Emerald stared at the man in front of her in disbelief, wondering if she was hallucinating because she missed him so much.

Alaric stood there in the rain, his wet hair clinging to his forehead. Droplets fell from his face, one landing on the tip of Emerald's nose, making her shiver from the cold.

She blinked. No, this wasn’t a dream—it was real.

Overcome with joy, Emerald threw herself into his arms. “Aric…” she whispered.

Alaric had been trying to hold back, not wanting to get her wet, but the sheer happiness radiating from her made it impossible. She clung to him tightly, completely unbothered by the rain soaking them...