Freya's POV I froze, chopsticks slipping from my fingers and clattering onto the table. My gaze darted to Kade Blackridge, his expression steady yet strangely vulnerable. "You-" My voice caught in my throat. He didn't flinch. "Freya, do you know what those days in the Iron Fang Recon Unit meant to me? They were the happiest of my life. If you hadn't married Caelum Grafton back then… I would have told you sooner. I would have told you that I love you." My chest constricted, air snagging in my lungs. The words seemed to hang in the dim light of the roadside stall, heavier than the smoke curling from the grill. Kade Blackridge-the so-called little wolf of the Capital, raised in privilege yet hardened by steel-rarely looked shaken. Yet now, under my gaze, his composure frayed. His breath came unsteady, his body taut with anticipation. Silas had already torn the veil off this secret earlier tonight. Perhaps that was why Kade no longer bothered to hide it. If he didn't speak now, he feared he would lose me forever. "You… like me?" I finally found my voice, but the words sounded foreign, trembling on my tongue. "But you always called me ‘sister.'" His answer was swift, unyielding. "Does calling you sister mean I can't love you?" I had no reply. For years, I had believed he saw me only as family-a comrade, perhaps a guiding presence. Never as anything else. "Freya, I've loved you for years." His face, sharp-boned and striking, held an earnestness that rattled me to my core. I stayed silent, and that silence seemed to shake him. He leaned forward slightly, as if afraid I would turn away. "If it were me," he said, his voice rough with urgency, "I would never betray you like Caelum did. I would never abandon you as Silas has. I would give you everything I have. I would never let you bleed alone." "Kade…" My throat tightened. I forced myself to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry. You're my friend, my comrade, my brother. But you shouldn't waste your time on me. Right now, I have no intention of starting over. All I want is to find my brother, Eric." His jaw flexed. "I know. You're going to D-country for him, aren't you? Then let me go with you." "No." The refusal came sharper than I intended. "I'll go alone."If I hadn't known his feelings, maybe I wouldn't have minded his company. But now? To let him follow me, abandoning his duties, just because of me-it would feel like using him. And I refuse to chain him that way. "The Embassy and the Iron Fang contacts will assist me. I've been to D-country before. I don't need anyone to hold my hand," I said firmly. "Besides, I promised Lana I'd send her a message every day. She'll know I'm safe." Kade gave a strained laugh, though no humor touched his eyes. "Even in turning me down, you're thorough. Ruthless, even." "I'm not-" I began, but he cut me off. "Then I'll wait." I blinked at him. "Wait?" "Yes." His tone steadied, like an oath. "You've ended things with Silas. So I'll wait-for you to find Eric, for you to heal, for you to be ready to open your heart again." "But Kade, I only see you as my younger brother." My words felt cruel, but I couldn't lie. His eyes didn't falter. "Is it because of what I called you all those years? Because I made you think I saw you only as family? Then I'll stop. No more ‘sister.' If it helps, I'll call you Freya, as if your name alone is enough to keep me breathing." "That's not it," I murmured, shaking my head. My thoughts were a tangle of confusion. "Even if I never plan to start another relationship? Would you still wait, your whole life?" He smiled faintly, wolfish and stubborn. "Then I'll wait a lifetime. And maybe, one day, you'll find yourself loving me back." I stared at him, stunned. "Have you considered that maybe this is just misplaced affection? That in the Iron Fang, where we lived on edge and had little contact with the outside world, you confused loyalty with something deeper? That maybe what you feel is just camaraderie?" His reply was swift, certain. "I know the difference between admiration and love. I've had years to test it. This isn't confusion, Freya. This is truth." I frowned, unsure what to say. "Don't be afraid," he added, gentling his tone. "If you need space, then we'll live as before. I'll call you sister, we'll spar as comrades, laugh as old soldiers. But when you are ready to love again… just consider me." "Kade-""Or would you deny me even the chance to stand as a candidate?" His words cut off mine. His gaze bored into me, fierce yet aching. "You don't owe me anything. I chose this path. If I burn my time loving you, that's my choice, not your burden." My heart thudded painfully. "Why?" I whispered. "Why me? Aside from those years in the Iron Fang, we barely saw each other during my marriage. Three years gone, and you kept your silence. We didn't even speak much. Why hold on?"