All I could feel was Dean. His heartbeat beneath my ear. His arms around me. The medal resting against my chest.
And I wasn’t bracing for impact.
The knock on the door sounded like a gunshot.
Dean and I both jerked upright.
A second later the door opened and Mila stepped back inside. One look at her face was enough.
Reality had caught up with us.
“We’re about to have company.”
Before I could ask who, three knocks sounded against the door, unhurried and confident enough to tighten every muscle in my body.
Years of conditioning took over, and I straightened, my shoulders locking into place while my breathing flattened into neat,controlled pulls. Every defense mechanism I’d spent a lifetime building snapped awake at once.
Dean didn’t remove his hand from my back. “Hey. You don’t have to handle this by yourself.” He sounded calmer than I felt.
The knocks came again, the same measured rhythm, patient in a way that suggested whoever stood outside already assumed the door would open eventually.
Mila muttered a curse under her breath in Velkaryan.
Earlier tonight fear would have twisted my stomach. A few hours ago, I would already have been calculating damage control, rehearsing apologies before anyone demanded them.
Now I was tired enough that obedience no longer felt automatic.
“I’ll deal with it,” I said, surprised by how steady the words came out.
Dean studied my face. “Do you want me here?”
I thought about the podium. The kiss. Cameras flashing while the entire world watched me stop pretending in real time. There was no pulling any of it back now.
“Yes.” I took a deep breath. “Stay.”
Dean moved beside me, solid and steady, and Mila opened the door.
Two federation officials waited in the hallway wearing dark jackets with Velkaryan insignia stitched across the chest. I recognized both men immediately. Viktor Kovac stood nearest the door, silver-haired and immaculate as always, his expression arranged into practiced diplomatic warmth.
I did not ask them to step inside. Neither did Mila, and judging by their expressions, it became clear they hadn’t anticipated this reaction.
“Luka. Congratulations on tonight’s performance. You represented Velkarya beautifully.”
“Thank you.”
His gaze shifted toward Dean before returning to me. The glancelasted less than a second, but I knew how to read men like Viktor. Everything mattered, including hesitation.
“This situation has become rather complicated.” He cleared his throat. “We’d like a private conversation.”
I felt the instinct to cooperate clearly enough to recognize how deeply it had been trained into me over the years.
Then I ignored it.
“I won’t meet alone.”
Silence settled over the doorway. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mila go still.
Kovac blinked. “This concerns federation matters.”
