Page 166 of Star Claimed Omega
Soleil’s eyes lowered to the table. ‘Will you tell him I’m here?’
Miral tilted her head, studying her. ‘Do you want me to? Because let me be clear, his finding out is inevitable. He’s a Star Wolf. If he catches even the subtlest scent that you’re alive, he will hunt you down. That’s a promise.’
‘So he thinks I’m dead?’
‘He does, but I can tell him you’re breathing, and perhaps you two can meet and work shit out.’
Soleil stared down at her trembling hands. Her voice was quiet but sure.
‘I’d like him to find out on his own. I want to see his face when he does, when he sees me again. I want to know what’s real in that moment, if there’s pain, or regret. Or if I was always just some tail he could throw away.’
Her throat tightened. ‘Even if he does look at me like I’m his world, it still might not be enough. My heart remembers what he said. I can’t unhear it. No matter how much I love him, I’m not sure I can forgive him for not believing me.’
Miral nodded, then offered a rare, relieved smile. ‘I can work with that because I care for you both.’
They didn’t talk about Santi again.
Instead, Miral shifted the conversation, flicking her eyes to Soleil’s uniform with a mock grimace. ‘I still don’t know how you do this, apron-bound, coffee-splattered, smelling like cinnamon and despair.’
Soleil let out a weak laugh. ‘It’s an upgrade. I used to reek of solvent and melancholy.’
They shared a warm, natural laugh.
Miral shared a few updates onThe Sombra,and eventually, she stood, adjusting her hood so it covered her face.
‘Keep yourself safe, Soleil. Just be ready. The moment you’re avoiding is inevitable.’
‘I’m well aware. You’re going to tell him, aren’t you?’
In response, Miral tilted her head and smiled. ‘I’ll try to do what’s wise and best for you both.’
With that, Miral offered one final nod and swept out of the café, her presence and potent power rippling away.
Soleil sat frozen in her chair, hands clasped tight around her mug, heart rattling inside her ribs.
Her mind spiraled through what-ifs, through timelines that never came to pass, and the futures she feared to hope for.
Her chest trembled with every breath.
She scarcely heard yelling from behind her.
‘Are you deaf now?’ Krohn snapped, marching toward her from the kitchen.
His ruddy face twisted into a sneer. ‘Get off your ass and back to work. Your guest is gone and you’ve still got tables to wipe.’
Her patience with his bullshit fractured.
Soleil stood slowly. Her posture was calm, but her presence now radiated menace.
‘Krohn,’ she said, her voice like velvet over steel, ‘I’d watch your mouth if I were you. I’m gettingfokkin’ tired of your bullshit’
The lights above the counter flickered as a red shimmer pulsed beneath her skin, scarcely visible, but unmistakable.
‘Because whatever you think my friend would have done to you,’ her smile dangerous, her aura serene and still as a sheathedblade, ‘it’ll be nothing compared to whatIwill do tofokkyour shit up if your disrespect continues.’
She let just a flicker of her lycan essence leak, spectral static arcing from her with a hint of crimson charge.
Krohn paled. His mouth opened, then closed again.
