Eldoris is lucky to have him. Even if it doesn’t deserve him.
But they need someone like my brother. Someone willing to fix what’s broken, even when the rest of the world has already written them off. Even when it would be easier to let it burn.
Zale turns toward me, his gaze sharper now, like he can see straight through everything I’m not saying. “Things have changed, Hazel. Everyone knows what you did for our kind. What you gave up to save our future.”
“I’m not like you. I’m not like any of them.” I lower my voice. “I’m barely a siren anymore.”
“Good.”
My head snaps toward him. That wasn’t the answer I expected.
He smiles softly. “I don’t want you to be anything like me… or any of them. The only reason I’m here, breathing this air, is because you were nothing like us. They need toseeyou, Hazel. I want them to know what real power looks like. Not the kind that rules through fear. The kind that survives it.”
A laugh slips out of me before I can stop it. “How are you this good with words if we’re related?”
He wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. “And who gives a fuck if you can’t sing? You still make everyone dance to your tune. I’ve met your mate.”
“Hey! Not cool, man,” Dean shouts from somewhere inside the castle, very clearly eavesdropping.
We both glance at each other before bursting into laughter until my stomach hurts.
When Zale finally says he has to go back, it hurts a little less than last time.
Because this time, I know he’ll be back.
As I step inside the castle, August’s giggles echo through the halls, and a smile slips onto my face before I can stop it. It happens so easily now, it almost startles me.
I never thought feeling this light, this… happy, would come naturally to me, but everything has felt like a dream since Dean and I got married two weeks ago.
The moment I was back on my feet, I needed something permanent. Something steady to hold onto before the ground shifted beneath me again.
I still remember Dean’s face when I proposed to him.I’ve never seen anyone say yes that fast.
I thought about pranking him, but I decided I didn’t want to start the rest of our lives with him covered in hair removal cream, so instead, I asked him to spend eternity with me while we were in the shower together.
Seiji was pissed about the lack of notice, but somehow, he still pulled off the most beautiful, intimate ceremony. Something stress-free after so much chaos.
We kept it small. Just us, on the training ground where we used to lie under the stars. The place where everything felt real for the first time. It’s our place.
Anxo officiated—because of course he did. The most responsible adult we knew who kept things from getting out of hand.
Elijah stood as Dean’s best man, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget watching the King of Hell drink and celebrate like a man possessed at the reception.
The last two months have changed everything. And for once… I’ve let myself accept it. The weight that used to sit on my chest is gone.
It’s time to live.
To love.
Anxo chases after August, growling like some terrifying monster, but the little munchkin squeals and bolts straight toward his mother. Nevaeh scoops him up with a laugh and hands him a cupcake, acting like she can’t see Anxo’s glare fixed on the two troublemakers.
Dean grabs me the second I’m close enough, pulling me onto his lap and burying his face in my neck. “I missed you.”
I laugh. “I was gone for less than an hour. And you were eavesdropping.Again.”
“Too long.”
Nevaeh finally manages to wrangle August into a seat, but the second she turns away, he stands on the chair, leaning over the dining table to offer his cupcake to Grace.
