Chapter 86 The Ex
LUCA
I didn’t know when I slept but when I woke up, the sun was already up.
For the first time in over a week, I’d managed a full night’s rest. Probably because I’d finally collapsed from exhaustion after the summit officially concluded at 3 AM.
Arya was still asleep beside me, her breathing steady and deep. I watched her for a long moment, marveling at the fact that she was alive.
The thought of my mortality felt surreal. Eight hundred years of immortality, gone in an instant. Given up without hesitation to save her.
And I didn’t regret it. Not even a little.
'How does it feel?' my Lycan asked. He’d been quieter since the transfer, as if mortality had affected him too.
'Different. Like I’m fragile.' I flexed my hand, feeling the subtle changes. My healing was slower, and my strength has slightly diminished. It wasn’t deteriorating but still noticeable. 'But worth it.'
'Agreed. Better mortal with mate than immortal alone.'
I agreed with him on that.
Arya stirred and her eyes fluttered a few times before opening. When she saw me watching her, she smiled.
“Hi, creepy man.” Her voice was hoarse with sleep. I smiled down at her.
“Romantic man that is obsessed with watching his beautiful mate.”
“And now, I can’t argue with that.” She chuckled, then proceeded to sit up and stretch, wincing slightly. “How long did I sleep?”
“Fourteen hours. You needed it.”
“We both did.” She propped herself up on one elbow. “How do you feel? Really?”
“Honestly? Weird. Everything feels slightly off, like I’m wearing clothes that don’t quite fit anymore.” I pulled her closer. “But I’m here. You’re here. That’s what matters.”
“You gave up immortality for me.”
“I gave up loneliness for us.” I kissed her softly. “Don’t overthink it. I made my choice, and I’d make it again.”
We lay there in comfortable silence for a while, just breathing and enjoying each other’s presence.
“What happens now?” Arya finally asked.
“Now? Now we figure out how to actually implement everything we promised yesterday. Build the infrastructure for unity. Establish councils. Create systems of justice that work across species lines.” I sighed. “The easy part is over. The hard work begins.”
“You call defeating a dark magic user and surviving an assassination attempt the easy part?”
“Compared to bureaucracy? Yes. Absolutely yes.”
She laughed, and the sound made everything worth it.
A knock on the door interrupted us.
“If that’s Caspian with another crisis, I’m abdicating,” I muttered.
“You can’t abdicate. You’re not that kind of king.”
“Watch me.”
But when I opened the door, it wasn’t Caspian. It was Jaime, looking haggard and weak. Was it wrong that I wished I’d let him die yesterday in the attack? A little disappointing to see he only had a few scratches.
“Luna Arya,” he said formally. “Might I have a word?”
I immediately wanted to refuse, to slam the door in his face and keep Arya away from her ex-husband
“Fine. Five minutes.” I opened the door wider. “But I’m staying.”
“I wouldn’t expect otherwise.” Jaime entered slowly, and I noticed he was limping. The corruption had left its mark.
Arya sat up, pulling the blanket around herself. “Jaime. You’re alright?”
“Thanks to you. And to His Majesty.” Jaime nodded to me. “The healers said the corruption would have killed me if you hadn’t pulled me out when you did.”
“You would have done the same.”
“Would I?” Jaime’s smile was bitter. “I’m not sure. I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on what kind of man I am. What kind of man I was to you. And I don’t like the answers.”
“Jaime—”
“Let me finish. Please.” He took a breath. “I came to apologize. Really apologize, not just say empty words. I treated you terribly. I let others dictate how I saw you. I was so caught up in politics and tradition that I forgot to see the person right in front of me.”
“I know. You’ve said this before.”
“But I never really understood it until yesterday. Watching you risk everything to save people who didn’t deserve your mercy. Watching you offer peace to enemies. Watching you be everything I should have supported you in being.” His voice cracked. “I destroyed the best thing in my life because I was too proud and too stupid to recognize it.”
Arya’s expression softened. “I forgive you.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“Maybe not. But I do anyway. Because holding onto anger only hurts me, not you.” She smiled slightly. “Besides, you’ve changed. Really changed. That counts for something.”
“Thank you.” Jaime looked at me. “And you—I owe you thanks as well. For saving me despite having every reason to let me die.”
“Don’t thank me. I did it for her, not you.”
“I know. That’s why I’m thanking you.” He straightened with visible effort. “I’m returning to my pack today. We’re implementing the unity reforms immediately. And if there’s anything you need, you have my support.”
“Thank you,” Arya said.
After Jaime left, she looked at me. “That must have been hard for you. Letting him in here.”
“You have no idea. Every instinct I have screamed to throw him out a window.”
“But you didn’t.”
“But I didn’t. Because you wanted to hear him out.” I pulled her back into my arms. “Character growth. You’re a terrible influence.”
“The worst.”
We spent the rest of the morning in bed, talking and planning and occasionally getting distracted by more physical activities. It was peaceful, everything I’d never allowed myself to have before.
Eventually, though, reality intruded. Caspian knocked with actual urgent business, and we were forced to rejoin the world.
The aftermath of the summit was complex. Hundreds of guests departing, each one representing an alliance to maintain or a relationship to nurture. Damage to assess and repair. Wounded to tend to.
And the coalition prisoners to process.
“We’ve identified thirty-seven individuals who committed war crimes,” Caspian reported in the afternoon briefing. “Murder, torture, destruction of civilian territories. They’ll face trial under the new unified justice system we’re establishing.”
“And the others?” Arya asked.
“Bound to service. They’ll spend the next five years working on reconstruction and reparations projects.” He paused. “Some of them are asking if they can train as peacekeepers. They want to actively work toward preventing the kind of violence they participated in.”
“Let them. People deserve chances to make amends.” Arya studied the lists. “But keep them monitored.”
“Already planned.”