Rowan didn't wait another heartbeat.
The moment Cael's eyes met his, wide and startled, every single careful restraint Rowan had forced on himself for two long, agonizing years snapped.
He surged forward. Boots slammed into the floor with thunderous force.
Knights scattered out of his way, some stumbling back so hard they nearly toppled.
Reilan's eyes widened as Rowan closed the distance, still half in Cael's hold, knife grazing his throat.
"My—lord—!"
But Rowan didn't even look at him.
⸻
Because Rowan's entire world had shrunk down to one thing:
The slight, trembling body in front of him.
The blue eyes that had haunted every dream.
The parted lips that had whispered his name in countless fevered memories.
His precious Cael.
His.
⸻
Rowan's hand closed around Reilan's shoulder — and without so much as a twitch of hesitation, he ripped him away from Cael like he was nothing more than a curtain in the way. Reilan stumbled, eyes wide, hand flying to the small cut at his neck.
Rowan didn't even glance at him.
Because he was already wrapping his arms around Cael — crushing him to his chest so hard Cael let out a small, breathless gasp.
⸻
"Cael," Rowan rasped.
His voice cracked. His hands roamed desperately, sliding up Cael's back, over his shoulders, into his hair. Fingers threading roughly through brown strands, tugging, searching for the black they once were, wanting every part of him back.
He buried his face against Cael's neck, inhaling so sharply it was almost a sob.
"Mine. Mine— gods, I thought—"
Rowan shuddered violently, his entire body trembling with the force of how hard he held on. Like if he let go for even a second, Cael would vanish into dust.
⸻
Cael was frozen. Still half in shock, the knife now dangling uselessly from his hand, breath caught somewhere between a sob and a plea.
Rowan pulled back just enough to look at him.
His eyes were wild. Pupils blown wide, the usual cold calculation completely drowned by raw, animal longing.
He cupped Cael's face, thumb sweeping roughly across his cheekbone, smearing sweat and maybe tears.
"I missed you," Rowan whispered, voice hoarse, wrecked. His lips ghosted against Cael's brow, down to his temple. "So much... I thought I'd go mad. No— I did. I did go mad. Without you, I'm nothing but—"
He cut himself off with a rough, desperate kiss pressed to Cael's forehead. His breath hitched like he was swallowing down sobs.
⸻
And all around them, knights stood silent and terrified.
Because they realized with a chill that the hostage hadn't been Reilan.
It had always been Rowan.
Trapped by a love so monstrous and vast it devoured everything else — even his reason.
The hall was silent.
Rowan's eyes never left Cael's face — even as he flicked two fingers at his knights in a dismissive gesture so casual it was terrifying.
"LEAVE"
No one argued.
Not even Reilan, who was still rubbing his throat where the knife had been.
They bowed out quickly, some nearly tripping over themselves to flee, shutting the heavy doors behind them with a dull, echoing boom.
⸻
Then it was just the two of them
Up close, Rowan was devastating.
Two years had carved sharper edges into him, turned his lean grace into something broader, more commanding. His shoulders were wider, his chest solid under Cael's trembling hands — heat and power radiating from him like a forge.
He was taller too, enough that Cael had to tilt his head back slightly just to meet those obsidian eyes.
And gods, his face.
It was still achingly beautiful — almost too beautiful for the cruel, chilling things that lurked behind his smiles. High cheekbones, a perfectly carved jaw, a mouth that could curve into soft tenderness or vicious delight without warning.
His lashes were dark and long, framing eyes that looked almost gentle in the candlelight — until they narrowed, until they pinned Cael like a pinned butterfly.
A faint shadow of stubble darkened his jaw, lending him a dangerous maturity that hadn't been there before. He looked older now, every inch of him a man — and a predator.
When he smiled, it was soft and sweet. Almost worshipful.
But the way his hand curled possessively around Cael's waist, the way his fingers dug in just enough to promise bruises, said everything his gentle expression did not.
He was a walking god — beautiful enough to make you weep, deadly enough that one wrong breath might see you broken in his arms.
And when Rowan leaned close, his breath shivering against Cael's lips, Cael's heart twisted painfully.
This body that radiated strength and danger and devastating adoration?
And who wouldn't fear it?
Cael finally managed to pull back just enough that Rowan's hands fell away from his face, though they still rested possessively on his waist. His heart was racing painfully, breath shallow — but he forced himself to stand straighter, to lift his chin.
He swallowed, trying for some semblance of normalcy.
"Long time no see... brother Rowan."
The word brother was awkward on his tongue. Too pointed. A deliberate reminder.
He hoped Rowan would hear it for what it was — a quiet boundary.
Rowan did hear it.
His eyes flickered, mouth tightening in a way that made something dark ripple under the surface.
But he only smiled. Slow. Dangerous.
⸻
Cael pressed on before Rowan could twist the moment.
"I... I don't want to stay here. I need to return to the dukedom. To the princes. They rely on me. You know how they—"
"You're not going back there," Rowan cut in, voice calm, almost tender. His thumb brushed lightly at Cael's hip, soothing. Caging.
"It's dangerous. The queen has already tried to erase those princes multiple times. Her agents are everywhere. And you—" His eyes narrowed, heat sparking. "You can't do anything about it.They are bound to die"
Cael shook his head stubbornly. "That's my choice. I promised them. I—"
"You won't be leaving my side again, Cael."
⸻
It hit like a hammer.
Rowan's voice was soft, but there was an iron finality behind it that made Cael's heart sink.
They argued.
Cael tried to reason, to plead — he even raised his voice in desperation, words spilling over each other in a rush of shaky bravery.
Rowan stood there listening, deceptively patient, his beautiful face tilted just so. But his hands never left Cael. One rested on his hip, the other at the small of his back, keeping him exactly where he wanted him.
When Cael finally finished, breathless and red-eyed, Rowan just leaned closer. Their foreheads nearly touched.
"You always were adorable when you tried to fight me," Rowan whispered.
⸻
It was over.
Cael knew it the moment Rowan's arms wrapped around him again, firm and immovable. The same way he always did when they were boys — when Rowan decided he knew best, and Cael's protests meant nothing in the face of his gentle, crushing will.
Rowan pressed a lingering kiss to Cael's temple, voice low and final.
"You're not going back to them.Just forget about them."
Cael knows that he can no longer escape once he get caught by his beloved brother,That's why he desperately running away in these past two years.Now it was over...
Where did it all gone wrong?....