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Homecoming pt.2

last update publish date: 2026-07-05 17:13:27

Derek's POV

The corridor curved gently to the left.

The scent grew stronger.

Wildflowers.

Fresh rain.

Winter.

My pace slowed.

Not because I wanted it to.

Because something about the scent refused to settle in my mind.

It wasn't wrong.

It was...

complicated.

Like hearing two melodies played over each other.

One I knew by heart.

The other...

equally familiar.

My wolf remained silent now.

Watching.

Waiting.

So did I.

Then she came into view.

Standing at the far end of the corridor, sunlight spilling through the windows behind her.

She had not seen me yet.

She stood perfectly still, her fingers lightly brushing the pendant resting beneath the collar of an oversized shirt.

My shirt.

For reasons I couldn't explain, relief washed through me.

She was safe.

Standing.

Breathing.

Whole.

Whatever had unsettled the castle, whatever had put that strange look in everyone's eyes...

it had not taken her from me.

I hadn't realized how tightly I had been holding my breath until it escaped me.

She turned.

Our eyes met.

For a moment...

everything else disappeared.

Her face softened.

"Derek..."

There it was.

That smile.

Small.

Gentle.

The kind she rarely gave anyone.

It reached her eyes.

I smiled back before I could stop myself.

"Winter."

She crossed the distance first.

Not running.

Never running.

Just walking a little faster than before.

When she stopped in front of me, neither of us spoke.

Then, almost shyly, she wrapped her arms around me.

I hugged her back immediately.

She was warm.

Alive.

Safe.

I closed my eyes for only a second.

Home.

My wolf relaxed.

Until...

That scent returned.

Stronger now.

It clung to the fabric around her shoulders.

To her hair.

To her skin.

Keon.

Not faint.

Not accidental.

Present.

Every instinct in me stiffened.

I opened my eyes.

She stepped back before I did.

Her cheeks carried the slightest flush.

"I missed you."

The words were quiet.

Honest.

Something inside me eased.

"I missed you too."

Neither of us mentioned the scent.

Not yet.

I looked at her properly.

She was wearing my shirt.

My mark still rested proudly against the back of her neck.

Yet somehow...

she smelled like my brother.

My wolf shifted uneasily.

Questions came faster than answers.

Had they spent time together?

Of course.

Keon had been protecting her.

That explained some of it.

Didn't it?

Except...

No.

This wasn't the lingering scent left after standing beside someone.

This was older.

Closer.

Comfort.

Safety.

Hours.

My jaw tightened for the briefest moment.

I forced it to relax.

Whatever explanation existed...

I would hear it before I judged it.

Winter tilted her head.

"What?"

I blinked.

"What?"

"You're thinking."

"I usually am."

A tiny laugh escaped her.

"I forgot."

"I'm offended."

"You recover quickly."

"I try."

There.

Another smile.

Smaller this time.

More tired.

It was only then that I truly looked at her.

Not at her face.

At her.

The way she held herself.

The way her shoulders seemed just a fraction lower.

The faint hesitation before shifting her weight.

The careful way she breathed.

Most people would never notice.

I did.

Something wasn't right.

"You look tired."

"I slept a lot."

"That wasn't my question."

She looked away.

"I know."

Silence settled between us.

Not uncomfortable.

Simply...

careful.

She recovered first.

"How was the border?"

I let her change the subject.

For now.

"As frustrating as you'd imagine."

"I heard there were problems."

"There were."

We began walking together without discussing where we were going.

It simply happened.

Like it always seemed to.

"The younger vampire clans are pushing for independence."

She listened quietly.

"They're convinced the old noble houses have ruled for too long."

"And the elders?"

"They're convinced anyone asking for reform is committing treason."

She winced.

"That sounds..."

"Exhausting."

"Exactly."

"They nearly started a war over who was allowed to sit at the negotiation table."

Her eyes widened.

"They argued about chairs?"

"For three hours."

She stared at me.

Then...

to my complete surprise...

she laughed.

Not politely.

Not quietly.

Actually laughed.

The sound echoed softly through the corridor.

I found myself smiling simply because she was.

"I don't think that's funny."

"It absolutely is."

"I was there."

"Exactly."

She covered her mouth, still laughing.

"I'm sorry."

"You're not."

"No."

Another laugh.

It was...

nice.

I'd missed hearing that.

"Sabrina kept threatening to throw all of them outside until they remembered they were adults."

"She actually said that?"

"Almost."

Winter smiled fondly.

"I hope she's alright."

"So do I."

I looked ahead.

"She'll recover."

"What happened?"

"A crossbow bolt."

She stopped walking.

"What?"

"It caught her shoulder."

Her face immediately paled.

"Is she badly hurt?"

"No."

I answered before she could imagine the worst.

"It looked worse than it was."

She let out a slow breath.

"I'm glad."

"So am I."

We resumed walking.

A comfortable silence settled again.

Then I asked the question that had been waiting since I'd seen her.

"And you?"

She blinked.

"What about me?"

"How are you?"

"I'm fine."

Too quickly.

Too smoothly.

My wolf lifted his head.

Lie.

I didn't need him to tell me.

The bond already had.

It wasn't pain exactly.

Not physical.

Something deeper.

Fatigue.

Emotion.

Something she'd buried beneath practiced calm.

I looked at her.

She met my eyes without flinching.

"I promise."

Another lie.

Not malicious.

Protective.

Protective of whom?

Me?

Keon?

Herself?

I couldn't tell.

So I did the only thing I could.

I nodded.

"I'm glad."

She smiled.

Relief flashed across her face so briefly I almost missed it.

She thought I'd believed her.

I hadn't.

Not for a second.

But forcing the truth out of her here...

would solve nothing.

Whatever had happened...

she wasn't ready to tell me.

And if Winter wasn't ready...

I wouldn't drag it out of her.

Not like this.

Instead, I reached over and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

She froze.

Only for a heartbeat.

Then relaxed.

"I really did miss you."

Her eyes softened.

"I know."

We reached the entrance to our quarters.

She looked toward the door.

"I should probably let you rest."

"I've rested enough these past few hours."

Past few hours?

An odd choice of words.

I filed it away.

"I still need to report to Keon."

At the mention of my brother...

something changed.

Tiny.

Almost imperceptible.

But it was there.

A hesitation.

Gone as quickly as it appeared.

"I suppose you do."

"I won't be long."

She nodded.

"I'll wait."

I smiled.

"I'd like that."

I opened the door for her.

She stepped inside first.

I watched her disappear into the room.

Then quietly closed the door behind us.

Only after the latch clicked into place did I allow the thoughts I'd been holding back to surface.

The scent.

Her exhaustion.

The hesitation.

The lies.

The strange expressions around the castle.

The servants.

The guards.

Everything pointed toward the same conclusion.

Something had happened while I was away.

Something significant.

Something everyone else already knew.

Everyone...

except me.

And if there was one person capable of orchestrating an entire castle into keeping a secret...

it was my brother.

Keon.

I stared at the closed door for another moment before exhaling slowly.

Whatever he was hiding...

I would find out.

Not because I distrusted him.

Because I trusted him enough to know...

he would only keep a secret this large if he believed it was protecting someone.

My gaze drifted toward the room where Winter now waited.

There was only one person he would do that for.

My mate.

And that realization...

worried me far more than the secret itself.

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