The chapel gardens were glowing in that early golden sunlight, the kind that makes everything look a little bit magical. Dew clung to the flower petals, sparkling like they were keeping tiny secrets.
Niah sat tucked away on a weathered bench, hidden beneath a canopy of white blossoms. Her fingers kept fiddling with the edge of her scarf, almost like she was trying to ground herself. The vision she'd had was still hanging over her, heavy and strange, like wearing someone else's skin and not quite knowing how to move in it.
She didn't even notice Zaire until he was right there, practically materialising at her side. Typical Zaire, always moving like a shadow, watching her and never missing a thing.
"You look closed off," he said, his voice soft but direct.
Niah looked up, not even a little surprised to find him already studying her. There was no hint of judgment in his eyes, just that quiet, steady understanding he always seemed to have. She gave a half-shrug. "I'm just processing things."
"That's allowed." He dropped onto the bench next to her, careful to leave a little space but close enough to be there, and not crowding her.
For a while, Niah just let the silence hang between them. She watched the fountain in the middle of the garden, where the water caught the breeze and scattered sunlight everywhere. It was peaceful, but her mind was anything but.
Finally, she let out a breath. "I don't even know how to feel about all of it," she admitted. "It's like… someone opened a door in my head and just left it swinging in the wind."
Zaire tilted his head, studying her the way you might watch the sky when you're sure a storm's about to break. "You're not alone in this, Esme." She rolled her eyes at the nickname, but for once, she didn't bother correcting him.
Before Zaire could say anything else, chaos exploded into the garden, a blur of fur and energy.
Dusken.
He came barreling toward Niah in his massive wolf-dog form, tongue lolling, tail wagging like crazy. He crashed into her legs with a happy oof, shoving his big head into her lap like he was the world's most magical, oversized puppy.
"Dusken! You will crush her," Zaire snapped, sounding more annoyed than angry.
But Niah was already laughing—a real and unfiltered laugh that surprised even her. She buried her hands in Dusken's fur, scratching his ears as he melted into a puddle of pure joy at her feet, letting out a deep, rumbling sigh of contentment.
"Oh, he's so perfect," she grinned. " And don't snap at him. He totally gets it....You get it, don't you, buddy?"
Dusken barked softly and flopped onto his back, all but demanding belly rubs.
Zaire scowled. "No. He does not get it."
Niah shot him a teasing look, one eyebrow raised as she obliged Dusken's request. "Looks like someone's Jealous?"
"I don't get jealous," Zaire said, deadpan.
Dusken let out a dramatic whine and pressed even harder against Niah, as if to say, She's mine now.
Niah smirked with a teasing smile. "Oh, you sure about that? Because your face is telling a different story."
Zaire narrowed his eyes. "He's doing this on purpose."
Dusken's tail thumped even harder, clearly enjoying every second.
Niah leaned in, stage-whispering to Dusken, "I think your alpha's pouting."
Zaire shot her a look that could have wilted the flowers, but she just grinned wider. For the first time in what felt like forever, she was really smiling. The heaviness in her chest didn't vanish, but it eased up just a little. Maybe it wouldn't ever go away completely, but right now, with a not-quite-wolf sprawled across her lap and Zaire sulking beside her like a moody statue with a secret soft side, the weight didn't seem so impossible.
Zaire watched her for a moment, then let his shoulders relax. "You're getting stronger."
Niah met his gaze, her smile softer now. "I'm trying."
And in the hush that followed, something shifted between them, just a tiny thread, invisible but real, pulling them a little closer with every breath.
* * *