CHAPTER 96: THE TRUTH IN SILENCE

Varen

Josie was, without a doubt, the most difficult woman I had ever met in my life. And I’d met many. But none of them came close to her—none of them had her fire, her relentless stubbornness, or her maddening ability to get under my skin without even trying. It was infuriating. And fascinating. And something I didn’t know how to deal with.

I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair as I watched her glare at me like I’d personally insulted her ancestors. Her arms were crossed, chin raised defiantly, and if I hadn’t been so used to her theatrics by now, I might’ve been genuinely intimidated. Instead, all I could do was shake my head and try not to let her expression get to me.

"Josie," I muttered, my voice low but not harsh. "You don’t have to take everything I say the wrong way. That’s not what I meant."

"Oh really?" she snapped back. "Because it sure sounded like you were implying I’m reckless and need babysitting!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I wasn’t trying to babysit you. I was being protective. Calm. I didn’t mean it in a bad way."

Her glare didn’t waver. If anything, it intensified.

"I—" I paused, swallowing hard, forcing myself to just say it. "I love you. A lot. And I’d never try to make you feel bad. That’s not what I want, Josie."

She blinked.

Her whole expression froze, and for a second, I thought she might faint.

Her eyes widened slowly, her lips parting in quiet shock, and I almost laughed at how thrown she looked. But I didn’t take it back. I wouldn’t. Not this time.

Because it was true.

Damn it, I loved her. As infuriating as she was, as exhausting and unpredictable and stubborn—she was mine. And last night, when we’d fought, when she’d stormed away from me with that look in her eyes like I’d torn her apart, I’d felt something snap inside me. It was like something vital had been ripped out of my chest. I hadn’t slept. My wolf had been pacing all night. And it was only now, seeing her again, that I felt like I could breathe properly.

"You’re impossible," she muttered after a long, tense silence. "I’m not the one causing problems here. You’re the one who keeps ignoring how I feel. You act like I’m some delicate thing you have to shield from everything, and it’s... it’s exhausting."

I exhaled slowly, shaking my head. "I don’t ignore how you feel. I just... I care. A lot more than I know how to express sometimes."

She scoffed, looking away, but I reached out and gently took her hands in mine.

She flinched—just a little—but didn’t pull away.

"I’ve never met anyone like you," I said quietly, my thumbs brushing the backs of her fingers. "Not in my whole damn life. You’re like a force of nature. You crash into everything and shake it up and demand to be seen... and I’m in awe of you, Josie."

Her lashes fluttered. She looked down, not meeting my gaze, and her voice came out so soft I barely caught it.

"I’m not someone to admire," she whispered. "I’m a killer. That’s what I was made to be. There’s nothing admirable about that."

I frowned.

"I wish I could be better," she continued, eyes still downcast. "I really do. I wish I could use my powers for something that mattered. But I don’t even know where to start."

Gods, she had no idea how much she meant. No idea what she was becoming. My wolf growled in my mind, scolding me for not saying something sooner, for letting her fall into this pit of self-loathing when she deserved to rise.

I let out a breath and muttered mentally, Yeah, yeah, I’m getting there. Calm down.

"Okay, first of all," I said aloud, "Kiel didn’t get his powers until way later than the rest of us."

Josie blinked at me, startled by the sudden change in tone.

"He didn’t give up just because it took time," I went on, firm and sure. "The Moon Goddess gives her gifts for a reason. You think She didn’t know what She was doing when She gave yours to you?"

She opened her mouth, but I cut her off gently.

"The plants—they respond to you. They want you to see it. Your gift... it’s not a curse, Josie. It’s a beginning."

I could see the war happening inside her. She always struggled with praise, with the idea that someone could look at her and not see a weapon. But she wasn’t a weapon. She was a wildfire. She was magic.

Finally, she looked up at me again, uncertainty flickering in her expression.

"How did you deal with your powers?" she asked quietly.

I let out a sigh, remembering.

"There were times I wanted to lose it," I admitted. "Still do sometimes. Having all this energy, all this pressure to stay composed—it gets heavy. That’s why I like being around you. I can be a little unhinged and not feel like I’m failing."

She smiled faintly, like that meant something to her. And it did. I meant every word.

"I was always the peacemaker," I went on. "The calm one. Thorne had to protect both me and Kiel for years while we figured out how to use our gifts. I had to learn to stand on my own, to make sure people didn’t walk all over me just because I wasn’t the loudest."

I stepped a little closer, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face.

"These powers... they don’t define us. But they’re a part of us. And we’ve got to learn how to nurture them. Yours especially. You’re the first of your kind, Josie. The first. That means something."

She swallowed hard, her hands tightening around mine.

"By morning," I added, "we’ll figure out how to help you. Together. You’re not doing this alone."

The silence between us shifted then—no longer tense, but filled with something warmer. Softer.

And I asked, gently, "Can I kiss you?"

Her face went bright red. I loved how easily she blushed. Even after everything. Even after knowing how she could cut a man down with a look, she still had the capacity to be bashful.

She gave the smallest of nods.

And I didn’t waste another second.

I leaned in, catching her lips in a kiss that was tender, slow, grounding. Nothing like the ones we’d shared in anger or desperation. This one was real. Steady. It was me telling her without words that I’d be here. That I wasn’t going anywhere.

She kissed me back with equal softness, and for a brief, perfect second, the world faded out.

Then—

"Ughhh, it is way too early in the morning for kissing!"

We broke apart quickly.

Josie let out an embarrassed laugh as Kiel came around the corner, rubbing sleep from his eyes and looking more annoyed than usual.