Chapter 30 – Ash and Sunlight
(Maise's POV)
The fire had burned low by the time I stirred. A faint orange pulse glowed beneath the ashes, stubbornly clinging to warmth. The scent of smoke and steel filled the air — and something else. Regret.
Luka sat where he always did when the world grew too quiet — a little apart, knees drawn up, blade resting against his shoulder. The early sun cut through the trees and brushed his hair in gold. He looked carved from shadow and resolve.
Nox's scent still lingered on my skin, deep and grounding. The matebond hummed steady in my chest, a pulse that matched his somewhere nearby. But another thread tugged at me — fainter, quieter. Luka.
I rose slowly, brushing the ash from my hands, and crossed the space between us. He didn't move, though I could feel the way his breath hitched when my shadow fell across him.
"You've been awake long," I said softly.
He gave a quiet grunt that might have been agreement. His eyes stayed on the fire, the faintest smile ghosting across his lips. "Couldn't sleep."
"Because of me?"
That made him look up. The rawness in his gaze caught me — not anger, not envy, but something deeper. A quiet storm he hadn't learned how to hide yet.
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair, gaze sliding back to the coals. "You and Nox — it's different now. I can feel it. We all can."
The honesty stung, not because it was harsh, but because it was true. The bond had changed something. It was visible in the way the air felt thicker when Nox was near, in how my instincts responded without thought. But it didn't erase what I felt for the others — not Luka, not the fragile thread that still tied us together.
I crouched beside him, letting the warmth of the fire brush over my knees. "You think I've changed?"
His jaw worked, then stilled. "No. You're still the same. Maybe that's the problem."
I tilted my head. "Problem?"
He finally met my eyes — steady, unflinching. "You burn too bright. And we all keep getting too close."
The words hit with a kind of quiet ache. For a moment, neither of us spoke. The wind rustled through the branches above, scattering ash into light.
I reached out, fingers brushing the back of his hand — a brief touch, enough to still his breath. "Maybe it's not a problem," I said softly. "Maybe it's just who we are."
His eyes darkened, the storm behind them shifting, but he didn't pull away. "You're dangerous when you say things like that."
I smiled faintly. "Only if you believe me."
He laughed then — low and rough, the sound breaking the tension that had coiled too tight. "You're impossible."
"Maybe," I said, rising to my feet. "But I need you, Luka. Not just your strength — your steadiness. The pride does too."
He looked up at me, sunlight striking across his face, catching the faint mark at his throat where fur and skin blended. "Then I'll stay."
There was no promise beyond that. No claim, no words left unsaid. Just understanding — quiet and strong, like the man himself.
As I turned toward the trees, Nox's presence stirred in the distance, sharp and certain. But it was Luka's silence that followed me — the kind that didn't fade, even when I was gone.