Chapter 225 Chapter 225
Chapter 225 Chapter 225
The pack house was quiet that evening. The celebration had ended, and most of the pack members had gone back to their duties. A soft breeze moved through the open windows of Damien’s study, carrying the smell of pine trees from the forest. Damien sat behind his desk, looking at some scrolls, when the door opened gently.
Kael walked in, his face calm but his eyes carrying something different—something Damien noticed right away.
“Brother,” Damien said with a smile. “You look like a man with a secret.”
Kael chuckled, scratching the back of his neck as he closed the door. “Maybe I am. Or maybe I just needed to talk to you.”
Damien leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. “Talk to me then. We’ve been through battles together. Whatever it is, you can trust me.”
Kael hesitated, pacing the room slowly. His steps were heavy, as if the words he wanted to say were too big for his chest. Finally, he stopped and looked Damien in the eyes.
“Damien,” he said seriously. “I think… I think I am beginning to love Mira.”
Damien’s eyes widened for a moment. Then he burst into laughter, loud and warm. He stood and walked over, clapping Kael’s shoulder. “Waoooooo! Kael, my brother, my friend—finally! Congratulations!”
Kael rubbed his forehead and gave a half-smile. “Don’t laugh at me. I’m serious. This feeling is new, and it’s strong. Every time I see her, my chest feels strange. When she smiles, I feel at peace. When she is sad, I feel restless. I don’t know how it happened, Damien, but it’s there.”
Damien’s laughter softened into a smile. He could see Kael’s sincerity. “Kael, this is good news. Mira is not just loyal, she is pure-hearted. She has been Elara’s shadow, always protecting her. If your heart beats for her, then you are blessed.”
Kael sighed. “But how do I tell her? She respects me, yes, but I don’t know if she feels the same way. I don’t want to scare her away. What if she rejects me?”
Damien smiled wider and shook his head. “You are Kael, my brother, the bravest man I know. You have faced battles, you have stared death in the face without fear. And now you are shaking because of a woman?” He laughed again and shook Kael’s shoulder. “Approach her with honesty. Tell her how you feel. If Mira truly knows your heart, she will not reject you.”
Kael’s face softened, almost relieved, but he still looked unsure. “You make it sound so easy.”
Damien walked back to his desk and picked up a cup of wine, handing one to Kael. “Love is not about easy, my friend. It is about truth. When you love someone, you give them your truth, no matter what. Mira deserves to know.”
Kael nodded slowly, taking in his words. He lifted the cup. “To truth then.”
Damien lifted his cup too. “To truth—and to your future with Mira.”
Both men drank, their laughter filling the room. They spoke for a long while, Kael asking small questions like, “What if she avoids me?” and Damien answering with patience and joy, encouraging him like a true brother.
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But while they spoke, a shadow lingered by the door.
Aria had been walking down the corridor when she heard Kael’s voice inside Damien’s study. Something in her heart pulled her closer. She leaned against the wall, listening carefully, and the words struck her heart like sharp knives.
“I think I am beginning to love Mira.”
Aria’s chest tightened painfully. Her lips parted in shock. She pressed her hand against the wall, her breathing fast and shallow. She could not believe what she was hearing.
Every laugh between Damien and Kael felt like fire burning her ears. Every time they mentioned Mira’s name with warmth, it felt like poison running through her veins.
Her eyes filled with tears, and before she could stop herself, she ran.
Her footsteps echoed down the corridor, but neither Damien nor Kael noticed. They were too busy talking, too lost in their brotherly joy.
\---
Aria ran until she reached her room. She slammed the door shut and leaned against it, gasping for air. Her tears fell freely now. She clutched her chest, shaking her head.
“No… no… it can’t be,” she whispered to herself. “Kael… Kael was supposed to be mine. He was supposed to look at me, not her!”
She fell to her knees, her hands pulling at her hair. Anger and pain mixed inside her, twisting her heart until it was almost unbearable.
“Mira,” she spat the name like venom. “She takes everything. Everything! First Elara, now Kael. She smiles, she acts innocent, but she steals what belongs to me.”
Her tears slowed, and a dark light filled her eyes. She stood up slowly, her body trembling with rage.
“I swear,” she whispered to the empty room. “I will not let Mira take him from me. If she thinks she can stand in my way, she is wrong. She will regret ever crossing my path.”
She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms until they bled. But the pain only fueled her anger.
Aria looked at her reflection in the mirror, her tear-streaked face twisted with hatred. “If I cannot have Kael… then no one will. And if Mira dares to accept him, she will pay with her life.”
\---
Meanwhile, back in the study, Kael finally smiled for real. “Thank you, Damien. Talking to you has given me courage. I think… I think I will speak to Mira soon.”
Damien nodded with a grin. “Good. And don’t waste too much time. Women don’t always wait forever. Show her your heart, Kael, before someone else does.”
Kael chuckled, his spirit lighter than before. “I will. I just hope the Moon Goddess gives me the right words when the time comes.”
Damien raised his cup again. “The Moon Goddess already smiles on you. Trust me, Kael, this love is meant to be.”
And with those words, the two men sat together, their laughter echoing again—unaware of the storm Aria had just sworn to bring upon Mira’s head.