Kaylin stands in the doorway, watching as Brycen and Tria disappear into the forest, the soft clip of hooves fading into the dense trees until all that remains is the gentle rustling of leaves in the cool morning breeze. The small clearing that surrounds their cottage, once filled with the quiet sounds of another person’s presence, now feel unbearably still.

They take a deep breath, the crisp autumn air filling their lungs, but it doesn't soothe the unfamiliar ache in their chest. It is the kind of ache they haven’t felt in years. One born of loneliness, but also... something else. An emptiness that feels like a hollow space where something- or someone- used to be.

Brycen’s absence hangs in the air, unsettling.

With a sigh, Kaylin turns back inside, closing the door softly behind them and locking it with a loud click. Their fingers instinctively reach up to the straps of their mask, and with a practiced motion, they pull it off, setting it gently on the small table by the door. The cool air touches their face, brushing over their skin like a reminder that they are alone again.

They should be relieved. This cottage- this small, hidden place in the woods, has always been their sanctuary. A retreat from the world, from people, from expectations. Yet now, it feels strangely empty. Like the silence has grown louder in Brycen’s absence, swallowing up the space he had occupied.

Kaylin wandered through the small room, trailing their fingers along the surfaces of the table, the herbs drying by the window, the jars and vials neatly lined up on the shelves. Everything is as it had been before Brycen arrived—perfectly in order, precisely how they like it. But somehow, it all feels different now. Like the air itself has shifted.

They take out a violin from their shelf and open the case, spending a few moments ensuring it's in tune before they begin to play.  The first song they play is a familiar one- one they learned to play with their papa when they first started learning music.  But then it shifts into something of their own creation.  An incoming storm, a rush against time, the faint beating of a heart that should be pounding strong.  That transforms into something soft, sweet, something growing- like flowers in their garden.  They stop abruptly and sigh, putting their instrument away.  That clearly isn't helping them get out of their head.

They spend the day out in the garden instead, checking their autumn vegetables to see if anything is ready to pick and making sure no weeds have grown up to try and smother them.  They check on their chickens and collect any eggs that have been laid.  They make too much dinner that evening, forgetting that they're the only one there to eat it.

The realization makes them lose their appetite, and they just put the food away.

They intend to go to their bedroom, but stop at the smaller bedroom instead.  They drift toward the bed, where Brycen had spent the last week recovering. The mattress is still slightly indented where he had lain, and the quilt is rumpled from his restless movements. Kaylin sits down on the edge, running their hands over the familiar fabric, fingers tracing the stitching in the quilt, the one they made by hand many years ago.

The room smells of him. Warm, fresh, and subtly spiced- the scent of an Alpha, but not the kind that overpowers or suffocates. No, Brycen’s scent is different. It lingers gently in the room, in the bed, in the air around them, and Kaylin finds themself breathing it in deeply, almost instinctively.

It is comforting. Unnervingly so.

They lean back, sinking into the mattress as though Brycen’s presence still lingers there, and close their eyes. The scent wraps around them like a cocoon, warm and familiar. For the first time since Brycen had left, Kaylin allowed themself to truly feel the absence of him. To acknowledge the strange pull they have toward him, the way their chest tightens every time they think of his smile, his steady hands, the way he had looked at them like... like they were something more than just a healer.

Kaylin’s heart flutters as the memories rush back- the quiet moments they had shared in the garden, Brycen’s gentle laugh, the way his hand had lingered just a little longer than necessary when he’d taken theirs. The way his eyes softened every time he looked at them, as if seeing something in Kaylin they weren’t sure actually existed.

“Until next time,” they whisper softly to the empty room, their voice barely audible.

But even as they said it, doubt crept in.

Kaylin bit their lip, their fingers curling into the quilt as they fought against the familiar tide of uncertainty. They missed Brycen- missed him in a way that scares them. The cottage hasvalways been a refuge, a place where they could be alone without fear. But now, that solitude feels... different. Hollow. Like something is missing.

But he’s an Alpha, the voice in their mind reminds them sharply, cutting through the warmth of the moment. The voice sounds suspiciously like Aaron’s- protective, stern, and always suspicious of the world around them. Don’t let yourself forget what happened last time.

Kaylin tenses, their body going rigid as the memories they had tried so hard to bury surge back- memories of another Alpha, years ago. An Alpha who had been kind, who had seemed gentle at first. Until he wasn’t. Until he had shown Kaylin exactly why trust could be so dangerous.

And yet... Brycen was different.

Wasn’t he?

Kaylin squeezes their eyes shut, fighting against the conflicting emotions swirling inside them. Brycen has never once acted like the Alphas from their past. He has been kind, gentle, respectful. He hasn’t pushed, hasn’t demanded. He hasn’t made them feel small or trapped. Instead, he had made them feel seen. Like their fears, their boundaries, were something to be honored, not broken down.

But how long could that last? The voice in their head whispers again, full of doubt. How long until he shows his true colors?

Kaylin hates that voice- the one that makes them question every good thing that comes into their life. But it is there, lingering like a shadow, even in the warmth of Brycen’s absence. And the truth is, Kaylin doesn’t know if they are strong enough to push it away.

But... they want to try.

They sigh, sinking deeper into the bed, letting the familiar scent of Brycen wash over them one last time before they would have to wash the sheets. Before they would have to scrub away every last trace of him from this space and return to their life of quiet solitude.

Maybe he’ll come back, Kaylin thinks wistfully, their fingers clutching the fabric tightly. Maybe he’ll return.

The hope that blooms in their chest feels fragile, like the first bud of a flower pushing through the cold soil of winter. But it is there, stubborn and persistent, no matter how hard Kaylin tries to tamp it down.

They aren’t sure if they could trust it. But for now, they let themself hold on to that hope. Just for a little longer.

The next morning, Kaylin wakes up to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. The sun filters through the trees, casting soft golden light across the floor. They lay in bed for a moment, letting the warmth of the morning seep into their skin, their thoughts still lingering on the memory of Brycen’s smile, the feel of his hand in theirs.

With a deep breath, they sat up, glancing around the small cottage. The ache in their chest was still there, a dull throb that hasn’t lessened overnight. But today, they will face it. They will wash the sheets, tidy the room, and return to their quiet life.

But as they stand, ready to begin their day, they can’t help but glance back at the bed, at the quilt that still holds Brycen’s scent.  They fold up the quilt and take it back to their own room, and then set to work cleaning the guest room and the sheets.

Until next time, they whisper once more, their heart clenching at the thought.

Because deep down, Kaylin knows that they were already waiting for the day he would return.