He exhaled slowly. “I was wondering when you’d ask that.”I sat up, wrapping the nearest clothing around my chest as I looked out into the clearing. The world looked brighter than yesterday. Like even the light didn’t know what we’d done in the dark.“I mean it,” I said. “What does this mean? For us? For me?”He propped himself up on one elbow, watching me carefully. “It means... I’m here.”“That’s not an answer.”“It’s the only one I have that doesn’t come with a dozen ifs and maybes.” He sat up fully, wrapping the sheets over his legs. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, on the run, hunted…”“You don’t have to remind me.”“I have to,” he said, gently. “Because you need to know that even with all that... I still choose this.”“Luca…”“I meant everything last night.” His voice lowered. “You’re my everything, Mira. You're the only thing I've got to lose. When I’m with you, Mira... I don’t feel lost.”I looked down, heart pounding against my ribs like a warning. “But I still don’t know wha
I closed the space between us and kissed him. He didn't see it coming. I felt his body tense up, and his eyes snapped shut.He deepened it with a sigh, one hand sliding around my waist, the other threading into my hair. His touch was fire and balm, not demanding, but aching. Like he’d waited a thousand nights for this.I gasped softly as he pulled me on top of him, his hands running down my back, settling at my hips. My hands settled on his chest, the solidness of it making me shudder.Balancing myself further on the hardness I felt beneath me, I began unbuttoning his shirt. In no time, I was staring at his bare chest under the glow of the moonlight.He was beautiful!His voice pulled me out of that brief moment, and the next minute, I was beneath him, staring into those gorgeous eyes. He was breathless, his tone laced with an authority I didn't know he had. “Undress!" One word! Just one word, and I was pulling everything off my skin with a fervent urgency. I stood before him, bared
We walked in easy silence for a while, the forest dappled in golden sunlight. The air smelled like moss and promise. There was no destination—not yet—only the shared sense that we were walking forward now. Together.“Your arm okay?” I asked after a bit, glancing at the bandage.“Yeah. Hurts less.”“Good.”He raised a brow at me. “Look at you, caring.”“Don’t get used to it.”“You say that, but you look back to check if I’m keeping up every three minutes.”I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t deny it.He bumped my shoulder lightly. “You’re cute when you’re pretending not to care.”“I’m always cute.”He snorted. “Alright, now that’s a stretch.”I gasped. “I forgave you one time and this is how you repay me?”“You forgave me?” He scowled dramatically. "Oh no, little wolf, I'm the one who forgave you. You literally begged. Forgotten already?” He wasn’t wrong. So I gave him a shove, and he stumbled, dramatically grabbing his side. “I didn't beg. And you forgave me ‘cause you missed me." “Ah…
The woods were quiet again, but my head wasn’t. I sat there in the shadows, frozen in the spot where Luca had walked away, his words still echoing like stones dropped into a still lake.“Maybe it's time I stopped!”He was right.I had pushed him, again and again, with my silence, with my coldness. It wasn't because I stopped needing him—I still needed him—but because I didn’t know how to carry the weight of what I’d seen, of what I felt, and still expect him to hold me up. I was ashamed of being so broken, of being afraid.However, the moment he left just now, when he turned away like he couldn’t take another step near me… a different kind of fear gripped me. Not the kind Alexa’s bloodshed left in my dreams. This one felt more real, it felt like it was connected directly to my heart ‘cause why was it aching so much?The fear of losing him.My legs moved before I told them to. I rose to my feet, stumbled forward into the trees, breath catching in my throat as I followed the echo of his
It was my mother. It was really her!Her smile was gentle. “You’ve grown,” she said, voice like honey and rain.I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know if I should cry or fall to my knees.She stepped closer, lifting her hand to my cheek. Her touch was warm—too warm for a dream. I almost began to believe it was real.“I miss you,” I whispered.She nodded. “I know.”I let out a shuddering breath, gripping her wrist. “They’re all dead. Mama, she killed them. Alexa…she…”“I know,” she said again, soft and certain. “I saw.”I blinked back tears. “Then why didn’t you stop it? Why didn’t anyone stop it?”“Because it’s your path, Mira.”Her words sliced through me. I froze. I already knew that, but hearing them from her was unnerving.“No one else can walk it. No one else can stop her.”I shook my head, backing away. “I’m not strong enough. I… every time I try, something worse happens. People die. I lose more of myself. I can’t even control what’s inside me. I’m nothing, Mama.”She
My heart did a risky flip in my chest, twisting and taking away my ability to breathe.The way he looked at me, the way his eyes darkened with the pain, what was I doing?My voice sounded like it wasn't mine. “I didn’t ask for anything, Luca.”“Wow!" He breathed. A scoff escaped his lips. “You didn’t have to ask,” he shot back. “I was there because I care. Because I…”“Because you feel responsible,” I interrupted. “Because you think if you just stay close enough, you can fix this. Fix me.”“That’s not what this is about!”“Then what is it about?” I snapped, finally turning to face him. “Because I’m tired, Luca. I’m tired of pretending like I’m not falling apart. Like I’m not losing pieces of myself every time something goes wrong. And maybe I just need space to breathe.”He ran his hand through his hair, so roughly, I thought he'd pull out the entire thing. “I dont fucking understand you, Mira. Why? Why are you doing this? It's almost like you blame me for everything. It's not my faul