, concern lingering in her vibrant blue gaze. “This all feels like a really strange dream.”

CHAPTERTEN

LAYLA

I couldn’t shakethe sensation that this was all a mirage of some kind, similar to the ones Sayir had orchestrated before, only grander and far more pleasant.

Perhaps it was all those weeks in a cell that clouded my mind, making it impossible to believe in this reality.

This place just felt too open. Too safe. Too homely. Tooperfect.

“It feels like a dream,” I repeated, turning to face my mates. “I’m afraid to believe it’s real.”

Auric cupped my cheek, his thumb tracing the path beneath my eye. “You’ve been through a lot, Lay. It’s understandable to feel weird about all this.”

“But they're my parents,” I whispered. “I… I should be thrilled. Thankful. Elated to meet them. But I can’t… I can’t shake this feeling that it’s all a lie.”

“For twenty-one years, you believed King Sefid and Queen Anais were your parents. Only for that history to be turned upside down. To be taken to a prison to reform. To be sent to earth, just to travel halfway across the human realm to meet your real parents. No one would blame you for struggling to process this.”

I swallowed, leaning into his touch and allowing him to ground me in the moment.

“Part of me doesn’t feel worthy of this fate.” It was a quiet confession, one I hadn’t realized I possessed until I voiced it. But saying the words out loud made it all the more real. “IFell. I’ve been told all my life that only sinners Fall. To have that reality turn into this feels too good to be true, like I’ve somehow fantasized it all.”

My mates fell silent, Auric’s thumb continuing to stroke my cheekbone as Novak moved to stand behind me. Their warmth bled into my skin, cementing me between them, confirming their closeness, telling me this was real, that they were truly with me.

Not a dream, I thought.It’s all real.

Just as they were real.

My mates.

My world.

Mypresent.

“You’re far more worthy than us,” Auric said after a beat. “Everything we’ve been told is a lie. It’s… it’s only practical for you to question this truth. But knowing you makes it easier for me to believe this is real.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, holding his gaze.

“Because you’re too pure to Fall, Layla. Just as Novak is too honorable to Fall. Deep down, I think I’ve always known that. It’s what made me so angry. I didn’t understand your black wings or his, and that confusion led to fury. Which is why this explanation makes so much more sense to me. It tells me what I already knew.”

His palm slid to the back of my neck, holding me before him as his gaze bore intensely into mine.

“You are special, Lay,” he whispered. “Unique. Beautiful. A true queen. Just as Novak is an honorable, worthy warrior with a skill unlike any other. You were never punished by the Gods for some sin, you were blessed by them for your remarkable qualities and kind spirit.”

His words settled around my heart, spreading warmth through my veins.

Because, for the first time, I truly believed he was okay with my wings.

There was no sign of disgust in his gaze, no evidence of a lie. Just a male filled with pride and… andlove.

“Auric,” I breathed, going to my toes to kiss him—a kiss that was made that much more powerful as Novak pressed into my back. His hands grasped my hips, holding me as Auric devoured my mouth.

They’d left me fulfilled before, lost to an orgasmic state of bliss, but I hadn’t returned the favor.

It seemed only appropriate to do so now while in the comfort of this palace, in a room with a balcony overlooking the ocean waves.

They were threatened by Ketos and our potential for mating. I owed it to Auric and Novak to cement their places in my heart, to tell them they would never be replaced by another.