Mihir's fingers traced the edge of the rooftop, his voice barely above the river's murmur.
"Ten years old. Sahir and I were fighting over some stupid toy car." A hollow laugh escaped him. "Neither of us knew how to control our daavansh blood yet."
The memory flickered in his darkening eyes-
*-Sahir's small body slamming against the wall. The crack of plaster. His brother's whimper.*
"I lost control. Just for a second." Mihir's thumb dug into his palm. "Mom walked in right as Sahir hit the floor."
Maira watched the pulse jump in his throat.
"For months after," he continued, "she'd flinch whenever I reached for her. Stopped tucking me in. One day at school, I-" His breath hitched. "-jumped off the third-floor balcony. Just to see if she'd care."
The ghost of a smile touched his lips. "My powers activated mid-fall. Suspended me in the air like some damned cartoon. Then this tiny girl-couldn't have been older than six-dragged me down by my shirt collar." His voice softened. "She wasn't even scared."
Maira's chest tightened.
"Mom didn't change until my fifteenth birthday." His knuckles whitened. "I finally snapped-screamed at her in front of everyone. Built this place that same night."
The river roared beneath them.
Maira waited until his breathing steadied. "She came after you, didn't she?"
Mihir nodded stiffly.
"And you've punished her every day since." Maira turned to face him fully. "Your mom's human, Mihir. She made *one* mistake in fifteen years of loving you."
A leaf trembled in the wind between them.
Maira's fingers curled around the rooftop ledge, her voice softening like monsoon rain on parched earth.
"I never held my mother's hand."
Mihir's breath hitched.
"No photos. No stories." She stared at the distant horizon where the river swallowed the sunset. "Just Kailashi-Nani's whispers about how Mohana stole them before I could form memories." A bitter smile. "You know what I'd give for *one* of my mother's scoldings?"
Maira turned to him, eyes glistening. "You got angry at fifteen? Good. She *heard* you. She *came* for you." Her thumb brushed his clenched fist. "That's more than ghosts can do."
Mihir's shoulders trembled-once.
"I'm not saying forget." Maira pressed her forehead to his shoulder, her next words vibrating through his bones: "I'm saying *stop making her pay for loving you imperfectly*."
Mihir's gaze locked onto Maira's, the sunset painting gold flecks in his dark eyes. For a heartbeat, the river's roar faded to nothing.
*"I wonder why I listen to you, PA."* His voice was rough, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
Maira's lips curved as she leaned closer. *"It's a *very* good thing."* A breeze carried her teasing whisper: *"Husbands who listen to their wives live longer."*
*"Bullshit."*mihir says faintly smiling
Maira picked at a loose thread on her dupatta, eyes fixed on the river below. "You should thank me, you know."
Mihir kept staring straight ahead. "What for?"
"That little girl who pulled you down?" She turned just enough to see his profile. "That was me."
The air between them stilled.
Mihir's fingers dug into the ledge. Slowly, he turned his head. Maira watched realization dawn in his dark eyes-the way they flickered between her face and some long-buried memory.
"...You." The word came out rough. "That bossy brat was *you*?"
Maira grinned at the water. "It seems we were destined to meet."
Mihir exhaled sharply through his nose. For once, he had no comeback.
The last sunlight gilded the silence between them.
Maira's grin faltered. *"And what do you mean by 'bossy brat'?"*
Mihir's eyes lit with rare mischief. He straightened, pitching his voice into a high-pitched imitation: *"'Only *bad boys* do such things to make their parents worried!'"* His finger jabbed the air like a miniature scolding. *"'My Nani says you should not cause harm to yourself! And stop trying to fly like Superman if you don't know how!'"*
Maira's laughter burst forth-bright and unguarded, the sound bouncing off the river below. Her head tipped back, curls escaping her braid as she clutched her stomach.
Mihir's smirk faded. Something shifted in his chest as he watched her:
- The way her nose scrunched
- How her bangles clashed with each shaking breath
- That *sound*-like sunlight given voice
He didn't realize he'd stopped breathing until she wiped her eyes.
*"God,"* Maira wheezed, *"I *did* sound insufferable."*
Mihir swallowed hard. *"Still do."* But the words lacked their usual bite.
**Kashyap Mansion - Evening**
Sapna's fingers clutched the cold teacup, her knuckles pale. Sahir gently replaced it with a warm one, his voice steady. *"He'll come home, Maa."*
Teju tightened her grip on Sapna's shoulder. *"Maira made a promise.And I trust that she will fulfill her promise"*
The front door swung open.
Kailashi entered, her sari's edge damp from the evening mist. The family moved as one-Sahir bowing to touch her feet, Moti Baa rising from her chair with unexpected speed.
*"Naani,"* Teju said, meeting the old woman's gaze. *"Greetings."*
Kailashi cupped Sapna's face, her voice like ancient parchment. *"The night is darkest before dawn, beti."*
Kailashi rose, her silver anklets chiming. The firelight carved shadows across her face as she spoke: *"The darkness coils around Mihir's soul like a serpent-but it can be unwound."*
Sahir leaned forward, his expression determined. *"How?"*
*"Ras Jeevan."* The words hung in the air like incense smoke
The Moon God crafted Ras Jeevan for his cursed children-a gift to werewolves torn between forms."* Kailashi knotted fingers unspooled the legend like sacred thread:
Kailashi's bone-chilling announcement silenced the room:
*"The werewolves' Ras Jeevan potion could purify Mihir-though none of their cursed blood runs in his veins."*
Sahir's medical instincts surfaced. *"How can a lycanthrope elixir work on daavansh physiology?"*
*"Because both answer to the moon,"* Kailashi said, her silver nose ring catching the lamplight.
Teju's fingers drummed against the carved teak table. *"But where do we find these wolf clans?"*
Kailashi produced a yellowed parchment from her sari folds. The map unfurled with a whisper, revealing inked mountain ranges and a pulsing crimson dot near Nepal's border. *"The last moon-touched pack dwells here-in the Valley of Howling Shadows."*
Sahir was already strapping on his medical satchel. *"Then I leave tonight. I'll bring back Ras Jeevan for Mihir."*
*"Alone?"* Sapna's voice cracked. *"Those forests eat men whole!"*
*"I'll go with him."* Teju stood, her wedding bangles clashing like war bells.
Kailashi pressed the map into Sahir's palm. *"Beware the twin moons-when both appear in the sky, the wolves are strongest."*
A gust of wind blew open the window, scattering monsoon petals across the floor. The house seemed to breathe with them-ready.