Betrayed by My Ex, Marked by His Alpha Emperor Brother

Chapter 58

Elara’s POV

"One more for the road, dear."

Margaret pressed a cloth-wrapped bundle into my hands before I could protest. The warmth seeped through the fabric—cinnamon rolls, fresh from the oven. The scent hit me and my stomach tightened with something that wasn’t hunger. It was gratitude. The kind that sits heavy in your throat and makes words feel insufficient.

"Margaret, you’ve already done too much."

"Nonsense." She brushed a flour-dusted hand across my cheek. Quick. Tender. The gesture of a mother who’d had years of practice and no one left to practice on—until now. "You eat properly on that road, you hear me? No skipping meals."

I nodded. Swallowed hard.

Behind her, Robert stood in the doorway of the cottage, one hand raised in a lazy wave. "Safe travels, Ela. Don’t be a stranger."

"I won’t," I promised. And I meant it. This place—this small, weathered house tucked against the mountain—had carved itself into me overnight. The hearth. The bread. The quiet.

Finnian appeared around the side of the cottage, leading a sturdy cargo wagon hitched to two draft horses. It was no elegant carriage. The bed was wide and flat, built for hauling iron ingots and lumber. Canvas stretched over a frame in the back, creating a covered space packed with thick blankets and supplies.

He caught my expression and shrugged. "It’s not pretty. But it’s solid. Won’t throw a wheel on a bad road."

"My carriage—"

"Won’t be ready for quite a while. Probably longer." He secured the last strap on the canvas. "The axle cracked clean through in that attack. I’ve got the parts ordered, but supply lines from the eastern foundries have been unreliable lately. I’ll have it sent to you in the capital once it’s repaired."

I opened my mouth to argue. He held up a hand.

"Ela. Let me do this."

There was no command in his voice. No expectation of debt. Just the steady, open expression of a man who saw a problem and wanted to fix it.

"Then come visit," I said, the words tumbling out before I’d fully decided to say them. "When you bring the carriage. Stay for a while. I’ll show you the city."

His eyebrows rose. A slow grin spread across his face—warm, a little surprised. "I’d like that. I’ve been meaning to go south anyway. There’s a large foundry near the capital that carries specialty metals I can’t get up here. Been putting off the trip for too long."

"Then it’s settled."

Margaret handed a canvas sack up to Finnian, who stowed it behind the driver’s bench. "Sandwiches," she announced. "And an insulated flask of hot tea. The real kind, with honey and a bit of ginger."

Finnian rolled his eyes but smiled. "Ma, we’re not crossing a desert."

"You’re crossing the King’s Road in autumn. Same thing." She fixed him with a look that ended the discussion.

We climbed up. The bench was hard but wide enough for two. Finnian gathered the reins and clicked his tongue. The horses leaned into their harnesses. The wagon lurched forward, wheels crunching over gravel.

I turned back. Watched the cottage shrink behind us. Margaret’s figure in the doorway. Robert’s hand still raised. The forge chimney trailing a thin ribbon of smoke into the pale sky.

Then the trees closed around us and they were gone.

The King’s Road unfolded ahead. Wide and packed hard. Autumn had painted the forest in rust and amber. Leaves drifted down in slow spirals, catching the light before settling on the road like scattered coins.

For a while, neither of us spoke. The horses kept a steady pace. The wagon swayed gently. Wind moved through the canopy above, carrying the smell of damp earth and pine resin.

Finnian broke the silence first.

"Tell me about your boy."

I looked at him. He kept his eyes on the road, but the corner of his mouth was turned up. Genuinely curious. Not prying.

"He’s five," I said. A smile pulled at my lips without permission. "Dark curly hair. Big eyes. More energy than any adult."

"Takes after his mother?"

"In stubbornness, absolutely. In everything else..." I paused. Thought of those gold-dark eyes. That serious little frown he wore when he was concentrating. "He’s his own person. Has been since the day he was born. Give him a few moments and he’ll have everyone in the room wrapped around his finger."

Finnian laughed. A genuine, rumbling sound. "Sounds like a natural leader."

"A natural trouble-maker is more accurate."

He glanced at me. The laughter faded to something gentler. More careful. "And his father?"

The question landed softly. No judgment in it. No sharp edges.

I watched the road ahead. A hawk circled high above the treeline.

"His father doesn’t know he exists," I said quietly. "It was... a brief encounter. An accident. I barely remember the details." The lie came easily. It always did. "By the time I realized I was pregnant, going back wasn’t an option."

Finnian was quiet for a moment. Processing. Then he nodded slowly. "You raised him alone."

"Not completely alone. I have a friend—Brenna. She’s been with me through everything. She helps with him when I’m working."

"Still. That’s a heavy load for one person."

"He’s not a load." My voice came out sharper than I intended. I softened it. "He’s the reason I get up every morning. The reason any of this matters."

"I didn’t mean—"

"I know." I touched his arm briefly. "I know you didn’t."

He relaxed. The wagon rattled over a wooden bridge spanning a narrow creek. Water glinted below.

