Isn't it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me? She was the heart of the Inner Circle-sunlight wrapped in quiet strength, always steady, always kind. But not his. Never his. At least, that's what Azriel told himself the moment the bond snapped into place... and he said nothing. He watched from the shadows, loving her silently, convinced he was too broken to be chosen. She kept smiling, kept hoping, never knowing why the male who always showed up was the same one who always pulled away. A story of two hearts quietly breaking beside each other... until one day, they didn't. One single thread of gold tied me to you.

Azriel had spent centuries believing that he of all people didn't deserve a mate. And if anything, the last three years had just galvinised that particular belief. And then he meets her. The first time Oriana met Azriel, she thought that he reminded her of a skittish cat. Shy and a little bit broken. Good for him that she absolutely excelled in fixing the things around her.

Nobody knew that Azriel found his mate. Until she nearly died. This is the aftermath.