Leaning into Bryan, Kira took slow, uneven breaths, trying to calm herself. She knew it wasn't their fault for making such a decision, but it didn't help with how she felt inside. She was sad, exhausted and emotionally drained.She knew they would do anything for her, yet those words, "We can't ask you to wait for us," lingered, and it pained her so much. It pained her that there was nothing much she could do but leave. Staying might destroy them even more than leaving. And Kira knew that.She let out a shaky breath as Bryan rubbed her back and whispered sweet, soft words to her, her weight pressing into him as she could no longer really hold herself up. "It's okay," Bryan murmured, his chin resting lightly on the top of her head while he continued rubbing her back in slow, comforting circles. "We are here. We got you."Hearing those words from him almost made her start crying again, but she held back and nodded against his chest, whispering, "I know, and I got you too."Bryan, also
Kira walked slightly ahead of her mates as they returned home together, her heart and mind full.Aiden was the first to take her hand, walking closer and slipping his hand under hers before curling his fingers around hers. His grip was gentle at first, and then he held her closer.As Kira felt his hold, she turned her head slightly, her brown eyes meeting his dark ones, and smiled softly at him before looking ahead again.Meanwhile, Bryan, watching them, walked closer. He decided to do the same as his brother and slid his fingers between Kira's, his hold warm. Kira smiled softly and turned to him, not surprised that he had followed Aiden, her eyes full of love.As they held her hands and walked back home, they didn't let go, and soon they reached the mansion. The house was quiet when they stepped inside, but they didn't stop. They walked up the stairs and entered their bedroom together, still holding hands.It was only when they reached the bed after shutting the door did they final
Kira smiled warmly and raised her hand to Aiden's cheek. She caressed his cheeks, her smile growing wider, before she leaned in and gave him a soft peck on the lips. "Let's go," she whispered, her gaze not leaving his. Aiden nodded and smiled back as he started pulling away to stand; his heart warmed from her gentle affection and soft peck. As Kira sat up and got ready to get out of bed, she glanced around, noticing that Bryan wasn't in the room. "Where's Bryan?" She asked Aiden, her brows furrowed slightly. "Did he go somewhere?" Aiden opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, the bathroom door opened and Bryan walked out. "I'm here," Bryan said in a casual, deep voice. "Missing me already?" Kira turned, a smile creeping up her face again. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I missed you so very much," she admitted as she got up and walked toward him before he could reach the bed. She stood close, Bryan looking at her with a playful smile and a raised eyebrow.
Kira's mouth dropped open. "You—!"But before she could even finish what she was about to say, Bryan, who was already close to her, leaned down and planted a quick peck on her cheek, making her eyes widen instantly.The audacity!Then, without giving her a chance to retaliate, he moved past her and took his seat at the dining table like nothing had happened.Laughing softly and shaking his head, Aiden stepped closer to Kira and stood beside her. "Bryan, I don't even know what to say to you," he muttered, while still laughing.Meanwhile, Elara and Orion looked at each other with amused expressions before turning their attention back to Kira."Well, at least he was honest about it." Orion said to Kira while chuckling, enjoying how his son teased her. "I'll get back at you, Bryan Tyrell," Kira threatened, narrowing her eyes at Bryan and crossing her arms. "Oh, I will!"Still laughing softly, Aiden leaned in and pressed a soft peck to the side of her head. "Don't mind him," he murmured a
Dinner was great as always—the laughing, the conversation, the playful banter, everything. It was no surprise that manners were forgotten at the dining table, hence the talking while eating, and now everyone was relaxed and chatting as they were all done eating."Dad, Aiden and Bryan are just… they just won't stop messing with me," Kira complained to Orion, gesturing to Aiden and Bryan, who were grinning at first but immediately kept their faces serious when she complained about them."What now?" Orion asked Kira after looking over at his twins. "What are they doing this time?""Nothing," Bryan answered before Kira could. "We are literally not doing anything to her except keeping her on her toes. She can't even stay still on those toes, you know. We are simply just having fun, father.""Exactly," Aiden said and nodded in agreement. "We are not doing anything to her.""Seriously?" Kira asked them, although she hid her smile and feigned annoyance, just so Orion could side with her."So
Aiden shook his head softly at his mother and sighed, "We were not pretending to be happy. We were genuinely happy." "Yeah," Bryan and Kira murmured, concurring with what Aiden had said. "That is what I don't understand," Elara said to them, the confused expression still etched on her face. "How can you be happy? This is very sad news. Extremely sad, and even I, myself, am still trying to wrap my head around the whole situation. So, how?" "Mum, I understand you completely," Kira said. "I also cried, then we cuddled and then at dinner everyone was together again. Even my emotions right now are inconsistent because I don't know if I should cry, be sad, be happy or think about it, as we have been given a specific time to be together and so cuddling with them, talking and laughing at dinner helped me realize that it was better to be happy and just forget about the sad stuff for the moment. Leaving you all is already sad for me; you have no idea. But staying… even if it is my last day
