Chapter 71 - Claimed Without Words
Athena didn't remember climbing down from the wall.
She only remembered the way Silas had looked at her before he spoke.
The promise in his eyes.
The way his voice had carried across the field without hesitation.
She found him just inside the gates as Rowan and Kael moved off to speak with the scouts.
Silas turned the moment she approached, like he had been waiting for her.
"Why did you say that?" she asked softly.
Her voice wasn't accusing.
It was searching.
Silas stepped closer.
"Because I meant it."
Athena's breath caught.
"You didn't hesitate," she said.
"I won't," he replied.
They stood close enough that she could feel the heat from him.
The steady strength of his presence.
"You didn't offer me," she whispered.
Silas's jaw tightened slightly.
"I will never give you back to them."
The words hit her harder than she expected.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Certain.
Athena's hand rose to his chest like it had so many times before.
Grounding herself in him.
"I've never felt this protected before," she admitted.
Silas's hand slid gently to her waist, pulling her closer without force.
"You will never feel unprotected again."
She looked up at him.
Their faces close.
Breath mingling.
And she kissed him.
Slow.
Deep.
Intentional.
Silas responded instantly, his hand moving to the back of her neck as he held her there, the kiss deepening without urgency but full of emotion.
This wasn't the desperate heat from before.
This was something steadier.
Heavier.
Meaningful.
When they pulled apart, their foreheads rested together.
Athena closed her eyes.
Letting herself feel it fully.
For the first time in her life...
She felt claimed without fear.