Elara actually laughs, soft and real, the first time I’ve heard that sound in days. Noelle, Niko’s wife, joins them, and just like that, my wife is gone—spirited away to the other side of the garden, surrounded by women who don’t know she hates me. Or maybe they do. Maybe she’ll tell them. The thought makes my brows dip.
I watch her as they lead her toward the laughter, her dress catching the sun. She smiles at something Violet says. She bends down to greet one of the kids. She looks…free.
Why can’t she be like this with me?
My jaw tightens.
A heavy hand claps my shoulder. “Stop glaring before you scare the women, brother,” Niko says, grinning like a devil.
Adrian presses a glass of vodka into my hand. “To the happy groom,” he teases.
“Fuck you,” I mutter, but I still take the shot.
They laugh, clinking glasses, dragging me toward the long table under the awning. Lev is already seated, chugging down alcohol, eyes sharp even when he’s pretending to relax.
“So,” Kaz starts, pouring me another drink, “how’s married life treating you?”
I glance back at Elara before answering. She’s laughing again, her hair catching the light, her cheeks flushed from the sun. She looks like she belongs there, like she’s been one of us her whole life.
“Complicated,” I finally say.
Lev chuckles. “That’s one word for it.”
They all exchange knowing looks, but none of them push further. Not yet.
Still, I can feel the weight of their stares. My brothers are predators, every one of them—trained to notice weakness, shifts in tone, the smallest change in demeanor. They see the way I look at her.
They know I’m already in too deep.
I down the second shot and set the glass aside, eyes still tracking Elara across the garden as she reaches for a glass of lemonade.
She catches me watching her. For a heartbeat, she holds my gaze across the sea of people, and then she looks away, pretending she didn’t see me. And damn it, that small act of defiance makes me want her all over again.
“What’s up, people?”
At the familiar voice, we all look up to see Dimitri stroll in, arms spread wide, blond hair perfectly styled like he just stepped out of a fashion magazine cover. He’s grinning from ear to ear, a picture of charm and trouble.
Kaz groans. “Oh, look who decided to grace us with his royal presence.”
Dimitri clutches his chest dramatically. “What’s that supposed to mean? You thought I wasn’t coming?”
Lev snorts. “Of course we did. You’re never around when there’s family stuff. You’re always too busy with one woman or another.”
Dimitri throws his head back and laughs. “Guilty! But come on, Lev, would you rather I bring one woman or a few? I hate showing up empty-handed.”
Niko shakes his head. “You’re impossible.”
“Impossibly handsome,” Dimitri corrects, sliding into the seat beside me. Kaz passes him a glass of vodka without a word. Dimitri raises it in salute. “As long as I’m in town, I swear, I’ll show up for every family gathering. That’s a promise.”
He pauses, looks around the table, and frowns. “Wait…should I have brought a date? Everyone here’s got a date.”
Adrian rolls his eyes. “They’re not our dates, Dimitri. They’re our wives.”
Dimitri freezes, then grins, slow and mischievous. “Right. Wives.” He raises his glass again. “May the Lord have mercy on your poor, shackled souls.”
Everyone bursts into laughter. Even I crack a faint smile, despite my foul mood.
“You keep laughing,” Adrian says, shaking his head, “but one day you’ll find someone who ties you down too.”
