Bonfire

Bonfire
Astrid POV
I didn’t move.
Didn’t step forward with Damon, or Riven, or the few students and lecturers who had rushed to the edge to look down.
I couldn’t.
My feet felt… rooted.
Like the ground had decided I wasn’t allowed to leave that exact spot.
My chest rose too fast, breath uneven, fingers slightly trembling at my sides as my eyes stayed locked on the slope below.
Why did he fall?
The question kept circling in my head, louder with every passing second.
Did Killian push him?
No.
My brows pulled together immediately.
No. Killian wouldn’t do that.
He was reckless sometimes. Hot-tempered. Annoyingly stubborn.
But not that.
Never that.
Still… the image wouldn’t leave my head.
Silas slipping.
Falling.
Killian lunging.
The way everything happened so fast—
I swallowed, my throat dry as the seconds stretched into something that felt much longer than they actually were.
Voices blurred around me.
Lecturers shouting instructions.
Students whispering, panicking.
Someone gasped.
Someone cursed.
But all I could hear—
Was my heartbeat.
Loud.
Heavy.
Relentless.
Then—
Movement.
My eyes snapped back to the slope just in time to see them.
Killian.
Silas.
Climbing up.
Alive.
A breath I didn’t even realize I was holding escaped me all at once.
Soft.
Shaky.
Relief flooding through my chest so suddenly it almost made me weak.
They reached the top, and immediately, the students around them parted, creating space.
Killian carefully helped Silas up, steadying him before letting him stand on his own.
Silas winced slightly, favoring one leg, but he was upright.
Talking.
Breathing.
Alive.
“I’m fine, I swear,” Silas said quickly, waving off the concern as one of the lecturers moved toward him. “It doesn’t even hurt that much.”
I let out a quiet breath.
Thank the moon goddess.
I had been bracing myself for worse.
Broken bones.
Something twisted.
Something… irreversible.
But this?
This I could handle.
“What the fuck happened?” another lecturer snapped sharply, voice cutting through the air. “Were you not told to be careful?”
Jason had already moved, pushing through the small crowd to get to Killian, checking him over like he expected to find something wrong.
But me?
I still didn’t move.
My eyes stayed on Killian.
He was crouched slightly, his attention fully on Silas, scanning him like he needed to be absolutely sure.
“You sure you’re okay?” Killian asked, voice lower now. “You can feel everything? Nothing broken?”
Silas groaned lightly, clearly annoyed.
“I said I’m fine,” he replied. “It’s just a scratch.”
One of the lecturers knelt beside him, already pulling out a small medical kit, gently inspecting the bruises and the slight bleeding.
Killian straightened slowly after that, dragging a hand through his hair, exhaling like he’d been holding tension in his chest for too long.
And then—
He looked up.
Toward me.
Our eyes met.
And something… shifted.
I saw it.
Clear as day.
The way his expression changed.
The way his throat moved as he swallowed.
Guilt.
Fear.
Something heavy sitting behind his eyes.
He started walking toward me.
Slowly.
Like he wasn’t sure if he should.
He stopped a few feet away, gaze dropping to the ground, shoulders slightly tense.
“I swear…” he said immediately, voice low, almost rushed. “I didn’t push him.”
My chest softened instantly.
I stepped closer to him without hesitation.
He noticed.
I saw it in the way his head lifted slightly, eyes finding mine again.
I reached up, cupping his face gently with one hand.
“I know,” I said softly.
His expression flickered.
“He got scared,” I continued, my thumb brushing lightly against his cheek. “He flinched back.”
Killian’s gaze dropped again, like he couldn’t quite hold mine.
“Hey…”
I stepped closer, bringing my other hand up so I was holding his face fully now.
“Look at me.”
My voice was quieter this time.
Gentler.
He hesitated for a second.
Then slowly lifted his eyes to mine.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “You saved him.”
I watched the tension in his jaw ease, just slightly.
“No one is hurt that bad,” I added softly. “You did good.”
