Chapter 181: I am so screwed.

The sun had begun its slow descent, casting golden hues over the water, stretching long shadows across the sand. The chaos of the day had finally started to settle, though small remnants of their ridiculousness still lingered—Liam sulking over his repeated surfing failures, Zayn and Tessa pretending they hadn’t just spent an hour dunking each other in the ocean, James still arguing with Orion over the best way to make a cocktail.

And Seraphina?

Seraphina was watching Damon.

He was standing near the water’s edge, his hands tucked into the pockets of his swim trunks, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

And for once—he looked lost in thought.

Not the usual, calculating way that came with planning missions or anticipating threats.

But in the way that suggested he was really, truly thinking about something that mattered.

She let him have his moment.

And when he finally exhaled, when he finally turned, he found her watching him.

Damon smirked, stepping closer. "You’re staring again, Hale."

Seraphina raised a brow. "Says the man who’s been brooding at the ocean for the last ten minutes."

Damon huffed a laugh, shaking his head.

She waited.

Because Damon Hale was many things.

But a man who stalled when he had something to say?

That wasn’t one of them.

Finally, he murmured, "I’ve been thinking about something."

Seraphina tilted her head, watching him carefully. "About what?"

Damon exhaled, his fingers brushing over hers as he took her hand.

"About what’s next," he said simply.

Seraphina didn’t move, didn’t react immediately.

Because she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Apex?" she asked.

Damon nodded. "And us."

Seraphina took a slow breath, letting the ocean breeze wrap around them, the sound of the waves a steady presence between them.

Then, quietly—"You want to step away."

Damon didn’t deny it.

"Not from Apex completely," he clarified. "But from the fieldwork. From the operations. I want to lead, not fight."

Seraphina exhaled, her grip on his hand tightening just slightly.

"And you’re sure?"

Damon looked at her then, really looked at her.

And with zero hesitation, he nodded.

"I don’t want to spend the rest of my life waiting for the next bullet, Sera," he admitted. "And I don’t want to keep coming home knowing that one day, I might not come back at all."

Seraphina swallowed.

Because she understood.

She had spent so much of her life being ready for the next fight, the next war, the next battle she might not survive.

And now?

Now she wasn’t fighting just for herself anymore.

Now, there was more.

Now, there was him.

And soon, there would be their child.

She had been prepared to do this on her own for so long.

But she didn’t have to.

Not anymore.

Seraphina let out a breath.

Then, simply—"Okay."

Damon’s lips quirked slightly. "Okay?"

Seraphina smirked. "Yeah. Okay."

Damon studied her. "That easy?"

Seraphina shrugged. "Did you expect me to argue?"

Damon huffed a laugh. "I always expect you to argue."

Seraphina rolled her eyes. "Consider this a rare exception."

Damon smirked.

Then, softer—"Always in all ways?"

Her chest tightened.

She exhaled, nodding.

"Always in all ways," she murmured.

Damon kissed her then. Slow. Certain. Final.

Because the decision had been made.

And for once, neither of them doubted it.

Zayn Rivera was not a man prone to hesitation.

Yet, as he sat a few feet away from the others, his fingers curled around the small black box in his pocket, he found himself… stalling.

Because it was one thing to buy the damn ring.

It was another to actually think about using it.

Tessa was sitting not far from him, her legs stretched out in the sand, eyes closed, her head tilted back as she enjoyed the last warmth of the sun.

Completely unaware that Zayn was currently in the middle of a crisis.

He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to look away.

Because now, after hearing Damon talk about stepping away, after seeing how he and Seraphina were choosing something more, Zayn couldn’t help but wonder—

Could he do the same?

And the thing that scared him the most?

The thing that he hadn’t let himself fully admit until right now?

He wanted to.

But even worse?

Even more terrifying?

He wanted it with her.

Zayn ran a hand through his hair, muttering to himself. "I am so screwed."

Liam, who had appeared out of nowhere, smirked as he flopped down beside him.

"What’s got you looking like you just realized you actually have feelings?" Liam mused.

Zayn shot him a dark glare. "Go away, Carter."

Liam grinned. "You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were thinking about a certain fiery redhead who constantly makes your life miserable."

Zayn groaned. "I hate you."

Liam just laughed. "No, you don’t."

Zayn exhaled sharply, staring out at the water.

Because Liam was right.

He was thinking about her.

And at some point—he was going to have to do something about it.

But for tonight?

For tonight, he let himself stay in the middle—just a man on a beach, holding onto a secret that felt a little too big to say out loud.

For now.