Chapter 167: Lennon’s Taunts
{Elira}
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Rennon must have noticed the way my shoulders had gone tight after Zenon’s remark, because when Lennon leaned back in his seat, it was he who cut across gently.
"He didn’t mean it as harsh as it sounded," he said, his gaze steady on me.
I toyed with the edge of my plate. "It felt harsh," I muttered, not caring that Zenon could help me.
"That’s Zenon," Rennon replied, quiet but confident. "He trims words down to the bone. But what he meant was—don’t waste yourself on worries you can’t change. Save your strength for what you can."
Something in my chest loosened. With Rennon, words never felt like decoration. They settled clearly and true, and somehow steadied me. So, I gave him a small nod.
When we finished eating, I stood automatically, gathering the plates, as I had already made up my mind to wash them after dinner.
But before I could reach the sink, Rennon was there, sliding them out of my hands. His touch was light and deliberate. "You should go and rest now."
"But I want to do—"
"Elira." His tone was calm, final, but not unkind. "Tomorrow will be long enough, and we have to leave for ESA early."
My protest wilted and in the end, all I managed was a soft, "Thank you," before retreating.
"Sweet dreams, sweetheart," Lennon called after me as I crossed the room. Zenon said nothing, only a flicker of his eyes following me while Rennon was already rolling up his sleeves at the sink.
I slipped into the small bedroom, and the quiet was immediate.
The bed was soft beneath me, but sleep didn’t come. My mind spun, looping endlessly over everything the day had carved into me.
The witch’s words echoed: |Fire either forges or destroys."
Then the memory of chains breaking inside me still lingered, raw. And then, dinner, the small cottage, and the warmth of being with the brothers like this, close and unguarded.
It had felt almost like belonging.
I lay back on the bed and curled tighter under the blanket, pressing my hand over my chest.
The fire still moved beneath my skin, restless, hot, waiting. But the thought of testing it, of letting it loose even for a second, made fear claw at me.
What if I lost control? What if it burned through me instead of for me?
"Selene?" My mind reached for her. "What if I can’t handle this? What if I lose myself?"
Her voice came quickly, but different, not in the muted or the soft calm I had always known. There was strength now, a sharper edge like the purr of flame behind words.
"You won’t lose yourself," she said firmly. "This fire is ours. It does not own us—we own it."
I sat up slightly, breath catching. "You sound... different."
"Because I am different," Selene replied. Her tone was still hers, still carrying the undercurrent of calm I knew, but it burned brighter now.
"The seal bound us both. It dimmed me as much as it dimmed you. But now... now we are whole again."
Her words should have comforted me, and perhaps they did, but unease lingered as well. If Selene had changed, what else in me had shifted?
Pulling the blanket tighter around myself, I stared at the ceiling until my vision blurred.
My body. My wolf. My future. Nothing about me was the same anymore.
And in the dark, with their voices still faint beyond the wall, I wondered if I would ever feel steady again.
---
Heat pressed down on me in sleep, thick and stifling, crawling over my skin even while I slept, as though the fire inside me had slipped loose and was now pressing down on me with greedy hands.
I twisted beneath the blanket, restless, my heart pounding faster though I didn’t know why.
Then—warm breath ghosted across my cheek. Too close. Too manly.
Instantly, my eyes snapped open, and I saw a face inches from mine.
"Ahhhh!" I choked on a scream, the sound tearing out raw, and flung myself sideways off the bed.
The floor came up hard against my hip and shoulder, but panic drowned out the pain.
At the same time, the door burst open at once and slammed against the wall.
"Elira!" Zenon’s voice sliced through the room like a blade.
Rennon was beside him, scanning the shadows, his stance ready for a fight.
My chest heaved as I pushed myself upright on shaky arms. But then—Zenon’s body stilled. His gaze cut sharply past me, narrowing into something lethal.
I froze, dread curling in my stomach. And slowly, I followed his line of sight back toward the bed.
And there he was.
Lennon.