"So," Finnian said, and something shifted in his tone. Lighter but deliberate. Testing the edges of a question before committing to it. "Is there someone? In the capital, I mean. Someone you’re—"

A chime cut through the air. Soft and crystalline. My hand went instinctively to the inner pocket of my shawl, where a small mirror lay flat against my ribs. The glass was warm. Pulsing faintly with blue light.

"Hold that thought," I said, pulling the transmission mirror free.

The surface shimmered. Rippled like water disturbed by a pebble. Then it cleared, and a face appeared—round-cheeked, wild-haired, grinning so wide I could count every gap where baby teeth used to be.

"MOMMY!"

My heart cracked open.

"Hi, sweetheart." My voice broke on the second word. I pressed the mirror closer. "Hi, my baby. I can see you."

Valerius bounced in the frame. He was sitting on what looked like the floor of our apartment, legs crossed, something sticky smeared across one cheek. His dark curls stuck up in every direction.

"Mommy, guess what! Guess what happened today!"

"Tell me everything."

"Lord Kaelen taught me to tie my boots! The real way, not the baby way. And then Auntie Brenna and me made cookies but I ate the dough and she said that’s not allowed but it was really good and THEN—" He barely paused for breath. "—I met a dog. His name is Charlie and he’s a hunting dog and he licked my whole face."

I laughed. Tears pricked behind my eyes but I blinked them back. "That sounds like the best day ever."

"It WAS. When are you coming home? I saved you a cookie. Auntie Brenna put it in a bag so it won’t go stale but I already checked and it’s still good."

"I’m on my way right now, sweetheart. I’ll be there very soon."

Finnian leaned slightly to the side, glancing down at the mirror with open curiosity. Valerius noticed the movement instantly. His eyes—those striking dark gold eyes—locked onto the unfamiliar face hovering at the edge of the frame.

"Mommy, who’s that?"

I tilted the mirror so Finnian was visible. He raised a hand in a small wave. "Hey there."

Valerius studied him with the unblinking intensity only a child could manage. Measured him head to toe through that tiny square of enchanted glass.

"He has nice eyes," Valerius declared with absolute authority.

Finnian blinked. Then laughed—surprised, delighted. He leaned closer to the mirror. "Well, thank you. And yours are... very unique." His gaze lingered on those dark gold irises for a beat longer than casual. Something flickered across his expression. Recognition, maybe. Or a question he chose not to ask.

"Mommy says I got them from someone special," Valerius announced cheerfully. Then, without missing a beat: "Are you Mommy’s friend?"

"I am," Finnian said. "I’m bringing her home to you."

"Good. She’s been gone too long."

"I agree."

I pulled the mirror back. "I’ll be there soon, baby. Be good for Auntie Brenna."

"I’m ALWAYS good."

"That is wildly inaccurate."

He giggled. Blew a kiss at the mirror with both hands. The image shimmered and faded.

I pressed the cool glass against my chest. Closed my eyes. The ache of missing him was a living thing—clawed and restless inside my ribs.

Finnian said nothing for a while. Let me have the silence.

Then, gently: "He’s incredible, Ela."

I nodded. Didn’t trust my voice.

"Those eyes, though," he added quietly. Almost to himself.

I tucked the mirror back into my pocket and stared ahead. The road widened as the forest thinned. Buildings appeared in the distance. Rooftops. Chimney smoke. The outer sprawl of the capital.

Some time later, the transition happened gradually. Farmland gave way to cobblestone. The noise of the city rose around us—cart wheels, shouting vendors, dogs barking, the distant clang of a blacksmith’s hammer that made Finnian’s head turn instinctively.

He navigated the crowded streets with surprising ease for someone who lived in the mountains. The wagon drew curious looks—too rugged, too northern for the polished capital roads—but he ignored them.

"Turn here?" he asked.

"Next street. The tall building with the blue shutters."

We pulled up in front of my apartment. The building loomed above us, narrow and weathered. I looked up toward my third-floor apartment window and spotted it immediately—a small face pressed against the glass. Dark curls. Wide gold eyes.

Then the face vanished.

"He saw us," I breathed. I was already climbing down before the wagon fully stopped.

The front door of the building burst open. Brenna appeared first—dark hair windblown, out of breath, one hand still dusted with flour. Behind her, a small figure shot past her legs like a cannonball.

"MOMMY!"

Valerius hit me at full speed. His arms locked around my waist. His face buried against my stomach. His whole body trembled with the force of holding on.

I dropped to my knees on the cobblestones. Pulled him in. Pressed my face into his curls and breathed him in—soap, sugar, that indefinable scent that was purely his.

"I missed you," I whispered. "So much."

"You were gone forever," he mumbled into my neck. His small fingers gripped the back of my shawl. "Don’t do that again."

"I won’t."

Brenna stood a few paces back, arms crossed, smiling with damp eyes. I mouthed thank you over Valerius’s head. She nodded.

When Valerius finally pulled back to look at me, his gaze shifted immediately to Finnian, who had walked to this side of the wagon.

My son studied him with obvious curiosity.

"So you’re the handsome guardian brother who brought my mommy home."