Chapter One Hundred & Thirty Two

Chapter One Hundred & Thirty Two
Nora's P.O.V

Sleep came easier than I expected.

Maybe it was the exhaustion. Maybe it was this place. Or maybe my mind had finally reached a point where it simply couldn't hold another revelation.

Morning arrived slowly.

Soft golden light filtered through the enormous windows, spilling across the room until it reached the bed. I blinked awake, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling for a few seconds before everything from yesterday crashed back into me.

The castle.

Rael.

The kingdom.

The bond.

Queen.

I let out a slow breath and rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling again.

"I really am here," I whispered.

My thoughts drifted immediately.

Leo.

Killian.

I wondered what they were doing.

Were they already in the new council chamber? Had Lucien accepted officially? Were Marcus, Alias, and Elenor helping reorganize what was left of the Order, or was everything falling apart without me there?

I should be helping.

I should be standing beside them.

Instead...

I was here.

Learning an entirely different world.

Guilt settled heavily in my chest.

I closed my eyes, reaching instinctively for the bond.

Leo?

Nothing.

Not silence.

Nothing.

Like throwing my voice into an endless canyon and hearing no echo.

I frowned, concentrating harder.

Leo...

Still nothing.

Not his emotions.

Not his thoughts.

Not even the faint warmth that was always there between us.

I sat up slightly, trying again, reaching harder this time.

Nothing.

Not even the smallest flicker.

I let out an irritated breath, falling backward onto the mattress.

"So much for an unbreakable bond," I muttered.

I rolled onto my side, pulling the blankets up around my shoulders before curling into them.

The room suddenly felt far too quiet.

"I miss them," I whispered into the empty room.

The words barely left my lips before—

Three soft knocks sounded against the bedroom door.

"Nora?" Rael's voice carried through the wood. "Are you awake?"

I stared at the ceiling for a second.

Then, with all the maturity I could muster, I pulled the blankets completely over my head.

"No," I mumbled from underneath them.

The door opened anyway.

I heard his footsteps crossing the room.

"Nora."

"I said I'm asleep."

"I noticed."

The mattress dipped beside me.

Warm light filtered through the blanket as his hand gently caught the edge of it.

"What—"

Before I could protest, he carefully pulled the covers down just enough to uncover my face.

I looked up at him.

His expression had softened.

Not amused.

Concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

I held his gaze for a second before looking away toward the ceiling.

"I miss them."

The admission came out smaller than I intended.

"I keep wondering what they're doing."

My throat tightened.

"They're rebuilding everything... and I'm supposed to be there."

I swallowed.

"I tried reaching Leo through the bond."

My eyes found his again.

"Nothing."

The word hung between us.

"I couldn't feel him."

I shook my head slightly.

me.

"It was just... empty."

For the first time since I'd met him, I watched genuine understanding cross Rael's face.

He nodded slowly.

"This realm exists outside your world's natural boundaries," he said gently. "The distance isn't measured in miles."

I frowned.

"So the bond is gone?"

"No."

His answer came immediately.

"It is stretched farther than it has ever been."

He paused.

"It isn't broken, Nora."

"Then why can't I reach them?"

"Because you've crossed into another plane of existence."

I blinked.

"That sounds... incredibly inconvenient."

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"It can be."

I groaned, letting my head fall back against the pillow.

"I hate that."

"I know."

"I've never gone a day without feeling Leo."

"I know."

Silence settled again.

I stared up at the ceiling.

"I feel guilty," I admitted quietly. "They're carrying everything back home while I'm here learning how to be a queen."

Rael was quiet for a long moment.

Then he spoke.

"They would tell you exactly what I'm about to."

I looked over at him.

"You are here because they can't do this for you."

His voice remained calm.

"They're rebuilding one world."

He placed a reassuring hand over mine where it rested on the blanket.

"You are learning to protect both."

I looked down at our hands, then back at him.

"I know," I whispered.

"But..."

My voice cracked slightly.

"I still miss them."

"I know."

There was no lecture.

No attempt to convince me otherwise.

Just understanding.

And somehow...

That made missing them hurt a little less.

His hand was still resting over mine.

Warm.

Steady.

It wasn't possessive.

It wasn't demanding.

It was simply... there.

Grounding me.

I looked down at it for a moment before, almost without thinking, I lifted my free hand and laid it gently over his. My fingertips traced slowly across his knuckles, feeling the faint ridges of old scars beneath his skin.

He didn't move.

His breathing remained even, though I noticed the slightest tightening of his jaw, like he 
was concentrating very hard on staying exactly where he was.

"You've got scars," I murmured.

"They're old."

I continued tracing one with my thumb.

"I don't think I've ever seen your hands long enough to notice."

"They're only hands."

I smiled faintly.

"No," I said quietly. "They're yours."

Silence settled between us again.

Comfortable.

Neither of us seemed in any hurry to fill it.

I looked at our hands, still resting together on the blanket.

"You really waited all that time."

It wasn't a question.

He nodded once.

"Yes."

"You never thought..." I paused, searching for the right words. "That maybe I wouldn't come?"

His eyes drifted toward the windows before returning to mine.

"There were days I wondered."

"And?"

"I waited anyway."

My thumb stopped moving.

"You make it sound so simple."

"It wasn't."

That surprised me.

"I had hope," he continued. "Some days it was strong. Other days..." He exhaled quietly.
"Other days it was all I had left."

I studied him for a long moment.

For someone who spoke so little, every honest sentence seemed to carry the weight of years.

"You know," I said softly, "you're hard to read."

"I've been told that."

"I think you're getting easier."

A faint smile appeared.

"I've been told that as well."

I laughed quietly.

"I don't believe you."

"You shouldn't."

I shook my head, still smiling.

"My entire life has changed in less than two days."

"I know."

"I've discovered another world."

He nodded.

"I know."

"I apparently own a castle."

"Yes."

"I'm somehow a queen."

"Correct."

"And my guardian has the driest sense of humor I've ever encountered."

That finally earned another one of his quiet laughs.

I realized I was smiling before I even thought about it.

"I like that," I admitted.

His expression became curious.

"What?"

"When you laugh."

His eyes held mine.

"It doesn't happen often."

"I noticed."

"It's... easier around you."

The words hung between us.