Moonlight silvered the sea below while the palace gardens glowed softly beneath enchanted lanterns and frost-covered roses.
The air smelled of pine, saltwater, and old magic.
Home.
The word felt strange now.
Because the entire time I crossed the black marble courtyard toward my brother’s estate, all I could think was that Amrin was back at Runevald without me.
Too far away.
The front gates opened before I even reached them.
Of course they did.
My family had always been annoyingly powerful.
“Menon? I mean, Sten?”
I looked up.
Erik stood at the top of the steps staring at me like he wasn’t entirely certain I was real.
For a second, neither of us moved.
The last time we’d spoken had not gone well.
Years of bitterness and distance still lingered awkwardly between us.
But then he looked closer.
Really looked.
And whatever he saw on my face made his expression change instantly.
“By the gods,” he breathed. “You found her.”
My throat tightened unexpectedly.
He knew.
Of course, he recognized the change in me immediately.
“I did.”
The grin that split across his face nearly blinded me.
“Your fated mate?”
I nodded once.
And suddenly my massive terrifying older brother tackled me into the fucking courtyard like an overexcited puppy.
“FINALLY!” he roared.
I hit the stone hard enough to crack marble beneath us while Erik crushed me in an aggressively affectionate hug.
“Can’t breathe,” I grunted.
