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“I’ve been thinking,” he says, voice softer now. “About Lena.”

Xar stiffens slightly beside me, but doesn’t interrupt.

Lena? Who’s Lena?

My omega grumbles internally.

“I should have listened to you,” Blaise continues. “Back when you first said something was off. I was too wrapped up in the attention. And I was pissed off at everything else.”

Xar exhales, slow. “You were struggling. We all were.”

“Still,” Blaise says, glancing up at the sky. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Or assumed the worst. I let her come between us.”

Xar pauses. Then says quietly, “You weren’t the only one.”

“No,” Blaise agrees. “But I still needed to say it.”

They stop walking, and I hover beside them, uncertain if I should step away. But then Xar pulls Blaise into a one-armed hug, their shoulders bumping.

“We’re good,” Xar says. “We’ve got bigger things to focus on now.”

“Yeah.” Blaise looks at me. “We do.”

My chest twists a little, in a good way.

It’s quiet for a long moment, the kind that feels full instead of awkward. Then something bright cuts across the sky – a shooting star, fast and dazzling.

I gasp, stopping to watch it disappear.

“Did you make a wish?” Blaise asks, stepping up beside me.

I nod, smiling faintly.

“What was it?”

I shake my head, suddenly shy. “If I tell you, it won’t come true.”

He leans in, grinning. “If you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to make sure itdoescome true?”

I laugh. “What, are you all-powerful now?”

“I’m a genie,” he says smugly. “Three wishes, sweetheart. Better use them wisely.”

I shake my head, but before I can respond, he pulls me toward him, hands gentle but sure. And then, without giving me time to overthink, he kisses me.

His lips brush mine – soft at first, teasing. A question, not a demand. But the moment our mouths meet, it’s like striking a match in dry grass. Heat flares, sudden and sharp, licking up my spine.

Blaise kisses like he’s been waiting for this exact moment – like he’s thought about it, dreamed about it, and now that it’s happening, he’s making sure I feeleverysecond of it. His fingers skim the side of my neck, light and deliberate, and I feel my whole body lean into him before I can stop it.

By the time he pulls back, my heart is thudding against my ribs, my skin flushed with something that feels dangerously close to hunger.

Then Xar steps in.

His eyes lock on mine, and I feel myself still under the weight of that gaze – heavy, steady, like gravity.

“May I?” he asks, voice low and rich with restraint.

I nod, too breathless to speak.