Chapter Ten
404 Words
Chapter Ten – Closer
Aurora hadn't realized how much she missed this.
The café buzzed with chatter and clinking cups, her friends filling the space with laughter that spilled louder than the music. Lukas had somehow convinced the barista to give him extra whipped cream just so he could swipe it onto Maren's nose, who nearly tackled him in retaliation. Elara's giggles were so soft they barely rose above the chaos, while Kael just sat back, arms crossed, shaking his head at all of them like an exasperated parent.
And Aurora? She laughed until her stomach hurt.
"Careful," Lukas warned dramatically, leaning across the table. "If you smile too much, people are going to think you actually like us."
Aurora rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself."
But her lips curved anyway, and she couldn't stop it.
For once, she felt like herself again. Like the shadows that haunted her had loosened their grip. She was surrounded by warmth, by friends who accepted her without questions, who didn't look at her like she was broken.
For the first time in weeks, she was happy.
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But miles away, Daemon was not.
Through the bond, he felt every flicker of her joy like a burn against his skin. Her laughter stung, not because it was ugly—because it was beautiful. Too beautiful to be shared with anyone but him.
His mate was healing. And she was doing it without him.
A low growl rumbled in his chest, the sound shaking the stone walls of his chamber. But when the fury ebbed, what remained was sharper. Colder. Determined.
If she wouldn't come to him… then he would go to her.
Not with claws bared. Not with fire and shadow.
No—he would step into her life carefully. Patiently. Close enough to learn her world, close enough for her to see him not as a monster, but as the man fate had bound her to.
He would let her see him in the daylight. Let her wonder. Let her feel drawn without knowing why.
Until the bond pulled her into his arms—willingly.
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That night, Aurora dreamed of eyes watching her from the crowd—not threatening, not chasing, but waiting. Patient. Closer than before.
And when she woke, heart racing, she swore she could still feel it: the weight of someone lingering just out of reach.
The beginning of something she couldn't name.
- Writer
