🌖~ Moonlit Obsidian ~ 🌔 [with M-jow]

[M-jow]

Asher found himself getting caught staring back into Kaito’s faintly glowing eyes. Like fainting amber or liquid fire danci dancing around his irises, an otherworldly shimmer that tugged at Asher’s attention longer than he meant it to. He didn’t comment.

He didn’t know mages eyes did that.. not in that color. He’d seen red, purple or green. Never gold. And it wasn’t like how his own eyes would glow either.

 

They moved up to the apartment and it was very clear Kaito’s was exausted. Asher carried most of the bags for him which seemed like a good call, seen as Kaito flipped over on the couch as soon as as he’d taken his shoes off.

Asher simply looked at him but decided to let him be and took the bags to Kaito’s room.

Needing something to busy himself with as his nerves calmed down, he started to unpack and placed the clothes into the guest closet neatly. His fingers twitched with rage and adrenaline as he blamed himself for letting his guards down right in that moment. He should have sensed the mages coming, but he hadn’t, and it almost gotten ugly.

When he was done organising the closet, he closed it and went back to the living-room to get a glass of water.

He spotted Kaito asleep on the couch and adjusted the lighting in the room down.

Asher went to the kitchen and pulled out a glass he filled with just water. He could have choosen something stronger like alchol. But he wasn’t gonna grow that into a habit. He placed himself by the window, watching the rain snake down the glass in uneven trails. The city lights blurred beyond it, fractured and distant, like an echo of a world outside. He exhaled slowly, the tension that had held him upright beginning to unravel now.

Kaito’s words still lingered in his mind, looping back and forth like a persistent ache. They knew your scent. Your energy signature.

That wasn’t just a slip. Someone had been close, dangerously close to know how to trace him.

His jaw tightened. He’d taken every precaution, every route. Yet still, they’d been hunted down through the city like prey.

The soft sound of leather shifting drew his gaze, unbidden, to the couch. Kaito was slumped there. The soft light caught on the man face.

Asher pulled the curtains closed with a gentle motion, he took a blanket and put over the other to keep him varm.

Then ran a hand through his hair, and tried to focus. He needed a next step—a contact, a trail, a reason why those people would go so far for a book. The threads didn’t fit yet, anything logical. The book told him nothing because he didn’t even know what to look for. No hidden message or cods as far as he could decipher. It was beyond frustrating.

From the corner of his eye, the flicker of the fire place automatically started. Settling the room into its usual warm glow - the steady rhythm of rain softly hitting the skylight windows above. The sound was calming and quiet. It broke some of the uneasiness within him. That and Kaito’s soft breathing from the couch.

He walked over to where the book still was and leaned against the table, arms crossed, gaze distant. “If they’ve got both of us marked,” he murmured to himself, “then someone’s rewriting the rules. Without us even known the first one."

And that, more than anything, meant this wasn’t just a temporary solution. It wouldn’t be safe for him to return to the pack now. Not because they couldn’t handle a few dark sorcerers—he knew they could—but Asher refused to bring that kind of heat down on them.

He’d have to call his brother too, let him know what had happened, make sure the others were aware of the threat. So no one should risk going into the city alone until they understood who they were dealing with. Whoever these people were, they would know his pack and his family were his weakness.

Kaito… well, as far as Asher could tell, he didn’t have anyone. He never made calls, or mentioned friends or a lover, never seemed to worry about anyone. It made Asher think the mage lived in solitude.

For a man like Asher, he couldn’t imagine that kind of life. Yeah, he liked it now and then, sure. But his family and friends were everything to him.

And that was why he was here now. To find out why Noah had to die and avenge him.

 

(Later)

Asher was still at the table in his usal spot with his phone and the book infront of him. He’d texted Logan and the beta about the situation and both had respond back. He’d just leaned his forhead on his hand and closed his eyes for a minute or so. When he suddenly heard Kaito voice close by.

["Couldn't sleep?”]

Asher looked up. He hadn’t even heard the first time when Kaito had called out to him.

He shook his head. "Couldn’t, its bothering too much that I don’t know what is going on. I tried to decipher each and every page but I don’t even know what to see. Its about wolves and mages. I know that. Everyone knows both were created under the same godess. But from driffrent aspects that fundamentally are opposites. Yet this is not about that. It just says the two are destined to make a whole... it doesn't make sense."

[mik3la]

Kaito stood in the doorway for a moment, watching Asher under the faint glow of the kitchen light. The wolf looked worn, shadows under his eyes, one hand curled around his phone, the other braced against the table where the old book lay open like a wound.

He’d clearly been at it for hours. The edges of the parchment were darkened where Asher’s fingers had traced the same lines again and again, as if sheer focus could force the secrets to reveal themselves.

