POV: Soraya
The morning after my visions feels softer—not because the world has changed, but because someone familiar walks beside me.
Kaide.
He requested time alone with me before Ashra’s group departs Zehrael for the evening, and Baltimus agreed without hesitation. No jealousy. No warning. Just a quiet nod that told me: Go. You need this.
Kaide and I walk toward the lake on the eastern border, where Zehrael land meets the ordinary desert—a thin line between magic and heat. The lake’s surface glows faintly, reflecting floating shards of moonlight even in daylight.
“It still blows my mind that your land glitters,” Kaide mutters, squinting at the water. “If Ashra had lakes like this, Tazir would probably fall in every day just to watch himself sparkle.”
A laugh escapes me—soft, unguarded. It feels good.
Feels like breathing after holding my lungs shut for a year.
Kaide grins at the sound. “There she is… my Soraya.”
I look away, cheeks warming. “I’m not the same Soraya anymore, Kaide.”
He bumps my shoulder gently. “Maybe not. But some parts survived. The good parts.”
I swallow. Emotion shifts inside my chest like a tide.
We sit at the lake’s edge, our feet dangling above the glowing water. The surface ripples in lazy arcs, following the movement of my magic instead of the wind. Zehrael lakes have their own consciousness, tied to the wolves born of this land.
Kaide watches it with open fascination. “Your magic listens to you. That’s… beautiful, Soraya.”
“It listens,” I say quietly, “but doesn’t always obey.”
He gives me a look—half teasing, half something deeper. “Sounds like you.”
I shake my head, smiling despite myself. My fingers skim the water, and moonlit ripples pulse outward, forming patterns. Small spheres of water lift into the air, glowing like tiny blue suns.
Kaide’s eyes widen. “Teach me?”
The enthusiasm in his voice makes warmth bloom inside me. “Teach you how to… what? Lift glowing water?”
“Sure. Or fish. Or both. I’m not picky.”
I snort, then gesture for him to mimic me. “Alright. Fishing it is. But Zehrael style is… different.”
We kneel, hands hovering over the water.
I guide him through the breathing pattern Baltimus taught me when I first arrived: slow inhale, long exhale, letting the lake’s pulse match your own.
Kaide frowns with hard concentration. “Feels like the water’s staring back at me.”
“It is,” I say cheerfully. “Try not to freak out.”
His eyes widen. “Soraya–”
I laugh again, unable to resist.
He rolls his eyes, but his smile returns quickly—so warm I feel my chest tighten.
“Focus,” I instruct. “Let the magic flow from your palm to the water. Just a little.”
He tries. The water trembles slightly. A fish swims near us, shimmering silver.
“Now lift it,” I say.
Kaide squints, brows knitting, and—
The fish shoots twenty feet in the air like a launched spear.
“KAIDE—!”
“GODS—SORAYA—!”
It arcs in a glowing line and lands several meters away with a dramatic splash.
We stare. Silence. Then laughter erupts from both of us, wild and uncontrollable.
Kaide wipes a tear from his eye. “You know what? I think I mastered it. Definitely.”
“You nearly impaled a cloud,” I wheeze.
“Impressive, right?” He leans back on his hands, smug. “Maybe Baltimus should hire me as Zehrael’s official fisher.”
I nudge him with my knee. “Please don’t.”
His grin softens then, fading into something tender. “I missed this.”
I freeze. The words hang between us.
Kaide’s voice lowers. “I missed you.”
My throat tightens. “I didn’t know how much I missed all of you until I saw you again.”
“And Raevan?” he asks softly.
The question stings. “Raevan… is complicated.”
“Raevan is a mess,” Kaide says bluntly. “He’s half wreckage, half storm.”
I swallow. “And I can’t be part of that storm again.”
Kaide studies me carefully. “Do you love him?”
My breath stutters.
The lake stills beneath my hands.
“I don’t know what I feel anymore,” I admit. “I thought I moved on. I truly believed Raevan had forgotten me the moment I died in the desert. I forced myself to build something new. To survive. To be whole.”
“And you did,” Kaide murmurs.
“But seeing him here…” I shake my head. “It wakes everything I buried.”
Kaide doesn’t respond right away.
Instead, he reaches over and touches my hand.
Not possessive. Not demanding. Just gentle. Grounding.
“Soraya,” he says quietly, “you’re a Luna now. Not just of a pack—but of a nation. You are power and peace all in one. Whether you love Raevan, or care for Baltimus, or stand alone—your worth doesn’t depend on either man.”
Emotion fills my chest like rising water. I whisper, “Kaide… why are you always so good to me?”
He exhales a laugh, leaning back slightly. “Because someone has to be. And because I meant what I said in Ashra, even if things were… twisted back then.”
I turn to him. Our eyes meet.
Kaide holds my gaze, unflinching. “If you were a dune girl with sand in your hair and no last name—or if you were the Luna of Zehrael with two nations about to go to war over you—I’d still choose to stand by your side.”
My breath catches. He continues, voice firmer now:
“You’re family to me, Soraya. Not by blood. Not by pack. By choice. By loyalty.”
A tear escapes down my cheek. Kaide wipes it gently with his thumb.
“Whatever happens next,” he promises softly, “you won’t face it alone. I swear it.”
Warmth fills the coldest parts of me.
Kaide pulls me into a brief, strong embrace. Not romantic—not hungry—just safe. Solid. A reminder that some bonds are simple, unconditional things.
When we separate, the lake glows brighter, as if blessing the moment.
And for the first time in a long while, I feel steady. Grounded. Not torn between two worlds—but held by one that still cares for me.
Whether I am Soraya the exile, Soraya the Zehrael Luna, or something in between—Kaide will be by my side.