They left Ashbane the way you leave a place you never intend to return to. Before dawn. Without looking back.

  Shadowclaw officers trailed behind in silence, and no one spoke until the border was behind them. The unconscious girl in Jax's arms made sure of that.

  But mindlinks were a different story. Fin could hear every single one unless they were made private. They weren't.

  Fin: I need everyone to stop mindlinking about Ashbane before I turn this horse around and burn it down.

  Two officers exchanged a look. Whoops.

  Aeron: The princess may not be a complete disaster. People raised in vipers' nests sometimes only learn to hiss. Give her time. Or don't. It will be educational either way.

  Jax snorted.

  Jax: Let's see how she behaves once we're out of range of Ashbane scouts. I have my bets. They're not flattering.

  The mist thickened as they rode deeper into the forest, Ashbane fading behind them.

  Jax wrapped Nova's cloak around her, making sure she was covered. It was chilly. He pulled her closer to his chest, holding her tight.

  It was obvious he was trying to keep his eyes forward and face neutral. Trying and failing. After five minutes, he gave up.

  He looked at her like she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on and couldn't stop.

  And that was a problem.

  Fin said nothing, keeping his face impassive as his Gamma adjusted Nova in his arms.

  It shouldn't bother him.

  She's not your business. You agreed to take Meredith.

  But every second Jax did this, Fin saw red.

  He clenched his jaw, doing his best to ignore Princess Meredith, who had insisted on riding with him and now sat stiffly in front of him.

  Her scent clung to the air, leather and grass, but it was wrong. His body recoiled from it, instinctively.

  Every time the breeze shifted, it carried something else beneath it... a ghost of vanilla and moonlight. Nova.

  Meredith twisted in the saddle to look at him, her smile slow and practiced. "You're quiet, King Finric."

  "Should I be entertaining you?" Fin's tone was flat. She was the last person he wanted to talk to.

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  She giggled. "No. But I've heard stories. I wanted to know if they were true."

  "Which ones?"

  "That you're cold," she said, "but easily warmed with the right touch."

  She twisted slightly in the saddle, her leg brushing against his.

  He didn't react, which took effort.

  She followed his line of sight to the unconscious girl in Jax's arms and sighed.

  "Oh. You brought that," Meredith said, her tone politely disinterested, like noticing mildew on stone.

  "Shadowclaw must have different philosophies. Someone like her requires careful containment. Or removal, if she becomes inconvenient again."

  Aeron's gaze flicked over, sharp, but Meredith didn't notice.

  "Mother wanted her executed years ago," Meredith added casually. "Right after Father died. But Riven insisted on keeping her." She gave a long theatrical sigh.

  Fin's voice cut, cold. "Isn't she your sister?"

  Meredith blinked, clearly taken aback by the question.

  "Family?" Meredith repeated the word like it tasted foreign. "No, Finric. She isn't family. She's a stain Father was too soft to scrub out, and the rest of us have been stepping around it ever since."

  Her eyes narrowed on Jax and Nova in front of them."A complication."

  "No," Fin said calmly, not looking at Meredith. "Complications should be managed. Cruelty is what gets removed."

  Meredith went still and her smile faltered.

  Xeon growled in approval.

  Xeon: Finally.

  He mindlinked Jax and Aeron.

  Fin: Aeron.

  The mage trotted up beside them, robes wrapped tightly against the wind.

  Fin: Knock her out. Gods.

  Jax barked out a laugh from in front of them.

  Jax: She's charming. Really. You two will be so happy.

  Meredith glanced over her shoulder at Fin. Whatever she saw in his face killed the act.

  "What—"

  Before she could blink, Aeron reached forward and pressed two fingers to her forehead.

  The spell was near-invisible. A whisper of golden light. Her eyes fluttered, and her body went slack in the saddle.

  Fin sighed.

  "Blindfold her. I don't want to take any chances."

  Jax tossed him a strip of black cloth, amused. "At least she's quiet now. Honestly, you could have led with that spell at dinner."

  Fin ignored him and tied the cloth over Meredith's eyes with efficient, unbothered precision. Her breathing deepened under the enchantment—silent at last.

  "Fascinating. Turns out the solution to her personality was unconsciousness." Aeron muttered.

  Fin didn't disagree.

  Aeron's hands glowed gold and air ripped open with a crack.

  Jax whistled low under his breath. "I'll never get used to that."

  "You're not supposed to," Aeron said.

  Fin didn't answer. He tightened his grip on the reins, then nudged the horse forward.

  One by one, they passed through.

  They emerged in a private courtyard of Shadowclaw Castle. Mist curled along the flagstones.

  Fin dismounted, handing Meredith's unconscious form to a waiting omega — a woman in her forties with calm eyes.

  "Put her in a guest suite in the main castle. Away from my private wing." he said.

  "Yes, Alpha."

  He turned to speak to Jax and froze.

  Jax was still holding Nova, watching her, face wrecked with concern. She was pressed close to his chest, silver hair falling over his shoulder.

  Xeon: I have been calm. I have been patient. I have been a DELIGHT. Take YOUR MATE out of his arms or I am coming out.

  He cleared his throat.

  "Take her to the infirmary. Have the healers look at her. Then..." Fin paused. The words stuck in his throat like they knew they didn't belong there. "...assign her omega quarters. Lowest rank. She is to tend to Meredith. That is the agreement."

  Xeon: No. Mate sleeps where we sleep.

  Jax frowned. He tore his gaze away from the girl and met Fin's eyes.

  "She's not—"

  "She is an omega," Fin cut in. The words came out sharper than he intended.

  Jax studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Understood, Alpha."

  Fin turned away and didn't look back as Jax carried her off.

  The regret came anyway.