Quote

 "Couldn’t, its bothering too much that I don’t know what is going on. I tried to decipher each and every page but I don’t even know what to see. Its about wolves and mages. I know that. Everyone knows both were created under the same godess. But from driffrent aspects that fundamentally are opposites. Yet this is not about that. It just says the two are destined to make a whole... it doesn't make sense."

Kaito stepped closer, the floor creaking softly under his bare feet. He glanced at the page, the curling symbols so familiar and so dangerous that his pulse gave a faint kick.

“I’ve managed to translate a bit more than you’ve seen,” he said, his voice quieter now. “The book doesn’t talk about creation so much as… separation. It says that once, the Moon’s light was shared between two vessels, one that held its power in spirit, the other in blood. The mages became the Moonlits, the spirit keepers. The wolves, the blood-bearers.”

A moment of silence fell between them before Kaito continued. 

“Back then, there wasn’t a divide. The goddess, Lunara, before she became myth, made them as halves of one order. Magic and instinct working together. But somewhere along the way, both sides forgot that. The Moonlits thought the wolves were beasts who’d lost her grace. The wolves believed the Moonlits had stolen it. And so they turned on each other.”

Kaito reached out, brushing his fingers along the faded script. The runes pulsed faintly under his touch, responding not with magic, there could be none here, but with memory, as if the parchment itself remembered what he was saying.

“It says the balance broke when pride took root,” Kaito continued softly. “Neither side believed the other strong enough to guard the goddess’s legacy. And that’s when a prophecy appeared. A single line, written in the oldest tongue.” 

Kaito looked at Asher before he spoke again. "I havent translate it to you before because I wasn’t sure what it meant until now. And because I knew you wouldn’t like it". He took a breath, meeting Asher’s eyes. “It says: ‘When moonlight walks in flesh and blood, the divide will close, and the world will tremble anew.’”

“A hybrid. Someone born of both lineages—part wolf, part magus. A living balance between instinct and magic.” He paused. “Someone like that could end the feud. Or destroy everything holding it together”, Kaito said, his voice quiet but firm. “The Moonlits would never accept that a wolf could carry the goddess’s light in their blood. And the packs… well, you’ve seen how they react to anything even close to magic. Even you...” his voice was a mere whisper at the end.

He glanced at the book again. The runes almost seemed to shimmer under the lamplight, as if the truth had been waiting for someone willing to see it.

“It’s not about power,” he murmured. “It’s about fear. Wolves fear what they don’t understand. Mages fear what they can’t control. A hybrid would make both irrelevant. That’s what they’re afraid of,” his gaze drifting to the window. The city outside was still, but his mind wasn’t. The words he’d translated wouldn’t leave him.

And the way Asher’s eyes caught the moonlight—how the runes always reacted when he was near—made Kaito wonder if maybe the reason wasn’t just written in the book.

Maybe it was sitting right across from him.

[M-jow]

Asher’s jaw tightened as the last words lingered in the air. When moonlight walks in flesh and blood… He stared at the book for a long moment. It was a beautiful story, in its way—a prophecy woven from old myths.

He exhaled through his nose, steady, controlled. “A hybrid,” he muttered, almost to himself. 

He’d heard stories of hybrids before, some between other supernatural creatures but they were so rare and he had never meet one before.

With werewolf their gens play a driffrent role. Either the offspring had a wolf or not. And the one that didn’t could never sire a werewolf unless their partner was one. However was it really impossible?

It was a teroi no one had ever proven to be real. Asher wasn’t sure he should start believing just because someone had written it down in a old book ages ago. But he also couldn’t push it aside.

Asher pushed the book slightly away. He look up at Kaito, noticing how he look at him. He caught his own reflection in those sharpened eyes under the soft light.

Normal enough, he thought. Or as normal as a wolf with too much responsibility and too little sleep could be.

Whatever reaction the runes had, it wasn’t proof of anything. He’d been around strange magic before; it wasn’t unusual for old texts to react to energy, to presence. Kaito’s translations. Though those words were still bothering him. They pointed to something that could change everything.

If the prophecy was true, it meant big changes were coming.

He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. “A hybrid,” he said again, quieter now, more certain. “If such a thing ever existed, it’s not me.”

He knew he wasn’t a hybrid. Both his parents were pure alpha wolves. He knew his parents families all the way back to 6th generations on either side. And there were no mages among them not even a single human.

 

Asher straightened, the exhaustion in his bones tempered by a quiet resolve. Whatever the truth was, it wouldn’t really change anything—or so he told himself.

