Chapter 123 Love, without the fear

Chapter 123 Love, without the fear
Opal's POV

The room was quieter than it had ever been.

And that was saying something, considering Forrest was present and hadn't made a single inappropriate comment in five whole minutes. That had to be a record.

Opal sat at the head of the long table in the packhouse conference room, her brothers surrounding her. Ash to her right—arms crossed, jaw tight, eyes like steel. Ridge, Brooks, and Forrest filled the rest of the seats. Serephina sat close beside Ash, her presence grounding him. Nyx was leaning forward on the other side, flipping pages in one of her ancient books, her amber eyes serious beneath the candlelight. Scanning the pages for hope.

Kael stood near the window, silent but present, his eyes never straying far from Opal.

Opal cleared her throat.

"Okay. No more sugarcoating. I need the truth." Her voice was firm despite the unease simmering under her skin. "How much time do I have before Azeala makes her move again?"

Nyx closed the book with a soft thud.

Everyone turned to her.

"You have two weeks," she said quietly. "Maybe less, if she finds a way to accelerate the curse."

Opal nodded once. "I know I keep asking these questions but I am hoping for a different answer. New information. So if I don't find my mate—if I don't make a decision before then?"

Nyx hesitated, eyes darting to Kael, then back to Opal.

"She'll be able to take your soul."

Forrest let out a low whistle. "Wow. That's cheery. Can we get that embroidered on a throw pillow?"

Ash's glare could've melted stone. "Forrest."

"What? I'm just trying to lighten the mood before we talk about soul theft and eternal damnation."

Opal ignored the chaos and locked eyes with Nyx. "How long do I have before it's too late to make a choice?"

Nyx leaned forward, her voice grim. "A week. If you want a chance to resist the claiming, you need to choose someone to anchor your soul to. A mate. Fated or chosen."

Silence fell again.

Until Brooks quietly asked, "And what happens if she doesn't?"

Nyx didn't blink. "Then we lose her."

Ash stood so fast his chair scraped violently against the floor. "This is bullshit!" he snapped. "We've fought wars. We've bled for this land. And now we're supposed to just… let a witch steal my sister's soul because she didn't fall in love on the Moon Goddess's damn schedule?"

Serephina reached for him, placing a calming hand on his arm. "Ash—"

"No!" His voice cracked. "It's not fair. Opal deserves time. She deserves to live her life without a damn curse hanging over her head."

Opal swallowed the lump in her throat. Her chest felt heavy. "I know," she whispered.

"I should've stopped this before it got this far." Ash's voice was barely a rasp now. "I should've done more."

"You did everything you could," Opal said. "This isn't on you. You aren't the one who cursed me."

"Still feels like it is."

Kael finally moved, stepping away from the window. His voice was soft but certain. "It's not on anyone. Except the witch who cursed her."

Ash didn't say anything. But he didn't argue either.

Kael's eyes found Opal's. "You don't have to decide tonight. But you need to know… if you choose me, I'll carry that weight with you. I'll protect you with everything I have. I will give you anything you want."

Opal's breath caught. The emotion in Kael's voice, the sheer devotion—it stole the air from her lungs.

"You don't have to say anything yet," he added quickly. "I just want you alive. Happy. Even if I'm not the one standing beside you at the end."

Ridge cleared his throat. "Well… now I feel like a jerk."

Brooks smirked. "You usually are."

Forrest clapped dramatically. "Kael's like a noble wolf prince from a tragic romance novel. Meanwhile, I once accidentally glued my hands to a training dummy. The contrast is honestly unfair."

"Wait—you what?" Ridge blinked.

Opal covered her face with both hands. "I can't do this right now."

Forrest leaned back in his chair, arms folded behind his head. "I'm just saying, if someone's soul is on the line, we should all have input. Like a soul-survival talent show. Everyone gets five minutes to impress the Moon Goddess."

"Gods help us," Brooks muttered.

Nyx, bless her patience, simply said, "The sooner Opal makes a decision, the better. Every day she waits, the witch grows stronger. The tether becomes harder to break."

Ash looked ready to break something. "And we're just… supposed to sit here while time runs out?"

Kael spoke again, calm and unshaken. "No. We train. We prepare. We keep watch. And we support her. No matter what she chooses."

Ash stared at him.

Something passed between them. Not peace. But maybe… a truce.

For now.

Opal rubbed her temples. "I don't want to make a choice out of fear."

"Then don't," Kael said quietly. "Make it out of love. Or don't make it yet. Just… stay alive long enough to decide."

Forrest blinked. "That's surprisingly poetic. Are you okay?"

Kael gave him a look.

Ash pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can we just focus for five minutes without Forrest turning it into a damn circus?"

Forrest grinned. "We've been cursed, attacked by red-eyed rogue zombies, and are currently trying to prevent a soul heist by a centuries-old witch. The circus has already arrived, big guy."

Despite everything, Opal laughed softly.

And for a moment, it was enough.

But in the back of her mind, the clock was still ticking.

The full moon loomed closer.

