Azure Heights, Aelorion, 01:45;
Xi Yuan's gaze lingered on Rong Xinghe until the grand doors closed behind her, sealing her from his view. The Ten Hybrids followed in her wake, their keen eyes sweeping the surroundings for any potential danger to their Queen.
Only when they vanished from his line of sight did he allow a fraction of his tension to dissipate, the weight in his chest easing slightly. She was in the safest hands—men trained to kill and die for her without hesitation. Her security was absolute, a force beyond reproach.
Yet, the relief was short-lived.
His fingers raked through his hair as he let out a slow, shuddering breath, the exhaustion settling deep into his bones.
The way she had left tonight… it was too familiar. Too much like that night in New York when she had walked away after rejecting him, her heart as agonized as his own. The memory clawed at him, raw and cruel.