As instructed, they all remained seated and waited patiently for her. No one said anything, and surprisingly, the silence wasn't empty. It didn't have any tension; it was comfortable, but still had the feel of emotions that weren't spoken. Along with that, Kira sat still, maybe not too still as she kept tapping her feet on the ground and her fingers lightly on her knee while glancing around and often stealing glances at Bryan and Aiden, who would also look at her from time to time and wink, even though they were all seated on one couch.And then, footsteps.It was soft but firm, quick yet steady in approach.Elara walked back into the room holding books and pens. She moved quietly, her face not giving away anything as she walked toward them."Tear a sheet of paper and place it on your book when given to you," she said, giving all of them instructions as she stopped in front of Orion and gave him a book and a pen.Then, she turned and walked to where Bryan, Aiden, and Kira were seated
After about thirty minutes, Bryan, Aiden, and Kira began making their way down the stairs. They had changed into something more comfortable, as Elara had requested, and honestly, they felt they should have done that a long time ago, especially when they got back from Morane's home. But well, they changed now and as they descended the stairs, something caught their attention.Music.It was a gentle tune, not too loud, that came from the living room, carrying an almost nostalgic feel."Do you both hear that?" Bryan asked Aiden and Kira, his steps slowing a bit."Yeah…" Aiden answered wonderingly. "Who is playing that?""Well, I guess we will find out when we get into the living room, which we might have all figured out by now is where it's coming from," Kira, who was in the middle, said. "And, I think we have an idea of who it could be.""Right," Bryan and Aiden laughed softly. "I wonder what she's planning." Reaching the end of the stairs, they noticed the house was too quiet, except
It had been five days.Five long days since the curse had been broken, and five days since everything had gone back to normal, except for the fact that Bryan and Aiden were still unconscious."Don't worry, Luna Kira, they will wake up soon," the healer had told her kindly while gently patting her shoulder. "Their bodies are simply exhausted from everything it has been through, like you explained. You just have to be patient."And so, every day, Kira stayed by their side.She would clean them up with warm water and a soft towel, gently wiping away any sweat or dirt, and would also smoothen their hair and make sure they were comfortable.Elara, Orion, and Ryker visited too, sitting with her, bringing her food, and making sure she ate and also took care of herself. Sometimes they would also want to help her out, but she will disagree, and then after some time of convincing, she will agree to take a break."When will you both wake up?" She whispered, her voice small as she had just finish
Lucinda raised her hand to blast Kira again, but even as she ran, Kira reached out with her mind and blocked it, but Lucinda was relentless.Immediately Kira blocked it, she tried to hit Kira again with as much force, not letting a second pass by, but Kira was fast and dodged it, using one hand to slam it down as she kept running.Soon, they were close, which was exactly what she wanted."You don't understand!" Lucinda screamed, her eyes wide and angry. "My sister deserves justice, and you are getting in the way of it.""This isn't justice," Kira shouted back. "You are not doing yourself; you're not doing anyone good by holding on to this pain! You need to stop!""You need to die," Lucinda said with so much detest and swirled her arms around, sending another wave of dark energy towards Kira, but Kira moved fast and sent hers back, their powers clashing midair and causing both of them to stumble backwards."You are trying to break the curse," Lucinda said angrily, her voice sharp. "I w
Saying that, Kira stood up slowly and closed the book, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of Lucinda's magic, just in case she had already located them and done something."The witch? Lucinda?" Aiden asked."Yes," Kira answered, giving a quick nod."Why is she here?" He inquired, the confusion clear on his face. "You haven't even started doing anything.""I'm not sure," Kira responded. "But like I said earlier… ulterior motives. I believe she knows I will still go ahead and try my best to break the curse, despite her warnings and threats. So I guess she's here to stop that from ever happening… Like forever.""Okay. Okay," Aiden took it in, already getting ready to spring into action. "I will get the warriors ready…""No," Kira quickly interrupts. "No. It's best if we don't do that. Tell everyone to stand down and stay in their homes. I will try to talk to her again, even though it will end up with us fighting.""Sending our warriors there," she explained. "Will get them all kille
