The estate gates did not open quietly.
They opened because he ordered them to.
Steel shifted against stone with a deep, reluctant groan that carried across the courtyard and into the trees beyond, as though even the hinges understood something irreversible was about to occur.
Alessandro did not look back at the elders when he stepped through.
If they protested, their voices did not reach him.
If they cursed, the wind swallowed it.
Because the bond—
Was no longer a thread.
It was a pull.
A living line tightening with every mile between him and the hospital room where she lay.
Luca fell into step beside him.
"You're walking into the human world," he said quietly.
"Yes."
"And if they interfere?"
Alessandro's expression did not change.
"They won't."
Serena watched from the archway, arms folded, eyes sharp.
"Bring her back alive," she called.
He did not answer.
He did not need to.
