Chapter 87: Home

(GRIFFIN)

I never thought I’d see these trees again. I shift back to my human form, lowering Maya gently to the ground.

The wind shifts through the pines, carrying the sharp, mineral scent of the river nearby. The forest grows denser here, older. These were the woods I used to run through as a boy, long before the weight of a crown was placed on my head.

The thought of my younger brother pierces my heart.

Our father always told us that the kingdom could only prosper if we had each other’s backs. He trained us, drilled loyalty to each other into us, while our mother filled our hearts with love. I know my brother better than I know myself. Losing me must not have been easy on him. All these years, he has had to watch his own back as well as watch over a kingdom he never learned to govern.

I don’t know what I expect when we break through the last thicket. Grief, maybe. Resentment. But mostly, I feel the ache of returning to a place that no longer remembers me.

The border of the palace grounds begins in the woods, always has. Designed that way, so our kind could come and go unnoticed. But now it’s heavily patrolled. I smell them before I see them, guards. Young. Anxious. Eager to prove themselves.

We emerge into a clearing, and there they are. Four guards, dressed in dark leathers, weapons at their sides. They tense up immediately.

“Halt!”

I raise my hands slowly, Maya now at my side. My body angles instinctively between her and the threat.

One of them steps forward, narrowing his eyes. He’s older than the rest, scarred across the cheek, silver at the temples. “K–King Griffin?”

My name is a whisper on his lips. Like he doesn’t believe it even as he says it.

I recognize him. Tomas. One of the palace guards from my youth. He was barely older than me. Now, he looks like he has carried the weight of a decade in my absence.

The other guards exchange a look. “That’s not King Griffin. He’s been gone over ten years by now.”

“I’m telling you, that’s him!” Tomas snaps, hurrying forward and kneeling. “Your Majesty. How…How are you here?

Where have you been?”

“Where’s Erik?” I look between the distrustful faces. The younger guards seem to have their doubts. “You’re wrong Tomas. He can’t be the long-lost king. Look, he’s with her!”

“Isn’t she the human woman who went missing the night of the ball? I thought she ran off.” Maya’s eyes are blazing. “I didn’t run off, you jerk!”

“Hey, watch it!” The young guard sneers at her. “For all we know, you could be working with the traitor, Cassian!”

“I want to see Erik!” Maya hisses. “I’m not dealing with you idiots.”

That pisses off the guard, and he takes a threatening step forward. “How dare you?! Grab her. Let’s teach the little bitch a lesson.”

My lips pull back in a snarl at the rudeness directed toward my fated mate. “Watch your tongue, boy!”

The guard sniggers. “What are you going to do, weakling? Look at you. Nothing but fucking skin and bones. You think you can take me?”

“He can beat your ass into the ground, you little shit!” Maya doesn’t seem to be as afraid of these shifters as she should be.

But then, I’ve rarely seen her cower in the face of danger. “Do it, Griffin! Kick his ass!” Reckless. My fated mate is a reckless woman. Of course, she can afford to be with me around.

I do feel a hint of pride at the confidence she displays in me. I’m also amused, watching her order me around.

The two younger guards lunge. The third hesitates for half a heartbeat before joining them. Tomas tries to hold one back, shouting something I can’t hear.

They’re fast, but I’m faster. Their movements are clumsy, adrenaline-fueled. They don’t know who they’re fighting. Blades flash.

This is new. I never had the guards carry weapons. Not when their bodies were the most dangerous ones. I guess Erik has been making some changes while I’ve been gone. I don’t know how I feel about it.

I disarm the first one easily, ducking and spinning to slam him into the dirt. The second manages to cut my shoulder, but I twist and deliver a crushing blow to his ribs. Bone cracks beneath my fist.

A scream jerks my attention sideways. Maya.

One of them grabs her by the arm when she tries to run to me. She swings at him, brave, stupid girl, and he throws her through the air.

She hits a tree with a sickening thud and crumples. Time stops.

A sound tears out of my throat, low, broken, furious. I feel my body split, the shift crashing through me like fire. They touched her. They touched my mate.

They don’t understand what they’ve done. But I do.

My bones snap, reform. My skin stretches, rips, reshapes. The world blurs red. When my paws hit the ground, I no longer think. I only feel.

And I feel rage.

I tear through the guards like wind through dead leaves. I don’t hold back. One of them screams. Another tries to run, but I slam into him, snarling, claws raking across his back.

Only Tomas doesn’t run. He holds his ground, arms raised. “Your Majesty! You’ll kill them!”

I bare my teeth, breathing hard. My body still hums with fury, my mind barely clawing its way back through the haze. Then, I hear it. Maya groans, and it shatters me more than any wound ever could.

I shift back, stumbling as my legs reform. My knees hit the dirt beside her. She’s conscious, barely. Blood stains her temple.

Her breath stutters when she sees me. “Griffin…”

“I’m here,” I whisper, brushing her hair from her face. “I’ve got you.” She tries to sit up and winces. I hold her steady.

“I told you not to get hurt,” I say, voice rougher than I mean it to be. She smiles faintly. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“Well, I’m saying it now.”

Movement behind me. I tense again, ready to fight, but this time, the air shifts for a different reason. A presence approaches. Familiar. Powerful.

And then, Erik steps into the clearing.

He looks every inch the king now, tall, dressed in black and gold, a wolf’s sigil embroidered over his chest. His hair is shorter than I remember, his jaw sharper. But those eyes—my brother’s eyes, haven’t changed.

He sees me.

For a moment, he doesn’t speak. Doesn’t breathe. His eyes go wide, stunned and full of something I can’t name. “Griffin?”

