Chapter 8
959 Words
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Hey!" A familiar voice cuts through the tension like a knife. Kyle emerges from the woods, his brown hair tousled and his eyes a fierce, burning brown that lock onto mine. He looks different—harder, more intense—how did I not notice it before? My past crashing into my present.
"Kyle..." The name escapes my lips in a whisper, betraying my shock. How long has he been there for? Was he watching us?
"Your shift, Ethan." His tone brooks no argument, every inch the wolf who has survived on his own. “You’re taking watch on the west hill.”
Ethan stiffens beside me, the muscles in his jaw clenching. "Right," he grunts, casting a lingering glance my way that says he'd rather stay. But the rules of the pack are clear, and even rogues like Ethan follow them when it matters. With one last look, he hands me back to the night and to Kyle.
"See you, Ava." It's a promise and a warning, his blue gaze holding mine until he turns away, disappearing into the darkness.
In the sudden silence, Kyle steps forward, and the space Ethan vacated feels charged with a new tension. "Let's get you back," he says, but his voice is husky, filled with things left unsaid.
"Okay," I reply, but I can't move, rooted to the spot by the intensity of his gaze. He's changed, but so have I. We're no longer the naive kids we once were—we're warriors of the West Mountains pack, shaped by time and absence.
"Are you going to make me carry you?" There's a teasing edge to his voice that brings back a rush of memories.
"Wouldn't dream of it," I retort, finding my feet at last. We walk side by side, the gap between us thrumming with silent confessions and unspoken truths. And though Ethan's jacket still rests on my shoulders, it's Kyle's presence that wraps around me now, as inevitable as the turn of the seasons.
Kyle's strides are long and confident next to my own, his silhouette sharp against the moonlit path. He doesn't say anything for a while, and neither do I. The silence stretches between us, thick with all the things we've left unsaid over the years.
"Remember when we used to race down this path?" His question slices through the quiet, and I can't help but smile at the memory.
"Of course, you always cheated," I accuse, nudging him with my shoulder.
"Strategy," he corrects with a grin that reaches his rich, brown eyes. "You just couldn't keep up."
"Is that a challenge?" My words are light, teasing, but there's an undercurrent of something else—something deeper.
"Maybe." He bumps me back, his fingers lingering just a moment too long on my arm. It sends a shiver down my spine that has nothing to do with the night air.
We're nearing my cabin now, the wooden structure emerging from the darkness like a beacon. I should be relieved, but instead, I feel a pang of disappointment. This walk is ending too soon, and with it, our time alone.
"Kyle..." I begin, unsure of what I want to say but knowing I need to say something.
He stops abruptly, turning to face me. There's a vulnerability in his eyes I've never seen before. "Ava, I need to tell you something," he says, his voice low and urgent.
"Okay," I whisper, feeling the weight of his gaze like a physical touch.
"I've been away for five years, and every day, you were the thought that kept me grounded. I tried to outrun it, but it's useless." He steps closer, his breath warm against my cheek. "I'm in love with you, Ava. I have been since we were kids, and it never stopped—not for a single day."
My heart stutters, the world tilting on its axis. Ethan's jacket feels heavy on my shoulders, a symbol of another path I could take—but it's Kyle standing in front of me, pouring out his heart.
"Kyle, I—" My voice breaks, emotions swelling like a tide.
"Shh," he soothes, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from my face. "You don't have to say anything. Just know that I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Not again."
"Kyle..." I breathe his name, and it feels like a key unlocking something inside me. With the moon as our witness and the night holding its breath, everything shifts. In this moment, there's only Kyle, only the truth in his confession, and only the realization that my heart might have known all along where it belongs.
Except… what about Ethan? We almost kissed. If Kyle hadn’t shown up, we would have.
I shake my head, stepping back. “Kyle, you can’t just show up here and expect me to fall into your arms.”
His eyes flash. “Is this about Ethan?”
The question hangs heavy between us, a sudden darkness in our moonlit dialogue.
"Ethan has nothing to do with this," I argue, but even to my own ears, the words sound hollow.
Kyle's expression hardens, the playful teasing from before now gone. "It sure seemed like he did when I arrived," he retorts sharply.
"I...we..." I stutter, struggling to find the right words. The memory of Ethan’s closeness, the heat of his touch against my skin, crashes over me.
"I need some time alone,” I tell him.
“Ava,” he protests.
But before he can say anything, I hurry into my cabin and close the door.
“What’s wrong?” Melody, my cabin mate, looks up from her bed.
I sigh, my back pressed against the closed door. Where do I even start?
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