Vael's POV
I stood outside the Korren Estate gates, staring at the imposing mansion that had once been my home. The same place I had run from years ago. The same place that now held my future hostage because of the man I loved.
Lirien had kissed me goodbye this morning, his violet eyes full of quiet strength.
"Go do what you need to do," he had whispered. "I'll be here when you come back. Safe. Waiting for you."
I had held him longer than necessary, breathing in his scent, reminding myself why I was doing this.
To protect him.
I drove through the gates and parked. Security nodded at me — some of them old faces from my childhood. I walked into the main hall with my head high, shoulders squared, the same way I used to walk onto the bridge of the Stellar Dominion.
My father was waiting in his study.