He nodded faintly.
Just once.
And that was enough.
I didn’t say anything else.
I just pulled him into a hug.
His body was still a little tense at first.
Then slowly—
He relaxed into it.
Arms wrapping around me, holding on just a little tighter than usual.
Like he needed it.
Like he needed to feel something steady.
Something real.
I rested my cheek lightly against him, closing my eyes for a brief second.
Letting the moment settle.
Letting him breathe.
Letting him be okay.
After a few seconds, we pulled apart.
And just as we did—
We both turned slightly at the same time.
Silas was standing.
Actually standing.
Testing his weight carefully on his leg while the lecturer finished patching him up.
“I’m good,” he said again, this time with a small laugh. “See? Still alive.”
A few students chuckled nervously.
The tension in the air easing just a little.
One of the lecturers turned to Killian.
“And you?” they asked. “Any injuries?”
Killian blinked.
For a second—just a second—he looked like he didn’t know what to say.
Like his mind had gone completely blank.
I noticed.
Of course I did.
So I stepped in before it stretched into something suspicious.
“He’s fine,” I said calmly. “Just a few scratches. Nothing serious.”
Killian glanced at me briefly.
Then nodded.
“Yeah,” he added.
“Need for me to check?”
 “I’m good.” Killian replied.
The lecturer studied him for a moment.
Then gave a short nod.
“Alright. Stay alert next time.”
With that, the tension finally broke.
Students began moving again.
Reforming the line.
Voices picking up.
Energy slowly returning.
Damon stepped in beside Silas, clapping him lightly on the shoulder.
“Front,” he said simply. “You’re not staying at the back again.”
Silas laughed.
“Fair enough.”
He adjusted his posture slightly before starting forward.
And as he passed Killian—
He slowed just a little.
Leaned slightly closer.
“…Thanks,” he muttered quietly.
Then kept walking.
Killian didn’t say anything.
Just gave a small nod.
Barely noticeable.
I caught it anyway.
And I couldn’t help the soft chuckle that slipped out of me.
I nudged Killian lightly.
“You see?” I said, a small smile playing on my lips. “He’s not that bad.”
Killian clicked his tongue immediately.
“Don’t start.”
I smiled a little wider.
And just like that—
We fell back into line.
Walking again.
Like nothing had happened.
Even though… something definitely had.

Long minutes later,

Jason POV
The trail felt different on the way back.
Same path.
Same trees.
Same uneven ground crunching beneath our boots.
But the air?
Heavier.
Quieter.
Like something had shifted, even if no one was saying it out loud.
I walked beside Damon, hands tucked loosely in my pockets, my gaze drifting ahead to where the rest of the group stretched out in a long line. The lecturers were still talking—something about staying close, watching your steps, respecting the terrain—but honestly?
I wasn’t listening.
My eyes flickered briefly toward the front.
Silas was up there now.
Exactly where Damon had told him to be.
Safer.
Away from the edge.
Away from… everything that just happened.
Behind me, I could hear Killian’s voice faintly—low, calm now—talking to Astrid.
Like nothing had almost gone wrong.
Like he hadn’t jumped off a damn slope without thinking.
I exhaled through my nose.
Typical.
“You thinking about it too?” Damon muttered beside me.
I didn’t look at him.
“Obviously.”
A small pause.
The sound of footsteps filled the silence between us for a moment.
Then Damon spoke again.
“What if he actually fell?” he asked.
That made me glance at him.
“What do you mean?”
Damon shrugged, eyes forward.
“I mean… what if Silas didn’t stop?” he said. “What if Killian didn’t catch him?”
My jaw tightened slightly.
I already knew where this was going.
“What if he died?”
I clicked my tongue softly, looking away again.
“Don’t start.”
“I’m serious,” Damon pressed. “You saw how bad that could’ve gone.”
Yeah.
I did.
We both did.
Hell, everyone did.
I let out a quiet breath, running a hand through my hair.
“…It would’ve been bad,” I admitted.
