The Walls Return

The dawn was quiet, but Aria's heart was anything but.

She stood in the center of the training ground, striking furiously at a wooden dummy, her movements sharp, relentless. The memory of Kael's kiss from the night before still burned on her lips, but she pushed it down—buried it beneath muscle and movement.

Emotions made her weak.

She couldn't afford to be weak.

She had a clan to lead. Enemies to face. A future that didn't allow her to collapse under the weight of old wounds or new attachments.

And Kael… Kael was starting to feel like a danger.

Not because he would hurt her, but because he saw her. And if he could see her, he could break her.

Aria landed a final blow that split the dummy's chest, panting as she wiped sweat from her brow. Her fingers trembled—not from exhaustion, but from the war raging inside her.

She didn't hear Kael approach, but she felt him.

"Training this early?" he asked, voice low, hesitant.

She didn't look at him. "Keeps me sharp."

There was a silence between them. Heavy. Dense. It pressed down on Kael's chest as he stepped closer.

"About last night—"

"Don't," Aria cut in, her voice sharp and cold. "It was a mistake."

Kael froze.

"A mistake?" he repeated, stunned.

She finally turned to face him, eyes guarded. "I shouldn't have let it happen. I shouldn't have let you get that close."

His eyes darkened. "So now you're pretending it meant nothing?"

"I'm not pretending," she snapped. "It can't mean anything. I can't let it. Not now."

Kael stepped forward, desperate to understand. "Why? Because you're scared? Because you think loving someone makes you vulnerable?"

Her jaw clenched. "Because it does."

He stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he nodded slowly, the hurt flickering in his eyes before he turned away.

"I see."

"Kael—"

"No," he said quietly, not turning back. "You've made it clear."

She watched him walk away, her heart screaming behind the fortress she'd just rebuilt.

Later that day, whispers spread like wildfire through the pack: Kael was leaving.

He had packed his things, called his warriors, and was heading back to the Eastern Territories before sunset.

Aria stood at the edge of the gathering hall, hidden behind a stone pillar, watching as he mounted his horse. His expression was unreadable, his posture stiff. Proud.

He didn't look back.

And that hurt more than she expected.

Much more.