Page 128 of Daughter of the Serpent

And she hadn't even realized how much, until now.

Heat unfurled inside her, curling through every fiber of her being. This connection. This tether. This constant pull. It was more than desire. It was more than just friendship.

Hewas more than anything she had ever known.

Because he saw her when no one else did.

The weight of it crashed into her, overtaking her in one overarching wave and all she could do was stare - breathless, unmoored, completely undone.

Axel’s voice softened, but the intensity in his gaze never wavered.

"You’re more than what they say, Sylvie."

His words curled around her ribs, sinking deep, a quiet ember igniting in her chest. "And deep down," he murmured, "you know it."

She wanted to look away. Wanted to retreat from the certainty in his gaze. To hide herself so he wouldn’t see - wouldn’t catch the unmistakable emotions that flooded her face, her heart. Wouldn’t see her undeniable need for his words, his body,him. But she couldn’t. She was caught - trapped by the raw honesty in his eyes, by the weight of something far bigger than she ever realized.

Despite the truth he had just revealed, despite the fact that his words had just shattered everything she had ever believed, her mind could only go to one place.

Him.

Always him.

Her mouth opened, but she couldn’t say it. She couldn’t pluck the courage to be so bold, to tell him how much he had already become a part of her. How he had made her feel seen in a way no one ever had. How everything he had done for her - had changed her life entirely.

"Thank you, Axel."

It was all she could say, the only thing she could manage as she tried to sort through the thick of emotions.

His brow creased. "For what?"

Her throat tightened. "For all that you have done." She paused, then, barely above a whisper - "For believing in me."

She had tried with so many others before - hoping, yearning - that one day, someone might truly see her. Accept her.

She had tried with Haldor.

She had offered him pieces of herself, fragments of trust wrapped in quiet longing. But every time, he had shut her down. Redirected her emotions. Twisted her words. Told her how she should feel instead of letting her feel at all.

With him, it had never been safe to think differently. Tobedifferent.

But with Axel... it was.

He nodded, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "I meant what I said at the cliffside."

His gaze held hers, unwavering. "You never have to hide from me." His voice softened, but there was steel beneath it. "With me, you will always be safe to be all of who you are."

And she felt it - the truth thrumming in every word.

Here, in this moment, in this space with him, she didn’t have to reshape herself into something smaller, softer - something more acceptable. She didn’t have to hide.

Not her emotions.

Not her deformity.

Not herself.

She could simply exist, without compromise.

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