Chapter 274: Assurance
Leo
"Starlight," both of us said at the same time when the Maine Coon kitten confidently walked out from the corner of the room like she had not just interrupted an emotional disaster.
Completely unbothered by everything that had happened between us, she stretched lazily before settling near the wall with the kind of peace I genuinely envied at that moment.
Miller let out a quiet laugh behind me while his arms remained wrapped firmly around my waist, refusing to let me move too far away from him.
"Look at her," he muttered softly. "She genuinely does not care that our lives are falling apart right now."
A small smile pulled at my lips despite everything weighing down my chest.
"She has no idea how emotionally unstable the atmosphere in this room is," I murmured while leaning forward again and burying my face into the side of his neck.
I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the grounding cedarwood scent clinging to his skin, and for a few precious seconds, the noise inside my head finally quieted down enough for me to breathe properly again.
Miller slowly loosened his hold around me afterward, though his hands never truly left my body. They remained resting against my waist as though he was afraid I might disappear the second he let go completely.
His eyes searched my face carefully afterward, taking in the redness around my eyes, the dried tear stains still lingering across my cheeks, and the slight swelling of my lips from kissing him like the world was ending earlier.
"Come here," he muttered quietly before taking my hand and guiding me toward the bed.
I followed without protesting.
The mattress dipped beneath our combined weight the second we sat down beside each other, and almost immediately, Starlight abandoned her corner before trotting toward us with surprising determination.
Tiny claws hooked against my sweatpants while she climbed directly onto my lap before curling herself into a warm fluffy ball against my stomach.
"She is ridiculously cute," I muttered while running my fingers slowly through her fur.
Miller stayed quiet for a while after that.
Our fingers remained loosely intertwined beside us while the room slowly settled into silence again, and honestly, the quiet felt strangely intimate after the chaos of tonight.
Eventually, Miller exhaled softly before finally speaking.
"We need to talk about what happened earlier," he said carefully while staring down at our joined hands. "Because we cannot keep reacting to each other like that every time things become emotionally complicated."
I nodded slowly in response.
"How is Jace?" I asked quietly while rubbing the back of his hand with my thumb. "Did the hospital update you about his condition?"
Miller’s expression shifted immediately at the mention of him.
"The hospital called before you arrived," he answered softly. "He is stable now, but the stabbing took a serious toll on his body. They moved him into intensive care for observation."
My hand paused briefly against Starlight’s fur.
"Oh."
Reality settled heavily inside the room again after that.
Because no matter how emotional things had become between Miller and me tonight, Jace was still lying in a hospital bed after nearly bleeding to death because somebody who loved him lost control.
And no matter how hard I tried to stop thinking about it, I could not get the image of his boyfriend out of my head.
The panic in his eyes.
The desperation.
The complete loss of control.
"You are spiraling again," Miller muttered quietly.
I let out a tired sigh in response.
The frustrating thing about Miller was that he noticed everything when it came to me. Sometimes it honestly felt impossible hiding anything from him for longer than a few seconds.
"We should visit Jace once he wakes up," I said after a moment of silence. "I need to understand what happened between them."
Miller frowned slightly. "Leo—"
"As a doctor, I understand the psychological and physiological effects of trauma, obsessive attachment, and unstable pheromone dependency," I interrupted quietly. "But as someone who shares the same designation as that man..."
My voice trailed off before I could finish properly.
Because suddenly the words became harder to say aloud.
Miller’s hand slowly covered mine afterward, gently stopping my fingers from petting the kitten.
"Hey," he murmured softly. "Look at me."
I hesitated for a moment before finally lifting my eyes toward him.
"This is not a curse," he said quietly.
Something painful tightened immediately inside my chest hearing that.
"Miller—"
"No," he interrupted gently this time while shifting slightly closer toward me. "Listen to me properly before you start disappearing into your own head again."
His thumb brushed slowly against my knuckles while speaking.
"You are not going to wake up one day and suddenly become some violent monster people need protection from," he continued softly. "And you are definitely not going to disappear just because somebody finds out what you are."
