Nine was quiet the whole walk back, but not in the same way as before.
There was no shrinking, no dread curled around his spine like it used to be. Just a soft, pensive kind of silence—as though he were still processing the fact that he'd done it. That he'd spoken.
And gods, I was proud of him.
He didn't even protest when I bent down and lifted him into my arms halfway down the hallway. His legs wrapped instinctively around my waist, head tucked into the curve of my neck. I could feel the warmth of his breath against my mating gland.
"You were amazing back there," I murmured.
A quiet hum escaped him—uncertain but pleased.
"I mean it," I added, tightening my grip as I carried him through the palace corridors. "You didn't just stand up for yourself. You made it clear you're not something that can be dismissed. And that you're mine."
His arms curled tighter around me at that.
We passed a few guards on our way up the private stairs. They bowed quickly, eyes pointedly averted. It used to annoy me, how they used to look at him—or worse, not look at him at all. Now, I watched their expressions shift when they saw him resting against me like this. Comfortable. Safe. Loved.
By the time I nudged open the doors to our quarters, Nyx was purring.
He should sit in on the meetings, she said, tail lashing with satisfaction. They'd behave better if they had to see his face every time they suggested something cruel.
"I've been thinking the same thing," I said aloud as I lowered Nine gently onto the bed.
He blinked up at me, sleepy-eyed and a little dazed. "Hmm?"
"You should be at the meetings," I told him, smoothing his hair back from his face. "I want them to see who they're talking about when they use the word hybrid like it's a curse. I want them to hear your voice."
His brows furrowed faintly, but he didn't protest. Just… looked at me. Like he was trying to figure out if I was serious.
I cupped his cheek. "You don't have to say much. You don't even have to say anything at all. But I want you there. Beside me."
"Okay," he whispered, after a beat. "If… if I can sit next to you."
My heart ached in the most tender way.
"Always."
He gave me the smallest smile, then yawned.
I climbed in beside him, pulling the blankets over both of us, and let him curl up against me—his fingers toying with the edge of my sleeve, his scent winding around mine like something sacred.
Nyx was practically humming with satisfaction.
Ours, she said. All ours.
And for the first time in what felt like ages, I fell asleep without a single sliver of dread curled in my chest.