Chapter 449:

🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙

He climbed carefully onto my back, gripping the fur at my neck. I stood slowly, and Bram immediately tightened his hold.

“Don’t you dare laugh.”

I couldn’t help it. Then I took off.

The forest blurred around us. Wind rushed through my fur as I raced between the trees, my paws pounding against the earth. Bram shouted something behind me, but I couldn’t hear him over my own laughter. Parrot was ecstatic.

Faster.

I pushed harder. We flew through the trees, leaping over fallen branches and racing down the familiar trail toward Gemma’s house. Bram eventually stopped complaining and started laughing too. We circled the long way home, weaving between trees and startling birds, pretending the world outside the Freeland didn’t exist.

By the time Gemma’s house came into view, my muscles burned in the best way.

I slowed at the porch, and Bram slid down. The front door opened, and Nero stood in the doorway. He was still too pale, still too thin, one hand braced against the frame as though standing cost him everything. Sweat darkened the collar of the clean shirt someone had put on him. But his eyes were open, clear, and fixed on me, and then on Bram.

I stepped forward, my heart slamming. “You’re awake…”

𝗜𝗇𝘵𝗲ոѕ𝗲 r𝘰ma𝘯c𝗲 оn 𝗴a𝗹𝗇𝗼𝗏𝖾𝘭ѕ.𝘤о𝗆

Remi POV

I froze. Nero’s eyes were fixed on me as I shifted back.

Heat flooded my face the second his gaze moved from me to Bram and back again. I was still barefoot, my hair tangled from the run, the faint scent of forest and Bram’s laughter clinging to my skin. Nero stood in the doorway looking as though he had clawed his way out of the fever by sheer stubbornness, too pale, too thin, one hand braced on the frame. But the dullness had left his eyes, and the bond between us felt clear and quiet and his.

Bram cleared his throat and took a careful step back. “I’ll… give you two a minute.”

My cheeks heated further. “Nero,” I repeated stupidly, hurrying toward him. “You’re awake.”

“I am.” His voice was deeper than usual, rough with exhaustion, but there was something else beneath it. He was annoyed.

I glanced at Bram, who immediately lifted both hands. “Don’t look at me.”

Nero raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to,” I muttered.

His eyes returned to me. “I can see that.”

My face grew even hotter. Parrot stirred inside me. He’s jealous. I like jealous Nero.

I resisted the urge to groan. Nero took one step forward and immediately swayed.

My embarrassment vanished. “Nero!”

I rushed to him and grabbed his arm before he could fall. His weight leaned against me for a moment before he straightened, clearly irritated that his body had betrayed him. “You shouldn’t be standing.”

His mouth twitched. “I wanted to see where my Luna had disappeared to.”

I stared at him. Behind me, Bram cleared his throat. “I’ll go.”

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