He shook his head, exhaling. “It’s not uncommon to hear stories about hybrids,” he said quietly. “But they’re rare—so rare most don’t survive past birth. In werewolves, we have dominant genes. Even in mixed pairings, the pup is either wolf or not. Never both.” He paused, frowning. “I just don’t know if I can believe it. Still… if there was a hybrid out there, and people knew, it wouldn’t be safe for them. Maybe they’d have no choice but to hide.” His voice dropped to a murmur. “I can try digging into it—see if there’s anything to the old stories.”

He stretched, rolling his shoulders to shake off the stiffness—then froze as a sharp sting tore up his right side. The pain came fast and deep, catching him off guard.

“What the—?” He sucked in a breath, his body tensing as the ache spread. He hadn’t felt anything before, not a hint that something was wrong. But now the copper tang of blood hit his senses, faint but unmistakable.

His hand flew to his side, pressing against the source of the pain. The fabric of his black shirt was damp—sticky. When his fingers came away, they were dark red with half-dried blood.

He stared down, disbelief cutting through the haze of pain. How hadn’t he noticed? And worse—why wasn’t it healing?

[mik3la]

At first, Kaito thought he'd imagined it—the way Asher's expression shifted mid-sentence, that sharp flicker of pain cutting through his composure. Then he saw the blood.

“Asher—”

He was already moving before he finished saying his name, the chair scraping against the floor as he crossed the room. The scent hit him then—iron and earth, sharp and raw beneath the faint musk of wolf. It made his heart lurch.

Asher's hand pressed hard against his side, jaw tight, shoulders squared in the way of someone determined not to show weakness. But the color had already drained from his face.

Kaito was already pulling supplies from the small cabinet near the sink, a rag, alcohol wipes, a roll of bandages he knew was kept like in every household. His pulse was hammering in his ears. 

He dropped to one knee beside Asher, the edge of the table light casting faint gold over them both. The dark patch on Asher's shirt had spread.

“Let me see,” Kaito said quietly. 

Asher hesitated for a second, then shifted his hand. The fabric peeled away slowly, sticking to his skin. Kaito caught his breath.

The wound was deep, like something had clawed him. The edges were scorched, faintly blackened. Not a normal injury. Magic. 

“What happened?” Kaito asked, his voice low, focused. “You didn't get hit earlier. I checked.”

 

The moment his fingers brushed the skin around the wound, Asher stiffened,but didn't pull away. But how is it still active? shouldn't the protection stop it or something?, he thought taking a deep breath seeing how bad it was. 

Kaito's voice softened. "It's not deep enough to kill you, but whatever hits you… it's trying to slow your regeneration" he said softly looking up at asher, their faces inches away. "I can burn the curse out, but it'll hurt", he said biting his lip hopping he could do that given the non-magic area that Asher had around his house. But then again, the runes on the book had glowed with magic, so he should be able to reach some of his own. 

"I know you can handle pain but ... this will be a little different" Kaito murmured, already channeling what little magic he could summon here. The wards dampened most of his power, but the protective circle Asher had built into his home recognized him now somehow, it bent to his touch like it had earlier, whispering of permission.

His palm hovered just above the wound, a soft glow building under his skin, silver at first, then tinged faintly with gold. The same colors that had appeared in the books. 

Kaito groaned like he was in pain, his own pulse stuttering as the magic pushed deeper, drops of sweat forming on his forehead as he was trying to force magic to surface. 

“Almost there,” he whispered. “Just hold on", he closed his eyes focusing more, feeling his body taking some of the pain itself. Come one ... please work ... some little magic ... i just need little magic

The magic surged once, bright and wild and then the blackened edges of the wound faded, the angry red turning clean. The bleeding stopped.

Kaito exhaled slowly, the energy flickering out of his hands. “There,” he said softly. “It's healing now.”

Kaito realized he was still close, kneeling between Asher's knees, their faces inches apart, his hands braced lightly against Asher's bare skin where his shirt had ridden up. The wolf's warmth radiated against his palms, steady, alive.

Silence stretched between them then, softer now. The kind that wasn't uncomfortable. 

Kaito's gaze drifted up, catching the line of Asher's throat, the way his pulse beat steady again. His own magic still hummed faintly in the air, twinned with Asher's scent. It felt…connected. Like something had linked them in those brief moments.

For a heartbeat, it felt like the world had narrowed to this small space, the sound of rain, the lingering scent of blood and smoke, and the quiet gravity of Asher's eyes on him.

He swallowed. "You really should rest", it came out more like a whisper, weakly. 

[M-jow]

Asher had always been strong willed and good at hiding pain. It was second nature maybe because of his alpha complex. It was beaten into him by years of surviving things such as far worse injuries. But when the burn beneath his ribs flared sharp enough to steal his breath mid-sentence, even he couldn’t keep the mask from cracking.