And with it—

Her fate.

Nyx had just finished telling them the truth—Opal had two weeks before the witch could take her. One, maybe, if she wanted any real chance at surviving this.

Silence filled the room like fog.

And then—

"For the record," Forrest said, raising his hand like they were in a classroom, "if Opal picks Kael, who gets me in the divorce?"

Kael blinked. Ash groaned.

Opal just stared at him. "What?"

"I mean," Forrest continued, completely unfazed by the tension, "you're clearly going to be mated or dead soon. I just want to know where I go. Do I stay with Ash, who grunts a lot and gives terrible hugs? Or do I go with Kael, who broods in corners and probably owns too many black shirts?"

Brooks dropped his head into his hands. "Gods, Forrest…"

"I'm serious!" Forrest insisted, pointing between Kael and Ash. "Look at them! One looks like he sleeps on a bed of nails and the other has a superiority complex the size of this packhouse."

"I will strangle you," Ash said through clenched teeth.

"No you won't," Forrest said cheerfully. "Because then you'd have to deal with your feelings, and we both know you're emotionally constipated."

Opal actually snorted.

Kael shook his head but smiled. "If it makes a difference, you can stay with us. We have snacks."

"Oh, damn," Forrest said, tapping his chin. "That might sway me. Opal, are you stocked on snacks?"

"I literally saved your life yesterday. Ash would be tempted to kill you on a daily basis" Opal reminded him.

"Yeah, but Kael has peanut butter cups and doesn't yell at me."

Ash looked like he might actually combust.

"I swear to the Moon, Forrest—"

"Hey, hey," Forrest held up his hands, grinning. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood. It's either this or a full mental breakdown. Pick your poison."

Kael's eyes shifted to Opal. "For what it's worth… I don't care if we live in this house, mine, or under a tree. I just want you alive. I just want you."

Forrest made a dramatic gagging noise. "Ugh, feelings. Somebody sedate me."

Brooks smacked him in the back of the head. "Shut up, idiot."

Opal's eyes met Kael's, full of conflict and unspoken hope. "Two weeks," she whispered.

"No," Nyx corrected softly. "One. If you wait longer, you might not survive the claiming."

Everyone went quiet again.

Forrest didn't say another word after that.

But for once?

He didn't need to.

The moon was bright, full and glowing behind the clouds as it cast silver light through the treetops. The packhouse was quiet—too quiet. For once, even Forrest had run out of chaos, and Ash hadn't snarled at anyone in over an hour. It was almost eerie.

Opal stepped onto the porch, wrapping her arms around herself despite the warm night air.

She felt the pull.

That constant, dull ache that had only grown stronger since the witch had started whispering in her dreams.

One week.

Nyx's voice echoed in her mind.

One week to choose.

One week to save herself.

But the truth was—her heart had already chosen. She just hadn't let herself speak it yet.

Not until now.

She heard his footsteps before he reached her. Kael never moved loud, but she always knew when he was near. Like her body had memorized his presence, the way he filled the silence without saying a word.

He didn't ask what she was doing out here.

He just leaned beside her on the railing, his arms brushing hers, eyes focused on the stars above the treeline.

After a long pause, she finally said it.

"Kael."

He turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

She met his gaze, her throat tightening. "I want you to mark me."

His eyes widened, just slightly. But he didn't speak.

"I want it to be you," she said, voice steady. "I've known for a while now. Even before all of this. You've always been my safe place."

Kael looked like he was holding his breath, his chest rising slowly, like he was afraid to move too fast and ruin this moment.

"But," she added quickly, stepping closer, "I don't want to do it out of fear. Or because time's running out. I want it to be special. Not just… survival. I want it to mean something."

Kael's expression softened. He reached up, brushing a loose strand of silver hair behind her ear.

"Opal…" he said her name like a prayer. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that."

"I think I do," she said, a shaky smile pulling at her lips.

He stepped closer, gently cupping her cheek. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, leaning into his touch. "I'm sure."

His thumb brushed across her skin, slow and reverent. "Then tell me what you want."

She didn't hesitate. "I want you. All of you. I want to be yours. But I want the night to be ours. Not something rushed. Not something stolen because of a deadline. I want to remember it as something that saved me, not something I had to do just to survive."

Kael nodded, pulling her into his arms. "Then we'll wait. Until you're ready. Until it feels right."

She closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat. "I'm ready. Just not tonight. Not when it feels like the world is waiting for me to break."

He kissed the top of her head. "Then we'll wait for a night that feels like it's just for us."

She looked up at him. "But you'll stay with me tonight?"

He smiled. "You'll have to pry me away."

She laughed softly, and he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers—slow and deep and warm. Like a promise.

Like something that could survive darkness.

When they pulled apart, her forehead rested against his.

"No matter what happens," she whispered, "you're the one I choose."

His arms tightened around her. "And I'll keep choosing you. Every damn time."

They stayed like that, wrapped in each other's arms, beneath the stars.

Waiting for the night that would belong to them.