<h4>Chapter 613: She Was Gone</h4>


    <strong>River:</strong>


    Kieran’s sigh was loud enough to cut straight through the quiet haze in my head.


    Evaline stirred immediately in my arms, her body shifting against mine as she blinked herself awake. I felt the movement before I fully registered the sound, my hold tightening instinctively around her waist as if my body feared she might disappear the second I loosened my grip.


    A week.


    It had only been a week.


    Seven days since the night I marked her.


    Seven days since the bond between us had snapped into ce like something that had always been meant to exist.


    And somehow, even after an entire week of having her with me - sleeping beside me, waking up beside me, eating with her, touching her, breathing her in - it still didn’t feel like enough.


    It would never be enough.


    We were sitting on the long couch in Kieran’s office at the Silver Moon. Morning sunlight streamed through the tall windows, painting warm gold across the polished floor and the dark wood furniture. The office smelled faintly of cedar and the familiar pine scent that always lingered here.


    Evaline was tucked into my chest, half curled into my side, her head resting beneath my chin. One of my arms wrapped securely around her shoulders while the other rested across herp, my fingers absentmindedly tracing slow patterns over her forearm.


    She had almost fallen asleep again.


    I could feel it in the way her breathing had slowed, in the softness of her posture against me.


    Which was exactly why Kieran’s sigh had earned him a re from me.


    My brother stood behind his desk, arms crossed over his chest, expression hovering somewhere between irritation and disbelief.


    He had been watching us for nearly an hour.


    An hour.


    Because I hadn’t let her go.


    Not once.


    And I still didn’t want to.


    "It’s time," he said finally, his voice carrying that headmaster authority he used at the Academy. "First sses start in ten minutes."


    I ignored him.


    Instead, I lowered my head and pressed a kiss into my sleeping mate’s hair.


    She smelled like me.


    Like us.


    The mate bond pulsed softly under my skin, warm and steady, responding to the simple contact.


    Her fingers curled into my shirt.


    "I don’t want to go," she murmured, her voice still thick with sleep.


    My chest tightened painfully.


    "Then don’t," I replied immediately, without hesitation.


    Kieran made a strangled noise.


    "That is not how this works," he said tly.


    Evaline let out a softugh against my chest, the vibration traveling straight through me. She shifted slightly, tilting her face up just enough that I could see her eyes.


    And stars.


    That look.


    Still warm. Still glowing. Still mine.


    It hit me all over again - that fierce, possessive certainty that had lived inside me since the moment I realized she was my mate.


    Mine.


    My mark at her neck pulsed faintly through the bond.


    I brushed my thumb over her arm again, memorizing the feel of her skin.


    Kieran exhaled sharply.


    "I cannot believe this," he muttered. "You kept her for an entire week. An entire week, River. Do you know how long that is when you are separated from your mate?"


    I lifted my eyes toward him slowly.


    "You survived," I said.


    His eye twitched.


    "That’s not the point."


    "It is," I countered calmly.


    He pushed away from the desk and started pacing, which told me he was genuinely annoyed.


    "I barely saw her," he continued. "Every time I came to check on you two, you were either asleep wrapped around each other like vines or you refused to let her leave the penthouse."


    I didn’t deny it.


    Because it was true.


    And I would do it again.


    Evalibe shifted in my arms, her hand sliding up to my jaw as she gently turned my face toward her.


    "Hey," she murmured softly.


    My focus snapped back to her instantly.


    Her eyes were warm... affectionate... and I felt the edge of my reluctance soften just a little.


    "I have to go back eventually," she said.


    I knew that.


    Of course I knew that.


    The rational part of me understood perfectly well that her life at the Academy mattered. That routines mattered. Responsibilities mattered.


    But the primal part of me - the part that had finally found its mate after years of emptiness - didn’t care about logic.


    It only cared that letting her walk out that door meant distance.


    Even if it was temporary.


    My grip tightened unconsciously.


    She smiled.


    Then, before I could react, she leaned sideways out of my arms toward Kieran.


    "Come here," she said, reaching for him.


    Kieran froze mid-step.


    For half a second he looked almost startled... which was rare for him... before he moved closer. She caught the front of his shirt and tugged him down just enough to press a kiss to his cheek.


    Then another.


    And another.


    "I missed you too," she said softly.


    The irritation drained out of him instantly.


    I watched it happen.


    His shoulders dropped, his expression melting into something warm and possessive that mirrored exactly what I felt.


    He brushed his knuckles against her jaw.


    "You are forgiven," he muttered.


    She grinned.


    Then she leaned back into me again without hesitation, fitting perfectly into my side like she belonged there.


    Which she did.


    Kieran sighed again, though this one carried more resignation than annoyance.


    "Elion handled the Academy administration," he said after a moment. "He told them Evaline was assisting him with an ongoing Council project for the week."


    Eva’s head lifted.


    "And that was enough?" she asked, surprised.


    Kieran smiled faintly.


    "Of course, not," he admitted honestly, "however, your mate is the headmaster here."


    Understanding dawned across her face.


    "Oh."


    "And," he added casually, "you received five reward points for assisting."


    Her eyes lit up instantly.


    "Five?!"


    I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my mouth. Then I watched the exact moment realization hit her.


    Her excitement faltered.


    "...Wait," she said slowly. "Does that mean I actually have to put extra work in that project?"


    Kieran’s grin turned downright smug.


    "Yes."


    She groaned dramatically, dropping her forehead against my shoulder.


    I chuckled, sliding my hand up her back in a soothing stroke.


    "I’ll help you," I murmured into her hair.


    She tilted her head up immediately.


    "You will?"


    "Of course. You missed your sses because of me. I owe you this."


    Relief flooded her expression, followed by a bright smile that hit me straight in the chest.


    Kieran rolled his eyes.


    "You are both insufferable," he muttered.


    Maybe.


    But I didn’t care.


    A knock sounded at the office door.


    "Come in," Kieran called.


    The door opened slightly, and Rowan leaned in.


    "She needs to get moving or we are going to bete," he reminded.


    Evaline groaned softly, but she still apologized to her friend. "Sorry."


    Rowan shook his head, clearly amused, and stepped back outside to wait.


    The moment stretched.


    I knew what it meant.


    It was time.


    My arm tightened around her again, unwilling to release the warmth of her body.


    She noticed.


    Of course she did.


    Her hand came up to my cheek, her thumb brushing lightly across my skin.


    "I’ll see youter," she said softly.


    The bond pulsed in agreement.


    I lowered my forehead to hers.


    "Youe back to me," I murmured.


    Her smile was gentle.


    "Always."


    I kissed her.


    Slow.


    Lingering.


    Memorizing.


    Then I forced my arms to loosen.


    It felt physically wrong letting her stand up.


    Like something essential was being pulled away from me.


    She smoothed her uniform, then leaned down and kissed me once more before turning to Kieran and doing the same.


    He caught her waist briefly, stealing an extra second of contact before letting her go with obvious reluctance.


    We both watched her walk toward the door.


    She paused at the threshold, looking back at us with that same warmth that had wrapped around my heart since the beginning.


    Then she stepped out.


    Rowan was waiting in the hallway.


    And just like that...


    She was gone.