He felt the shift immediately when Kaito noticed. The sudden scrape of a chair, and rush of movement.

(Damn it.)

The copper tang of his own blood filled the air. He pressed a hand hard against his side, fingers slick and trembling despite the effort to keep them still. He could feel the warmth seeping through his shirt, sticky and hot. The wound just suddenly came from nothing and it didn’t closed the way it should have. His body grew usually sluggish—dragged down by something unseen.

He forced his jaw to tighten, shoulders squared in defiance. The thought that he was weak enough to let this effect him, made his skin crawl.

He didn’t want help. He didn’t need it. Or at least, that’s what he told himself. His first reaction had been to push the mage away.

But Kaito knelt beside him, voice calm despite the tremor of urgency in it, and Asher felt the fight drain out of his resistance. He shifted his hand away from the wound, grimacing as fabric peeled from raw flesh.

The pain durable. But that look laced with concern in Kaito’s eyes unsettled him. 

Asher hated how that look made his chest tighten. Like it stirred up mixed emotions he couldn’t place.

 "It a curse.. it happens" he tried to shrugged it off like it wasn’t a big deal.

Kaito’s present was a plesant distraction for the pain. He only let out a low grunt as Kaito place his hands to his wounded side.

Next came the faintly magic pulse. The instant he felt it all the hairs at the back of his neck stood up. His body reacting to the energy direct that right at him. It was a reflex and a snarl escaped him.

"Fu#k!" Asher cursed as he stared down at Kaito. He didn’t think the other would purposely hurt him. He had maybe earned enough trust from Asher. But his wolf was was conflicted and pacing around at the back of his mind.

 

Asher almost told him to stop and stay back. There was a risk for the other too. The kind that could turn violent if his wolf forced control right now.

The magic burned faintly against his skin as Kaito worked.

Asher had spent years crafting those anti magic fictures to keep unwanted magic out, yet somehow Kaito’s power slipped through. The wards didn’t fight him. They properly recognized something in Kaito, Asher didn’t.

He tried to breathe evenly as the heat pressed into his flesh. Searing and clean, biting through the curse that had been coiled there like venom. The pain wasn’t just sharp; it was alive, crawling through his nerves, pulling a low sound from his throat before he could stop it.

And then, just as suddenly, it was gone. The curse broke with a pulse of light, and the wound began to knit itself closed as his natural healing progressed.

 

Asher breath out slow and uneven as silence fell again. The air still hummed with residual magic—Kaito’s magic—and it lingered in a way that made it hard to think straight. The scent of it clung to him, threaded now with his own.

He should have moved away. He should have said something—anything—to reassert distance. But his body betrayed him, heavy and still, caught between exhaustion and something else entirely.

The curse was gone, yes. But in its place, something new had settled in its wake—a tether, faint and unfamiliar.

Asher’s gaze dropped to his side, where the wound was now smooth, faintly pink beneath the blood and torn fabric. Then, reluctantly, he looked up.

Kaito’s face hovered close, too close. Asher could feel the warmth radiating off him, the afterglow of magic. He could feel it pulsing there, restless. His heartbeat had grown uneven, heavy against his ribs, echoing loudly.

Something inside him stirred. Instincts was clawing and tightening, wrapping itself around his core. Humming in a rhythm that didn’t feel like his own.

His wolf had been lurked beneath the surface, kept caged behind Asher’s iron control. But now that control was slipping, threading through the cracks in Asher’s defenses.

His breath hitched and body reacted before his thoughts could catch up, instincts screaming danger! though logic knew driffrent.

Asher’s vision bled at the edges, gold flickering through the gray. He pushed up from the chair too fast, movement jerky and unsteady. The room flipped suddenly.

He didn’t remember grabbing Kaito by the shirt and pulling him up . One moment he was trying to ground himself; the next, the table rattled against the floorboards, and Kaito was laying on top of it with Asher's body towering over him.

Asher’s palms slammed down hard, one gripping the edge of the table beside Kaito’s shoulder, the other braced against his chest. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to pin him in place.

The scent of magic clung to Kaito’s skin, bright and electric. It tangled with the copper scent of Asher’s own blood. The wolf inside him surged higher, driven by confusion, fear, all tangled together. His pulse thundered in his ears.

He leaned forward, drawn by instinct. The space between them tightened to nothing, his breath ghosting over warmth of Kaito’s neck, catching on the scent of magic still lingering there. 

A threatening sound escaped him - an animalistic growl tore thought his chest demanding the other's surrender.. and the Asher froze. 

 

Shapping right back in control and realizing how close he’d gotten, how his body had moved on against his will.

