Before anyone can respond, the door opens, and Evie enters carrying a tray of refreshments. Her auburn hair catches the sunlight streaming through the windows, and I catch the faintest shimmer—like firelight—in its strands.
Evren goes completely still.
His nostrils flare—subtle, but I’ve spent years reading bodies for signs of illness and deception. The formal diplomat mask cracks for half a second as his pupils contract to vertical slits, the amber rings in his eyes flaring brighter like heated metal meeting air. A wisp of smoke curls from his parted lips before he clamps his jaw shut. Heat. Recognition. His dragon recognizing hers beneath whatever magic holds back her true nature.
His gaze follows her with intensity that has nothing to do with diplomacy and everything to do with instinct. His jaw tightens as though physically restraining questions—or perhaps his dragon itself.
“Refreshments,” she announces, placing the tray on the table. Her eyes meet Evren’s briefly, and I see her own moment of arrested stillness—pupils contracting like a predator’s focusing on movement. A moment of curious assessment passes between them, charged with something neither seems to fully understand, before she turns to Dane. “Is there anything else you need, Alpha?”
“That will be all, thank you, Evie,” Dane responds.
As she exits, Evren’s eyes track her departure with the focused precision of a hunter following prey—except the heat in his gaze suggests entirely different instincts. His fingers press hard against the document he’s holding, and I watch him force his attention back to the room, back to his duty. The diplomat reseals himself, but not before I catch the faint rise of temperature in the immediate air around him—dragon fire banked but present.
He clears his throat and returns to business. “These are most ... illuminating perspectives on pack values.” His formal tone sounds strained now, like he’s reciting from a script he no longer believes. “The delegation will need time to review the ceremony timeline. If you’ll excuse me—“ He rises, hisgaze flickering once more toward where Evie exited. “I must send word to Prince Korren confirming our arrival and initial observations.”
As he rises to leave, I note the carefully neutral expression that doesn’t quite mask the conflict beneath.
I step away from the meeting table as the last of the Drakorian delegates leaves the room. Even with their departure, their presence lingers in the way the air smells faintly of smoke and heated metal.
“Warded,” Nova confirms as she activates the protective stones around the Lodge’s main room, her fingers dancing with violet light. “Full spectrum protection. Nothing gets out until we disengage.”
Callum nods, his jaw tight with tension. “They can’t hear us now?”
“Not a word,” Nova replies, finishing the ward activation. “Not even Evren could breach this without setting off every alarm we have.”
I lean against the table, finally allowing my perfect fae posture to relax. My shoulders drop as I release the tension I’ve been holding.
Rhonan speaks first, his voice carrying quiet certainty. “My brother is conflicted. The Evren who helped us fight Faelan would have cracked jokes by now. Pushed back on formality. This version is performing a duty he doesn’t believe in.”
“His eyes still track emotional connections, though,” I add. “He wasn’t assessing territory or assets like the others. He was studying relationships—how you all lean toward each other, who protects whom. That part of him hasn’t changed.”
Callum moves closer, careful not to touch me even in this secure space. “So, the real Evren is still in there. Just buried under orders he hates.”
Nova nods, her violet eyes narrowing. “And he recognized both me and his own brother integrated into this pack. Hybrids thriving in positions of respect. He’s building a picture of what’s possible when species boundaries don’t define worth.”
“When he noticed me watching Callum,” I add quietly, “I saw recognition in his eyes. He knows what he’s seeing between us. The diplomatic mask slipped for half a second—the real Evren acknowledging what his formal role can’t.”
Dane joins the conversation. “What’s your read, Lyanna? Is his reluctance tactical or ethical?”
“Ethical,” I respond without hesitation. “When he presented the marriage details, there was no passion in it. He recited Prince Korren’s credentials like inventory, not achievement.” I pause, remembering the subtle tells. “Dragons are traditionally honor-bound to their assignments, but I watched him struggle with that obligation the entire meeting. Then, when Evie entered the room—“
“Fire leakage,” Callum interjects. “His eyes shifted. Dragon recognition.”
“Which means his discipline cracked,” I continue. “For a dragon diplomat to lose control like that, even for a second? He’s already conflicted about this duty, and whatever he sensed in Evie just added another layer of complication.” I meet Dane’s eyes. “If Evren is questioning the ethics of forced marriage while serving as its official representative, that conflict could work in our favor.”
“He’s conflicted,” Rhonan says quietly. “Dragon courts operate on honor codes. They respect duty, but they also respect chosen bonds. It’s why my relationship with Serena was eventually accepted.” He pauses, something shifting in his expression. “I could speak with him. Brother to brother, off the record.”
Dane considers this, his tactical mind working through implications. “Too risky. If he’s truly conflicted, pushing himbefore we have proof could force him to choose duty over conscience.”
“Potentially,” I agree carefully. “But approaching him wrong would be catastrophic. If we misjudge his conflict and he reports back to the court ...”
“We need proof first,” Nova states firmly. “Evidence of manipulation behind the marriage contract. Something concrete, something that would justify asking for his help without risking everything.”
Rhonan nods, accepting the logic even if it clearly costs him. “Then I wait. But when the time comes—“
“When the time comes,” Dane agrees, “you’ll be our bridge to him.”
Callum’s jaw tightens. “Three days to build our case before they expect Lyanna to leave with them.”
