Kael sat on the packhouse balcony, his eyes fixed on the forest below. He could see Bella walking along the tree line, her steps slow and uncertain. She had been distant since her argument with Avalon, retreating into herself and avoiding everyone—including him. It was like she was building walls around her heart, and Kael felt powerless to break through them.
“She’s pulling away from Avalon,” Misery said, approaching quietly. Her voice was soft, yet it carried the weight of unspoken concern.
Kael sighed, his fingers gripping the edge of the wooden railing. “And me,” he muttered.
Misery leaned against the railing beside him, her golden eyes studying his tense expression. “She’s overwhelmed. Everything Avalon has been pushing her to do is dredging up emotions she doesn’t understand yet. Give her time.”
“Time?” Kael scoffed, his voice low but edged with frustration. “How much more time? She barely looks at me, Misery. It’s like every step forward pushes her two steps back.”
Misery placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You can’t force her, Kael. You know that. Patience is your only option. If you push too hard, you’ll only push her further away.”
Kael clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to argue. He knew Misery was right, but the thought of losing Bella again gnawed at him like an open wound.
As Misery left him to his thoughts, Kael watched Bella disappear into the forest. His wolf stirred restlessly inside him, urging him to follow her, to protect her. But he stayed put, reminding himself of Misery’s words. Bella needed space, no matter how much it hurt to give it to her.
In the forest, Bella walked among the tall trees, the crunch of leaves beneath her feet the only sound. She welcomed the silence, hoping it would help her sort through the chaos in her mind. Her confrontation with Avalon had left her shaken, not because of what Avalon had said, but because of how much truth there was in it.
Bella couldn’t deny the surge of jealousy she’d felt seeing Avalon with Kael. It had been a visceral, gut-wrenching reaction, and she hated herself for it. Why did she care? Why did the sight of Avalon’s hand on Kael’s arm make her chest ache?
Her thoughts drifted back to the memory that had surfaced the night before—Kael’s voice, raw with emotion, confessing his love for her.
“I love you, Bella, and I’ll fight for you until my last breath.”
The words echoed in her mind, stirring something deep within her. She leaned against a tree, closing her eyes and pressing a hand to her chest.
Why did those words feel so familiar? Why did they make her heart race and her stomach twist with longing?
Bella shook her head, trying to push the memory away. She had been fighting to remember, but now that fragments were coming back, she wasn’t sure she could handle them. Each memory was like a puzzle piece, revealing more of the picture but leaving her feeling even more incomplete.
Her mind wandered to Kael. Despite her frustration with him, she couldn’t ignore the pull she felt toward him. It was subtle, like a thread connecting them, but it was there. And the more she tried to deny it, the stronger it seemed to become.
Bella’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rustling leaves. She turned, half-expecting to see Kael following her again, but the forest remained empty. Still, the sensation of being watched lingered, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that Kael’s presence was with her, even if he wasn’t physically there.
She sat down at the base of the tree, drawing her knees to her chest. Her emotions were a tangled mess—anger, confusion, longing. She had spent so much time trying to figure out who she was that she hadn’t stopped to ask herself a more important question:
Who did she want to be?
Her fingers traced the edges of a fallen leaf, her gaze distant. Somewhere deep inside, a quiet voice whispered a truth she wasn’t ready to face.
“He loves me,” she murmured, her voice barely audible. “He’s always loved me.”
And then, softer still, she whispered, “Why do I feel like I already belong to him?”
The words hung in the air, unspoken answers lurking just beyond her reach.
From the balcony of the packhouse, Kael watched the forest, his wolf’s heightened senses attuned to Bella’s presence. He couldn’t see her anymore, but he knew exactly where she was.
“She’s thinking about you,” Misery said as she returned, her voice calm.
Kael didn’t reply, his jaw set as he stared into the trees.
“She’s torn,” Misery continued. “She may not remember everything, but her heart does. Give her time, Kael. She’ll find her way back to you.”
Kael exhaled slowly, his grip on the railing loosening. “She has to,” he whispered. “Because I can’t let her go.”