Night fell gently, like a veil over the forest. The stars began to appear between the tall branches, shy, as if silently watching what unfolded below.
I returned from the stream with my heart racing and my mind in turmoil. His name still echoed inside me: Azazel. Like a heartbeat that wouldn't stop. Like a secret that no longer wanted to be hidden.
Inside the cabin, Kael was already asleep, curled up in a corner, his tail wrapped around his body. Azazel was outside, seated on a stone, his eyes fixed on the sky. The fire crackled softly, casting dancing shadows on the wooden walls.
I approached slowly, unsure if I should speak. But he sensed my presence before I could say anything.
— Can't sleep? — he asked, without taking his eyes off the stars.
— No. — I replied, sitting beside him. — There's too much happening in here.
He looked at me, and for a moment, the silence between us seemed to say more than any word.
— You've changed — he said quietly. — Since you arrived.
— And so have you — I replied, meeting his gaze. — But I don't think you want to admit it.
Azazel gave a half-smile. A rare smile, almost forgotten.
— Maybe.
We sat there, side by side, listening to the sounds of the night.
Then he stood, his gaze distant.
— Tomorrow will be a hard day. You should rest.
I nodded, but didn't move. I just watched him walk away, my heart tight and uncertainty leaving me tired.
That night, sleep came like a soft mist, wrapping around my weary body. But peace didn't last.
Soon I found myself in a place I didn't recognize — a moonlit clearing, where the wind blew gently and the silver trees shimmered with beauty.
Azazel was there.
Not as the white wolf, nor the warrior with the hardened gaze. But as the man who looked at me as if I were made of light. His eyes burned with something I couldn't name, and his presence made the air around us vibrate.
He approached slowly, unhurried, as if each step was a promise. I couldn't move. I didn't want to.
His gaze met mine, and in that instant, the world seemed to stop.
— You feel it too? — his voice was a whisper, but it echoed inside me like a soft thunder.
I wanted to answer, but my voice wouldn't come. Only my heart spoke, in uneven beats.
Azazel reached out, and when his fingers touched my skin, a warm wave surged through me. It wasn't pain. It wasn't fear. It was something that burned from within, as if I were being lit from the inside.
He leaned in, his face so close I could feel his breath. Then he kissed me.
I wrapped my arms around him, and he held my waist. After the kiss, he looked into my eyes, desire and love burning in those beautiful silver eyes.
— You are my light — he said. — And I… am your shadow.
I woke with my heart pounding, my body warm, and the feeling that something deep inside me had been touched — something I could no longer ignore.
I lay there, staring at the wooden ceiling, trying to understand what that dream was trying to tell me.
But deep down, I already knew.
I was longing for him. Wanting to claim him as mine.