Mira's POV.

“Still here?” Cyrus’s voice broke the quiet. I forced a light smile and replied. “I could ask you the same.''

“I needed a walk. And… maybe someone to talk to,” he replied. “About?” My fingers traced a crack in the railing. “Everything. Kael’s return about you and me. All of it,” he said, with calm but heavy.

''I’m still figuring out my feelings,” I admitted. “You don’t have to explain. I just… want to understand, without judgment,” he said softly.

“I feel pulled in different directions. Kael's return stirred things I thought I’d buried. And yet.” My voice faltered. “I care about you, too.”

“I know,” he said, stepping closer. “I’ve known for some time. I didn’t want to push. Didn’t want to make things harder.”

“Cyrus, you’ve been patient,” I whispered. “More patient than anyone should be.”

''I do this because you deserve it. You deserve someone who won’t rush you. Someone who lets you feel everything, even the parts that scare you.”

“It does scare me. Every glance from Kael… it splits me in two,” I admitted, twisting my sleeve. “It’s like my soul recognizes him before my mind can argue. Like a bond that never fully broke.”

And it should, because love like that isn’t simple. It’s messy, dangerous… but real,” he said, his voice calm yet steady.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I murmured. “Not Kael and certainly not you.”

“You won’t, not by feeling and not by being honest. You can’t control who you care for, only what you do with it,” he said firmly. I let the words sink. The world narrowed to him, to his steady presence.

Then, I heard footsteps close. It was someone walking towards us. “Who’s there?” I asked with a taut voice. My ears twitched to a faint crunch of gravel, too light for a regular patrol. The wind shifted, bringing the sharp scent of bloodroot and a hint of dominance. Not Kael but someone else.

“Alpha Kael sends his regards,” a cloaked figure said. And stepped into the moonlight. “What do you want?” Cyrus asked, moving in front of me.

“Merely to remind you, the pack watches, even when you think you’re alone. Some conversations are better left unfinished,” the visitor said, eyes flicking between us. The pack remembers who was chosen and who was rejected. The moon does not take kindly to divided hearts, and neither does the Alpha Council.”

“Are you threatening me?” I asked. “I'm not here to threaten. Just a reminder. Loyalty is fragile, and hearts pay the cost of Choices. Especially when hearts are involved,” the visitor replied.

“Then leave,” Cyrus said, low and sharp.

The figure inclined its head and retreated. “I only observe, for now.” The figure said. “That was… unsettling,” Cyrus said, brushing my hand lightly.

“It’s not just him. It’s everything. Kael, the pack, my feelings… and now this,” I admitted.

“Mira… whatever happens, we face it together. I’ll be here. There would be no pressure and no judgment,” he said firmly.

“Even with Kael?”

“Even with Kael and even with the pack breathing down our necks. You don’t face this alone,” he said. I leaned back against the railing. “I don’t know if I can choose yet. Not between you and him. “Every path hurts someone. Choosing Kael feels like betrayal. But so does choosing you. And I’m terrified that no matter what I do… I’ll lose a part of myself.”

“You don’t have to choose tonight. Just… let yourself be. Feel. Learn. Understand what your heart wants,” he said softly.

“I’ll wait,” he murmured. “As long as you need.”

“I trust you. Even if it’s complicated,” I whispered. I stepped back, heart heavy yet lighter. Someone steady waited for me, someone who understood the storm inside me.

“I’ll be here,” Cyrus said. “Always.”

Footsteps approached from the shadows. Lyra, my sister, appeared, eyes sharp.

“Mira? Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Lyra… you shouldn’t be here,” I said.

“I came to check on you,” she said, glancing at Cyrus. “You look torn.”

“I am between him and… him,” I admitted. Lyra nodded. “You don’t have to hide it. You deserve honesty, from them and from yourself.”

Cyrus stepped aside. “Good. What you feel isn’t wrong. It’s real. Real is worth protecting.” “Thank you,” I said quietly, feeling the weight of truth.

Lyra placed a hand briefly on my shoulder. “Don’t let fear make your choices. Listen to your heart. Even when it’s messy.”

Her words echoed Cyrus’s earlier reassurances. My heart didn’t belong to one person yet, but it could feel, trust, and navigate the storm.

“Cyrus,” I said, stronger, certain. “Thank you for being steady. For letting me feel without pressure.”

“Always. That won’t change,” he said. The moon sank. Dawn light filled the arena. Shadows shifted. Kael would return. Seraphina would move silently. She never moved without purpose. And lately, her silence felt more like a threat than grace. If she was backing Kael, then every wrong move I made could become a weapon. The pack would watch. But for now, I had clarity.

I could face the chaos. Navigate the fire in my heart. And I had someone steady at my side. Threads of love, loyalty, and desire were tangled, complicated. But for the first time in weeks, I felt alive and not afraid.

“Always,” Cyrus whispered. I let the word settle. It was enough for now.