Chapter 11: Breathing Room

The forest looked different in the early morning light.Less like a place to escape to, more like something ancient watching him. The wind stirred the leaves overhead, and the birds began their slow, sleepy chorus. But Aiden barely noticed. 

His attention was on the god-king sitting beside him.Theron hadn't left.He hadn't yelled, hadn't dragged him home, hadn't called him a coward for running off in the middle of the night.He'd just... stayed.And Aiden didn't know what to do with that.

The warmth of the sun pressed against his back. He sat cross-legged on the edge of the cliff, his arms resting on his knees, hair tangled from wind and sleep and running. His skin smelled like pine and cold earth. 

There were still a few bits of leaves in his clothes from when he collapsed here and drifted off.He hadn't meant to sleep. Hadn't meant to scare anyone.But he had needed the run—needed the break. From the walls. From the tension. 

From Theron's steady gaze and the pack's too-loud silence. From the memories of Evelyn he couldn't quite bury.From himself.Aiden risked a glance at Theron.

The white-haired alpha king sat still, regal even while quiet, arms loosely crossed, eyes focused on the horizon as if measuring the day. 

His presence was grounding, and that was dangerous in its own right.Because Aiden didn't know how to feel safe anymore."I didn't mean to disappear," Aiden said finally, voice rough with morning and emotion.

 "I just... I couldn't sleep."Theron looked at him then, eyes a cooler shade of silver in the light. "I know."Aiden looked down at his hands. "Sometimes, when it's too quiet, it feels like everything in my head gets louder. Like I'm trapped under it."

Theron didn't interrupt. He didn't have to. His silence wasn't empty—it was patient."I think about Evelyn," Aiden admitted. "Not because I want her back. Just... because everything happened so fast, and now everything's different. I don't even know who I am in all this anymore."

"You're still you," Theron said softly. "Even if it feels like you're shedding old skin."Aiden scoffed. "That's the problem. I don't know if what's underneath is better. 

Stronger. Or just... more broken.

"Theron turned to him fully, leaning in just enough that their shoulders brushed."You're not broken, Aiden. You're changing. And it hurts like hell—but change always does."For a second, Aiden wanted to argue. 

He wanted to snap back that Theron didn't know, that he couldn't understand. But he did. Aiden saw it in the lines around his eyes. In the way he held his strength not like a shield, but a responsibility.

"I hate that I care what they think," Aiden whispered. "The betas. The pack. Like I'm some broken toy they don't want anymore."

"You're not a toy," Theron said with quiet steel. "And you never were. If they can't see what you are, that's their blindness. Not your fault."

Aiden looked away again, but this time his chest didn't feel quite as tight."I don't know how to be good at this," he said. "At... being whatever I'm supposed to be now."Theron gave a small, tired smile. "Then don't be good at it. Just be honest."

Aiden blinked. "That's it?""That's all I ask."There was a long pause. The wind picked up. A hawk cried in the distance.Aiden took a breath, deeper this time. 

The sun was higher now, the sky bluer. His heartbeat had slowed. And maybe—just maybe—he didn't feel like running anymore."I think I'm ready to go back," he said.Theron stood slowly. "Then I'll walk with you."And he did

.Not ahead.Not behind.But right beside him.They walked in silence.Not the heavy kind, not the kind packed with unsaid words or stifled emotion. This silence felt... clean. Like the air after a storm. Like breathing without flinching. 

Each step Aiden took on the forest floor loosened something tight inside him.Theron didn't try to fill the space with advice or questions. He just moved beside him, tall and quiet, with that same quiet presence that always felt more honest than anything Aiden had known before.It was strange.

 Comforting.

And a little terrifying.Aiden kept his eyes on the path ahead. "You always wake up that fast?" he asked, voice low, almost sheepish.Theron huffed a quiet laugh. "Only when the person I care about disappears without a word in the middle of the night."Aiden's steps faltered for half a second. 

Care about? His chest squeezed.He didn't answer right away. Instead, he bent to brush a leaf from his calf, buying himself time. "Didn't think I'd be missed," he muttered."You were."

There was no hesitation in Theron's voice.The forest grew lighter as they neared the edge of pack territory. Aiden could see the faint rooflines of the dens through the trees, distant figures already moving about. Morning routines. 

Normal life.His stomach twisted.

"Theron..." he stopped walking, the words clawing at his throat. "I'm not sure they'll ever accept me. Not really. Not after—" He cut himself off before Evelyn's name could leave his lips again.Theron turned to him, eyes steady. 

"You're not here to be accepted by everyone, Aiden. You're here because you belong. Whether they like it or not.""And if you're the only reason I'm still breathing?"

"Then I'll keep breathing for both of us until you can do it on your own."

Aiden stared at him, chest tight. He wanted to say thank you, but the words felt too small. Wanted to say something clever, but his mouth was dry. So instead, he nodded once and whispered, 

"Okay."They stepped back into the edge of the den grounds. Heads turned. A few pack members glanced at them—some curious, others wary. One or two betas looked away when Aiden met their eyes.

He didn't flinch this time.Because Theron didn't.And maybe, just maybe, he didn't have to fight this alone.As they approached the Alpha King's den, Aiden slowed again, hesitation crawling up his spine. Theron noticed. Of course he did.

"You want to go for another run?" he asked gently. "We don't have to go in yet."Aiden shook his head. "No. I think I need to stop running."He stepped forward first this time.And Theron followed, just a step behind.