till going when I rea

o. Now he was nowhere. I scanned th

een Luca?" I

ead. "Not since

e loved food, music, embarrassing me in front of impo

as the training corridor. I finally headed for the gardens,

own. Angeli

ll out when his vo

I was going

made me freeze where I stood. I m

oulders shaking. He was crying. My chest tightened at the sight of it - I had never once seen my brother cry. Not when he broke hi

hrough his hair. "You don't

t-" He swallowed hard. "I spent my w

n't inte

he back of her dress. "Father taught me politics. The council taught me diplomacy. I trained with every comman

held him

s voice broke clean in half. "One day I'

ned. I staye

ar enough to wipe his fa

p at him. "She did

kn

steal anyth

gain. "But I'm jealous of he

on't ha

ing even lower. "Everyone in there is celebrating her.

epped in clo

love

kn

no idea

ow tha

ort of laugh. "Then wh

se you'

n't be. Sh

llowed to be sad while she's happy. You don't have to cho

nt, then dropped his forehead aga

every time you

pped out of him. "

is forehead. "Becau

e out of him, and she pul

n I stepped f

e pulled away from

nd I made a point of not staring at them.

nodde

to my brother. "You

ant to ruin

I paused. "I he

ers dropped

d. I swallowed the lump sitting in my throat

s went w

Ye

lyn,

ted it in the

on't me

ou've spent your whole life prep

do

I don't. You're my brothe

o Father," I said. "I'll talk to the

can't

wi

him a small, steady smile before turning t

t." Then I looked back at Luc

hug instead, and he held on tight. For one moment,

back. "I need

oice was quiet n

ith no idea yet that this promise would become

-

or my father near the council - not there. Beside my mother - not th

far side of the roo

wine filling the hall - warm, earthy, clean, with something wild underneath it that

st, and my heart started pounding. I didn't know wh

hing inside me pulling, not gently, like an invisible thread had hooked under my rib

People moved past me on every side, but I couldn'

ians, past the warriors, past a knot

nt more time training than worrying about how he looked. He wore a plain black military uniform, none of the

he look

id. My Lycan slammed against my chest so hard it nearly knocked the breath out of me, and

pulse thundered in my ears. Hea

said one word

Ma

Across the crowded hall, his

irst time in my life, I understood what it meant for insti

as my

't even kno