The weight of their scorn, a burden she had carried for a lifetime, now felt as light as a feather. Evangeline looked at her parents, her head held high, and a quiet, powerful pride filled her voice. "I am not ungrateful," she said, her voice clear and strong. "I am a person. And you have no claim on me."
The beasts of the forest, a silent army, watched her, their eyes filled with a loyal and fierce devotion. The griffin, a symbol of royalty, nuzzled her hand, its wings an elegant, powerful fan of feathers. The wolves, a family of their own, sat at her feet. She was not alone. She was their queen.
A soft, sad smile touched Arion's lips. He watched her, no longer with a jealous rage or a possessive fury, but with a profound, aching respect. He had seen a woman whose spirit was unbreakable. He had failed her, but he couldn't stop believing that their love was fated. He took a step towards her, his movements no longer burdened by pride, but by a genuine, quiet humility. He looked at her with an honesty he had never shown before.
"Evangeline," he said, his voice a low, pleading whisper. "I was a fool. I was blind. I let my jealousy and my pride get the best of me. I am asking you, not as a fated mate or a prince, but as a man who has made a terrible mistake: please, give me one more chance. I will do better. I promise."
He didn't reach for her or try to command her. He simply stood there, a man stripped of his power and his arrogance. He was a dragon who had flown too close to the sun and had been burned by his own arrogance. Evangeline looked at him, at the genuine sorrow in his eyes, and a small, almost imperceptible tremor of emotion ran through her.