The word is half breath, half disbelief.

I rise to my feet, my heart pounding, Maya still steadying herself behind me. “It’s been a long time,” I say quietly.

Erik stares at me for a moment, then breaks into a grin that looks both feral and devastated. He walks forward slowly, like he’s afraid I’ll vanish again if he moves too fast.

“You’re alive.”

I nod once. Finally, Erik crosses the distance between us and pulls me into a hug. It’s not formal. No stiff greeting. No royal protocol. It’s rough and fast and messy, but it’s real. I feel him shaking.

“I thought you were dead,” he says, his voice breaking. “We all did.”

“I wanted to be,” I mutter.

He pulls back, his brow furrowing at the sight of the chaos behind me. The guards, bloody and broken. Tomas standing still like a statue. And Maya, bruised and bleeding, now trying to stand.

“What happened here?”

I glance back at Maya, then at the guards. “They didn’t recognize me,” I say. “And they touched her.” His gaze drops to Maya. Then he looks back at me, realization dawning. “You snapped. Because of her.” I don’t answer. But I don’t deny it, either. Because he’s right.

Erik glances between me and Maya like he’s trying to piece together a puzzle with too many sharp edges. “You need a healer—” he begins, his eyes on me.

“She needs a healer,” I snap, more growl than voice. “Now.”

He takes a step back, hands raised slightly in peace, but his eyebrows lift. “You don’t have to bite my head off, brother.” Maya moves beside me, and I feel her lean slightly into my side. Not much. But enough.

“Don’t,” I growl when Erik takes a step in her direction. “Just…don’t separate us.” The fury is still riding me, sharp and tangled in my chest. I’m not ready to let her go. Not after seeing her thrown like that. Not when I can still smell her pain in the air.

Erik’s gaze flicks to me again. This time, there’s something else in it…scrutiny. A sliver of concern that cuts deeper than the surface. He pauses, surprised. “You’re on edge, Griffin,” he says carefully.

“I mean it.”

His lips press into a line, but he doesn’t push further.

Smart, because I don’t trust myself right now. I’m not as much in control of my animal as I thought. Seeing Maya hurt has my wolf pacing inside my mind, desperate to gain control of the situation, to kill those who touched her.

Erik turns to Maya, gentler now. “Maya, it is so good to see you. We thought you were dead.” She blinks, her shoulders stiffening.

“Jerry was sure of it. We all were,” Erik continues. “You disappeared without a trace. After Cassian took you, we searched for days—”

“And then you stopped,” Maya finishes for him, sounding flat.

Erik winces. “Corrine never did. She refused to believe it. She has had scouts combing through all three kingdoms. She has never give up on you.”

Maya lifts her chin, and I can see the hurt and the tinge of betrayal in her eyes. “Good to know someone still cared. I don’t know why I’m surprised, though. After all, I’m just a human. Disposable.”

Erik flinches, and guilt flashes across his face. “Maya—”

“Did you throw my mother out of her cottage?” she asks, her voice brittle now. “No.” His answer is immediate. “Of course not. I would never do that.”

Her expression softens slightly, but she doesn’t look convinced.

“She has been looked after. Healer Jerry took responsibility for her care.” Maya inhales sharply. “Jerry’s okay?”

Erik nods. “He insisted. Said she’d be safest with him.”

Maya turns to me suddenly, her voice catching. “I need to see her.” I nod without hesitation. “We’ll go now.”

Erik lifts a hand. “Griff—”

“I’m not leaving her,” I growl.

He studies me for a long moment, and I know that look. The slow, quiet assessment. The calculating commander of my army in my stead.

Suddenly, his expression shifts, understanding dawning in the way his lips part, in the slow narrowing of his eyes. He knows something. But he doesn’t say it. Not yet.

Instead, he waves Tomas over. “Take these three guards to the healer’s wing. And send Jerry to Helen’s cottage.” One of the injured men catches my glare and pales instantly.

“They’ll be punished,” Erik murmurs low enough for me to hear. “You have my word.”

Good. Because the thought of that bastard’s hands on Maya makes me want to break some more of his bones.

As we all head toward the palace, the guards fall into a line, heads down and ashamed. One stumbles, tripping over his own feet in panic. They should be afraid.

I walk close to Maya, watching her limp slightly from the hit. Every breath she takes feels like it drags fire across my chest. She doesn’t speak as we move away from the tree line to the path that leads to the cottages, but I can feel her tension winding tighter with each step.

She doesn’t stop till she reaches one of them. Her hand hesitates on the small gate, and she looks at me. The strong, mouthy woman who has no problem attacking a shifter looks at me with a vulnerable gaze.

“Go,” I say gently. “She’s been waiting for you for a long time.”

“What if”—her voice catches—”What if she doesn’t remember me?”

“Would you like me to go with you?”

I see the flicker of emotion in her eyes. “No.”

My voice is low, meant only for her ears. “You just have to say it.”

She swallows, her eyes darting toward the closed cottage door and then back at me. “I’ll be fine.”

“And I’ll be right here.”

Maya pushes the gate open, calling out, “Mom?” Her voice breaks slightly, and then she tries again. “Mom, I’m home.”

At first, there’s no sound, and then something rattles inside. The door opens, and a woman emerges. Maya’s mother looks older and frailer than I expected. Skin sallow, hair thin. She tilts her head slowly, blinking.

Maya takes a step forward, unsure. “Mom, it’s me.” Her mother squints, confusion clouding her features. Maya’s breath hitches. “It’s Maya. I—I came back.”

Still no recognition.

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