Chapter 169: an unfaithful reunion (2)

Sirius’ golden eyes locked onto Aster, the world around us falling silent. His breath hitched, his entire body frozen as if he were staring at something he had never dared to hope for.  

I saw the tremble in his fingers, the way his lips parted slightly in disbelief. And then, tears.

They gathered quickly, slipping down his war-hardened face, tracing over the scars time had carved into his skin. I had seen Sirius in battle, seen him stand amidst carnage without flinching, but now, here, facing his son, the mighty king wept.  

"He... he looks like you," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion.  

Aster stood stiffly at my side, his hands clenched into fists, his expression unreadable. His sharp silver hair was tousled from the run, his stormy eyes shifting between me and Sirius, filled with questions.  

Then, before I could even react, Sirius moved. 

He closed the distance between us in three powerful strides, his arms wrapping around me in an embrace so tight it stole the breath from my lungs.  

I stiffened at first, my body going rigid against him, but then I felt it—his shaking, the way he was holding on for dear life.

His face was buried in my hair, his breath ragged against my shoulder.  

"Astra," he murmured brokenly, gripping me tighter. "Astra, you’re alive—"  

My own breath hitched, my heart hammering against my ribs as a wave of emotions crashed into me, shock, relief, fear.  

This was Sirius.  

The man I had once loved, the man I had once feared, the man I had run from.  

And yet, in his arms, I felt everything.  

Before I could speak, movement at my side caught my attention.  

Aster.  

His expression twisted into something conflicted, something I couldn’t quite name. And then—  

He turned.  

Without a word, he ran.

"Aster—!" I reached for him, but he was already gone, his footsteps pounding against the snow-covered ground as he fled toward the house.  

My heart clenched painfully.  

Sirius pulled back just enough to follow my gaze, watching as his son disappeared into the distance. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, his face crumbling.  

"He hates me," he whispered.  

"He doesn’t know you," I corrected, my voice thick.  

Sirius exhaled sharply, pain flickering across his features. He wanted to know his son.  

But this was not that simple.  

A cold, sharp voice cut through the moment.  

"You need to leave."  

I turned to see Riven, his expression dark and unwavering, his grip on the hilt of his sword tightening. My aunt stood beside him, her jaw clenched, her silver hair rippling in the cold wind.  

"You cannot be trusted," my aunt said firmly, stepping forward. "You were your father’s son once before. You carry his blood, his rage, and we will not allow that anywhere near Astra or Aster."  

Sirius’ jaw locked, his shoulders squaring as he turned to face them. "I am not my father."  

"You are a king soaked in blood," Riven snapped. "You slaughtered people in your own war. You are feared across every kingdom. Why should we believe that you are here as a father and not as a conqueror?"  

The words struck deep, but Sirius held his ground. He turned back to me, desperation in his golden eyes.  

"Astra, please," he said, his voice lower now. "I just need to see him. I need to—" His breath faltered. "I need to understand. I need to know him."  

I swallowed, my chest tight.  

"Just for the night," he pleaded. "I won’t take him, I won’t demand anything. Just... let me stay."  

I hesitated.  

Riven was right. I should not trust Sirius. The wise choice was to send him away, to protect what we had built here.  

But then I thought of Aster, thought of the way he had always asked about his father, always wondered.  

And I thought of Sirius, the man he had once been, the man he had become.  

He had lost me, he had lost his child, and for years, he had believed us dead.  

I exhaled shakily. "Only if you give up your weapons."  

Sirius blinked, his lips parting slightly. "What?"  

"If you want to stay under this roof, you will not bring war into it," I said, my voice steady. "No weapons, no threats. You submit, or you leave."  

Silence stretched between us.  

Sirius clenched his jaw, glancing between me, Riven, and my aunt. Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, he reached behind him, unclasping his **sword belt.

The weight of his sword thudded onto the snow-covered ground.  

Then his dagger followed.  

Then the small blade strapped to his ankle.  

Piece by piece, he stripped away his armor until he stood before us bare, unarmed, and vulnerable.

"I am here as a man," he said at last. "Not as a king."  

Riven was still tense, but my aunt finally sighed, nodding to me.  

I swallowed and turned toward Sirius.  

"Then come inside," I whispered. "We have much to talk about."