Page 126 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

This was it.

The point of no return.

The moment the road forked and he chose his own path; not Azrien’s, not the crown’s, not the one carved for him since birth. His.

The truck rumbled away, dust rising behind it like a curtain closing on one life as another began. They wouldn’t notice his absence until they reached the barracks. They were tucked in the back, sleeping, blissfully unaware. By the time they realised he wasn’t with them, the princesses would be hidden, unreachable, untouchable.

Safe.

Henry kept their vehicle steady on the road toward Greys Water, giving Rain space to think or try to. His mind was a storm.

The clock on the dash read 9:00 AM.

Traffic thickened as they neared the city, cars streaming toward the stadium like a river of metal and anticipation. The first round of the tournament began at 10:30. He might still make it.

Jay would be there already.

The team would be there.

Waiting for him.

Expecting him.

His gut twisted.

He hadn’t had a moment to think about anything except survival and strategy. Now, with the mission’s hardest part behind him, the weight of everything he’d missed crashed into him.

The last time he saw Jay… it was awkward, tense, unfinished.

He missed him.

Gods, he missed him.

What he would give to crawl into bed beside him, bury his face in Jay’s chest, and sleep for a week.

But there was no time for that.

Not yet.

Still—if there was even a sliver of a chance to be there for the team, he would take it. The tournament might seem trivial compared to the political rebellion he’d just ignited, but it mattered. They mattered. They were the first thing in his life he had chosen for himself.

People who loved him for who he was, not what he was.

He would do anything to protect that.

They finally escaped the traffic and entered a quiet gated community; a world tucked inside the city, serene and untouched. Guards waved them through without question. An unmarked car led them along a gravel path toward a sprawling estate perched atop a grassy hill.

It was beautiful, new, empty and above all; Safe.

Exactly what he’d asked for.

Two men stepped out of the black car; one tall and composed, the other clearly a guard.

Rain hopped out before the engine fully stopped. The princesses had been briefed: stay hidden until he opened the doors. No surprises. No panic.

“Your Highness, good to see you.”

The taller man extended a hand.