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Chapter 333
~Zara’s POV~
The house was filled with energy by the ti the sun had fully risen. Well, mostly because of Tempest.
After our chaotic yet heartwarming morning pillow fight, she had thrown herself into planning a mini Valentine’s party.
But sothing deep within knew that was far from being a small party. With Tempest involved.
The way she was making calls, sending ssages, and barking out orders, you’d think she was organising a royal wedding.
I observed her actions from a distance until my curiosity finally overca .
With a plate of cookies in one hand and a cold bottle of yoghurt in the other, I walked into the dining room where she was seated, flipping through her phone with the intensity of soone plotting world domination.
"Busy?" I teased, setting the plate down in front of her.
Tempest barely spared a glance before grabbing a cookie. "Extrely. You have no idea how much effort goes into making a night look effortless."
I snorted. "Right. Because parties are serious business."
She popped the cookie into her mouth and finally looked up. "When you do them the right way? Yes. Now, be useful—tell , should we go with fairy lights or those cute hanging lanterns?"
I took a sip of my yoghurt, contemplating. "Lanterns. Feels more intimate."
Tempest nodded approvingly. "See? This is why I need you."
I smirked. "Speaking of needing people..." I leaned forward, resting my chin on my palm. "How’s Koda?"
The second the words left my mouth, I knew sothing was off. Tempest didn’t react how I expected—no playful eye-roll, no witty coback. Instead, she hesitated, her fingers tapping lightly against the table.
"Koda and I..." She exhaled, shaking her head. "We’re not together anymore."
I blinked. "Wait. What?"
She shrugged and with a casualness in her tone that I wasn’t sure was real or forced, she replied, "I’m with Ryland now."
I nearly choked on my drink. "You—what?"
Tempest smirked at my reaction, but there was sothing softer beneath it. "Yeah, I know. Shocking, right?"
I stared at her. "How did this happen? You and Koda were like... fire and fireworks. I saw how happy you were after that Alphas ball. You two hit hard."
Her smile faltered just a little. "Yes. The sex was great. Making love to your mate is sothing else, but compared to one who truly loves you and isn’t pushed by a bond to feel things for you, it hits differently. Just like what you and Snow have."
"But Tempest..."
"Look, Zara, I was lost. For a while, I didn’t know what I wanted, or rather, I thought I wanted both."
I raised an eyebrow. "Both?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"Like... wait but this isn’t a romance novel or anything."
"No, but I an, don’t those romance novels always have the girl juggling two incredibly hot, strong, and devoted n? I thought, why not ? It was a good solution too."
I burst into laughter. "Oh my goddess, Temp. You really tried to live out a love triangle in real life?"
She laughed with but then sighed dramatically. "Yeah, but my luck ran out. Koda wasn’t into the idea. He didn’t want to share ."
I frowned slightly. "And Ryland?"
She gave a small smile. "He did."
I studied her for a mont, trying to gauge if she was happy. Really happy. "And... are you okay with that?"
Tempest shrugged, picking up another cookie. "I love Ryland. And honestly? I think I was always ant to be with him. It just took a while to get there."
I reached out, squeezing her hand briefly. "Then that’s all that matters."
She flashed a genuine smile. "Thanks, Zara."
I grinned, feeling satisfied that she could talk to . "Of course. Now, since we’re on the topic of love—let’s brainstorm gift ideas for our n."
Tempest leaned forward, eyes lighting up. "Finally, sothing fun. Alright, what are you getting Snow?"
I smirked. "I have a few ideas... but let’s make this interesting."
Tempest arched a brow. "Go on."
"We each pick two gifts—one romantic, one completely unexpected."
Her grin widened. "I like the way you think."
And just like that, we dove into gift planning, laughter and ideas filling the room. For the first ti in a while, things felt light. Simple. Happy.
And I was going to hold onto that for as long as I could.
"Biongo! We got it!"
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~Ella’s POV~
The previous night had been exhausting.
Ares had finally left after much convincing on my part. He didn’t trust Kent, didn’t trust my judgent when it ca to him, and made it clear. But in the end, I had promised him that I wouldn’t go see Kent that night.
And I hadn’t.
But now, as the morning sun stread through my window, I had made my decision. All through the night I thought of Kent and the tis we spent together.
Perhaps he was saying the truth and then seeing him would an breaking my promise to Ares. But then, I only agreed to not go out yesterday evening. Not today.
I would see Kent. One last ti.
Not because I wanted to rekindle anything. Not because I missed him.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
I just needed to hear him out—to confront him properly and put an end to whatever hold he had on .
So, at exactly 8 AM, I sent him a ssage.
After hitting send, I stared at my screen, my heart hamring in my chest. Would he even respond? Would he ignore ?
The reply ca almost instantly.
Kent: Football field, near the old stadium. Two hours. Co alone.
I exhaled, my fingers tightening around the phone. This was happening. And I was going to walk away from it with no regrets.
An hour and thirty minutes later, I was ready.
Dressed in dark jeans, a cropped sweater, and ankle boots, I kept my hair loose, not wanting to overthink my appearance. This wasn’t a date.
This was closure.
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