After a few more minutes, light appeared ahead. Not moonlight—something warmer, flowing. We pushed through the last line of trees, and the view opened up.
A clearing appeared with a lake in the center, its surface still asblack silk, reflecting countless stars. Pale mist drifted along the shore like gauze in the moonlight. And most beautiful of all... thousands of fireflies dancing in the air, their lights scattered like stars brought to earth.
"Goddess..." I breathed, looking up in disbelief. "This place..."
"Beautiful?" Kayden looked at me, his eyes full of satisfaction and mirth.
"Beautiful, unreal," I murmured, reaching toward the floating lights. "Like something from a fairy tale."
Kayden led me to a large tree by the lake where gnarled roots formed natural seats.
"Sit. This is my secret base."
I sat down, my skirt spreading on the grass. Kayden settled beside me, shoulder lightly touching mine. Fireflies circled us. One landed on my hand, its tiny glow warm and gentle.
"I used to come here a lot as a kid." Kayden's voice was especially soft in the night. "Especially after my father scolded me."
"He scolded you?" I was surprised. "Why?"
"Because I wasn't perfect enough," Kayden said. "The Alpha heir had to be perfect—best grades, hardest training, impeccable manners..."
"Any mistake meant punishment."
"What kind of punishment?" I frowned.
"No food, confinement, or..." He paused. "Isolation."
I squeezed his hand, a pang in my chest.
"I remember once, I yawned during an Elder Council meeting," Kayden recalled. "That night, my father made me spend the night in the forest. No weapons allowed."
"I was only thirteen. Alone in the forest all night. I was terrified—every sound seemed like a beast. By sunrise, I was exhausted, starving, and covered in mosquito bites."
He laughed, his tone light as if it weren't his own story.
"Father said it would teach me that Alphas can never show weakness."
"So you came here?" I felt a dull ache in my chest, imaginingthirteen-year-old Kayden curled up in the darkness.
"Yeah." Kayden nodded. "It's quiet here. No one telling me what to do, no need to be perfect... I could just be Kayden. Not the Alpha heir, not the Blackwood family's hope." He gazed quietly at the lake.
I rested my head on his shoulder, suddenly understanding why he'd seemed so different these past days—nothing like the Kayden I remembered. He'd completely shed that steady maturity, acting more like a mischievous child.
Maybe he'd never been allowed to be carefree. With Kai, he wasn't just sharing Kai's childhood—he was reclaiming his own.
"You can just be Kayden," I said softly, my heart melting.
"What about you?" Kayden hummed softly. "Are you just Layla?"
"Maybe?" I thought of the past, my time in the pack—not fond memories, but with one or two bright moments. "I tried to be myself as much as possible."
"Tell me?"
"Once, in winter, I had a high fever." I drew my knees up, chin resting on them. "Delirious, thinking I was dying."
"There happened to be some herbs in my room that I'd gathered but hadn't turned in yet. Half-conscious, I grabbed a few by instinct, stuffed them in my mouth, and actually broke the fever."
Kayden's body stiffened.
