— Be my friend—my partner in crime—my light in a world where darkness reigns. —

The hallways stretched as they walked down the long road toward Ren’s bedroom.

Occasionally, Zayden would peek a few glances at the young man quietly walking beside him. That was a first. Usually, he remained behind him like a shadow. But shadows vanished as soon as a glow of light came its way.

"Now that you’ve told me," Zayden began, his tone calm but firm, "about you being an omega... your mate, Eiran being your son..." He paused briefly, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I’m sure you must have told me everything, right?"

Ren stopped walking, mouth slightly open.

The faint light from the lamps flickered across his face. He wanted to nod, to say yes and end it there—but he couldn’t. Not when Zayden was looking at him like that, waiting for honesty. Now that honesty had begun, he wanted to stop lying.

The burden of his past would crush him if he didn’t speak to anyone. And even if Zayden was a man he had once fought wars against, he wanted to believe the time they spent together couldn’t possibly mean nothing to him. If he could forgive James, then perhaps he had it in himself to forgive Ren for his lies.

"...No," he admitted softly. "There is still something I’m hiding."

Zayden studied him for a moment, the air between them thickening. Curiosity pricked at him, but he didn’t want to press. He shouldn’t. And yet he did.

"Ren, I want to be a friend to you. Someone you can share anything with. Not a lord from whom you feel the need to hide everything."

"But I am a servant, my lord." Ren looked up at him with a serious expression.

"Yes... But I don’t want that to be the only thing you are to me—I mean," he inhaled quietly, locking an unwavering gaze with the young man as well.

"I simply want to know you better. I don’t want to have to run stupid thoughts in my mind constantly, trying to understand you. You know, when you don’t talk, it leaves room for assumptions that lead to misunderstandings. I don’t want to misunderstand you. Don’t you think that would be a horrible thing to happen?" He leaned closer.

"Don’t you think it could destroy whatever we have built until now? Like, even if not real, aren’t we a family to Eiran? What about him? Would he be able to handle his parents’ separation?"

Ren instantly stiffened. But he didn’t understand which idea bothered him—the one where Zayden would misunderstand and cause trouble for Eiran, or the one where Zayden claimed them to be a family.

Zayden inhaled quietly. It had taken them almost six years to get here—to have some basic trust where Ren shared his past. And he could wait longer if needed. A lifetime, if it meant finally gaining Ren’s complete trust.

"Alright," he finally said, voice lower now. "Forget it. It must be personal. I won’t force it out of you."

Ren blinked, startled by his understanding. Alphas weren’t like this. They would force their way to get whatever they wanted, even if it were a mere answer to their questions.

"But," Zayden continued, a faint smile tugging at his lips, "I do want you to talk to me more. Freely. Even if it’s not about the things you’re hiding. Just... talk." He smiled gently.

Ren’s eyes softened.

That was all?

He wasn’t going to interrogate him or demand the truth?

What a kind demon. Kinder than humans.

He nodded slowly, a small, genuine smile forming.

"Alright... I will."

Zayden gave a quiet hum of approval and gestured toward the door ahead. "Good night, Ren."

When the General’s footsteps faded down the corridor, Ren remained still for a while. The silence felt heavier now that Zayden was gone.

He turned away from his room, glancing once toward the moonlit courtyard.

Night was the safest time to move.

He knew where they stayed—thanks to the servant who had guided him and Eiran around the palace. The servant’s innocent words earlier that day had revealed exactly where Loti and Henry were.

Without another thought, Ren slipped quietly down the corridor. The soft rustle of his robes was the only sound that could be heard as he made his way to find his long-lost friends.

***

Pacing up and down relentlessly, Loti couldn’t help but replay the General’s servant’s face in her mind.

She turned on the light as if it would illuminate her thoughts, finally arriving at some kind of conclusion—though only she knew how she had held back from embracing him, from asking him how he was doing, and—

"What are you doing?" Henry’s eyelashes twitched under the brightness as he slowly opened his eyes. It was already the second day they had arrived at the palace, and ever since Loti had seen a man who resembled Raniel, she couldn’t sleep, constantly thinking of possibilities.

"That man—"

"Please, for Gods’ sake, sleep," Henry groaned, grabbing one of the pillows to cover his face.

"I can’t!.." Loti sank into a nearby chair.

"Then go talk to him. You already asked one of the guards where he is staying, right?"

Loti gasped, turning toward her partner.

"How do you know that?!" She frowned. "Have you been keeping an eye on me?"

"I have to." His voice muffled by the pillow, Henry sighed. "I hope you haven’t forgotten that High Priest Charles is also here. We can’t afford to make a mistake. And the way you’ve been... Consider yourself lucky he was too focused on his mate to notice your odd behaviour!"

For a moment, anger overwhelmed Loti. But she sighed, lowering her gaze instantly.

Why should she get angry at Henry for saying that? Was it not true that she had been distracted? That she kept replaying the past in her mind as if it were only yesterday that Ilyan and Raniel escaped the Temple?

Just then, a small knock came from the other side of the door.

Henry rose, sitting straight on the mattress.

The two looked at each other, swallowing hard.

Who could it be?