Kieran and Aqua stared at each other as Aries’s words settled over the room. The tension between them thickened, awkward and charged. Kieran had endured an agonizing trial of fire — all to protect her.
She had always known he’d shifted into a super‑werewolf to save her, but she’d never realized how excruciating the transformation had been. She’d assumed his injuries afterward were from Adara, not from the transformation itself. Knowing she was the reason he’d suffered that much pain made her chest ache.
She was deeply touched. Kieran, however, looked embarrassed.
“It’s no wonder you blocked out those memories,” Aqua said softly, offering him a grateful smile. “They sound… unbelievably painful.”
“Well, I had to,” Kieran replied, voice low and somber. “I couldn’t live with myself if some
