{AURORA'S POV}
My eyes were wide with terror.
There he was. Standing right in front of me, framed by the flickering lantern light. His amber eyes locked on mine.
The Vice-Commander of the Severance.
Darius Fane.
A witch hunter.
I stumbled back a step, my pulse thundering in my ears. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to fight, to do something. Yet when I turned to Morganna and the others, expecting them to ready their magic but, they… didn't.
They weren't even raising their hands.
They were standing down.
Confusion tangled with fear in my chest. My mouth opened, but before I could demand an answer, Rhea strode forward. And then, to my surprise she pulled him into her arms?
"Riven," she breathed, smiling as though this were the happiest moment of her life. "You're back."
My thoughts scrambled. Riven?
When he pulled away, returning her smile, the word that fell from his lips nearly shattered me.
"Mother. How've you been?"
Mother?
I blinked at Rhea, then at him, then back again. "He's your—"
The words caught in my throat, but I didn't have to finish them. Kai, Eris, and Vivienne rushed forward, their faces lighting up in recognition.
Kai's face beamed with disbelief before splitting into a grin. "Riven! By the spirits." He pulled him into a fierce embrace, wincing when his wound brushed against Riven's shoulder. "Ow! Damn, still worth it."
Eris stepped in right after, her usual coolness melting into warmth as she wrapped her arms around him. "You vanish for months without a word and this is how we see you again?"
Riven chuckled, guilt flickering in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to be so long."
"You didn't mean?" Eris swatted his arm. "You don't just disappear like that, Riven!"
I was most shocked by Vivienne. Her blue eyes brimmed with tears she tried to blink away. She shoved past the others and threw herself at him. "You Idiot!" she hissed against his shoulder, her voice almost breaking. "I was beginning to think you were dead or something."
He tightened his hold on her. "I'm sorry, Viv. I should've come back sooner."
Kai clapped his good hand on Riven's back. "You'd better have a story to tell us, man. Where the hell have you been? What have you been up to?"
Riven smirked faintly. "Too many places. Too many stories. I'll tell you another day." His eyes flickered toward me for the briefest moment, his amber eyes staring into mine, before he looked back at Kai. "But for now… it's just good to be back."
The way they embraced him, laughed with him and treated him like he belonged, made me want to scream.
But I couldn't.
And then, mid-conversation he'd pause to throw me the occasional glance.
Everytime he looked at me, it burned.
Rhea turned toward me at last, radiant with joy. "Aurora. Let me introduce you to my son. This is Riven."
Riven's gaze snapped to mine, his expression unreadable. For a heartbeat, the world narrowed until it was only us.
Then he extended his hand. "Aurora. It's a pleasure to meet you."
I stared at that hand, refusing to take it. That was when I noticed.
He's not in his hunter's armor anymore. No blades, no sigil of the Severance. Just plain clothes and a cloak.
A disguise.
Before I could spit out the fury bubbling in my chest, Kai groaned. He lifted his arm, blood running in droplets down his sleeve.
"Unless one of you wants me to bleed out and die," he muttered, "I feel like I'm going to pass out any second now."
Riven's brows drew together. "What happened?"
"Nah. It's nothing." Kai tried to wave it off, but his hand trembled. "Just ran into some witch hunters."
Pain flickered across Riven's face. "I'm sorry. That looks bad."
Kai shrugged. "Had worse."
Eris slid under his arm to help him. "Let's get you to a healer before your bravado kills you."
They slipped away together. Vivienne trailed behind with a yawn, muttering, "I think I'm going to hit the sack. See you in the morning, Riv."
And then it was only me.
Me, Morganna, Rhea… and him.
The silence between us weighed heavy. My throat tightened, but finally, words clawed their way out.
"Y–you're a witch hunter."
Morganna's head snapped toward me. Rhea's lips parted. Their eyes flickered to one another too quickly, too knowingly and I caught it.
"Wait…" I muttered as the realization hit me, "You know?!"
Rhea reached for me, her voice calm, coaxing. "Aurora, wait. We can explain—"
"Do they know?" My voice cracked, rising higher. "Malakai, Eris, Vivienne. Do they know that this—" I jabbed a finger toward Riven, venom coating every syllable, "that this man is a witch hunter?!"
Morganna rushed forward, her hands gripping my shoulders, her whisper sharp and urgent. "Quiet, Aurora! Do you want the entire sanctuary to hear?"
Her eyes darted around, searching for listeners. Finding none, she leaned close. "No one in Nevermoor knows the truth. No one but myself and Rhea."
I stared at her in utter disbelief. My stomach churned. It felt like the ground tilted beneath my feet. My heart felt like it was breaking all over again.
"I cant—I can't believe this…"
Rhea took my hand, her voice soft. "Aurora, please come with us. Let's go somewhere private. You deserve answers, and we will give them to you."
I looked at her, but the warmth in her eyes couldn't touch me. My gaze slid back to Riven.
His face was stone cold, void of emotion.
And yet as I stared into those amber eyes, the rage in me burned hotter, scorching every trace of the confusion I'd felt. Heat seared through my veins, my blood boiling with betrayal and hate.
How dare he stand there, smiling, pretending. How dare he act as if he's never met me, as if our faces weren't literally breaths apart not too long ago.
My hands curled into fists.
I hate him.