Blinking once, then again, Kira saw that the place where Lucinda had been standing all along was now empty.She turned around in the room, wondering if Lucinda was still in the building, eyes searching, but the whole place was quiet with no sign of her."Seriously?" Kira said, raising her brows while staring at the empty space in disbelief. "How rude.""That is very rude," she muttered again to herself as she left the building, the way Lucinda had just left her standing there, still shocking and definitely rude."It's my fault, right?" She said as she got into her car and started the engine. "It's my fault for coming.""Can you imagine?" She spoke to herself some more as she tapped the steering wheel with her fingers, already forming a plan in her head, although it was a plan that was unrelated to Lucinda disappearing just like that."But it's fine," she muttered one last time and drove back home.Parking the car and stepping out of it as she reached back home, Kira looked around the
Once again, the silence fell heavily on them after Lucinda was done talking, and Kira closed her eyes for a little moment, taking in a deep breath and letting it all out.Her chest rose and fell slowly as she absorbed everything, right from the pain she saw in Lucinda's eyes, the loss, her bloodline, and everything else. She didn't rush to speak. Instead, she let the silence stretch a few more seconds as she grounded herself and also wanted to find a way to reason with Lucinda.After the few seconds passed, she opened her eyes, her gaze locked onto Lucinda's, who was currently watching her with a blank expression. As for Kira, her eyes had no anger, just calm, and a deep, aching empathy.She couldn't lie, she understood why Lucinda was doing what she was doing, but for Bryan and Aiden to suffer for it also didn't seem fair to them."I am truly sorry that you both had to go through all this," she started, her voice warm and gentle. "I know my words aren't enough to heal you from that
Kira's face, which initially had the expression that she had guessed right, twisted to shock and from shock to visible confusion, her brows drawing together and her eyes darting over Lucinda's form as though she was trying to put the pieces together.There was a long stretch of silence between them, which Kira broke as she asked a question slowly and unsure. "I don't understand. Her twin sister?""Yes," Lucinda answered simply, watching Kira's confused state.Kira gave a short, humorless smile, not one out of amusement, but the one that was more like one of those reactions when something becomes too complicated to make sense."Even though you are her twin sister," she said. "I still do not understand how you are here. What exactly is going on? And why are you here?""I know that you know the answer to that question, and what you are thinking is right," Lucinda confirmed. "This is my revenge for my sister."For a good three minutes, Kira didn't say anything and just stared. Then she
At the first light of dawn, Kira's eyes opened, and she got up from her bed.The night before, after leaving the living room, she had headed upstairs, but then remembered she had to go get her weapons, and so, she made a quiet detour and went out to go see her horse."Hey," she whispered as she brushed her hand along his mane, smiling gently while looking at him.Kai responded with a low grunt and nudged her shoulder, happy to see his rider.Tied to his saddle, was a dark leather roll—her weapons pack.A warhorse like Kai didn't just carry a rider; he was also trained to carry a small arsenal for her, and Kira was genuinely grateful that no one had touched her stuff, as she rubbed Kai's mane for a little longer before taking what she needed.The leather roll was fastened to the side of his saddle, just behind the stirrup. It contained her bag of knives, her quiver of arrows, and her sword.Kira unhooked them carefully, one by one, checking each with her hands in the dim, stable light.
Kira folded the small paper and slipped it into her trouser pocket before she took one last glance around the marketplace, which was now busy again.Everything and Everyone had returned to normal, and with nothing much to do there, she walked, leaving the place.The boutique door swung open, the chime sounding above as she stepped inside, her eyes looking for Elara, who she finally saw near a display of long coats, holding up a deep burgundy one and checking herself in the mirror."There you are!" Elara called when she turned at the sound of the door and saw that it was Kira. "I almost went looking for you," she said, half laughing and half worried.Kira smiled and walked toward her, leaning in as she gently pecked Elara's cheek, a soft, affectionate gesture."I'm sorry, Mum," she said sweetly, brushing Elara's arm. "I'll explain everything later. Promise.""That's alright," Elara nodded, although she was clearly curious. "As long as you're okay.""I am," Kira assured her. "Now let's
The first boutique Elara and Kira had gone to was a cozy one in a quiet spot tucked between two larger stores. It was the kind that smelled of fresh clothes, freshly printed tags and soft perfumes. It wasn't too big, but it was a lovely place to shop in.Elara was currently admiring a dress she had found, twirling in front of a mirror, while Kira, who had gotten most of what she wanted from the boutique, carefully folded the items into their shopping bags.As they rounded up, they made their way to the door, their hands full of what they had bought. Taking a deep breath, Kira let the outside air clear her head—the gentle breeze needed.She was about to close the boutique door behind her when something, or rather someone, caught her eye.She noticed that it didn't sit right with her and that someone was watching them, but she didn't let it show and pretended to know.She remained calm, not bothered, and was simply observant of the person watching them as she dropped the bags into the