Chapter 50
[ 661 words ]
Tea
50: 50.
Tea Theo
She blinks.
“What?”
“Tea,” I reply, already heading toward the small kitchen area.
“Trust me.”
My wolf snorts.
Tea fixes everything now?
“Shut up,” I mutter under my breath.
I fill the kettle, set it on the stove, and glance back at her.
She hasn’t moved, still sitting there like the world might shift under her if she stands.
“Aria,” I say gently.
She looks up.
“Tea,” I repeat.
After a second, she nods and slowly stands, moving toward the counter.
Her movements are stiff, like she’s not entirely sure how to exist in her own body anymore.
I know that feeling.
Too well.
The kettle starts to hum softly.
I lean back against the counter, crossing my arms.
“How are you feeling?”
She lets out a hollow laugh.
“Honestly?”
“Yeah.”
“I have no idea.”
I nod.
“That tracks.”
She shakes her head, looking down at her hands.
“I don’t even think I’m… me anymore.”
That hits harder than I expect.
My wolf goes still.
Careful, he warns.
Too late.
“Maybe not,” I say quietly.
Her head lifts, eyes searching mine.
“What?”
I hold her gaze.
“Maybe you’re not who you thought you were,” I say.
“But that doesn’t mean you’re not you.”
She frowns slightly.
“Then what does it mean?”
I hesitate.
Because I know this line.
I know where it leads.
And I cross it anyway.
“Maybe,” I say slowly, “you’re turning into the person you were meant to be.”
Silence stretches between us.
The kettle starts to whistle.
Neither of us moves.
“And either way…” I add, softer now, the words slipping out before I can stop them, “you’ll always be the girl I—”
I freeze.
My wolf perks up immediately.
Oh, this should be good.
Too late.
Aria’s eyes widen slightly.
“Theo,” she says carefully, “did you just say… love?”
Damn it.
I close my eyes briefly, exhaling through my nose.
“Well,” I mutter, “that’s out there now.”
“Answer me.”
I look at her again.
Really look at her.
At the confusion.
The vulnerability.
The strength buried under all of it.
Running won’t fix this.
And honestly?
I’m tired of pretending.
“Yeah,” I say.
Her breath catches.
“I did.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Thick.
Unavoidable.
“I…” She swallows.
“You love me?”
I rub the back of my neck, glancing away for half a second before forcing myself to meet her gaze again.
“Yeah.”
Her voice is barely above a whisper.
“How?”
Fair question.
A damn good one.
“I’ve been watching you for a long time, Aria,” I admit.
Her brows knit together slightly, but she doesn’t interrupt.
“I knew I couldn’t cross any lines,” I continue.
“Especially when I thought you were human. That kind of thing…” I shake my head.
“It’s not allowed. Not safe.”
My wolf growls softly.
Still isn’t.
“Yeah,” I agree internally.
“I know.”
“But I still watched,” I say aloud.
“From a distance.”
Her expression softens just a fraction.
“Why?”
I let out a slow breath.
“Because no matter what life threw at you… you got back up.”
Her eyes flicker.
“I saw it over and over again. Things that would’ve broken most people?” I shake my head.
“You just… kept going.”
I step a little closer, my voice quieter now.
“At first, it made me respect you.”
Her lips part slightly.
“Then I started admiring you.”
Another step.
“And somewhere along the way…” I huff a soft, self-deprecating breath.
“I realized I was feeling things I had no business feeling.”
The room is completely still.
Even my wolf has gone quiet.
Aria looks down, processing.
I don’t rush her.
I don’t fill the silence.
Finally, she speaks.
“What are we going to do with him?”
I blink.
The shift is abrupt, but I recognize it for what it is.
Too much.
She’s redirecting.
I glance toward the door, toward where Barric and the others took the hunter.
My jaw tightens.
“You sure you want to know?”
She nods.
I hesitate.
Because the truth isn’t pretty.
Because once she knows, there’s no going back.
But she’s already crossed too many lines tonight.
She deserves honesty.
“They’re questioning him,” I say.
Her gaze sharpens.
“About what?”
“Why they attacked,” I reply.
“Who sent them. What they know.”
She nods slowly.
“So… this many attacks, this close together…” She trails off.
“That’s not normal, is it?”
I shake my head.
“No,” I say.
“It’s not.”
Her fingers curl slightly at her sides.
“Then what does it mean?”
I exhale, glancing toward the fire, then back at her.
“It means something’s going on.”
My wolf growls low.
Something big.
“But don’t worry,” I add, my voice steady despite the unease settling in my chest.
“We’ll figure it out.”
I hold her gaze, hoping she believes that.
Hoping I believe that.
Because right now?
Nothing about this feels normal.
And instincts like mine don’t lie.
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