His eyes were still rimmed with gold, his pupils blown wide. The sound of both of their heartbeats filled his ears

He should have stepped back. Should have said something, anything. But all he could do was stand there, trembling with the effort of restraint, the animal part of him straining against its leash, and the human part terrified of what might happen if it broke.

"Im sorry" he whispered as he fought within himself for control. A moment later, he snapped his eyes shut as he pushed himself off Kaito and took a few steps back. "Sorry" he said not even realizing how badly his hands were shaking.

It wasn’t like him, nor his wolf to fight between themselves.

[mik3la]

For a moment, Kaito couldn't breathe.

It wasn't afraid that held him frozen, it was something sharper, deeper. The air itself felt alive, vibrating between them, heavy with heat and the remnants of magic. His own pulse thrummed in his throat, loud enough to drown out the world.

He hadn't even realized what happened until the table jolted under him, Asher's weight pressing down, one hand braced against his chest. The scent of blood and wolf filled his senses, wild, unfiltered, real. It hit like lightning, striking something instinctive that he didn't know was inside him until now.

Asher's eyes burned gold. Not just a flicker, alive and consuming, like molten sunlight under a storm. His breath came ragged, and every exhale brushed against Kaito's skin, pulling a shiver out of him that he couldn't stop.

The growl cuts through the air. It wasn't human. It wasn't meant to be. It vibrated through Kaito's chest, a sound that should have terrified him...except it didn't.

Instead, something inside him answered. It was faint, buried deep under layers of binding spells and silence, but it moved.
Like a heartbeat that wasn't his own.

“Asher,” Kaito manages, voice rough. He didn't know if it was a warning or a plea. 

Quote

"Im sorry" he whispered as he fought within himself for control. A moment later, he snapped his eyes shut as he pushed himself off Kaito and took a few steps back. "Sorry" he said not even realizing how badly his hands were shaking.

Kaito barely recognized the sound of it. The Alpha who always carried himself with unwavering control suddenly looked lost . He staggered back a step, shaking hands curling into fists at his sides.

Kaito sat up slowly, his breath still uneven. His heart was still hammering, but not from fear, something else entirely. The echo of Asher's growl still vibrated through his bones, tangled with the remnants of the spell that had healed him.

He reached out before he could think better of it. “Hey… hey, look at me.”

“It wasn't you,” Kaito said softly. "It was the magic. My magic. It reacted to something in you. It ..." He hesitated, glancing at his own hands. They still tingled faintly, the faint traces of golden light fading beneath his skin. “I think it did something to us. When I healed you, something shifted. ”

 

The silence between them thickened again, but this time it wasn't charged with danger, it was heavy with understanding neither of them was ready to name.

Kaito stood, closing the small distance Asher had put between them. “You don't need to apologize,” he said gently. "You stopped. That's what matters." Kaito gave a small, almost shy smile. “And for what it's worth… if you hadn't stopped, I still wouldn't have been afraid.”

Kaito's hand lingered near his arm, not touching this time, just close enough to be felt. The pull between them was still there, humming quietly, but it had softened now. Family. Safe.

"I knew you wouldn't hurt me". Kaito watched him carefully. He could still feel the tether humming faintly between them, an invisible thread that pulsed in rhythm with both their heartbeats. It wasn't just magic, it was instinct. It was something older, something his human mind couldn't quite grasp but his bones recognized.

The first faint light of dawn crept across the floorboards, spilling pale gold over the table, over Asher's hand where it rested on the edge. Kaito hesitated, then reached out, his fingers brushing the back of that hand lightly.

“I don't know what's happening to us,” Kaito said quietly, “and i know you don't trust anything with magic but ... not everything with magic is bad” he murmured. "and for the record, i would never hurt you with my magic. You're the safest thing I've known in a long time.” he faint a smile gazing back at him. 

[M-jow]

Sh*t… Asher didn’t know what had come over him. His wolf still pressed close to the surface, restless and snarling, but it had started to calm the moment he stepped back.

Something about all of this felt wrong. He would never have attacked Kaito—of all people. He couldn’t explain why it had happened, couldn’t name the instinct that had seized him, but he had noticed, somewhere down the line, that he enjoyed Kaito’s company. Even if technically, he wasn’t here by choice.

The last thing he wanted was for Kaito to hate him… or worse, fear him. The idea sat uneasily in his chest like a stone. His wolf had simply reacted to the sudden surge of power flowing through him—panicked, overwhelmed—despite the fact that Kaito hadn’t been hurting him at all.

Asher braced himself for Kaito to pull away, to recoil, to run out of the room and slam the door. But he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t react at all the way Asher had expected. When Kaito took the first step toward him, Asher instinctively backed up a careful pace—but only one—and then held still, allowing Kaito to approach if he chose.

