The party went on as if nothing was happening, but inside me, everything was changing.
I saw her. There she was. Sofía.
And she wasn't alone.
Aidan was by her side, so close it hurt. There was an energy between them, something more than words, more than friendship. A connection I recognized immediately because I had felt it once too. And now… it seemed like it was no longer mine.
How did this happen? When will I stop being the center of her world?
My body tensed. The bond between us stirred, like a rope desperately pulling not to break.
And then, the night exploded.
A roar ripped through the air, shaking the windows, and chaos broke loose.
I transformed without thinking, instincts in control. Everything was blood, claws, howls, and fury. But in the middle of the fight, my mind only screamed one name: Sofía.
I fought relentlessly. I pushed through the renegades, and when I finally saw her, my heart stopped.
She was with him. Again.
Closer. More intimate. More connected.
And the bond… that sacred tie that united us… vibrated strangely. It wasn't broken, but it was no longer the same.
I ran closer, shifting back to my human form just to shout her name:
—Sofía!
She turned, surprised, lips parted and eyes shining with emotions I couldn't decipher. Aidan stepped in immediately, roaring, muscles tense, and his golden eyes full of threat.
—Don't come near her! —he growled.
My rage boiled, but it wasn't jealousy. It was loss. The possibility that I had lost her because of me.
I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. Everything I felt turned into frantic thoughts:
What are you doing with him, Sofía? How can you look at him like that?
She faced me, chin raised, and her voice was a direct stab:
—You were the one who rejected me, Gabriel. You broke me. What right do you have to claim anything?
And then I knew: she was right.
It was me. I pushed her away. I wasn't there when she needed me most.
I just wanted to protect you… I thought, unable to say it out loud.
But what she said next broke me a little more:
—The bond… it's still there, but it feels different. Weaker. Stranger.
My chest tightened. The wolf inside me writhed. It was true. The tie trembled, like it was fraying from within.
And yet, I still desired her. I still loved her.
Sofía lowered her gaze for a moment. It seemed like she wanted to say more. Her lips trembled slightly, as if holding words that could change everything.
But she didn't speak.
A roar in the distance, too close, made her spin abruptly. Her body tensed, and Aidan stood in front of her again.
The enemies were closing in.
The chance to talk vanished amidst growls, shadows, and the metallic smell of battle.
And while Aidan transformed again, ready to protect her, I stayed there, with Sofía's words burning in my chest.