POV: Soraya
The desert swallowed Zarek’s shouts as we left him behind, carried by moonlight and fear and adrenaline. Raevan still held me in his arms, his grip steady but trembling with leftover rage. Kaide rode beside us, eyes scanning every dune, every shadow, every whisper of wind.
The scouts limped behind on the spare horses Raevan and Kaide had brought, still shaken but alive. Alive because of me—though my wolf’s near-loss of control left a sick weight in my stomach.
We rode in silence for a while, the desert air cold against my burning skin. My head pressed weakly against Raevan’s chest, but my mind was far from calm.
Zarek’s voice lingered.
His threats. His illusions. His manipulation.
And worse, my mother’s voice inside that crystal.
A lump formed in my throat.
Kaide slowed until his horse matched pace with ours. He looked at me—not at Raevan, not at the scouts, but me, with a gentleness I hadn’t realized he carried. Or maybe I did. I just haven't always noticed it. Though I should've.
Kaide was always by my side; he never once betrayed me or doubted me, even when everyone else did. He stood with me even when Raevan himself turned away from me. And I can't be any more grateful for that.
“How’s your breathing?” he asked quietly. “You’re shaking.”
“I’m fine,” I whispered.
“You’re lying,” he said flatly. “And badly.”
I huffed a weak laugh. “You always know.”
“That’s because you always try to hide it.”
Kaide leaned slightly closer. “Soraya… what you did tonight? Breaking into that palace? Freeing an entire squad of scouts? Surviving Zarek? You saved lives.”
My chest tightened. “I nearly destroyed them, Kaide. I almost shifted in the middle of them.”
that was true, as much as I'd like to believe I'm a savior rather than a savage. If Raevan wouldn't be able to help me stop the turning, I'd shift into a beast that ancient legends call demonic and fearful. I'd kill people. I'd even kill Raevan, perhaps.
What would I do then?
“Almost,” he said firmly as if to snap me from my thoughts. “But you didn’t. You stopped yourself. You held the wolf back.”
“Only because Raevan helped me.”
Kaide’s jaw twitched. “Yes. Because he wouldn’t let you lose yourself.”
I stared at the desert ahead. The dunes glowed faint silver under the moon. They felt endless and fragile all at once.
Kaide’s voice softened even more. “Soraya… do you understand what he did for you?”
I blinked. “He fought Zarek.”
Kaide snorted. “He fought Zarek, he fought Zarek’s entire escort, he nearly killed a king in neutral sand, and—” He leaned closer, incredulous. “—he tried to mobilize the entire Ashra army for you.”
My breath caught. “He… what? That’s—”
“Insane?” Kaide supplied. “Reckless? Politically catastrophic?” He smiled wryly. “Yes. All of the above. But Raevan wasn’t thinking about politics. He wasn’t thinking about consequences.”
I swallowed hard. “He was thinking about me.”
Kaide nodded. “He was ready to tear apart Saren itself to get you back.”
My throat closed.
Kaide’s expression shifted—something gentle but pained. “You should know… I’ve followed Raevan into some stupid battles. Some hopeless ones. Some legendary ones.” He paused. “But I’ve never seen him look the way he looked when he realized you were gone.”
“How did he look?” I whispered.
Kaide took a slow breath.
“Like a man missing half his soul.”
My eyes burned.
“And tonight,” Kaide continued quietly, “when he reached you—Soraya, I thought he was going to collapse. I don’t think he realized he was crying until after he held you.”
He said nothing of my own tears, but I felt the heat in my cheeks.
Behind us, Raevan’s horse slowed slightly. The alpha kept his face turned toward the dunes, pretending not to listen—but the tension in his jaw gave him away.
Kaide’s voice dropped even lower. “You don’t have to forgive him. Or accept him. Or let him close again.”
My heart twisted.
“But don’t pretend his loyalty is a small thing. Not after tonight. Not ever.”
I stared at Raevan’s silhouette—broad shoulders, scarred skin, hair whipping in the wind—and felt something unsteady shift inside me. Something more dangerous than love, trust, safety. Something unpredictable, primal.
Kaide straightened, giving me space. “We’ll reach Ashra by dawn. You’ll be safe. The scouts will be safe.”
I whispered, “Thank you, Kaide.”
He smiled softly. “It’s what family does.”
Family… Kaide once told me I was family. I asked him then if he meant that platonically… or romantically. He never answered.
But honestly? It doesn't matter.
It never did.
Because Kaide is family to me, too. And I don't care if it's meant to be or not, but he's a friend, one I value deeply.
Something inside me ached at that word—family. For the first time in a long while, it didn’t feel like a curse.