# Chapter 62 – My Claim, My Burden
*Kieran's POV*
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"Tell me something, Shadowmoon." I don't turn around when his footsteps approach. The morning mist clings to the training grounds like secrets we're both too proud to speak. "When you look at her sleeping, do you ever wonder if she dreams of another man's touch?"
The silence that follows is telling. I hear his breath catch, just barely, but it's enough.
"That's a dangerous question from someone who threw away his first chance at love." Damien's voice carries that edge I've come to recognize – the one that appears whenever we dance too close to truths neither of us wants to acknowledge.
I finally turn, letting him see the raw hunger in my eyes. "Maybe. But at least I know what I sacrificed for her."
His jaw tightens. "Do you?"
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The scent of jasmine still haunts my dreams.