The gold in Asher’s eyes flickered with worry as he watched Kaito. The man was trying to comfort him, apologizing for something that hadn’t even been his fault. He wasn’t looking at Asher with fear. He told him he wasn’t scared—that he trusted Asher wouldn’t hurt him.

The words hit harder than they should have. A hollow ache opened in Asher’s stomach. Part of him was relieved—grateful—but another part doubted, quietly and painfully.

He couldn’t promise he’d never hurt Kaito. Not when his wolf still regarded the man with wary confusion.

Kaito stood so close now that Asher could hear his heartbeat—steady, only a touch uneven—but not a single note of fear in it. Slowly, Asher lifted a hand and tugged lightly at the collar of Kaito’s shirt with one finger, checking for any sign that he’d harmed him. No marks on the man’s pale, bare throat. But the longer Asher looked, the drier and more mechanical his movements became.

He let go and swallowed hard.

“Still… I could have hurt you. There’s no excuse for that. I’m not even sure what any of that did. I don’t feel different.” His eyes searched Kaito’s face as he spoke.

Kaito… was a very attractive man. Asher had always known that in a distant sort of way, but he’d never noticed the small things—the ridiculous length of his eyelashes, or the way his eyes seemed to pull everything inward, as if looking into them risked being swallowed whole.

Curiosity crept through Asher, warm and intrusive. His gaze drifted over Kaito’s features—eyes, nose, cheeks, and finally, his mouth. Those full lips drew his attention like a magnet. He felt an absurd, reckless urge to touch them… to see how soft they were… to taste the lingering magic there and feel its spark on his tongue—

F**k. He realized too late where his mind had wandered and forced his eyes away.

His wolf had retreated deep into the back of his mind now, the gold fading completely from his irises until only storm-gray remained.

He shook his head and reached out to gently touch Kaito’s shoulder. Kaito had said he didn’t know what had happened to them… was this part of it too?

“It’s late,” Asher murmured. “We should both try to sleep. Maybe I’m just… overtired. Haven’t been resting enough.” He gave Kaito’s shoulder a soft squeeze before letting his hand fall away. “Thank you, Kaito. For helping me break the curse. And for… not freaking out when I did.”

He offered a small smile—steady on the surface, but thin, like something troubled him just beneath it.

 

 

(Morning)

 

Morning light pushed weakly through the curtains—gold muted into gray by overcast skies. It was still too early for anyone sane to be awake. But Asher had been up since dawn, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling while his mind circled the same damn problem over and over.

After getting back to his room, Asher had taken a shower. Which had turned into him jerking himself off.

While thinking about Kaito. Seeing his face. Hearing his heartbeat.

Asher had felt so ashamed of doing it but he'd fallen asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

 

Asher thought to himself, that he definitely needed to get laid. Or atleast hit something until his brain stopped misfiring.

Unfortunately, the only thing available to hit at this hour was the living-room floor.

Which was why, at not-quite-seven in the morning, Asher was shirtless and braced on one palm, his body low and rigid as he hammered through another brutal set of one-arm push-ups. Stretch pants clung to the sharp lines of his thighs and hips, sweat gathering and running in slow, deliberate trails down his spine. His muscles were tight and swollen with effort—chest, shoulders, abs all flexing as he pushed himself harder than usual.

He exhaled through his teeth, jaw clenched.

Thirty-seven… thirty-eight… thirty-nine—

His arm shook. He refused to stop.

The rhythmic slap of his palm against the floor echoed through the quiet house. Every time he lowered himself, the scent of warm wood and faint incense rose around him—along with the inconvenient memory of how Kaito had smelled when he’d stood close last night. Something subtle and clean.

He growled under his breath, frustrated with himself, and forced out another ten reps.

He switched arms without resting, flipping smoothly into place like a man being chased by his own thoughts. Sweat dripped from his temple, sliding down his jaw and falling to the floor with tiny silent taps.

'Focus. Just focus.'

But focus was impossible. His mind kept circling back, uninvited:

—Kaito’s voice, low and steady as he’d told Asher he wasn’t afraid.

—The way Kaito had stepped closer instead of pulling back.

—Kaito’s mouth, soft-looking and infuriatingly distracting.

—And Asher’s own reaction. Too warm. Too curious.

“F**k,” he hissed, pushing through another rep. “I need to get this out of my system."

His wolf stirred faintly—still confused.

 

He finished the final set by practically launching himself off the floor, landing in a crouch. His chest heaved with deep, uneven breaths. Sweat beaded and ran across the defined planes of his stomach, sliding between the ridges of muscle.

He rested his forearm on his knee, head bowed, breath steaming slightly in the cool morning air.

