Chapter 131 After the claim
DARIAN
Our morning together was intense. Rounds after rounds until she was completely spent and couldn’t take anymore, so I let her be.
And fuck, I’ll never ever have enough of you.
She’s asleep, half-curled under the sheets, her hair spilling across the pillow like a brushstroke gone wild. The mark on her neck glows faintly, a mirror of mine. I can feel it pulsing, slow and steady, like the beat of her heart echoing in my own chest.
For a long while, I just stand there watching her breathe.
The world outside the walls is too loud, too cruel, too demanding. But here, this moment, it’s quiet. It’s beautiful.
My wolf settles, finally, as if he’s been waiting centuries for this peace.
I brush a strand of hair away from her face. “Sleep we’ll, my princess,” I whisper, my voice catching. She shifts slightly, her lips parting in a soft sigh, but she doesn’t wake. I shouldn’t stay longer. If I do, I might never leave this room again.
I pull on a shirt, tug on my boots, and leave quietly. The door clicks softly behind me.
The guards posted at the end of the corridor avert their eyes, though I can tell they’ve heard the rumors already. Lycans and gossip, it travels faster than light.
I’m halfway down the corridor when I hear footsteps light, lazy, and way too smug to belong to anyone but my brother.
“Morning, sunshine,” Adrian says, grinning like he’s been waiting for me. “Or should I say, morning after?”
I groan under my breath. “Adrian.”
“Darian,” he mimics my tone, strolling up beside me, arms crossed behind his head. “You look different. Happier. Which is terrifying, by the way. Never thought I’d live to see the day the great Lycan prince actually smiled.”
“I don’t smile.”
He chuckles. “You do now. I swear, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you woke up human. All soft and gooey inside.”
I glare at him, but he’s unfazed. He keeps walking, humming under his breath like he’s composing a song out of my misery.
“Word is,” Adrian continues, “half the Haven thought we were under attack this morning.”
I stop walking. “What?”
He smirks. “You know. All that noise. The walls literally shook, brother. You and Iris almost brought down the place.”
I drag a hand over my face. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Not even a little. Zeus sent me to check if we were under siege. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was just my dear brother finally getting some joy in his life.”
I elbow him lightly, but he laughs harder, clutching his side. “You’re impossible.”
“I prefer charming.”
I shake my head. “You prefer annoying.”
“Same thing.”
We walk in companionable silence for a moment, turning down the long corridor that leads toward the east wing. Adrian whistles low. “So, how does it feel?”
“How does what feel?”
“Being completely, irreversibly, magically bonded. No take-backs, no loopholes, no pretending it didn’t happen.” He grins, sidelong. “You’re officially off the market. The kingdom’s most emotionally unavailable man is now spoken for.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Depends. Does it?”
I pause. The mark tingles again, warm against my skin. I can feel Iris even from here, the faint hum of her energy brushing against mine like a whisper. It’s grounding and terrifying all at once.
“I don’t regret it,” I admit quietly.
Adrian’s grin softens into something genuine. “Didn’t think you would.”
We reach the staircase that leads down to the training hall, but I veer left, heading for the balcony overlooking the forest. Adrian follows without question, because that’s what he does, tease first, listen later.
The air outside is crisp, cool enough to sting the lungs. From here, I can see the tops of the pines stretching endlessly toward the horizon. The morning mist clings to everything like silk.
“She’s still asleep?” Adrian asks, leaning on the railing beside me.
“Yes.”
“Good. She needs it.”
“She’s been through enough,” I say. My voice comes out lower than I intend.
He glances at me. “So have you.”
I don’t answer that. Instead, I focus on the forest. The faint thrum of power beneath my feet reminds me that I’m standing on centuries of history, our family’s stronghold, the symbol of everything I was born to protect. And maybe, one day, destroy.
Adrian breaks the silence again, because he can never let one sit too long. “So, what now, big brother? Planning to lock her away forever? Keep her hidden from the rest of the world?”
“No.” I exhale. “I’m planning to take her out.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Out? As in outside? You? Voluntarily?”
I shoot him a look. “Don’t make it sound like a miracle.”
“It kind of is.”
I turn toward him, the edge of a smile tugging at my lips despite myself. “I want to do something for her. Something... normal.”
He narrows his eyes. “Define normal.”
“A dinner,” I say simply.
Adrian blinks. Then grins. “A dinner. You? The same man who forgets to eat half the time because he’s too busy brooding in the training grounds?”
“I’m serious, Adrian.”
“That’s what makes this so funny.”
I glare at him again, but it only fuels him.
“Let me guess,” he continues, smirking, “you want my help, don’t you?”
I hesitate. “You know her better. You’re friends with her. You know what she likes.”
He claps his hands once. “Unbelievable. Darian McAlister, Prince of Lycans, Warrior of a Thousand Battles, has come to me for dating advice.”
I groan. “Just…stop.”
“Do you even know what a picnic is?” he teases. “Because if you think it’s just fighting outdoors, we’re going to have a problem.”
I shove his shoulder lightly. “You’re insufferable.”
“Correct. And you love me for it.”
“I tolerate you.”
“Same thing.”
He grins wide enough to make me laugh, really laugh, for the first time in what feels like years. It’s a sound that feels strange in my own throat, but good.
“Fine,” Adrian says, eyes sparkling. “You want my help, you’ve got it. I’ll make sure she’s dazzled. But I expect something in return.”
“Which is?”
“Your eternal gratitude.”
“You’ll get an hour of silence from me instead.”
“Deal.” He holds out a hand, and I shake it despite the absurdity of it.
For a moment, everything feels easy again. Two brothers on a balcony, teasing each other, no crowns, no curses, no prophecies hanging over our heads.
But the weight never stays gone for long.
Adrian must notice the shift in my breathing, because he tilts his head. “You’re thinking too much again.”
I stare down at my hands. The mark burns faintly under my skin, a reminder that time is a luxury I might not have. “Maybe.”
“Don’t tell me you’re regretting it.”
I shake my head. “Not even for a second.”
“Then what is it?”
I hesitate, then sigh. “Adrian, I need you to promise me something.”
He frowns. “You’re scaring me already.”
“I’m serious.”
He straightens, expression sobering.