Isla's POV

I didn't expect Azriel to open up to me. Not like this, not tonight.

But here we were, standing in the dim glow of his room, shadows flickering like whispering sentinels around us. The tension was palpable, thick with something unsaid, something waiting to break free. I watched him, his eyes dark pools of conflict, his hands clenched at his sides as if holding himself together took more effort than he wanted to admit.

"I don't know where to start," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, rough around the edges.

"Start anywhere," I urged softly. "I'm here. I'll listen."

For a moment, he just stared at me, as if trying to decide whether he could trust me with the weight of what he was about to say. Then, slowly, he exhaled, his shoulders sagging under the burden he carried.

"It's Elain," he said, his tone laced with something I couldn't quite place—regret, maybe. Longing. Pain. "What I feel for her... it's not what everyone assumes. It's not a mating bond, not something that ties us together in the way people think. But it was real. It is real." He paused, his gaze distant. "I thought... I thought she could be mine, that we could be something. But she chose Lucien. And I—I don't blame her."

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. Hearing him speak about Elain like this hurt more than I wanted to admit. But I stayed silent, letting him continue.

"She's happy with him. And that should be enough for me. I want it to be enough," he said, his voice breaking slightly. He looked away, his shadows flickering around him in agitated waves. "But it's not. And now..." He trailed off, his eyes finding mine again, filled with something raw and unguarded. "Now, there's you."

My heart skipped a beat, his words hanging in the air like a fragile, breakable thing.

"There's me?" I repeated softly, almost afraid to believe what I was hearing.

Azriel took a step closer, his shadows swirling around us both in a gentle, almost hesitant embrace. "You make it harder," he admitted. "Harder to ignore what I feel. Harder to hold onto what I thought was supposed to be my future."

His words should have scared me, should have made me wary of the broken pieces he was offering. Instead, they only made me want to step closer, to gather those pieces and show him that he didn't have to face this alone.

"I'm not asking you to forget her, Azriel," I said quietly, my voice steady despite the emotions swirling inside me. "I'm not asking you for anything except the truth. Because whatever this is, whatever we're becoming, it matters to me. And I think it matters to you too."

For a moment, he didn't respond. His shadows stilled, wrapping around us like a second skin as if shielding us from the rest of the world. And then, slowly, he reached out, his hand brushing against mine in a touch so gentle it made my heart ache.

"It does matter," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "You matter, Isla. More than I know how to handle."

Something in me broke and healed at the same time, his words filling the cracks I hadn't realized were there. I stepped closer, closing the distance between us, and for the first time, I allowed myself to hope—hope that maybe, just maybe, we could figure this out together.

"I'm not going anywhere," I said firmly, meeting his gaze head-on. "Whatever happens, whatever this becomes—I'm here."

Azriel's hand tightened around mine, his shadows pulling us even closer. "And I'll try," he said quietly, his voice trembling with emotion. "I don't know how to do this, Isla. I don't know how to be what you deserve. But I'll try. For you."

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The night passed in a blur of quiet conversations and lingering touches, neither of us willing to break the fragile peace that had settled between us. We didn't talk about Elain again, and I didn't push him for more than he was ready to give.

But something shifted that night—something I couldn't quite put into words. It wasn't just about Azriel anymore; it was about us, about the connection that had been growing between us since the moment we met.

By the time dawn broke, casting a pale golden light over Velaris, I knew that things would never be the same. Azriel's shadows were still with me, a constant, comforting presence that felt almost like an extension of him.

But as much as I wanted to stay in that moment forever, reality had a way of intruding when you least expected it.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The next few days were a whirlwind of responsibilities and training, leaving little time for quiet moments with Azriel. But even in the chaos, his shadows never left me, always there when I needed them most.

I started to notice things I hadn't before—the way his shadows responded to my emotions, the way they seemed to understand me in a way no one else did. It was almost as if they were a language of their own, a language I was slowly learning to understand.

And then, one evening, as I stood on the balcony of the House of Wind, I felt them again, wrapping around me in a familiar, comforting embrace. I turned, expecting to see Azriel, but he wasn't there.

Instead, his shadows lingered, swirling around me like a silent promise.

"You always seem to know when I need you," I whispered, my voice barely audible above the wind.

The shadows didn't respond, of course, but I felt their presence nonetheless, a constant reminder that I wasn't alone.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Later that night, as I made my way back inside, I found Azriel waiting for me in the hallway, his expression unreadable.

"We need to talk," he said quietly, his voice steady but filled with something I couldn't quite place.

I nodded, following him into one of the sitting rooms. He closed the door behind us, his shadows flickering in the dim light.

"I've been thinking about what you said," he began, turning to face me. "About the bond between us."

My heart skipped a beat, anticipation and nerves warring within me.

"I don't understand it," he admitted, his shadows swirling around him in an agitated dance. "But I know it's real. And I know that I don't want to lose it."

"You won't," I said firmly, stepping closer. "We'll figure it out, Azriel. Together."

For a moment, he just looked at me, his expression softening in a way that made my heart ache. And then, slowly, he reached out, his hand brushing against mine in a touch that felt like a promise.

"I'll try," he said again, his voice filled with quiet determination. "For you, I'll try."

And as his shadows wrapped around us once more, I knew that whatever storms lay ahead, we would face them together. Because in that moment, I realized that the bond between us wasn't just about shadows or power—it was about something deeper, something that went beyond words.

It was about hope. About trust. About love.