Derek, Nana and Declan stood outside the room, waiting with bated breaths. The silence between them thick enough to choke on.

Nana had her head resting against Derek’s chest, tears slipping down her cheeks, as she whispered continuous prayers under her breath.

Derek held her with one arm, his hand stroking slowly up and down her arm, offering what comfort he could while his own eyes stayed fixed on the closed door.

Declan stood a little apart, arms folded, his face set in that familiar mask of quiet worry.

The door finally opened and Dr Lorenzo stepped out, pulling down his mask. He looked tired but relieved.

"He’s stable," the doctor said. "The bleeding has stopped. We’re transfusing him now."

Nana made a small broken sound of relief and pressed her face harder into Derek’s chest.

"Thank the goddess," she whispered.

"He’s not out of danger yet," Dr Lorenzo went on carefully. "The blow grazed his heart. It’s a serious injury and the next day or so will be critical. But he’s alive, and he’s holding."

Derek nodded, the knot in his chest loosening just a fraction.

.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

The doctor nodded and went back inside.

Derek pressed a kiss to the top of Nana’s head, then looked over at Declan.

"Contact Tan. And Aunt Angelica. They need to know tonight, before word reaches them some other way."

Declan gave a sharp nod and pulled out his phone, already moving away to make the calls.

That was when Derek glanced around and realised something was missing. Kira wasn’t there. His brow furrowed. Where was she? The last he had seen, she had been right behind them when they brought Kai in.

He left the others and headed to their matrimonial bedroom. It was empty. He checked the study. Empty again. Frowning harder now, he went downstairs to the living room. The room was quiet and empty too.

Everyone had returned to their respective houses. Kira was lying on the sofa in the corner, curled up small.

She jolted upright at the sound of his footsteps, and when she saw it was him she was on her feet at once.

"How is Kai?" Her voice was tight with worry. "Is he alright? Tell me."

Derek stared at her for a long moment, taking in the way she looked a little too still, a little too careful.

"He is stable now," he said finally, walking over and dropping down beside her on the couch.

The relief that washed over her face was real. After a beat she sat too.

"Why are you down here on your own?" he asked.

Kira smiled and shrugged, trying to look casual. "Nothing."

Derek gave her a long look that clearly said he knew she was lying through her teeth.

Kira fidgeted under that stare. "I was scared," she said quickly. "About Kai. I...I didn’t know if he would..."

She trailed off, and when he kept looking at her with that same quiet, unconvinced expression, she started fussing over him instead, rambling to change the subject.

"Are you injured badly? How did the Umbras even manage to get into the stronghold? That should be impossible, right?" She rose to her feet. "I need to get some water and antiseptic to clean you—."

But Derek’s hand shot out and dragged her gently but firmly back down onto the couch beside him.

"What did Declan say to you?"

Kira let out an awkward little laugh. "Don’t be silly. Declan and I barely said two words to each other. Why would Declan say anything to me?"

Derek held her gaze a moment longer, then let it go.

"Then there’s no need for water," he said. "Just sit here. Keep me company."

Kira nodded, cheeks still pink.

He pulled her into him.

"Come here," he said, settling her against his side, guiding her head down onto his chest.

His shirt was still stained and his skin still smelled of the fight, but she let him do it, and he began to stroke her hair slowly.

They sat there in the comfortable silence, and soon, Kira’s pulse began to slow. All the tension from Declan’s words left her and she relaxed into Derek’s arms, feeling safe.

"I was scared," Derek said quietly, after a while. "when Kai went down and didn’t get up. For a moment I was certain I was about to lose another brother."

Kira’s hand found the front of his shirt and held it.

"I’m sure he will live. He is Kai after all," she said softly. "He’s far too stubborn and far too annoying to die. He’ll wake up, and the first thing he does will be to make a terrible joke about the whole thing, and we’ll all want to throttle him for scaring us all."

Derek’s lips twitched into the smallest smile. "I hope so."

Kira shifted a little in his arms. "We need to tell Jessica."

Derek’s hand paused in her hair. "I’m not sure that’s wise. Not right now. After tonight, with the Umbras getting inside the stronghold, bringing a werewolf back into Dravengard is a risk." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Kira was quiet for a moment, biting her lip, then decided to just say it. She sat up enough to look at him.

"Jessica is Kai’s mate."

Derek blinked. For a second he simply stared at her, genuinely caught off guard.

"She is?"

Kira nodded. "Jessica found out at the fundraiser. But she hasn’t told him yet."

Derek let out a surprised huff of laughter.

"Of course she is." He shook his head slowly. "Come to think of it, that explains everything. Those two have been acting like they’re joined at the hip since the moment she arrived. Kai’s never been that invested in one girl in a long time."

Kira lay back down on his chest.

"Do you think he feels it?" she asked. "Even a little? Some pull, some instinct telling him she’s the one? Surely there has to be some kind of connection."

"He may feel a strong pull toward her," Derek said. "But that’s not the same as knowing. For us, nothing is confirmed until the Red Moon Festival. That’s when a true bond clamps into place. Or when he marks her. Until one of those things happens, even the strongest pull is just a pull. It proves nothing on its own."

Kira tilted her head. "Why is that? Why can’t Lycans just recognise their mates the moment they see them, the way werewolves can?"

Derek’s hand continued its slow strokes through her hair as he explained.

"It’s a curse," he said. "From the moon goddess herself."

Kira tilted her head to look at him, interest sparking in her eyes. "A curse?"

"A long time ago, Lycans grew arrogant. They disregarded the goddess’ pairings entirely. They did as they pleased, took whoever they wanted, rejected the mates she chose for them without a second thought, as though her gift meant nothing."

He shrugged. "So she punished us. Since we didn’t appreciate the special bond she gave to us freely, we would have to work hard to earn it."

He paused, a small, wry smile on his face. "She took away our ability to recognise our mates on sight. She made it so that people can build a deep enough emotional connection or their beasts fixates on someone else, before the bond is revealed at the festival."

Kira hummed, fascinated. "Do you ever regret it? Lycans, I mean. Do they wish it had never happened?"

Derek shrugged. "Well, it has its advantages and disadvantages." His voice grew quieter, more serious.

"Our bond, when it finally forms, is far stronger than anything the werewolves know. When a Lycan bonds, it’s for life. There is no second chance mate for us. No replacement. No starting again with someone new."

Kira looked up at him.

"Which is why our emotions can make us or destroy us," he continued.

"Losing a mate is the worst thing that can happen to a Lycan. We can die from it. If a soulbond rejects us, or refuses to acknowledge the bond, or turns away from it once it’s formed..."

He trailed off, his eyes somewhere distant. "It can kill us quiet literally. A Lycan can waste away from a broken bond."