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He finally turns to face me, and for a moment, the silence is deafening. Having him keep his distance feels as though someone’s closing their fist around my heart. Gods, I’ve missed him terribly, and I just want to run into his arms, but right now, he’s got his walls up.

“Dawn, what the hell happened with Lian?”

“So much,” I say, my mind racing with all the chaos since we arrived at the Elite Mountain. “It’s been insane, and those two monsters are not what I expected. But today, we both just happened to be in the healing pool. He had a terrible wound on his chest, and one thing led to another⁠—”

“Not that,” he snaps. “The bond between you two. I assumed we had something special, and that you’re just mine, but seeing your name on his chest…” He shakes his head, a rumble in his throat as his hands curl into fists.

Dread deepens inside me that he won’t take this well. “I don’t know, but while you were gone, I’ve seen a very different side to those men. And I know you don’t want to hear this, but”—I take a long inhale—“I’m drawn to both of them. So in the healing pool, when Lian and I… were together, his injury healed. That’s when my name appeared on his chest. He said we’re⁠—”

“Soulmates,” he answers in a sorrowful tone.

I’m frozen in place, embarrassed that he had to see us that way, and I can only imagine his shock. “I was going to tell you everything,” I explain and walk across the room to his side. I slide my hand into his, but he doesn’t reciprocate or even stare down at me.

My chest cracks in half. I ache so much for Kazak, but part of me has fallen for Corvin and Lian too. Now, everything feels too complicated, too difficult.

I can barely breathe as every inch of me shivers. “Kazak, please.”

“Do you love him? And Corvin?” Fear paints over his features.

My heart squeezes. “I can’t help the way I feel. I’m attracted to all three of you. My feelings are confusing, and that’s where I am right now with whatever is going on with them and me. You warned me, but they never harmed me. They kept me safe when I needed protection.”

“Are you so sure, Dawn?” Anger flares behind his eyes. “They’re having fun, using you, then they’ll throw you at their fathers’ feet.”

“I really think there’s more to this with them because⁠—”

“Is that what they told you?” His jaw tenses.

A dullness cuts through me at his accusation, but with it comes a thread of anger because I did my best to survive and deal with so much when all I’ve known my whole life was the village. “Do you think maybe you’re out of touch with what Grimvale is like now? You haven’t been back in a long time, and maybe it’s not the warring world you remember.” I realize how I sound, telling him about a place I can’t even recall, but when I’m with Lian and Corvin, it feels authentic. It’s not them playing me, and I don’t know how to explain that to Kazak so he’ll believe me.

“Do I even belong with you anymore?”

I hate that he asks me that question, and I want to cry in response. “Do you have any idea how much you mean to me? I had the world’s biggest crush on you back in the village, but I never did anything about it because I could never tell if you were interested.” Butterflies move through me, and I desperately want him to reach over for me. “I should have shared my feelings with you in Moonstone Village. Every night, I imagined you lying next to me, how I woke up and couldn’t wait to see you again. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love you.”

Tears prick my eyes, but I blink them away because I told him I loved him, and that surprise has caught me off guard too.

He stares at me so earnestly that I barely hold my emotions back.

“Fuck, Dawn.” He grabs my arm and hauls me against his chest, his arms cradling me.

We stay that way for a few long seconds. I don’t want to leave his side, but I long for him to tell me everything’s going to be all right.

“I’ve waited so long to hear you say that,” he says. “You mean the fucking world to me, and I love you so much.”

My breath hitches as tears stream down my cheeks, and I hate that we’re sharing such an incredible moment during uncertainty. We don’t break apart, and his words repeat in my head. I used to dream of the day he might finally declare his love for me, but I never expected it to happen like this.

He kisses the top of my head and whispers, “I want to hear everything that happened, to catch up and understand what I missed. But I need to wash, and fast.”

I pull back, glancing up at him, wanting that smile, the glint in his eyes when he looks at me, but right now he’s just the serious Kazak. At least he’s stopped frowning.

“The bathroom is just through the bedroom.” I point ahead to him.

He strides in that direction, then glances back, and I stare at him eagerly. “Can you grab my coin? I’ll need it.”

“Of course.”

Then he vanishes around the corner. Moments later, the shower runs, and I move into my bedroom, where the bed is completely made, bedsheets stripped and replaced. That doesn’t bring me as much relief as it should. I sit on the edge and want the world to open up and swallow me whole.

With no time to spare, I get up and collect his coin from where I hid it behind the headboard, curling it in my fist for Kazak. Now, I need to find something to wear. I open the closet doors, unsure what someone should wear in front of royalty. The thought reminds me that I’ve been spending the past few days with two royal heirs—and that I’m one myself. Which does nothing to settle my nerves about meeting the king of the Elite Mountain.