Mira’s POV

It has been years since I left Blackridge Pack. The moment I crossed the border into Blackridge; my wolf moved beneath my skin. The familiar scent of desire and ash hit me. And something else whispered to my memory. My breath caught before I could brace for it. It had been long, but the land remembered me. And so did the bond I thought I’d buried.

Cyrus walked beside me, tall and composed. His fingers brushed mine, offering me silent support. I was grateful for the steadiness he always gave me, even as something raw twisted in my chest. Blackridge had once been my home. A place where I was meant to build a future. But love had turned to ash here, and I was the one left to burn.

The Pack House rose before us, unchanged. Towering stone, carved archways, and iron gates, it was all just as I remembered. I clenched my fingers at my sides as a thousand old memories flooded my mind without permission. I wasn’t here to relive them. I came with a purpose. I had made peace with the past, but my heart wasn't convinced.

As the gates creaked open, the scent of Blackridge hit me. The cedarwood smoke, and something darker, caught my breath, and it carried something I had once craved like breath. I hadn’t seen him yet, but I knew Kael was nearby. The bond between us had gone silent long ago, but it still whispered when we came close. A tether frayed, not fully severed.

We stepped into the great hall, and silence fell like a veil. Heads turned. I felt the shift as whispers darted through the crowd. Some curiosity, some caution, and others recognition. I kept my gaze straight, ignoring the stares from the people. I would not be moved now and again.

Then I saw him.

Kael Thorne was seated at the far end, flanked by members of his council. He was broader now, older. And there was a hard edge to his expression that wasn’t there before. The years had carved something colder into him. Yet his presence and his aura were just as sharp. When our eyes met, time seemed still for a moment.

He didn’t speak or blink. But I felt recognition ache I didn’t want to feel. The kind of pain that knew your name. My wolf howled softly beneath my skin. She was stirred by a bond she never wanted to forget. I pressed her down. I had chosen peace. I wouldn’t let him undo me.

“Alpha Cyrus, welcome.'' One of the Elders greeted, voice echoing across the room. ''And to Lady Mira, our... guest.”

I felt Kael’s silence more than I heard the Elder’s words. His gaze didn’t move from me. It pinned me in place, heavy and unreadable. I didn’t look away. I wouldn’t give him that. He would not see me falter.

“Thank you for receiving us, ’Cyrus said, stepping forward. “We come in good faith, for the benefit of both our packs.”

Kael finally spoke. “We’ll see if good faith still holds weight in Blackridge.” His voice was low, steady, but those words weren’t meant for Cyrus. They were meant for me. A wound in the shape of diplomacy.

The meeting moved on, filled with rehearsed dialogue, handshakes, and forced pleasantries. I stood beside Cyrus, speaking when necessary, nodding when expected. But part of me felt the presence of Kael. I didn’t look at him again, but I felt him. Every breath and every glance I refused to return.

When the meeting ended, Kael was the first to leave. No goodbye and no acknowledgment. But as he passed me, something shifted around us. A pull I didn’t want to name and a storm I hadn’t prepared for.

When I fell, I went to the balcony of our guest suite to rest. The wind brushed through my hair. I held myself not from cold, but from restlessness. My wolf was pacing uneasily. It wasn’t just the land that moved her, but Kael.

Cyrus joined me quietly, placing a blanket over my shoulders. “You’ve been quiet. expected tension, but not like this.” He said.

“It’s harder than I thought. The memories are louder than I expected. Everything I left behind is still here... waiting.'' I confessed. My voice wavered, but I kept my shoulders straight. “

Cyrus nodded and stepped closer to me. He wrapped an arm around my waist and bellowed. “If it becomes too much, we leave. Alliance or not, you come first.” That was Cyrus, solid and steadfast. He never demanded more than I could give. Never asked for wounds I wasn’t ready to share.

“I know'.'' I whispered. I turned to him, offering a small smile. “And I love you for that.”

But something in me remained distant and still. As if a part of me stood in the past, watching tonight unfold from far away. I had built a life from the ruins when Kael left me. I had healed, or so I’d believed. But standing in the place where it all broke... something had shifted.

Across the estate, I knew Kael was awake. Watching the same moon. Feeling the same unrest. I didn’t need to see him to know it. And as I stood in Cyrus’s arms, Kael said nothing. But I felt him. Just like I always did.

A faint breeze shifted the wave. I stepped away from Cyrus’s embrace, just for a moment. I was drawn by something I couldn’t explain. The night air hit against my skin like a whisper from the past. I stared into the dark. I searched for nothing, and still, I felt Kael. He was always there. Always just close enough to feel, but never far enough to forget.

I didn’t want to feel this. Didn’t want the bond to stir, didn’t want my wolf to ache for a name I’d long erased from my lips. I had buried him. But Blackridge had its own memory, etched into every tree, every stone, every scent. And now, I was here again, pretending to be immune to something that still lived beneath my ribs.

A low hum rose in my chest. My wolf acted restlessly, ears pricking as if she sensed something I didn’t. I turned back toward the forest just as the wind changed direction. And this time, it wasn’t just Kael’s scent.

It was a movement of something. Or someone was watching me from the trees.