I looked away first because part of me still wanted to believe otherwise.
"If omegas can finally fight their way into this world and earn the right to exist openly," he continued quietly, "then Enigmas deserve that same chance too."
Then he leaned closer before pressing a soft kiss against my forehead.
"And until the world catches up," he whispered against my skin, "I will protect you myself."
My throat tightened painfully.
"You do not understand how dangerous it becomes for people like us," I admitted quietly while staring down at Starlight sleeping peacefully against my lap. "Alphas dominate naturally. Their instincts are stable because society was literally built around them. But Enigmas..." I swallowed hard before continuing. "Everything becomes excessive eventually. The attachment, the possessiveness, the territorial instincts... all of it keeps growing until sometimes you genuinely stop knowing where love ends and obsession begins."
The room became quiet again.
Then suddenly Starlight jumped off my lap and sprinted dramatically out of the bedroom like she sensed the emotional tension becoming too overwhelming for her body.
Miller snorted softly beside me. "Traitor."
Despite myself, I laughed quietly before finally stretching out against the mattress and turning onto my side to face him fully.
Miller shifted closer almost immediately.
"I spoke to my mum earlier," I muttered quietly.
"And?"
"She agreed with me."
"That sentence somehow feels threatening."
I rolled my eyes weakly.
"I also called Nico."
That immediately made him groan loudly.
"Oh, fantastic. Now we are definitely doomed."
A tired laugh escaped me before I continued speaking.
"Nico suggested something ridiculous."
"Which usually means he believes it is revolutionary advice."
"He told us to go on a couples’ getaway."
Miller blinked slowly.
"A what?"
"A trip," I answered quietly. "Away from hockey. Away from stress. Away from everything."
I could still hear Nico’s voice clearly inside my head from earlier.
Do things couples do, dear cousin. Kiss dramatically. Make emotional decisions. Maybe have sex about your feelings. You only live once.
Honestly, listening to Nico give relationship advice felt medically irresponsible.
Still...
The idea made sense.
"When do your pre-season training camps start?" I asked softly.
"In a few weeks."
"Then before that," I murmured, "I want us to leave for a while."
Miller studied my face carefully afterward.
"You are serious."
"I am terrified," I corrected honestly.
The confession slipped out before I could stop it.
"I am scared that one day we will get into an argument and my instincts will stop recognizing where the line is," I admitted quietly. "What if my biology eventually starts seeing your alpha instincts as a threat? What if I hurt you trying to overpower them?" My throat tightened painfully afterward. "What if one day you look at me the same way Jace looked at him downstairs?"
That immediately made Miller move closer toward me.
His hand slid slowly against my jaw before forcing me to look directly at him again.
"Leo," he muttered softly while his forehead rested gently against mine. "Do you really think my feelings for you are that weak?"
I said nothing.
That silence alone answered enough for him.
Miller sighed quietly before speaking again.
"The difference between you and that man is that when somebody was dying that night, your first instinct was not violence," he whispered softly against my lips. "It was saving him."
Something inside my chest cracked painfully hearing that.
"You stayed beside Jace after finding out what his boyfriend was," he continued quietly. "You treated him. You stabilized him. You followed him to the hospital. And now you are sitting here terrified that one day you might become dangerous too."
His fingers brushed gently beneath my eye.
"That does not sound like a monster to me, Leo."
I closed my eyes briefly.
"You are painfully good at emotionally dismantling my spirals," I muttered weakly.
"That is because you are dramatic."
"I am literally an Enigma."
"And you are also a doctor who alphabetizes his medical journals."
I let out an exhausted laugh despite myself.
Miller smiled softly afterward before brushing his thumb slowly across my cheek.
"I know you," he whispered quietly. "Not your designation, Not your biology. I will always trust you no matter what happens Leo because I love you.’’ he muttered and hugged me again.
I wrapped my arms around him and inhaled his cedarwood. ’’I love you too.’’