They did not speak of it.
Not at first.
The hallway outside Ash's room had long since returned to normal—quiet, warm, almost lazy—but what Kael, Riven, and Juno carried away with them lingered far longer than the echo of a slammed door.
They separated instinctively, each retreating into their own thoughts.
Kael stood on the balcony, elbows resting on the railing, eyes fixed on the endless fall of water below. The valley stretched wide and peaceful, sunlight glinting off the mist like shattered glass.
He laughed under his breath.
"So that's how it is."
The image replayed against his will—Lunaria's flushed face, Ash too close, too intimate. Kael felt something twist in his chest, sharp and sudden, like a blade slipping between ribs.
Jealousy.
Raw. Undeniable.
He hated it.
Not because it existed—but because it was pointless.
Lunaria had always been… different. Gentle in a world that demanded cruelty. Powerful without arrogance. Beautiful without trying. Anyone with eyes and a pulse would eventually fall.
Kael had just been late.
He clenched his jaw, fingers tightening against the railing. For a moment—just a moment—he let himself imagine what it would be like if things were different.
Then he exhaled.
Slowly.
Let it go.
"If I let this rot," he muttered, "it'll ruin everything."
The group mattered more. Their survival mattered more. Lunaria's happiness mattered more than Kael's quiet, unspoken want.
So he crushed the feeling down, stamped it flat, and forced a grin back onto his face.
By the time he turned around, Kael was Kael again—loud, confident, unbothered.
At least on the surface
Riven sat alone in the shade near the window, arms folded, gaze distant.
He processed things differently.
He didn't feel jealousy like a spike.
He felt it like weight.
The kind that settled slowly in the chest and made breathing a conscious act.
Ash had crossed a line first. Claimed ground Riven had never dared to step onto. Watching it happen so suddenly stirred something unpleasant—possessive thoughts that Riven immediately rejected.
He despised those thoughts.
Lunaria was not an object.
Not a prize.
Not something to be claimed.
Riven closed his eyes briefly.
Control, he reminded himself.
Emotion was dangerous. Attachment even more so. If jealousy slipped into resentment, it would fracture the group—and fractures got people killed.
He opened his eyes again, gaze sharpening.
"Peace," he said quietly, as if sealing a vow.
Whatever he felt, he would master it. Lock it away. Use logic, not desire.
There were larger threats coming.
And Riven would not let his own heart become one of them.
Juno took it the hardest.
He laughed loudly at first—too loudly—cracking jokes as he walked away, tossing words over his shoulder to hide the way his chest felt hollow.
But when he was alone, the humor drained out of him.
He sat on the couch, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor.
"Damn," he muttered.
He had always felt drawn to Lunaria in a way he couldn't explain. Not just attraction—something softer. Protective. Warm. Like wanting to keep someone safe even when they didn't need it.
Seeing Lunaria choose someone else hurt more than he expected.
Still…
Juno leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
"I get it," he said quietly.
Ash wasn't careless. He wasn't cruel. If Lunaria had leaned in, if he had answered that kiss, then it wasn't one-sided.
And Juno wasn't the kind of man who ruined peace because his feelings weren't returned.
So he made a choice.
To step back.
To joke less.
To respect what had begun—even if it burned a little.
By evening, the four of them gathered in the living room again.
Ash was quieter than usual. Lunaria still hadn't come out.
No one mentioned what had happened.
The silence was… deliberate.
Kael was the first to break it. "We should register tomorrow."
Riven nodded immediately. "The city guild. Official standing."
Juno snapped his fingers. "Right. No more wandering without papers. Plus, better missions."
Ash glanced up, surprised—but relieved. "You're sure?"
Kael shrugged. "It's time."
What he didn't say was we need something solid. Something forward-facing. Something to anchor them before unspoken feelings grew teeth.
Riven stood. "If we're staying here, legitimacy matters."
Juno grinned faintly. "Besides. I hear this city has a strong guild structure. Could be useful."
Ash looked toward the hallway—toward Lunaria's room—then back at them.
"…Thank you," he said quietly.
None of them responded.
They didn't need to.
Because jealousy had been acknowledged.
And buried.
For now.
Peace held—not because they lacked desire, but because they valued each other more.
And tomorrow, they would walk into the guild as one unit.
Hunters.
Not rivals.