~ALARIC'S POV
Zephyrus had crossed realms without my permission.
I stood near the arched window of my chamber, my hands clasped behind my back as a faint draft slipped through the carved stone lattice and brushed against my skin.
I could not see the sky beyond it, yet I had long since learned to read the hour through subtler things — the temperature of the air, the way the palace quieted at dusk, the manner in which even the corridors seemed to listen.
Lucian's report lingered in the silence long after he finished speaking.
Zephyrus had gone to the mortal realm.
Without my consent.
I did not raise my voice, because anger expressed carelessly had never strengthened authority. Power was not noise; it was structure. And structure weakened when those bound to it chose impulse over order.
I was not merely his brother.
I was his ruler.
Lucian had always understood the difference. Even when his counsel opposed mine, he delivered it within the bounds of respect.
