Chapter 85: Unraveling Truths

The silence around the fire was suffocating.

Twilight cloaked the forest in a dusky haze, casting long shadows over the trio seated in the clearing. The flames flickered and cracked between them, sending sparks into the air like fireflies trying to escape the weight of the conversation no one wanted to start.

Serena sat between Elias and Theron, her back rigid, hands clasped so tightly in her lap her knuckles had gone white. The tension was almost tangible, a thick rope binding them all, straining and fraying.

Theron stood, arms crossed, pacing the edge of the clearing like a predator with too much energy and nowhere to place it. Elias sat forward, elbows on his knees, his expression calm but stormy beneath the surface.

It was Theron who finally snapped.

“I need to understand one thing,” he said, voice sharp but low. “Was it always him, Serena? Even when I came back? Even after everything we’ve been through? Was it always Elias?”

Serena flinched, guilt flickering in her eyes like the firelight. “No. It wasn’t always him.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Theron muttered. “You looked at him like he was your entire world. Like I never existed.”

Her heart thudded in her chest. “That’s not fair.”

“Fair?” Theron laughed bitterly. “You think any of this is fair? You think I wanted to leave you? I was dying, Serena. Every day I was away, I felt the bond tearing at me. I came back the second I could stand without collapsing.”

“And you think that excuses everything?” she shot back. “You left. No note. No message. You left me behind to pick up the pieces.”

Elias rose slowly, tension evident in every movement. “This isn’t helping.”

“Don’t you dare tell me what helps,” Theron snarled. “You had a clear field while I was gone. You got to stand by her side, watch her sleep, hold her hand. You got to live the life I should have had.”

“And you think I didn’t suffer?” Elias snapped, his voice finally cracking with frustration. “I watched her grieve. I held her when she screamed in her sleep. I earned her trust, Theron. I didn’t walk in with an old bond and expect everything to fall back into place.”

Serena stood suddenly, pushing herself between them before it could escalate. “Enough.”

The word cut through the air like a whip, silencing both men instantly.

She turned slowly, her gaze sweeping between the two alphas who held her heart in opposing hands.

“You both think this is about choosing between two warriors. Two titles. But it’s not. This is about me,” she said, voice trembling with intensity. “This is about the woman I’ve become since Theron disappeared… the woman Elias helped me become.”

She looked at Theron, and her voice softened. “You were my first everything. The boy I dreamed with, the wolf who knew me before I knew myself. But the Theron I loved is not the same man who came back.”

Theron’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

Then she turned to Elias. “And you… You never made me feel like I had to earn love. You were just there. Without demand. Without expectations. But I can’t lie and say my heart is untouched by Theron’s return.”

Elias looked down, shoulders tense.

“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered, voice cracking. “I didn’t ask for two fated mates. I didn’t ask to fall for both of you. But it happened.”

The silence that followed was heavier than before.

Theron finally exhaled. “So what happens now?”

“We stop fighting,” she said. “We breathe. And I figure out who I am before I try to choose who I love.”

The fire popped. A distant owl hooted.

Theron nodded stiffly, then looked at Elias—not with hatred, but with something sadder. Acceptance, maybe. “I won’t give up. But I’ll wait.”

Then he turned, shifting before their eyes and vanishing into the trees as a shadowy wolf, disappearing without another word.

Serena stared after him, the echo of his presence clinging to her skin.

Elias moved closer, hesitating before reaching out. “Are you okay?”

“No,” she whispered. “But I’m not broken. Just… torn.”

He exhaled slowly, then gently reached for her hand. When she didn’t pull away, he entwined his fingers with hers. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She looked up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears. “I know.”

Elias’s hand rose to cup her cheek, and for a brief moment, Serena allowed herself to lean into the warmth of his palm. But she didn’t close the distance between them. Not yet.

Instead, she stepped back. “I need time. Both of you deserve more than a split decision.”

He nodded. “I’d rather wait for you to be sure than rush into something that might break us.”

A small smile touched her lips, sad and grateful. “Thank you.”

They sat by the fire in silence as the night deepened. Stars twinkled above them, and the forest seemed to hold its breath.

For now, there was no choice.

No battle.

Only stillness—and the weight of a love triangle that defied the laws of the moon.