It didn’t help. Not enough.

He still felt too aware of last night, too aware of the strange new tension humming under his skin.

He dragged a hand through his hair—damp, sticking up in wild directions—and muttered to himself:

“Gods. I’m losing it.”

He stood and rolled out his shoulders, preparing to force himself through another set—anything to keep his thoughts from drifting. But stopped as he noticed Kaito scent was stronger now compared to before.

[mik3la]

Asher's fingers slipped from his shoulder, leaving behind a ghost of warmth that lingered far longer than it should have.
Kaito stood very still, feeling the subtle tremor in the air where the touch had been. Asher's words sat between them like fragile glass—honest, raw, edged with doubt.

He could see it in Asher's face. Not afraid. Not angry. But something much worse. Guilt.

Kaito inhaled, stepping just a fraction closer. Close enough that Asher would feel him there, solid and unhooked. 

Slowly, reluctantly, those storm-gray eyes lifted. The gold was gone now, but the worry hadn't faded with it.

Kaito held his gaze without wavering.
“You didn't hurt me,” he said softly, firmly. “And you didn’t attack me.” 

Asher opened his mouth to argue, but Kaito cut him off before he could start spiraling again.

"You reacted. Instinctively. To magic that overwhelmed both of us." He reached out, slowly, deliberately and rested a hand against Asher's forearm. "And you stopped yourself. That matters more than anything."

“I've seen people lose control of magic,” Kaito continued, voice quieter now. “Saw mages hurt the ones they cared about. Saw them break themselves trying to stop.” His eyes softened. "But you... the moment you realized what was happening, you fought your wolf back. You protected me from yourself. Do you have any idea how rare that is?"

Asher swallowed, the sound audible in the quiet room. Kaito's hand didn't leave his arm.

"And for the record... I'm not afraid of you. Not even a little."
His voice gentled with a warmth he didn't hide anymore. “If I was, I wouldn't still be standing this close.”

Quote

“It’s late,” Asher murmured. “We should both try to sleep. Maybe I’m just… overtired. Haven’t been resting enough.” 

He didn't move away right away. Not yet. Something more deeper than themselves was pulling them closer

"I'll go to bed. But—not because I'm afraid, or because of what happened. Just because... I'm exhausted. And because you need sleep more than you think."

Quote

 “Thank you, Kaito. For helping me break the curse. And for… not freaking out when I did.”

“And Asher?” He waited until those storm-gray eyes found him again.

“You don't have to thank me for staying.”His voice trembled on something soft.
“ I want to stay. ”

He lingered one last heartbeat, long enough for Asher to feel the truth of it. Then he turned toward the hallway—but not before offering one final, gentle smile over his shoulder.

"Goodnight."

 

His body was tired, his magic drained, and the house was quiet in the way only protected spaces could be, no whispers, no stray energy, nothing for his senses to cling to. And yet Kaito lay awake, staring at the ceiling, the faint glow of the ward-stones casting dim patterns across the room.

He could still feel Asher's hand on him.

His shoulder where that warm, careful squeeze had lingered. His wrist where fingers had been brushed just long enough to leave a phantom imprint. And the space right in front of him, where Asher had stood close enough that Kaito could feel the heat of his breath.

He exhaled slowly, trying to steady the restless hum coiling low in his chest.

It wasn't afraid. It wasn't even adrenaline. It was something… different.

Something that didn't belong to magic, or curses, or whatever strange tether had sparked between them earlier. This feeling was older. Quieter. More personal.

Kaito rolled onto his side, pulling the blanket up to his chin, although he wasn't cold. His heartbeat felt too loud in the stillness. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the moment Asher had pinned him to the table— Not the danger of it. Not the growl. Not the wolf.

But Asher's face inches from his. The raw panic when he realized what he was doing. The desperate restraint as he forced himself back under control.

Kaito touched his own chest lightly.Something had cracked open in that moment—not because Asher had lost control, but because he'd fought so hard to keep Kaito safe. No one had ever looked at him with that kind of fear—not fear of him, but fear for him. Kaito swallowed, the memory of Asher's storm-gray eyes stirring a nervous warmth in his stomach.

It shouldn't matter. Asher was a werewolf. A pack alpha. A man carrying more weight than he ever admitted.
And Kaito…Kaito was the mage who'd dragged him into a prophecy he wasn't sure he believed in yet. They shouldn't fit into each other's space this easily. They shouldn't be thinking about each other like this.

Kaito pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead, trying to slow his thoughts, but the embarrassment only deepened the heat blooming across his cheeks. He'd felt Asher's breath on his neck earlier. He'd seen the way those gray eyes had flicked to his mouth. And—gods help him—he'd felt his own heart react. Not with fear. Not with caution. But with something Kaito hadn't let himself feel in a long time. Something he wasn't sure he wanted to feel—but couldn't stop now that it had started.

