Adele wrapped her arms around herself by the window.

The night had settled deep into the walls of the castle, quiet and heavy. Outside, the wind whispered faintly through the trees, brushing against the glass like something trying to get in.

It was almost midnight.

And she had not moved, not since Mabel left. Everything began to feel like it was closing in on her at once.

Her reflection stared back at her in the glass, faint, and ghost-like. Yet so composed on the outside.

Unraveling beneath.

Her fingers tightened slightly against her arms.

The door opened slowly without a knock at that moment.

Adele didn’t turn immediately. She already knew who it was from his scent, and the door.

There was only one person in this place who entered her room like that.

She turned, and there he was.

His face lit up the moment he saw her, immediate, and unfiltered. He softened like the sight of her alone was enough to soften everything in him.

He closed the door behind him gently, shutting out the quiet of the corridor, and stepped toward her.

"I’m sorry I’m late," he said, his voice warm, and familiar. "I had a lot to handle today with the borders."

Adele turned away from him, saying nothing.

That, more than anything, made him pause. He didn’t stop. He never stopped when it came to her.

Torak moved closer, reaching into the fold of his arm to bring out the familiar bundle.

"Are you ready?" he asked, a small smile forming as he held up the clothing she wore every night—the disguise, the ritual, the secret that had somehow become theirs.

Adele spared him a glance, and then she walked away from him. The distance was small, butto Torak, it felt like something was breaking.

Torak’s smile faded, not completely, but enough.

He watched her as she moved to the bed, sitting at the foot of it. Her posture was tight, and controlled.

That felt wrong.

Adele cleared her throat. "We can’t keep doing this." The words came out harsher than she intended, but she didn’t take them back. "Since you have forgotten," she added, her voice steadier now, and colder, "I’m a Blackfen... and you’re just a Beta."

Torak stilled.

Then, he chuckled, soft and unbothered. Like she had thrown something light at him instead of something meant to wound him.

"This is known knowledge," he said, smiling as he moved toward her anyway.

Adele lifted her gaze to him. Sharp coldness flickering in her eyes.

"What do you want from me?" she asked suddenly. "Money? Fame? Power? Tell me."

Torak paused, then blinked.

"Adele..." he started, his voice quieter now. "We’re way past that. You—"

"We’re not." She cut him off, emotionally, and abruptly. She couldn’t bear to hear whatever came next.

Adele stood up from the bed and walked away again. Her steps were uneven now, and her composure was beginning to crack.

"I’m starting to feel like I belong here," she said. Her voice broke slightly, but enough to unravel Torak completely.

"I’m starting to feel like I belong here with you..." she continued, a small, painful breath catching in her throat. "Like you’re my mate."

The words hung in the air, raw, exposed, and dangerous.

Torak’s expression softened. He moved toward her, faster now, and without hesitation. The clothes fell from his hand to the floor, forgotten, and meaningless.

He stood behind her, and his arms wrapped around her from behind, pulling her back against him, grounding her before she could slip too far into whatever storm she was fighting.

"You belong here with me," he murmured into her hair. His lips pressed gently to the center of her head. He gave her a deep kiss there, and then his chin rested there.

To him, it was the most natural place in the world.

Adele closed her eyes. She accepted his kiss for a second, then she parted her eyes. "And what happens when you find your mate?"

The question came out quiet, but it cut through everything.

Torak stilled. Then slowly, he turned her around to face him. His hands came up to her face, holding her gently but firmly, and forcing her to look at him.

"I only want you," he said, his green eyes searching her dark ones. His voice held no hesitation, or doubt. "I don’t want some stupid mate. Just you."

His voice deepened, and softened at once. "I love you," he continued. "I’ve loved you since the night you wept into my arms."

Adele’s breath hitched, but she didn’t look away.

"Nothing," he said, his thumb brushing lightly against her cheek fondly, "no mate, no bond, and nothing can hold me away from you. I’ll always come back to you."

His leaned closer, and his forehead almost touched hers now. "I wake up every day," he whispered, "and I realize I love you more than I did the day before."

Adele shook her head. She was trying to deny something that refused to be denied. "My father will kill you." She said.

Torak laughed. He actually laughed, not because her words was funny, but because it wasn’t new.

