Selene barely tasted her coffee.
Even after Damien left, the weight of his presence lingered, suffocating her. His voice, his threat, the possessiveness in his eyes—it all echoed in her mind like a warning she couldn't escape.
Kieran hadn't moved from his seat beside her, but his entire body was coiled with tension, his gaze locked on the door as if he were considering going after Damien.
Selene exhaled sharply. "Don't."
Kieran's jaw ticked, his fingers drumming against the table. "He's testing you."
"I know," she murmured, gripping her cup tighter.
Kieran turned to her, his expression unreadable. "And you're letting him."
Her fingers tightened until her knuckles turned white. "What the hell do you want me to do, Kieran? He's not just some jealous ex—he's Damien."
"I know exactly who he is." His voice was quiet, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. "And I know what he's capable of."
Selene swallowed hard, trying to ignore the lump in her throat. "Then you also know why walking away isn't that simple."
Kieran's gaze darkened, his fingers flexing as if he were holding himself back from doing something reckless. "You don't have to do this alone, Selene."
She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "I've always been alone in this."
The silence between them stretched, heavy and suffocating.
Then, before she could stop herself, the words spilled from her lips.
"He used to be different, you know."
Kieran stilled, his eyes narrowing.
Selene let out a shaky breath, staring into the dark liquid of her coffee. "When we first met, he wasn't… this." She swallowed. "He was charming. Strong. He made me feel safe."
Kieran exhaled sharply, like he already knew where this was going.
Selene's throat tightened. "But that was before the power, before the control became an obsession. Before I became just another thing for him to own."
She felt Kieran's gaze on her, unwavering, intense.
"You don't owe him anything, Selene."
She let out a breath, shaking her head. "You think I don't know that?" She looked up at him, her eyes burning. "But leaving Damien isn't just about me. There are rules. Laws. Supernatural bonds that aren't so easy to break."
Kieran's expression hardened. "And if I told you I'd break them for you?"
Selene's breath caught.
He wasn't joking.
The air between them shifted—something dangerous, something raw.
She could see it in his eyes, the way he was barely holding himself back.
And for the first time in years, a flicker of hope burned in her chest.
But hope was dangerous.
So she forced herself to look away, to push down the emotions clawing their way to the surface.
"Kieran…" she started, but he cut her off.
"I mean it, Selene." His voice was low, steady. "I will fight for you."
Selene swallowed hard. "And what if I don't want you to?"
The lie burned her tongue, but she said it anyway.
Kieran's gaze darkened, but he didn't look away. "Then tell me to walk away."
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
Because she couldn't say it.
Not when she knew it would be a lie.
Not when she had spent years pretending she didn't want him.
The silence stretched, thick with unspoken words.
Then Kieran reached out, his fingers brushing against hers—a simple touch, but it sent fire through her veins.
"You're not alone in this anymore, Selene," he murmured.
And for the first time in a long time…
She almost believed him.