It was... nice.
Different than I'd expected.
When we reached my building, I stopped at the entrance and turned to face him.
"Thank you," I said quietly, repeating my words from earlier, "For listening. For not pushing. For... telling me something real."
"Thank you for letting me," he replied, that same sincerity shining in his dark eyes. "For telling me about your conversation with your friend. It helps to know you're... that you're trying. Even if you're not ready yet."
I nodded, not trusting my voice, and turned to go inside.
"Keira," Tae-min called softly, and I paused with my hand on the door. "However much time you need — we'll wait. All of us. Just... don't wait too long? The soul sickness..."
"I know," I said, cutting him off gently. "I know I'm running out of time. I just need a few more days. To actually prepare this time, instead of just telling myself I am."
"What does that look like?" he asked curiously. "Actually preparing?" I considered the question, thinking about Jeni's words, about everything Tae-min had said, about the small crack in my walls that was letting in light I wasn't sure I was ready for.
"Feeling things instead of pushing them down," I said slowly. "Acknowledging that the bonds don't feel like chains when they trigger. That part of me wants this." I swallowed hard. "And maybe... maybe learning a little more about who you all are. Not from interviews and articles. Real things. Like what you told me today."
Tae-min's face lit up with hope so bright it almost hurt to look at. "We could do that," he said eagerly. "We could write you letters. Or send voice messages. Nothing that would pressure you — just... us. Real us. So you can get to know us without having to be in the same room."
The offer was so earnest, so clearly an attempt to meet me where I was, that I felt another crack form in my walls.
"I'll think about it," I said again, and this time it wasn't just a deflection. I actually meant it.
"That's all I ask," Tae-min said, his smile softening into something gentler, something patient. "I'll tell the others. They'll be so happy to hear you're... that you're trying."
"Tell Hwan..." I started, then stopped, not sure what I wanted to say. "Tell him I'm sorry I ran. I know it hurt him."
"I'll tell him," Tae-min promised. "He'll understand. We all understand now." I nodded once more, then pushed through the door and left him standing on the sidewalk, his ocean-and-mint scent lingering on my clothes and his hope lingering in my chest.
The climb to my apartment was still agony. Three bonds still burned inside me, three flowers still bloomed on my mark, andmy body still trembled with fever and exhaustion. But something had changed. I'd talked to one of them. Really talked, not just panicked and run. I'd admitted things I'd been afraid to say out loud. I'd let someone help me stand. I'd accepted an offer of kindness without assuming it came with chains.
See?my omega whispered as I collapsed into my nest, pulling the blankets over my head.That wasn't so bad. He was gentle. He listened. They're not what we feared.
"I know," I murmured into the softness. "I'm starting to see that."
Does this mean we can stop pushing everything down?she asked hopefully.Actually prepare, like we promised Jeni?
I thought about Tae-min's question — what the difference was between actually preparing and just telling myself I was. Feeling things instead of shoving them away. Acknowledging the pull of the bonds instead of pretending it didn't exist.
"I'm going to try," I said quietly. "Really try this time."
Good, my omega sighed, settling into something that felt almost like contentment.We can do this. Together.
A few more days to gather my courage.
A few more days to actually prepare — to feel instead of hide, to learn instead of assume.
Two more bonds waiting to trigger.
Two more alphas waiting to meet me.
For the first time since this all began, I wasn't entirely dreading it.
Chapter Ten
TAE-MIN