It was something he had already accepted.

"Your father is a good man," he said lightly. "Powerful and honorable." His eyes darkened slightly. "I’ll take anything, for you."

Adele’s gaze flickered.

Torak saw it but before he could say anything more, Adele stepped back breaking his hold, and the moment.

"No," she said, her voice firmer now. "This isn’t right."

Torak frowned. "Adele—"

"I will be Luna."

The words landed like a strike.

Torak’s entire expression changed. The softness vanished, replaced with sharpness, and something angrier.

"You still believe that?" he asked, his voice low.

Adele lifted her chin slightly. "It’s not belief. It’s reality."

Torak scoffed. "There’s already a Luna."

Adele shrugged, casual, and careless. "My father will handle it."

Torak inside snapped.

"You don’t even hear yourself," he said, his voice almost rising. "You’re talking about tearing someone down, and destroying someone’s place just so you can sit beside a throne you don’t even want!"

"I do want it!" Adele snapped.

"Then why do you look like this?" he shot back immediately. "You look so miserable while speaking of it."

Adele’s breathing picked up. Her hands curled at her sides.

"My father knows a place," she said, quieter now, but no less dangerous. "After the ball, he’ll take me there. One of the Alphas will turn to me."

Torak stared at her in disbelief and anger.

"You’re serious." He realized

"I’ve never been more serious."

"That’s not your life," he said.

"It is."

"It’s his," Torak corrected harshly. "Not yours."

Adele’s eyes flashed. "You don’t understand—"

"No," he cut in, stepping closer. "You don’t understand."

Their voices collided now.

"You think this is duty?" he continued. "This is a cage, Adele. And you’re walking into it willingly!"

"At least it’s a cage that means something!" she snapped back.

"And what about this?" he demanded, gesturing between them. "What about us?"

Adele hesitated, just for a second but that was all it took.

Torak saw it, and it hurt more than anything she had ever said.

"This...." she started, then stopped. Her voice faltered, then hardened again. "This is temporary."

The word echoed, ugly and final.

Torak’s jaw clenched "Temporary," he repeated.

Adele didn’t look away. "Yes."

Everything in him went still. Dangerously still.

"Say that again," he said quietly.

Adele swallowed, but she held her ground. "This is temporary."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Torak looked away, then looked back at her in disbelief. His eyes burned now with anger.

Adele cursed under her breath. And then, something shifted. Neither of them planned it, yet neither of them stopped.

In the next second, they closed the distance between them, fast, and desperate.

Torak’s hand came up to her face, gripping it firmly as he pulled her to him.

Adele’s fingers tangled into his shirt, clutching, holding, and refusing to let go.

And then, their lips crashed together in a hard, greedy, and unforgiving seal.

The kiss wasn’t soft or gentle. It was everything they refused to say. Everything they tried to deny, and everything breaking through at once.

Adele kissed him the exact way she felt. She was angry. She was also drowning. Ad she needed him.

And hated that she did.

Torak also kissed her the exact way he felt. He was claiming her in a way that was already his.

He hoped he could burn this moment into her enough that she would never forget it.

Their breaths tangled, sharp, and uneven.

His hand slid into her hair, pulling her closer. Hers pressed against his chest, feeling the way his heart pounded against her palm.

It hurt.

It felt too much.

It felt like everything.

And still, it wasn’t enough.

Adele pulled back first, breathing hard. Her lips parted. Her eyes were still on his.

Torak didn’t move away. His jaw was tight now as his chest rose and fell.

"This doesn’t change anything," she said, more like a warning.

Torak held her gaze. "I know."

He stepped back, and the distance returned. A cold and unforgiving distance. He bent slightly, picking up the clothes he had dropped earlier.

But he didn’t offer them again.

He looked at her one last time. "Get some sleep," he said simply.

Then, he turned, walked to the door, opened it, and left.

Adele stood there, alone again.

Her chest still rising too fast with her lips still burning. Her heart refused to settle. Not even close.

Outside, the wind pressed against the window once more, soft and relentless.

Adele finally let her arms fall to her sides, but she didn’t move.

Not yet. If she did, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t run after him.

She would die for him in a heartbeat...

but making him her future? That terrifies her more than death.