Chapter 48

Zephyr and I sat side by side on the couch, the warm glow of the fireplace casting soft shadows across the room. The fire crackled gently, the only sound breaking the silence between us.

"You know, this place would be better if you had a TV," I said, finally speaking up.

Zephyr let out a small sigh. "Yeah, I know. But since no one really comes here often, no one ever bothered to install one."

I hummed in understanding, wrapping my hands around the warm cup of hot chocolate. "I guess I can’t blame you. Honestly, this place feels cozier without the noise of a TV."

Still, the silence between us felt ... awkward.

Now that I thought about it, this was probably the first time Zephyr and I were truly alone—well, aside from that one night.

Most of the time, we saw each other at the office or at home, where there were always other people around. I had never really noticed how rare it was for us to have a moment like this.

Not that I minded being around others, but it made me realize how little time we actually spent talking—just the two of us.

And, if I was being honest, I wanted to talk to him.

I wanted to know more about him. His favorite food, his favorite color, the kind of movies he liked.

But I couldn’t just blurt those things out randomly.

I needed to think of something—

—oh, I had the perfect idea.

"How about we play a game?" I suggested, glancing at him for his reaction. "Unless you’re already sleepy ... then forget it."

Zephyr turned to face me. "No, I’m in. What kind of game?"

"Truth or dare." I grinned. "It’s simple, right? No need for cards or a board, just us."

Zephyr chuckled, leaning back slightly. "Alright. I’ll go with the truth."

I thought for a moment before asking, "What’s your favorite food?"

Zephyr hummed in thought. "I’m not really picky ... I eat just about anything. But if I had to choose, I’d say shrimp salad."

I blinked. Shrimp salad?

I hadn’t expected that. A werewolf who liked shrimp salad? I always thought he’d prefer something meatier, but then again, the world had changed. People weren’t bound by stereotypes anymore.

"My turn. I choose the truth," I said.

Zephyr tilted his head slightly. "Which do you prefer, bags or shoes?"

I narrowed my eyes. Was he planning to buy me something? I quickly shook off the thought, refusing to overanalyze it.

"Bags."

We continued tossing simple questions back and forth—What’s your favorite color? What time do you usually go to bed?

Nothing too deep. Nothing too complicated.

Yet somehow, even these small things felt important. Like little pieces of a puzzle slowly coming together, revealing bits of each other we hadn’t noticed before.

Eventually, I accidentally asked something a little too personal. "What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told someone?"

Zephyr hesitated for a moment before answering, "Telling my mate that it was okay if she wanted to break our bond."

I froze.

When I had asked Zephyr to reject me, he hadn’t shown much of a reaction.

In fact, he had seemed indifferent, almost as if he didn’t care at all. I had convinced myself that cutting our ties had been easy for him, that he truly didn’t mind letting me go.

But if that was a lie ... then what had he really felt?

Had he been hurt?

"Then ... what did you actually feel?" I asked cautiously.

Zephyr smiled. "One question, one answer, Samantha."

I frowned, realizing he had no intention of answering.

"Fine. I choose dare."

I figured it would be more fun choosing dare than getting another question that would make me overthink things. But Zephyr’s lips immediately curled into a smirk.