Evander's POV
I stood in that empty courtyard long after Ravena disappeared, my chest hollow and aching. The evening air had turned cold, but I barely felt it. All I could feel was the pain radiating from somewhere deep inside me.
I forced myself to move, to walk, to function despite the fact that my entire world had just collapsed.
I had a duty to perform. A report to deliver.
No matter how much it would destroy me.
I slowly made my way through the palace corridors. People passed me, bowing respectfully. I nodded back without seeing them. My mind was elsewhere. Trapped in that moment when she had smiled and called me brother.
When I reached Alaric's office, I paused outside the door. Took a deep breath and forced my expression into something neutral before I knocked.
"Come in," hi
