The garden path was quiet, but the tension between them wasn’t.
Elara walked beside him, her steps small, her shoulders tight. She’d changed into dry clothes—soft cotton shirt, fitted slacks—but her damp hair still clung to her cheeks, and her eyes held the shimmer of everything she hadn’t said.
Lucas didn’t touch her.
Didn’t reach for her hand.
But he stayed close—just enough that their shoulders nearly brushed, just enough that anyone watching would know: they weren’t separate.
Riven met them halfway down the path, his expression unreadable.
“Your father wants to speak with her,” he said quietly.
Lucas stopped walking.
Elara froze beside him.
“Alone?” Lucas asked.
Riven hesitated. “He didn’t say. But I think he expects it.”
Lucas glanced at Elara. Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, and her gaze dropped to the gravel.
“You don’t have to go alone,” he said.
She looked up, startled. “But he’s your father.”
“And you’re not his to interrogate.”
Her breath caught.
Riven cleared his throat. “He’s waiting in the east pavilion. Said it’s better to talk before the board starts whispering.”
Lucas nodded once. “Then we talk. Together.”
Elara didn’t speak, but she didn’t step away either.
The east pavilion was shaded, quiet, and empty except for Alistair Draeven, who stood near the railing with his back to them. He turned as they approached, eyes scanning them both—first Elara, then Lucas, then the space between them.
Lucas didn’t flinch.
He stepped forward, Elara beside him, close but not touching.
“You’re not alone,” Alistair said.
“She won’t be,” Lucas replied.
Alistair nodded slowly. “Then speak together.”
They didn’t sit.
They stood—side by side, facing him.
Lucas’s posture was steady, angled slightly toward Elara.
She stood tall, but her fingers still curled at her sides.
“The seal,” Alistair began. “It wasn’t passed. It wasn’t earned. It wasn’t sanctioned.”
Lucas nodded. “It wasn’t meant to happen.”
“Then how did it?”
Elara’s voice was quiet. “It… it was an accident.”
Alistair’s gaze sharpened. “Explain.”
She hesitated. Lucas didn’t move, but his presence was enough—anchoring, silent, unwavering.
“I was being followed,” she said. “Velmira agents. I didn’t know why. I just knew I had to run.”
“And?”
“I turned a corner. I collided with him. Lucas.”
Lucas’s jaw tightened. “She was panicked. I didn’t know what was happening.”
Elara flushed. “We—we kissed. Not on purpose. It just… happened.”
Alistair’s eyes narrowed. “And the seal?”
“It activated,” Elara whispered. “First mine. Then his.”
Lucas nodded. “Within seconds.”
“No ritual. No vow. No intention.”
“Just contact,” Elara said. “And something ancient that didn’t care about rules.”
Alistair stared at her. “You’re Velmira. You should’ve known what that meant.”
Elara’s voice cracked. “I didn’t.”
He frowned. “How?”
She looked down, then back up—eyes wide, voice trembling but clear.
“I didn’t grow up with Velmira. I was raised by my grandparents. On my mother’s side. They kept me away from the clan. I didn’t even know I was being watched until that night.”
Alistair blinked, surprised.
Lucas stepped in, voice steady.
“She didn’t choose this. She didn’t even know what it was.”
“Then why were they following her?”
Elara hesitated. Then spoke.
“Because Velmira wants me back. Not for family. For politics.”
Alistair’s gaze sharpened. “Politics?”
“They plan to bond me,” she said. “To someone I barely know. A marriage of convenience. To secure their future. Their alliances.”
Lucas’s jaw clenched.
“They don’t know I’m marked,” Elara continued.
“They’re still looking for me. Still trying to bring me in.”
Alistair was silent.
Lucas stepped forward, voice low but firm.
“She’s not theirs to use.”
“And you think she’s yours?”
“No,” Lucas said. “I think she’s hers. And I’ll protect that.”
Elara turned to him, startled. “Lucas…”
He looked at her, voice soft.
“I already am.”
Her cheeks flushed, eyes wide.
Alistair watched them silently.
“You’re not children,” he said finally. “But you’re not free either.”
Lucas nodded. “We know.”
“Then you’ll need to decide what this seal means. Not just for you—but for everyone watching.”
Lucas looked at Elara.
She looked back.
And in that moment, neither of them spoke.
Because the seal had already answered.
And so had they.