CHAPTER 130: HIDING SOMETHING...

It didn’t take long for word to reach Rick. By the time he appeared at the far end of the corridor, he was walking quickly, and his face lit with genuine surprise.

"Rhiannon!" he called out.

She turned toward him, and before she could say a word, he swept her up in a tight hug, lifting her clean off the floor. She laughed breathlessly, the sound muffled against his shoulder.

"Put me down, you giant," she teased, but there was affection in her voice.

Rick set her down but kept his hands on her shoulders, looking her over like he was checking for injuries. "You have no idea how good it is to see you. What brought this on? You didn’t tell me you were coming, no warning, no heads-up, nothing."

She gave him the same faint smile she’d given Alia earlier. "I wanted to surprise you."

He grinned widely. "Well, you did. In the best way." He looked over at Alia, almost giddy. "We’re hosting a feast tomorrow. A proper welcome home. It’s been... what? Months since I’ve seen her?"

"Too long," Rhiannon said.

Alia smiled faintly, but her eyes stayed on Rhiannon, cataloguing every subtle shift in her expression.

Rick’s gaze softened further. "And how’s Icarus? Did he come with you?"

The question landed like a stone.

Rhiannon’s smile dropped in an instant, and the pause was just long enough for Alia to notice the faint tremor in her fingers. She didn’t say anything; she just tucked it away in her mind, her instincts becoming sharper.

Rick’s brow furrowed. "What happened? You two fight or something?"

She shook her head quickly.

His voice hardened. "If he laid a hand on you, I swear, I’m gonna end his..."

"Rick." Her voice was firm, almost cutting him off. "He didn’t hurt me."

Rick’s shoulders eased a fraction, though the suspicion didn’t fully leave his eyes. "Then what happened?" he asked again, softer this time.

Rhiannon’s gaze flicked briefly to Alia before she looked away, her lips pressing into a tight line.

Alia’s smile was faint, almost amused. "Stop pestering her. She’s clearly tired from the trip."

Rhiannon latched onto the lifeline instantly. "Exactly. My own brother, making me feel like I’m on trial the second I walk through the door. Maybe you don’t actually want me here."

Rick’s eyes widened slightly, then he laughed, shaking his head. "You two are impossible. Always teaming up on me."

Alia’s smirk deepened. "Some things never change."

Rick rolled his eyes, throwing up his hands in mock defeat. "Fine, fine. I’ll save my interrogation for later. But tomorrow..." He bent and pressed a quick kiss to Rhiannon’s head. "Tomorrow, I’m throwing you the best feast you’ve ever had. Non-negotiable."

As he turned away, already calling for the head maid, Rhiannon exhaled, shoulders sagging slightly.

She didn’t have to turn to know Alia’s gaze was still on her.

"You’re staring," Rhiannon muttered.

"I’m thinking," Alia corrected. "And I know you. Something’s going on."

Rhiannon’s fingers began to fidget, twisting together in the nervous habit Alia had seen countless times before. She stayed quiet.

"I’ll find out," Alia said after a beat, her voice low but certain. "Whether you tell me or not. But it’d be better if I heard it from you."

Rhiannon shook her head quickly. "It’s not..."

"This isn’t some small prank or one of our little schemes to get under Emerald’s skin, is it?"

Her silence was answer enough.

Alia’s tone stayed even, but there was a thread of warning in it now. "If you don’t tell me, I’ll just tell Rick that Icarus did do something. Then he’ll go charging off to find out for himself."

Rhiannon’s eyes widened, panic flickering there. "Don’t. Please."

"Then talk to me."

She shook her head stubbornly. "Not yet. I just... I can’t. Not right now."

Alia’s lips curved in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "We’re still friends, right?"

"Of course we are," Rhiannon said quickly.

"Then you’ve forgotten something," Alia replied. "We don’t keep secrets."

Her own thoughts were already moving elsewhere. Rhiannon still didn’t know the truth about her pregnancy, and Alia intended to keep it that way. Because if Rhiannon ever turned on her, the first person she’d tell would be Rick. And that was a risk Alia wasn’t willing to take.

"Fine," she said finally, stepping back. "Keep your mystery for now." She turned away, her tone deceptively casual. "But I’ll have the truth eventually."

Rhiannon’s gaze followed Alia as she walked off, the echo of her boots fading down the corridor.

—

Her old room had already been cleaned and aired out, the faint scent of lavender clinging to the bedding. Everything looked exactly as it had before she’d left, even down to the folded blankets at the foot of the bed and the stack of books on the small table by the window.

The familiarity only made the weight in her chest heavier.

She paced slowly across the rug, her fingers grazing the edges of the desk, the back of a chair, the cool stone of the window ledge. The silence here felt different from the corridor. Here, it pressed in.

It wouldn’t be long before someone... Rick, Alia, maybe both, pushed hard enough to break through whatever walls she’d built around herself. And when that happened, the truth of why she’d left her pack... why she’d run... would spill into the open.

Her stomach tightened. She didn’t want that day to come.

Eventually, she sat on the edge of the bed and shrugged off her coat. The fabric fell away to reveal faint spots of dried blood staining the sleeves, and tiny tears near the hem.

She set the coat aside and reached into the inner pocket, her fingers closing around something cool and hard.

When she drew it out, the dim light from the window caught its surface and sent fractured glimmers dancing across the room.

A rare, precious stone.

Her lips curved faintly as she turned it in her hand, watching the way it caught the light.

She knew exactly what it was... the Moonstone.

The same stone Darius had told Emerald about, the one that had gone missing.

Her thumb brushed over the smooth edges, lingering on the faint imperfections that only made it more beautiful.

"What I had to do to get my hands on you," she whispered to herself.