Syn stirred awake, the faint hum of the ship seeping through the walls of Pako's tidy room, the sheets tangled around his legs from their romantic night together.
His hazel eyes blinked open, catching Pako's dark gaze fixed on him, her tan face propped on one hand, her dark hair spilling over the pillow like a wild halo.
She wasn't smiling—her lips were set, her eyes heavy with something unspoken, a rare stillness in her usually chaotic presence.
"What?" Syn asked, his voice rough with sleep, his fair brow creasing as he shifted to face her, the mattress creaking softly under his weight.
Pako's gaze didn't waver, her voice low, serious, cutting through the room's quiet. "Vera told me you're going back to the Kingdom." Her words landed heavy, a stone dropped in still water, and Syn's chest tightened, the air between them thickening with the weight of it.
He nodded, his hazel eyes steady. "Yeah. I am."
