AIYANAMy heart was pounding against my ribs. The distance between us was now almost nonexistent. The cold didn’t matter anymore. The world seemed suspended, as if the forest was holding its breath, waiting for what would come next.“I don’t…”“What? You don’t what?”Icarus took another step toward me. I blinked, and instinctively took a step back.Another step from him. Another retreat from me.There was something in his eyes… something more than desire. It was shadow, wildness. A dark and hungry gleam.“I don’t know.”
AIYANAThe cold bit like an invisible beast, gnawing at my cheeks, burning the tip of my nose. My fingers were so numb I could barely feel the straps of my backpack, but I kept walking. One step after another. One breath, then another. And again.Up ahead, Maxim and Icarus walked side by side. Snow clung to Icarus’s hair, but he didn’t seem to notice. Neither of them, really, seemed bothered by the cold. Alphas had tougher bodies than the rest of us—like winning lottery tickets. It was unfair, and I wanted to resent them a little for it, while I shivered under three layers of clothing. But I held firm for the mission we needed answers.Icarus’s old village.There, maybe, we’d find some clue about the f
AIYANAI narrowed my eyes at Maxim, stepping even closer to him."No. You're going to tell me now," I insisted, taking another step. "I have the right to know what's happening to me. You can't just drop something like that and pretend you didn’t say it."He looked at me then. Really looked. And for a moment, he seemed tired. Not physically. But the kind of exhaustion that comes from holding everything in for too long."When the bond is activated, even if it's only one-sided... it starts to change us. The magic awakens. The senses get sharper. And so does the pain." His voice dropped. "Being apart starts to hurt. Physically. And over time... it can affect the mind. Cause confusion, impulsiveness, even... instability."
AIYANAI grabbed a protein bar from my backpack, one of those tasteless ones Alyssa said felt like cardboard with a hint of chocolate, and walked over to Max. He was standing still, like a rough marble statue, right at the cave entrance, keeping watch."You’re going to turn to stone, you know that?" I said, tossing the bar toward his chest. He caught it midair but didn’t look at me."I’m not hungry."I rolled my eyes."Oh, please. Refusing food now? I’ll start calling you a spoiled brat."He finally turned around, those sharp green eyes like blades. He sighed, almost like my presence was a burden.
AIYANAWarm hands slid beneath my shirt, heating my skin. I let out a sigh of relief and shifted against the warm wall at my back, trying to press myself closer to Icarus’s body. His warmth was comforting in the midst of the biting cold. But then, a groan made me freeze. The cold wind pouring in through the cave entrance still wrapped around me, and I couldn’t get warm enough.The scent of damp earth and the snow piling up outside filled my lungs, but it was the deep, irritated voice that made me open my eyes.“I said no,” Maxim said.“Please, Max…”I blinked, trying to make sense of what was happening. My vision was still blurry, and for a moment