"What about Nash?"

The mention of the name makes Isolde’s bravado crumble for a second. Her face falls as a shadow of deep longing crosses her features. Nash, the mate who used to look at her as if she were the only light in the world, has now taken avoiding her as a personal task.

"I sent him a text," Isolde says, voice suddenly melancholic.

She picks up a stray ribbon from the floor, twirling it around her finger. "I told him where I’m going. I told him he doesn’t owe me anything, but that the door is open. It’s up to him if he comes or not. I won’t ask him to leave his life for me... but I hope he does."

"He will," Heidi says with a conviction she feels in her gut. "That man would follow you into the mouth of a demon if you asked."

"We’ll see," Isolde says, though a tiny spark of hope glimmers in her eyes.

They stand and embrace, a long, tight hug that smells of Isolde’s citrus perfume and the salt of Heidi’s fading tears. It’s a silent promise to stay connected, to be the family they were denied for so many years.

"Well, well," a voice pipes up from the doorway.

They pull apart to see Daphne leaning against the frame, her arms crossed and a playful smirk on her face, though her eyes are bright with unshed moisture.

"You can’t possibly be having a sister embrace without me," Daphne says, marching into the room and sandwiching herself between them. "The favoritism in this family is truly appalling."

The three of them laugh.

"I’m going to miss you, you brat," Daphne says, poking Isolde in the ribs. "Who am I going to gossip with about the Elders’ terrible fashion choices?"

"You’ll manage," Isolde jokes, wiping her eyes. "Besides, you have a new sister now. Heidi won’t let you feel my absence for a second. She’s much more responsible than I am anyway."

"Oh, don’t worry," Daphne grins, casting a side-long glance at Heidi. "I plan on making her life a living hell of dress fittings and tea parties. She’ll be begging for your return within a week."

"I’ll always miss you, Isolde," Daphne adds, her voice dropping into a rare moment of sincerity.

"I know," Isolde quips, regaining her composure. "How could you not? I’m the best thing that ever happened to this pack."

Suddenly, the door creaks wider as Darien fills the frame, his presence instantly shifting the room’s energy from bittersweet to protective. He leans against the doorpost with a faint, proud smile tugging at his lips as he takes in the sight of the three women; his wife and his sisters clinging to one another.

"I should have known I’d find the three of you huddled up like this," he beams, his voice vibrating with a warmth that has become Heidi’s favorite sound. He walks over, placing a steady, grounding hand on Heidi’s shoulder while looking Isolde in the eye.

"You realize the estate is going to be far too quiet without your sharp tongue to keep the guards in line, right?"

Isolde laughs, though her eyes are misty. "They’ll survive, Darien. Besides, you have Heidi now. She’s twice as terrifying as I ever was."

Darien pulls Isolde into a brief, crushing hug—the kind of hug that says everything they can’t put into words about their dead brothers and their broken legacy.

"You’d better come visit, Isolde. Don’t you dare forget that this is your home. No matter how far you run, the Duskwind mountains don’t stop calling your name."

"I promise," Isolde whispers against his chest.

As the group finally files out of the room, their footsteps echoing down the hall toward the grand entrance, the air suddenly turns frigid. Standing at the top of the stairs, silhouetted by the morning sun, is Ines.

Her chin is tilted at that familiar, narcissistic angle. She doesn’t look like a mother losing a daughter; she looks like a queen losing a chess piece. Heidi hates that she doesn’t get a punishment in all of this.

However, a part of her is glad she didn’t because no matter how horrible Ines is, Darien loves his mother like she’s the only yarn to his lifeline. Regardless, Ines hadn’t done anything remarkably evil aside from a few harmless antagonisms here and there.

"So," Ines scoffs, her eyes raking over Isolde’s travel leathers with clear disdain. "You’ve actually decided to follow through with this little tantrum. Running away to ’find yourself’—how original. I suppose you think the world is kinder than these walls, Isolde? You’ll find that without the Bellamy name to protect you, you are remarkably unremarkable."

Heidi feels her wolf bristle. "The viper still has her venom," the wolf snaps. "Let me bite back."

Heidi steps forward, but Isolde is faster. She squares her shoulders, meeting her mother’s gaze without a hint of the old fear. "I’d rather be unremarkable and free, Mother, than a masterpiece trapped in your gallery. Goodbye." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Ines scoffs, turning her back on them before they even reach the bottom of the stairs. "Don’t come crawling back when you realize the wind is cold. I won’t have a room waiting for a quitter."

They move past her into the crisp morning air of the courtyard. The black SUV is idling near the gate, and Amias is already leaning against the hood, his arms crossed, looking like a man who has already left.

He doesn’t look at Heidi, and Heidi, mindful of the bruises on her heart from their earlier encounter, keeps her eyes on the gravel.

Isolde slows her pace as they approach the car. Her head keeps turning, her eyes scanning the ramparts, the training grounds, and the heavy iron gates. She is looking for a shadow. She is looking for the man who promised to be her shield.

"She’s looking for her heart," Heidi thinks, her own chest tightening. "She’s looking for Nash."

Isolde reaches the car door but stops, her hand trembling on the handle. She evidently doesn’t want to make it obvious... doesn’t want Darien to see the desperation or Ines to see the weakness—but she can’t just drive away into the silence.

She turns to Amias.

"Amias," she says, pulling him slightly away from the others. "Can you do one thing for me? Just one... before we pull out of the gate?"

Amias looks at his sister, sensing the shift in her scent—the sudden, sharp spike of anxiety and hope. "What is it?"