He was half-sprawled across my sheets, one arm propped under his head like he belonged there. A grin tugged at his mouth, far too pleased with himself for someone caught red-handed.
The sound that left me was somewhere between outrage and disbelief. "What—what in the world are you doing!?"
Zenon’s jaw tightened, fury radiating off him in sharp waves. "Lennon."
Rennon sighed under his breath, already rubbing the bridge of his nose.
And me? My heart was still in my throat, every nerve screaming, while the idiot on my bed had the audacity to chuckle.
"Explain yourself." Zenon’s voice was a low growl, sharp enough to slice through stone. His claws flexed at his side, the air around him tight with fury.
Still lounging against my pillow, Lennon gave a lazy shrug, like none of this was serious. "Relax, brother. It’s not what it looks like."
"Not what it—" My voice cracked high with outrage. "You were in my face while I was sleeping!"
Rennon exhaled heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Lennon..."
But Lennon only smirked, pushing himself up to sit cross-legged on the bed.
"It was four in the morning. You needed to wake up for school, sweetheart. Zenon told me to wake you. I just chose a more creative method."
Zenon’s glare sharpened into something lethal. "You were told to wake her, not climb into her bed like a child without sense."
"I wasn’t climbing in," Lennon shot back, grin widening even as Zenon’s fury thickened. "I was leaning over. Big difference."
My mouth dropped open. "That’s not a difference!"
But he ignored me, his fire-bright eyes fixed on Zenon instead. "Besides, I wanted to test her. See if she would react with power now that her channels are open."
That stopped me cold. My breath hitched as my palms became clammy.
"And instead..." Lennon’s smirk softened into something sly, "she screamed like a scardy cat and rolled off the bed."
Heat flooded my face. "Because you scared the life out of me!"
Zenon stepped forward, his shadow cutting across the room. His voice was low, even more dangerous for its calm.
"If you ever pull something like this again, Lennon, it won’t be her power you will need to fear. It will be me."
For once, Lennon didn’t laugh right away. His grin faltered just enough to show he heard the threat behind Zenon’s words.
I pressed a hand to my still-racing heart, glaring up at him. "You are really unbelievable."
"Unforgettable," he corrected smoothly, but the playful spark in his eyes dimmed under Zenon’s watchful glare.
Then, Rennon said to me, "Elira, freshen up and put on your uniform. If we leave now, we will have time to stop for breakfast in town before we drop you at school."
I nodded quickly, too drained to argue, and still hugging my arms around myself.
Zenon’s eyes lingered on me a moment longer, then he turned on his heel and strode out without another word.
Lennon stayed perched on the edge of my bed until Rennon’s sharp look sent him rolling his eyes and standing up.
"Fine, fine," he muttered, hands raised in mock surrender. But his gaze flicked back to me with a crooked grin. "Don’t take too long, sweetheart. The earlier we leave, the more time we’ve got for coffee."
"Out," Rennon said firmly, and that was the end of it.
Once the door closed behind them, I let out a shaky breath and pressed my palms to my cheeks.
My heart was still galloping from the scare, but I forced myself up and hurried into the bathroom for a shower.
When I re-entered the room, I bolted the door and changed into my fresh set of uniform, tied my hair back into a neat ponytail, and that was enough to make me look put together, even if I didn’t feel it.
Finally, I lifted my backpack and stepped into the small living room, and the three of them were already ready.
Zenon didn’t waste a second; he pushed the door open and stepped outside into the cool dawn without a word.
Rennon was adjusting the strap of the bag slung over his shoulder when Lennon reached for mine. "Here, sweetheart. Let me take that for you."
I pulled it back instinctively, shaking my head. "I’ve got it."
One brow arched, that sly grin curving across his mouth. "Oh? After rolling on the floor like a terrified kitten, you suddenly want to prove you are strong?"
Heat rose up my cheeks that second. "Shut up."
He chuckled and raised his hands in mock surrender, but his eyes glimmered with the kind of teasing that always left me half-annoyed, half-flustered.