His pulse stuttered.
It was a small thing—just words, a trivial acknowledgment—but it landed heavier than it should have. And somehow, the sound of his name on her lips stirred something low and deep.
He was used to being the quiet one, the steady one, the one who watched rather than fill the space Kaelen so effortlessly claimed. Yet in this moment, it didn’t matter. Kaelen’s charm wove between them, warm and effortless, but Reiya saw himtoo.
And for reasons he couldn’t explain, that mattered.
So, for the second time, he surprised himself by speaking again. “There’s a story behind the desert stargazer.”
Her eyes shifted to him.
“They say long ago, a warrior and a healer fell in love despite the vast distance between their homelands. Every night, the healer would look to the stars, hoping they’d guide the warrior back to her.”
Kaelen picked up the thread of the tale, grinning. “Ah yes, now Iremember. But their happy ending wasn’t so simple. Their kingdoms were at war, and no road was safe. So, the warrior begged the desert gods for a sign—something to lead him through the sands.”
Alarik nodded. “The gods, moved by his devotion, created the desert stargazer—a flower that only blooms beneath the stars. The warrior followed them, each one pointing the way, until he reached her. But when he arrived, he found she had kept a single stargazer close to her heart . . . a promise she had never stopped waiting.”
Reiya’s gaze dropped to the flower in her hand. She traced the petals gently, her thumb brushing against the edge.
“So, it became a guide for lost hearts.”
Alarik inclined his head. “For Asadians, it’s a symbol of luck for travellers and protection for those who carry it. They say if you hold one close, it will always lead you back to what matters most.”
Kaelen leaned in slightly, a teasing gleam in his eye. “Just don’t forget which way is north. The gods only help so much.”
She laughed, the sound rich and unguarded, and for a fleeting moment, Alarik forgot the cool night air, the shifting sands, the distance still stretched between them.
He’d seen her poised and careful, measured and sharp. But this—this laughter, this warmth—was something different.
The woman before him wasn’t just the Omega princess of Aethonia. She wasn’t a title or a duty or a carefully arranged match. She was flesh and spirit, will and uncertainty, someone who carried her own ghosts yet still found the light in a single flower.
And the way she tucked the stargazer into her shawl, cradling it like a precious thing—as if it were a gift worth keeping—unravelled the tight knot inside his chest.
“Thank you,” she murmured, softer now. “It’s been a while since anyone’s given me something with so much meaning.”
For a moment, the night seemed to close in around them, the distant firelight flickering like stars against the dark. When Reiya exhaled, shifting as if remembering herself, the quiet spell slipped.
“It’s getting late,” she said, turning back toward the camp. “We should retire. Another gruelling day ahead.”
He nodded. “We’ll walk you back.”
Before he could move, Kaelen cut in. “You go ahead with her.” He waved a hand, already striding toward their horses. “I’ll bring our mounts closer to the wagon.”
He watched as Kaelen disappeared into the dark without a backward glance. A familiar pang surfaced, and it nearly had him calling his brother back.
Kaelen always did this. Always orchestrated moments where he had to stand on his own without the shield of someone else’s effortless charm.
She followed Kaelen’s retreat with a flick of her gaze, the corners of her lips curving in quiet amusement. “Your brother never fails to leave a lasting impression.”
He exhaled through his nose, offering a small, stiff smile. “He has a flair for dramatics.”
They fell into step, their footsteps whispering against the cool earth. Silence stretched between them, humming with a quiet tension that made him acutely aware of her presence.
Her scent wrapped around him—jasmine and honey, just as he remembered, now laced with hints of almond and orange blossom.
It stirred something old, familiar, a quiet pull deep in his bones.
A need to protect. To cherish. To be trusted.