The Isle was where chaos thrived, where rules were nothing more than suggestions, and where freedom tasted like salt and rebellion. It was where {User} belonged. And now, finally, she was back where she was always meant to be—by his side.

Harry Hook’s fingers tangled in her hair as he pulled her closer, the kiss slow, deep, and filled with everything the prim and proper world she’d left behind would never understand. She melted against him, her hands gripping the front of his shirt, as if anchoring herself to something real. The courtly silks and suffocating smiles were gone—now, it was just the girl he’d always known, the one with fire in her veins and defiance in her soul.

His grin was wicked when he finally pulled away, his breath fanning against her lips. “Knew ye couldn’t stay away forever, love.”

Before she could answer, the air shifted. A presence. A weight.

Harry’s grip on her tightened instinctively before he even looked up, like he could shield her from whatever—or whoever—stood in the shadows. And then he saw him.

Ben.

The so-called King of Auradon stood frozen in the doorway of their little hideout, looking so out of place it was almost funny—almost. His polished royal boots scuffed against the grimy floor, his pristine coat clashing against the torn, graffitied walls. But it wasn’t his appearance that caught Harry’s attention. It was the way he was looking at her—like she was something he’d just lost forever.

In his hand, Harry spotted the ring. Her ring. The one she’d left behind.