Damon nodded once.
“Bad how?”
I gave him a look.
“You already know.”
He shrugged again, but there was something more serious in his eyes now.
“I want to hear you say it.”
Of course he did.
I shook my head slightly, but I answered anyway.
“We all know an alpha isn’t supposed to kill an innocent,” I said, my voice low. “Doesn’t matter if it’s an accident or not.”
Damon stayed quiet.
Listening.
“It stains you,” I continued. “Your rank, your name… everything.”
A beat.
“Your soul too,” I added quietly.
Damon exhaled slowly.
“Yeah.”
“Once you shift, and other werewolves sees the change in your eyes, they would know immediately, no need to be told.” I added
“…that you killed someone.” Damon continued.
“What if he is mistaken for a delta by some werewolf who doesn’t know him already as an alpha huh?” Damon asked.
“You know Delta normally have that icy blue eye color that shows their rank, and deltas, they are guardians or soldiers. Mid-High….specialized in combat, tracking, and patrolling.”
“I believe such type of alpha’s can be recognized and if not, oh well.” I shrugged.  
We walked in silence for a few steps.
Then he spoke again.
“So it would’ve affected him?”
I gave a small shrug.
“You’ve got your answer.”
Because yeah.
It would have.
Killian wouldn’t have just walked away from something like that.
Even if it wasn’t intentional.
Even if it wasn’t fully his fault.
It still would’ve followed him.
Marked him.
Changed things.
And I knew my brother.
He would’ve carried that shit like a weight he didn’t deserve—but wouldn’t know how to put down.
Damon nodded slowly.
“Damn.”
“Exactly.”
Another stretch of silence passed between us.
This one… quieter.
Less tense.
Like we both said what needed to be said.
Ahead of us, the sky had started to shift.
The soft gold of evening bleeding into deeper shades.
Orange.
Purple.
Hints of blue creeping in.
Night was coming.
Fast.
“Oh well, we know what's coming?” Damon asked me
Then—
“Oh my God, will you two shut up?”
Hera’s voice snapped sharply from ahead of us.
I blinked.
Damon blinked.
We both looked at her.
She had turned halfway around while walking, her expression already irritated.
“You’re killing the vibe,” she added, rolling her eyes. “It’s camping. Not a funeral discussion.”
I snorted softly.
Damon huffed out a quiet laugh.
“Relax,” he muttered. “We’re just talking.”
“Talk about something normal,” Hera shot back immediately. “Like the fact that we’re about to have a bonfire.”
That caught the attention of a few students around us.
“Wait—bonfire?” someone behind us said.
“Oh hell yeah,” another voice chimed in.
Hera turned fully now, walking backwards with a grin spreading across her face.
“Yes,” she said dramatically. “Bonfire tonight.”
A ripple of excitement moved through the line almost instantly.
Murmurs.
Whispers.
Low cheers.
Even I couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged at my lips.
The lecturers had mentioned it earlier, yeah—but hearing it again now?
After everything?
It hit different.
“Finally,” Damon muttered. “Something fun.”
“Exactly,” Hera said, pointing at him like he finally made sense. “So stop talking about death and start thinking about vibes.”
I scoffed lightly.
“‘Vibes,’ she says.”
She shot me a look.
“Don’t act like you’re not going to enjoy it.”
I didn’t answer.
Didn’t need to.
Because yeah.
After today?
After everything that almost went wrong?
A bonfire didn’t sound bad at all.
Ahead of us, the campsite was starting to come back into view through the trees.
Lights faintly visible.
Voices carrying through the evening air.
The group picked up pace slightly.
Energy shifting.
Lighter now.
Easier.
And as I walked, hands still in my pockets, gaze drifting forward—
I glanced once more toward Killian.
He was walking beside Astrid.
Quiet.
Calm.
Like nothing had happened.
But I knew better.
I always did.
Still…
For now?
I let it go.
Because the night was coming.
And for once—
We might actually get to enjoy it.