The late afternoon sun bathed the castle courtyard in a golden glow. You stood near the fountain, absentmindedly running your fingers over the cool marble edge as Cormac sauntered up beside you, a cocky smirk playing on his lips.

"Where's your scary boyfriend?" he asked, his voice laced with amusement.

You chuckled, rolling your eyes. "Probably off doing scary boyfriend things."

Cormac took a step closer, his confidence unshaken. "You know, you don’t have to be attached to his hip all the time. I could—"

A smirk curled on your lips before you even turned your head. You felt it before you saw it—Mattheo's presence.

He entered the garden with an easy swagger. His deep brown eyes locked onto yours first, a glint of amusement flickering behind them. But the moment he looked at Cormac, the shift was instant—his expression darkened, his smirk vanishing into something far more men4cing.

Cormac visibly stiffened under Mattheo's gaze. It wasn’t just a glare—it was a warning.

"Ah," Cormac muttered, taking a small step back. "There he is."

Mattheo tilted his head slightly. "And here I was, thinking I'd find something interesting. Instead, I see you standing too close to my girl."

You bit back a grin as Mattheo casually walked over, his fingers ghosting over your waist before he turned his full attention to Cormac.

Cormac cleared his throat. "Relax, mate. We were just talking."

Mattheo hummed, his smirk returning—but this time, it wasn’t friendly. "Yeah? Then why do you look like you’re about to run?"

Cormac let out a nervous chuckle, holding up his hands. "Alright, alright. Message received." Without another word, he turned and strode away.

You glanced up at Mattheo, who was already looking down at you, his smirk softening into something undeniably fond. His fingers gently tilted your chin up.

"Scary boyfriend things?" he murmured.

You grinned. "You do it so well."

Mattheo chuckled, leaning down to press a lingering kiss to your forehead.

"Good," he murmured. "Because I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon."