Chapter 21 Twenty one
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Mira POV
The forest was quiet in a way that made my skin tighten. No birds. No wind. No life. It was the type of silence that warned of change, the kind that always came before a shift in power. Jason walked beside me, his arm brushing mine every few steps, his presence grounding and distracting all at once.
We had left the ruins hours ago. The Queen’s magic, the ritual threat, the confrontation, all of it hung in my mind like smoke. Jason had not spoken about the kiss, but I felt it in the way he stayed close, in the way his eyes lingered on me when he thought I was not looking.
The rebels had been instructed to move to higher ground, to prepare for the next strike. Riven had demanded answers I did not give. I needed space. I needed to think. And for reasons I did not want to explore, I needed Jason with me.
We walked deeper into the forest until the ground softened under our boots and the trees opened enough to see the sky. The moon hung low, heavy and bright, casting silver across Jason’s face. His wolf stirred under his skin. I could feel it, even without looking directly at him.
He stopped walking.
I felt his shift instantly. Something in the air thickened. Something inside me responded.
“Mira,” he said softly.
I turned toward him. “What is it.”
He hesitated. His eyes scanned my face as if searching for something he refused to voice.
“You have been quiet since the temple,” he said. “I cannot tell if you are angry at me. Or at yourself. Or both.”
I looked away. “It does not matter.”
“It does,” he said, stepping closer. “You matter.”
The sincerity in his voice shook me more than any spell. I took a slow breath, trying to steady my pulse.
“We cannot afford distractions right now,” I said.
“I am not a distraction,” he said gently. “You know that.”
“I do,” I admitted. “And that is the problem.”
His jaw tightened slightly. Not in anger, but in understanding. He moved closer until the space between us was too small, too intimate. The moon hit him like it was drawn to him, outlining the hard lines of his jaw and the intensity in his eyes.
“You are afraid,” he said quietly.
I stiffened. “I am afraid of nothing.”
He lifted his hand slowly, giving me every chance to stop him. When I did not, he brushed his fingers along my cheek. Heat shot through me. My wolf pushed forward, restless and hungry.
“You are afraid of letting yourself feel anything,” he said. “Especially for me.”
I pushed his hand away, but not with force. “Do not make this about emotions. You do not know me anymore.”
His voice softened. “I want to.”
A slow, deep ache spread through my chest. My shadows curled around my boots like they were reacting to the turmoil inside me.
I exhaled sharply. “Jason. The Queen wants to kill you. She wants to use you. She wants to break me through you. I cannot risk you being near me.”
He stepped forward until his body pressed lightly against mine. Not enough to trap me. Enough to remind me that he meant every word of what came next.
“Then I will die near you,” he said softly. “I would rather die at your side than live without you.”
My heart slammed painfully against my ribs. “Do not say that.”
“It is the truth.”
I tried to turn away, but he caught my wrist, his grip firm but gentle. My shadows tensed, then relaxed when I did not pull free.
“You think distance protects us,” he said. “But it only hurts you. I feel it every time you look away.”
“I am trying to protect you,” I said.
“I did not ask for protection,” he said. “I asked for honesty.”
The air thickened. The moonlight brightened. I could hear my pulse in my ears.
He stepped closer, so close I felt his breath stroke my lips.
“Mira,” he whispered. “Tell me you do not feel this.”
I closed my eyes. I tried to lie. The words refused to form.
He lifted my chin with his fingers, slow and careful, as if handling something fragile. My eyes opened involuntarily. His gaze locked mine. Hungry. Devoted. Reckless.
“Tell me,” he said softly, “and I will leave this forest tonight.”
I swallowed hard. My throat felt tight. My wolf pushed harder, clawing at me to let go of control.
I could not speak.
Jason exhaled shakily, his forehead resting against mine. The warmth of him seeped into my skin, my bones, my heart.
“You feel it,” he breathed. “I know you do.”
When his thumb brushed my lower lip, I broke.
I grabbed his collar, pulling him forward, and his mouth met mine instantly.
The kiss was nothing like the first. It was not careful. It was not hesitant. It was a collision of everything I had held back. His hands wrapped around my waist, lifting me slightly as if he could not get me close enough. My fingers curled into his hair, pulling him deeper.
He growled low in his throat, a sound so raw it sent a shiver down my spine. My wolf answered with a surge of power that wrapped shadows around us in spirals.
His lips trailed along my jaw, down my neck. Heat poured through me. My knees weakened. I pushed him back against a tree, breath mingling with his.
“Jason,” I whispered, voice shaking.
“Yes,” he said, breathless, desperate.
“This cannot happen,” I said, even as I pulled him back into another kiss.
He laughed softly against my mouth. “You keep saying that while kissing me. I do not think you mean it.”
I pressed my forehead against his chest, lungs burning. “You do not understand.”
“Then explain it,” he said.
“You are in danger,” I said. “I should be focusing on strategy. On the Queen. On the war.”
He lifted my face gently. “You can fight the war. And still want me.”
My chest tightened painfully. “It feels wrong to want anything.”
“It feels right to want you,” he said simply.
My breath caught.
Before I could respond, a branch snapped behind us.
Jason instantly placed himself in front of me, his protective instincts explosive and immediate. I grabbed his arm, shadows surging around my fingers.
Riven stepped into the clearing.
His expression froze when he saw us. His eyes flicked from Jason’s hands on my waist to my fingers tangled in his armor. His jaw clenched.
“We have a problem,” Riven said. “The Queen made her move.”
The air thickened.
Jason released me slowly. I felt the loss instantly, sharp and unwelcome.
“What happened,” I asked, shifting into command.
Riven held out a scroll. “She sent orders to the entire kingdom. Jason is to be captured on sight. Alive. And brought to her.”
Jason inhaled sharply.
Riven’s eyes hardened. “She wants him, Mira. And she will tear apart every village and every pack to get him.”
My heart stopped.
Riven looked directly at me. “We need a plan. And we need it now.”
Jason looked at me next. Not with fear. Not with confusion.
With trust.
And something deeper.
Something dangerous.
I stepped forward.
“We handle this together,” I said. “No more distance. No more doubt.”
Jason nodded once, slow and certain.
And the war truly began.