Lyra didn’t pull away immediately.
For a brief moment, everything felt still, but not in the suffocating way it had before. This time, the quiet felt grounded, like something had finally settled inside her instead of pulling her apart. When she stepped back, her eyes lifted to meet Kael’s, searching, but no longer uncertain.
Kael studied her closely, as if expecting hesitation to return, as if waiting for her to take it back. When it didn’t happen, something in his expression shifted—not relief, not surprise, but a quiet acceptance of what she had just given him.
“You’re serious,” he said.
“I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t,” Lyra replied. Her voice was calm, but there was weight behind it now, something steadier than before.
Kael exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair as i
