The palace woke up quiet for the first time in months.
No alarms. No shouting from the war room. No guards running past with blood on their hands.
Elara woke up late, with Darius’s arm heavy across her waist and the sun actually reaching her face through the window. She lay there for a full minute just listening—listening for the sound of Aria’s power flaring, for Elias’s restless pacing, for trouble.
Nothing.
Just the sound of Darius breathing.
She turned over and found him already watching her.
“Stop that,” she muttered. “You’re gonna make me self-conscious.”
“I’m not allowed to look at my mate?” Darius said, voice rough with sleep.
“Not at 6 AM.”
He smiled against her forehead. “It’s 8 AM.”
“Even worse.”
Downstairs, the peace was already over.
---
*Training Yard – 8:30 AM
