Derek stood at the floor-to-ceiling window with his arms crossed over his chest, watching the gazebo out on the lawn where Kira sat with Viktor, as they went through university notes and a laptop on the table between them.
Kai stood beside him, hands clasped behind his back, following his cousin’s gaze.
"He vanished for two whole days," Derek said, not taking his eyes off the pair below. "No word, no explanation. And now here he is, strolling back in with his little laptop as though nothing happened." His jaw tightened. "You’ve had your look at him. So tell me. What do you see?"
Kai let out a slow breath, watching Viktor lean slightly towards Kira as she frowned in concentration at the screen.
"Honestly? The man’s a bit of a puzzle. There’s something about him that doesn’t sit right, I’ll give you that."
He tilted his head. "But if you’re asking me what my gut says, the strongest thing I get off him isn’t danger. It’s that the poor sod is head over heels in love with your wife."
A low growl rolled up out of Derek’s chest. "Then I’ll kill him before he so much as breathes the thought out loud, I’ll kill him."
"There he is," Kai said dryly. "The composed, level-headed King everyone speaks so highly of."
"I’m serious, Kai."
"I know you are. That’s the worrying part." Kai clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Look. He’s human and harmless in a fight. And Kira clearly has zero interest in him beyond her studies. If anyone’s going to send that man packing, it’ll be her, not you. So do us all a favour and keep your claws where they belong."
Derek said nothing. He just kept watching, his eyes fixed on the man sitting far too close to who was his.
***
Out in the gazebo, Viktor wasn’t really looking at the laptop at all. He was watching Kira, the way her brow furrowed when she concentrated, the little movement of her lips as she read.
"Can I ask you something?" he said quietly.
"Mm." Kira didn’t look up. "As long as it’s about the assignment."
"It’s not." Viktor hesitated, then pressed on anyway. "Why did you come back here, Kira? To this place. After everything you told me?"
Kira’s fingers paused on the keyboard.
"I’m scared for you," Viktor went on, his voice low and earnest. "I am. I don’t trust the King, I never have. And I keep thinking, if you’re not happy here, if you ever feel trapped, we could just go. Both of us. Anywhere you wanted. You wouldn’t have to stay a second longer than you—"
"Viktor." Kira finally turned to look at him, her voice gentle but firm. "I trust Derek completely. And I need you to stop talking about my husband like that. Please."
Viktor’s face fell. "Your husband?"
"We’re back together," she said, returning her gaze to the laptop.
"I’m sorry," Viktor said. "I only ever meant to look out for you. That’s all."
Kira sighed. Then, slowly, she reached up and lifted her hair away from the side of her neck, tilting her head so he could see the crescent moon, cradled by its scatter of tiny stars.
"Do you see this?" she said softly. "In the shifter world, this mark means our bond is sealed permanently. There’s no undoing it, and I wouldn’t want to."
Viktor stared at it, something crumpling quietly behind his eyes.
"I blame myself for some of this," Kira admitted, letting her hair fall back. "I confided in you when I was at my lowest, and I think somewhere along the way the lines got blurry. That was my fault as much as anything. But the truth is, I love him. And he loves me. And I’d really appreciate it if you stopped questioning my marriage."
For a long moment, Viktor said nothing at all. He just looked at her.
"I’m sorry," he said again.
Kira gave him a small, kind smile. "I think this should be where our sessions end, Viktor. I mean that gently. You helped me through a time when I was at my lowest, and you gave me a listening ear when I badly needed one. I’ll always be grateful for that. But I think this is the end of it."
Viktor watched her, still saying nothing, his expression unreadable.
Kira rose to her feet, smoothing down her clothes, and offered him one last warm smile. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get myself ready for my Wolf Council hearing tomorrow. Take care of yourself, Viktor."
She stepped out of the gazebo and caught Gavin’s eye where he stood a respectful distance away.
"Gavin," she said. "Please see Viktor out of the palace."
And with that, she walked back towards the mansion, leaving Viktor sitting alone at the little table, watching her go.
***
Later that day, Derek found Braxton out in the garden, standing among the hedges with his hands in his pockets, apparently deep in thought.
"Braxton," Derek said as he approached.
Braxton turned. "Your Grace." He gave a small nod. "Lovely afternoon for it."
"It is." Derek came to a stop beside him, looking out over the neat rows of flowers. For a moment the two men simply stood there, side by side.
"I’ll be straight with you," Derek said eventually. "I know you don’t trust me. And I’m not going to stand here wasting my breath trying to convince you how I feel about your sister. That’s not really something a man can argue anyone into believing."
He glanced sideways. "So I won’t try. I’ll just ask you to watch me. Watch me do my thing, and judge me by that."
Braxton was quiet for a beat, considering him. Then he shook his head slowly.
"You’ve got it slightly wrong, actually," he said. "It’s not your feelings I doubt. For what it’s worth, I think you probably do care about her, in your own way."
He turned to face Derek properly. "What scares me has nothing to do with whatever love you claim to feel. What scares me is that I don’t know what your plans are for her now. Now that you know exactly what she is."
Derek held his gaze for a long moment. Then, unexpectedly, he chuckled.
"Watch and see," he said simply.
He turned to leave, but paused, glancing back over his shoulder.
"And Braxton. Let me put your mind at ease on one thing, at least." His voice was calm and certain. "I’m not the enemy here. So you can stop looking at me like I am."
And with that, he walked back towards the mansion, leaving Braxton standing among the flowers, watching the King’s retreating back. Only when the Lycan King had disappeared around a hedge did Braxton finally let out a long, heavy breath.