Something inside my chest cracks, a sharp, painful break. A dam I didn't even know was there, holding back a tide of emotion, bursts. For one brief moment... I forget I'm standing in Kei's body. I forget the gathering. Forget the incoming battle with Kei father. Forget everything. All I can see is this boy, this brave, stupid, wonderful boy, who sees the world not as it is, but as it should be.A smile spreads across my face before I even realize it, a real, genuine smile that feels foreign on my face. Then... I laugh. A genuine laugh, loud and clear, the first one in what feels like forever. It's a raw, slightly unhinged sound, but it's mine.Before anyone can react— I step forward and pull Elias into a hug. The poor boy freezes, his entire body going rigid, a statue carved from shock and confusion. "...Alpha?" his voice squeaks, a high, strained sound.I squeeze him once, a quick, hard hug, before stepping back, my hands on his shoulders. "You." I smile, a real, genuine smile that f
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