Aria’s POV
Aria knew enough about Caleb, the war hero, to know that this group were his children and their spouses. I’d never interacted with them. They’d always kept a wide berth from me, but we’d seen each other at parties. Granted, it was from across the room, but we still recognized each other.
Caleb, I’d only met once, when Lucian visited him in his own home three years ago. Even then, the man had been too frail to rise from his own bed.
“I’ve lived a good life,” he had told Lucian then. “But I’m ready for the next one.”
“Hopefully we have many more years with you, my friend,” Lucian had said kindly.
“My friends are waiting,” Caleb had said, lightly shaking his head. “My mate… she’s already there.”
I’d been expecting this inevitability for some time now. No one cheated death, no
