Nyx's POV
Kael's eyes flicked to my family standing in the doorway. My mother looked worried, my father stoic, Finn openly hostile, then he looked back to me.
"Fine," he said finally. "Do it."
I crossed to the bed, hyper-aware of every eye on us. My hands were shaking as I reached out and pressed my palm flat against his chest, over his heart. Even through the bandages, I could feel the steady beat of it.
The beat I'd saved.
The beat that now matched mine.
His hand came up slowly, hesitating at the edge of my cloak. I nodded, giving permission I wasn't sure either of us wanted to give.
His palm pressed against my chest, just below my collarbone. Warm. Careful.
The effect was immediate.
The bond flared between us. It was not painful this time, but settling. Like something that had been pulled out finally relaxing into place. I felt the connection strengthen, solidify, become something more stable than the raw, painful thing it had been moments ago.
Through the bond, I felt Kael's relief. And underneath it, buried deep, a flicker of something that felt horribly like gratitude.
'Better,' Frost said with satisfaction. 'The bond will tolerate more distance now. Not miles, perhaps, but enough to function.'
We held the position for a few more seconds, both of us breathing carefully, neither of us looking at each other before stepping back simultaneously.
The absence of his touch left my chest feeling oddly cold.
"I don't think you should spend more time here," my father said quietly from the doorway. "The Council won't be patient much longer."
I nodded and turned back to Kael. "I have to go. Will you—" I hesitated. "Will you be alright here?"
"I'm coming with you." He was already standing, moving slowly but with determination.
"You can barely walk—"
"And you can barely leave without me, apparently." His tone was bitter. "So either I come with you, or we both stay here and ignore the Council's summons. Your choice."
It wasn't really a choice at all.
"Fine." I looked at my family. "Thank you. For everything. For taking care of him, for—"
My mother crossed to me, pulled me into a fierce hug. "Be careful," she whispered. "And remember, you did nothing wrong. If they can't accept you and what you can offer to this world, it is their loss."
If only that were true.
Father nodded at me. Finn avoided my gaze. I badly wanted to talk to him but it always seems as if time is against us.
************************************************
The council had sent another messenger who stood outside my parents house and began walking ahead without a word the second I approached.
The walk to the Council grounds was made in almost complete silence.
The messenger led the way, clearly uncomfortable with the addition of Kael to our party. Kael walked beside me close enough that the bond didn't pull painfully, but not so close that we were touching. Every step seemed to cost him, though his face remained carefully blank.
Around us, people stopped to stare.
The whispers started almost immediately.
"—is that Kael Stormborn?—"
"—with the North girl—"
"—thought he'd disappeared after—"
"—what's he doing with her?—"
"—did you see how close they're walking?—"
"—something's not right—"
I kept my eyes forward, chin up, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing me flinch. But each whisper felt like a small cut.
Beside me, I felt Kael's shame and anger through the bond but it wasn't directed at me, for once, but at the situation. At himself.
We walked for twenty minutes in uncomfortable silence before Kael finally spoke.
"Why are we walking?"
The question was so unexpected I almost laughed. "What?"
"Why are we walking?" He gestured vaguely at the road stretching ahead of us. "The Council grounds are at least an hour away on foot. Why not take a car? Or—" He stopped, something shifting in his expression.
"Or what?" My voice came out sharper than I intended. "Materialize there on a beam of legendary wolf magic? Sorry, I used most of my power last night saving someone's ungrateful life."
"That's not what I meant—"
"Then what did you mean, Kael?" I stopped walking, turned to face him. The messenger stopped too, awkwardly giving us space. "Why do you think we're walking? Do you think my family has an entourage just sitting around? Do you think we have transportation spells prepared? Do you think we have anything?"
His face had gone still.
"My family has been treated like dirt for twelve generations," I continued, all the frustration and exhaustion and hurt pouring out. "We're the poorest family in the territory because no one will hire us for decent work. No one will do business with us. No one will associate with us because they're afraid the curse is contagious. We walk everywhere because we have no other option. So forgive me if I don't have the luxury of magical transport or white Escalade with my family crests on the door to suit your preference."
Kael said nothing. Through the bond, I felt his emotions shifting. Surprise giving way to shame giving way to something that felt horribly like understanding.
"I didn't know," he said finally. Quietly.
"No. You wouldn't." I started walking again. "People like you don't usually notice people like me. Not until we steal your destiny."
The rest of the walk passed in silence, heavier now and more uncomfortable.
The Council grounds loomed ahead—all marble and authority and cold, imposing power. Guards at the gates straightened when they saw us approaching, their eyes widening when they recognized first me, then Kael.
One of them actually took a step back.
"Miss North," the messenger said nervously. "The Council is waiting in the main hall. I'll escort you—"
"I know the way." I'd been here just yesterday, after all.
How could I forget the place I was accused of using magic to steal the life of the council's golden boy. The place I was imprisoned at and had escaped from a night ago to save the life of a boy who would rather choose death than be with me?
All this happened less than twenty-four hours ago, and it felt like a lifetime.