He curled onto his back again, letting out a quiet sigh as he stared into the dim ceiling.

“…this is a terrible idea,” he whispered into the empty room. But even to his own ears, it didn't sound like he meant it.

Sleep tugged at the edges of his mind, warm and full of Asher's scent—the faint trace of pine and storm-soaked air that clung to him even now, drifting through the house like a memory.

Kaito closed his eyes. And for the first time in a very, very long time, he felt something soft settle in his chest. Not magic. Just... longing. A quiet, uncertain wanting. And he wondered, just for a moment, if Asher was lying awake too—feeling the same impossible pull.

 

****(Morning)****

 

Kaito had only intended to get water—his throat was dry, sleep never fully settled over him last night. A restless tangle of thoughts had dragged him out of bed. Thoughts of Asher. Of the wolf that had growled against his skin. Of the way Asher's eyes had darkened, then softened, then… wandered.

He'd told himself he was imagining things. But then he stepped into the hallway, and Asher's scent hit him—bright and warm and sharp with effort.

Kaito slowed down. Then stopped. The living room opened into view. And there was Asher. Kaito froze in place like prey sensing a hunter—not out of fear, but because his mind simply stopped functioning.

Asher was on the floor, one arm braced, the other tucked behind him as he lowered himself into another one-arm push-up. His back rippled with every movement—broad shoulders flexing, muscles sliding under skin slick with a thin sheen of sweat. His breath came deep, heavy, the controlled exhale of someone trying to outrun their own thoughts.

Kaito had seen him shirtless before, briefly. But not like this. Not with the morning light sliding over him, catching in the sweat along the carved line of his spine. Not with the stretch pants clinging like a second skin, outlining the sharp curve of his hips, the power in his thighs, the strength coiled in every part of him. Not with raw frustration in every movement—frustration that felt like it had teeth.

Kaito's fingers curled around the edge of the doorway. He knew he should look away. He didn't.

His gaze drifted—slow, unwillingly reverent—from Asher's shoulders down the long, taut line of his torso. The way his abs tightened and released with each movement. The small, almost vicious sound Asher made when he pushed harder, as if fighting something inside him.

Gods.

Kaito felt heat creep up his neck—slowly, then all at once—sinking into his cheeks, his ears, his chest. His pulse jumped, too fast for how still he stood. He swallowed, but the air tasted different now. Thicker. Charged. And Asher didn't notice him. At all.

He was too lost in his own head, pushing himself until his body shook with effort. Until sweat rolled down the lines of his stomach. Until he slammed through the last of his reps and rose in a powerful, fluid motion that Kaito felt more than saw.

When Asher crouched, breathing heavily, Kaito's breath caught too—tight, unsteady. He'd known Asher was attractive. But this… seeing him like this… seeing him so raw, so physical, so completely unaware of the effect he had—

It was dangerous. Kaito's heart thudded against his ribs in a rhythm that felt too loud. Too eager.

And when Asher dragged a hand through his damp hair—brassing it up in a way that made him look reckless and touchable—Kaito's fingers tightened on the doorframe so hard his knuckles whitened.

He couldn't stop staring. He didn't know how to stop.

A soft, barely audible breath escaped him—more like a small, involuntary gasp—as Asher muttered under his breath:

Quote

“Gods. I'm losing it.”

Kaito felt something twist in his chest. Something warm. Something dangerous. Something that had been growing all night and refused to be quiet. And the moment Asher's head tilted up, as if sensing something—Kaito's scent, the shift in the air—Kaito straightened instinctively, heart slamming once against his ribs.

Unable to hide the flush burning across his skin. Unable to pretend he hadn't just been standing there, breathless, watching a man who was becoming far too difficult not to want. 

Kaito's breath hitched and his pulse skipped. He tried to compose himself, smoothing his hands down the loose fabric of his sleep shirt as he stepped into the room. The air felt thicker here—warmer from Asher's workout, saturated with his scent.

He cleared his throat softly.

“Good morning,” he said—quiet, careful, but not hesitant.

The living room suddenly felt too small. The distance between them felt thinner than it had any right to be. Kaito swallowed and tried to ignore the heat creeping back into his cheeks.

“I... didn't mean to interrupt.” His voice was calm, mostly. “I just woke up and thought I'd get some water.”

His gaze dipped involuntarily, just for a moment, following the slow bead of sweat rolling down Asher's chest until it disappeared below the waistband of those clingy, unfairly tight pants.

Gods. 

Kaito forced his eyes upward before Asher noticed.