I was finding it difficult to compose myself, with Nyla's presence still clinging to the room.
"I can share," she had said.
I heard her—every word—but the woman was a contradiction in the truest sense. Her words said I'll share, but that kiss said I shouldn't have to.
I got to my feet and let out a soft laugh. She really had me wrapped around her finger. A real first for me. I don't know if it's the skills, the pheromones, or just her being her—but something in me is shifting.
I don't dislike it, I thought, smiling to myself.
But it troubled me too. Am I really the kind of guy who just… adapts this easily?
Before I could settle too far into that thought, a voice stirred in the back of my mind.
Yuki.
She was awake. Calling for me.
I rushed to her room. The cold blanketed my skin as I stepped inside, but I hardly noticed. My focus was on her.
The air was thick with frost and quiet tension. I pushed through a curtain of icy pillars into the heart of the frozen chamber, where Yuki had been resting and healing.
There she was—seated on a throne of ice, hair cascading sloppily over her shoulders. The straps of her dress had fallen off one shoulder, and her gaze met mine beneath half-lidded eyes. Not cold. Not distant. But warm. Clouded. Her cheeks flushed a faint pink, her lips fuller than usual.
Honestly?
It was kinda sexy.
"Kai," she whispered.
Kai?
She never calls me that.
She stood and walked toward me like she was in a trance.
"I've been patient," she murmured. "So very patient." Her arms wrapped around me as she buried her face in my chest. "I knew you'd come. Hoped you would. And now, finally…"
She looked up—and kissed me.
What the fu—
I couldn't even process it. This wasn't Yuki. Or maybe it was a side of her I'd never seen. Either way, it was… nice.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her deeper into the kiss. She gasped softly but didn't pull away. Not at first. Every time we paused for air, she came back hungrier, more urgent. It wasn't like Nyla—there was no fire, no dominance. Just… longing.
She wasn't trying to claim me.
She wanted to be claimed.
Accepted.
Chosen.
My hands moved down the curve of her back, brushing her skin lightly. I gripped her ass and gave it a firm squeeze. She jolted, startled—but didn't resist.
At least not until the fog cleared.
She suddenly shoved me away, falling onto her butt in a flustered panic.
"M-m-master!? What are you—what was I—Oh my God!" Her face burned red as she slapped her hands over her cheeks.
"You were showing me a good time," I said, offering her a hand.
She scooted back, still shaken.
"That… that wasn't a dream? Did I really—?"
"So I'm your dream guy?" I teased.
Her face turned even redder as she looked away, hiding behind her hair.
"…You're my only dream," she muttered.
My heart skipped a beat. Damn. Didn't expect that.
"But I'm not yours, so—"
Another skip.
But this one hurt.
I wanted to brush it off with a joke. Make light of it. But the pain in her voice was real. Her expression even more so. It reminded me of that night—when Seldric attacked.
We never got to talk about it. Not really. She'd mentioned who he was before collapsing. What he meant to her. What they were supposed to be.
It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I didn't like the idea of someone else laying claim to her. But could I blame her? Could I really act like I was some great alternative?
Fuck that.
I didn't care about what was "right."
This was about what I felt now.
"Yuki…" I said softly, moving to sit beside her. "You're more than you think you are to me."
"…Maybe. But I'm not like her. Like Nyla. Not to you."
"Nah, you're not," I replied honestly.
Her shoulders slumped.
"You're something else entirely. But in no way less important."
She turned to me, eyes glassy. "But I'll always be second, won't I? I would face an army for you, but I'll never measure up. I saw it when Nyla fought Seldric. She did what I couldn't. I gave everything just to scratch him. He didn't even take me seriously."
She looked down, voice bitter. "I'm inferior."
"No. You're different. That's true. And yeah, Nyla's stronger—hell, she's got me beat too. She's a beast. Literally. But you've got something she doesn't."
"Like what?"
"You're calm. Smart. Kind. Beautiful."
"Nyla is most of those things too."
"Maybe. But you're all those things in a way only you can be. Nyla burns with the intensity of a thousand suns. That fire threatens to consume me. But you…" I paused. "You're a tranquil tundra. The cold that balances my heat."
She didn't say anything—just leaned her head into my chest. I stroked her hair gently.
"I can feel your doubt through our bond. I know you're not happy being second. But you're wrong." I paused. "You're not second place."
She looked up, surprised.
"Really?"
"It's not a ranking. It's more like… 1a and 1b. I need you both—just differently. Her chaos. Your calm. It completes me. I know that might not be the answer you want, and I can't promise my heart won't lean one way or the other… but right now?"
I met her gaze.
"My heart says it needs you. Can that be enough?"
She stared at me for a long moment… then quietly stood and walked back to her ice throne without a word.
I waited in silence, unsure if I said too much—or not enough.
Then she returned, leaned in, and kissed me one last time. Soft. Tender.
"Can I have some time to think?" she asked, eyes downcast.
"Yeah," I said. "I owe you that."
I turned to leave. Didn't look back. I couldn't.
Just as I stepped out, a wave of pure bliss rippled through our bond.
Followed by an icy chill.
"…Did you notice?" she said, voice low and cold.
I bolted down the corridor, a smile creeping across my lips.
Yeah.
Things were changing.
But that didn't mean we couldn't adapt.
The feeling in my chest told me one thing—
It would all work out. Somehow.