🌙 Episode 22: A Dangerous Pull
Lila's POV
The morning light seeped into the cave in thin, golden threads, catching on the edges of Ethan's profile. He sat near the entrance, back straight, his eyes fixed on the forest beyond.
He hadn't moved since I woke. Not even to eat.
"You don't rest, do you?" I asked softly, pulling my jacket tighter around me.
He glanced over his shoulder, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. "Not when you're here."
Something in the way he said it made my heart stutter. I tried to ignore the warmth rising in my chest.
"You'll collapse if you keep pushing yourself," I said. "Let me keep watch for a while."
His golden gaze softened. "And if something came for you while I slept?" He shook his head. "Not a risk I'll take."
I wanted to argue, but the stubborn set of his jaw told me it was useless. Instead, I sat beside him, close enough that our shoulders brushed.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn't uncomfortable—it thrummed with something heavier, like a current pulling us both in.
Finally, I asked the question that had burned in me since last night. "Do you… regret it?"
He turned to me slowly. "Regret what?"
"This bond," I whispered. My fingers twisted nervously in my lap. "Being tied to someone who didn't even know your world existed."
For a long moment, his eyes searched mine, deep and unreadable. Then he shook his head, firm and sure. "No. Never."
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. "Even if it puts you in danger?"
His lips curved into a faint, almost sad smile. "You are the danger, Lila. Not because you'll hurt me—but because you make me want things I shouldn't."
My breath caught, the air between us suddenly thin.
"What kind of things?" I whispered.
His gaze dropped to my lips for the briefest second before snapping back up. The look in his eyes made heat rush through me.
"I shouldn't say," he murmured, voice rough. "Because if I do… I won't be able to stop myself."
The air grew heavy, charged. My heart pounded as I leaned ever so slightly closer, drawn by something I couldn't fight.
"Then don't stop," I breathed before I could think.
The words broke him.
He reached up, cupping my face with a gentleness that contradicted the strength in his hand. For one breathtaking moment, his lips hovered a whisper away from mine, his breath warm against my skin.
And then—he pulled back.
I blinked, stunned, my heart slamming in my chest. "Ethan…"
His jaw was tight, his eyes burning with conflict. "I can't."
"Why not?" My voice cracked, the sting of rejection sharp.
"Because if I cross that line, there's no going back," he said, voice rough with restraint. "And I don't want you to wake up one day and regret being tied to me."
My chest ached, torn between relief and frustration. "I don't think I could regret you."
The admission slipped out before I could stop it.
His eyes closed briefly, like the words struck something deep inside him. When they opened again, the golden glow was brighter, fiercer.
He leaned closer, his forehead resting gently against mine. "You'll be the end of me, Lila."
My breath trembled. "Maybe I'll be your beginning instead."
For a long, fragile moment, we stayed like that—foreheads pressed, hearts racing, neither willing to break the spell.
Ethan's POV
The wolf inside me howled for more—for her lips, her skin, her warmth. Every instinct screamed to claim her, to seal the bond completely.
But I couldn't. Not yet.
She deserved a choice.
Still, her scent wrapped around me, sweet and intoxicating, testing every ounce of control I had.
I pulled back slightly, forcing distance between us before I lost the battle. "We should move soon. Rogues won't give up that easily."
Her disappointment flickered across her face, but she nodded. "All right."
As she gathered her things, I let my gaze linger for a moment too long. The way she carried herself—fragile but unbroken—lit something fierce in me.
She thought she was ordinary. She didn't see how extraordinary she truly was.
And that terrified me, because the longer she stayed by my side, the more I knew I could never let her go.
Lila's POV
As we stepped out of the cave, the sunlight spilling over us, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between us.
He hadn't kissed me. But in some ways, that almost hurt more.
Because now I knew—he wanted to.
And so did I.
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✨ End of Episode 22