Lian's breath hitched sharply, the words sinking into him like cold steel. For a long moment, he just stood there — silent, trembling, his hands still half-reached toward her but refusing to close the distance.
"Don't say that," he whispered, the sound raw, fraying at the edges. His voice, usually steady, broke mid-sentence. "Don't turn it like I don't care. You know I—"
His throat closed up. He pressed a hand over his chest, as if he could physically hold together what she'd just torn open.
"You think I wanted this?" he rasped. "You think I wanted you to bear everything alone while I just—watched?"
He took a shaky step closer. His wolf aura flickered violently, unstable — his emotions leaking through the thin control he still had left. The mark on his neck burned crimson, resonating with hers.
"I would have traded my life a thousand times for yours," he said, the confession escaping before he could stop it. "But you never even gave me that chance."
