Post by Akinade Bidemi Victoria (@Bidemi_Victoria_Stories)

14 May 2026

The wind moves softly through the balcony curtains. Thunder rumbles somewhere far away.
Alessia stands at the railing, arms folded tightly across herself, staring at the city lights below. Her mind is somewhere else entirely. Killian steps out behind her — freshly showered, dressed in black, calm as always. Too calm.
She turns sharply. "How are you doing that?"
He tilts his head slightly. "Doing what?"
"Acting like tomorrow isn't terrifying."
He walks toward her slowly. "It is terrifying."
"No." She shakes her head. "You don't understand." She laughs nervously, the sound thin and unconvincing. "Tomorrow decides everything. What if the other Lycaras refuse to show up out of fear? What if they don't get here in time? What if the Elders refuse to listen? What if—" Her breathing catches. "There is so much at stake right now…" she whispers. "I can't breathe…"
Killian reaches her in three steps and settles both hands gently on her arms. She tenses slightly at his touch then slowly doesn't. He turns her to face him and she lets him.
"You need to calm down, my love."
She looks away. "Don't tell me to calm down."
"Getting restless is not good for your beast right now." His thumbs move in slow circles against her arms. "We can't have you on edge going into tomorrow."
"I'm already on edge." Her eyes lift to his. "How are you so calm in all of this?"
He doesn't answer immediately. Instead he reaches up and brushes a loose strand of hair from her face, tucking it carefully behind her ear. His fingers linger at her jaw for a moment — just resting there, warm and steady.
"I've been doing this a long time," he says finally. "Leading through things that terrified me. You learn to breathe through the fear instead of against it."
She searches his face. "And does it work?"
"Most days."
She almost smiles. Almost.
Her voice breaks slightly. "I could end up dead tomorrow. But you—" she gestures vaguely, "—you have so much more to lose. Your throne. Your title. Everything you've built."
Killian is quiet for a moment. Then he moves closer — slowly, deliberately — and cups her face in both hands.
"I see myself in you," he says quietly. "And that is all that matters to me."
Her eyes soften instantly. Something in her shoulders drops.
He strokes her cheekbone with his thumb. "You are stronger than you know, Alessia. What happened last night in that forest — what you did, what you became — most wolves never experience that kind of power in an entire lifetime."
She swallows. "It didn't feel like strength. It felt like losing control."
"That is what strength feels like the first time." He tilts her chin up gently. "Raw and overwhelming and terrifying. But it was yours. Every bit of it."
She holds his gaze. The city hums far below them.
"Tomorrow," he continues, "when we walk into that council hall — they will look at you and expect to see someone afraid." His voice drops low. "Don't give them that."
"And if I am afraid?"
"Then let them see something else instead." He presses one hand flat against her chest, right over her heartbeat. "Let them feel this. The command in your blood. The authority you carry without even knowing it." He looks at her steadily. "You are an Apex Luna. There is not a single elder in that room who outranks what you are."
Alessia stares at him. "You actually believe that."
"I know that."
She exhales shakily and drops her forehead against his chest. He wraps both arms around her immediately, one hand at the back of her head, holding her there. She grips the fabric of his shirt.
"What if I get angry in there?" she asks quietly. "What if someone says something and I can't hold it back?"
He presses his lips to the top of her head. "Then you breathe. Slowly. Through your nose." His hand moves in a slow circle against her back. "The beast responds to your breath before anything else. When you feel it rising — don't fight it. Acknowledge it. Tell it to wait."
"Tell it to wait," she repeats quietly. "Like it listens to me."
"It does." He pulls back just enough to look at her face. "It listened last night. In the cave. When you were completely gone — something brought you back. Do you remember what it was?"
She looks at him for a long moment.
"You," she says softly.
Something moves across his face. He leans down and kisses her forehead — slow and deliberate and warm. Then her temple. Then the corner of her jaw. She tilts her head slightly and his lips find her cheek and stay there for a breath.
"You came back to yourself," he murmurs against her skin. "I was just the thing you focused on. That focus — that is your anchor. Find it tomorrow if you need it."
She turns her face toward his. Their lips are very close.
"And if my eyes change?" she whispers.
"Let them." His nose brushes against hers. "Let them see exactly what you are."
She closes the small distance between them and kisses him...

#followers #Lekeelekee #Romantic stories #fyp #trendy

Comments