Erald’s head snapped up, eyes scanning the entrance, and there, erging slowly from the shadows at the edge of the cave, was...
"Kieran?" she called in disbelief.
He paused just a few feet from her, his body half-lit by the moonlight trickling through the cave mouth. His eyes were fixed on hers in an intense and hard-to-read gaze.
She quickly ducked behind a large, jagged stone near the pool of water, her arms wrapping around herself. "What are you doing here?" she asked, voice sharp with panic.
Kieran didn’t move. "I could ask you the sa."
"How did you find ?"
"I was eting with Darius," he said, voice calm, steady, like he was talking to a wounded animal. "So rogues crossed near my territory. We were going over intel when I saw you leaving the estate. You were barefoot. In a rush. So I followed."
"You shouldn’t have," she muttered, looking away.
There was a long pause.
Then the sound of rustling fabric.
She peeked out from behind the rock to see Kieran sliding off his long, dark coat.
Without looking at her, he walked forward and placed it gently on the stone nearest to her. "Here."
Erald paused for a mont before grabbing the coat and pulling it around herself. It felt warm against her skin from his body heat.
He kept his voice low. "Do you want to tell what’s wrong?"
"No."
His brow twitched. "You sure?"
She said nothing. Instead, her chin trembled and tears slipped down her cheeks without permission.
"Erald," he said softly, taking a tentative step forward. "What happened?"
She tried to speak, but her throat tightened.
"Talk to ," he murmured.
Her eyes flicked up to his, and then, without warning, he moved. Not fast, not forceful, just enough to close the distance and sink to his knees beside her.
She didn’t stop him.
He gently pulled her into his chest, his arms wrapping around her like shelter. Her fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt as the tears spilled freely now, wetting his chest.
He rested his chin against the top of her head. "I’ve got you."
She didn’t respond; she didn’t even know what to say without lying.
Kieran just held her. His hand moved through her hair slowly, soothingly, and she stayed still, her body tense despite the comfort.
"You don’t have to tell ," he whispered. "Not if you’re not ready."
She pulled back slightly, wiping at her face. "I’m not."
"I know."
Their eyes t.
Sothing in her chest shifted. The pain didn’t disappear, but it softened. She could still feel the Rogue King’s mark on her neck, but for the first ti since it happened, it wasn’t all she could feel.
After a while, she pulled back, wiping her face with the sleeve of his coat. "Why did you really follow ?" she asked in a quieter voice now.
Kieran shrugged one shoulder. "Instinct. You looked... not okay. I couldn’t ignore that."
"I wanted to be alone."
He gave her a small smile. "And yet, you let stay."
"I didn’t an to... drag you into this," she murmured.
"You didn’t drag into anything," Kieran said gently. "I walked into this bond with both eyes open."
She didn’t answer, her gaze dropping to the cave floor.
And for a mont, just one suspended breath, it was easy to forget the storm waiting outside this cave. Easy to forget what burned on her neck and echoed in her veins.
"You can talk to ," he said again.
She shook her head slightly. "I can’t. Not yet."
Their eyes t once more, and her breath caught at the intensity of his gaze.
Erald suddenly beca acutely aware of everything around her. She felt his thumb brushing small, slow circles into her side, and she realized she was mostly naked beneath the coat, her skin pressed against his shirt.
She noticed how tense his body had beco, aning that he was aware of the situation as well, yet he wasn’t moving away.
The coat slipped slightly as she adjusted, baring more of her thigh. Kieran’s eyes flicked there, then back to her face. His jaw was tight, like he was fighting himself to stay in control.
Her wolf chose that mont to nudge her mind. "He’s right there," Viola whispered. "He wants you."
Erald’s breath caught in her throat as her eyes t Kieran’s once more. This ti, she noticed sothing different: a deep, instinctive spark in his eyes.
It felt like an invitation, sothing unspoken but powerful.
Her wolf rose in her chest, pushing forward until Erald felt like she was seeing him through both her eyes and Viola’s. Through instinct. Through the bond, she was fighting.
Kieran didn’t speak. His hands stilled on her waist, but his eyes... they darkened with need.
Erald leaned forward slightly, her heart pounding, drawn by the pull of the bond. But halfway, she froze, her breath hitching as doubt crashed through her. She couldn’t do this, not now, not when she was still... processing.
Kieran’s gaze softened, reading her hesitation.
Then, slowly, he closed the distance, his lips brushing hers gently, giving her every chance to pull away.
She didn’t.
The kiss started slowly, like he was exploring her with his lips. Without thinking, Erald kissed him back, her lips moving against his, drawn into the raw heat of the mont by the mate bond.
The kiss deepened, becoming intense and full of longing as a wave of pent-up desire surged through them.
Kieran’s hands moved desperately over her body, one slid up her back to tangle in her hair while the other gripped her waist, pulling her tightly against him.
The coat slipped off her shoulder, the fabric pooling at her elbows, leaving her skin bare under the moonlight.
Kieran’s breath hitched, his lips parting from hers for a mont as his eyes moved over her exposed form.
The coat fell open fully now, and Kieran’s gaze traced her bare skin with a mix of desire and hunger, as if morising every inch, from her face down to her breasts and then lower to her V-line.
"Fvcckkk... You’re beautiful, Em," he murmured in awe.
Erald’s heart raced, her wolf stirring restlessly, but she stayed still, caught between the pull of the bond and the storm in her mind.
She didn’t push him away, didn’t cover herself, but she didn’t speak either... just let the mont hang, her skin tingling under his gaze.
Kieran’s hand lifted, his fingers brushing lightly along her collarbone, then down the curve of her shoulder, careful, like he was waiting for her to stop him.
She didn’t.
His touch sent sparks through her, and her breath caught, but she held her ground, refusing to let the bond take full control.
He leaned in again, his lips finding hers, softer this ti, but still filled with that desperate edge. "Tell to stop," he whispered against her mouth in a strained voice. "If you want to."
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