<h4>Chapter 267: Fate</h4>


    <strong>Jacob~</strong>


    I stood by Easter’s window for a little while longer, just watching her sleep. The glow from her living roommp spread softly across her face, illuminating the freckles scattered over her cheeks and nose. Her curls spilled in wild tangles around her delicate features, framing her like some enchanted forest nymph from the old tales my mother once told us, as the moonlight swirled around her like a living cloak.


    She shifted in her sleep, a small frown brushing her brow before her lips parted with a sigh. I felt something tighten in my chest—painful, deep, a reminder of how fragile this peace was. Three days. That was all I had promised myself. Three days to see her, breathe the same air as her, hear herugh as she tucked Rose into bed at night. Three days before I would disappear from her world forever.


    I forced myself to step away from the window before I shattered that promise.


    The cold night air brushed against my coat as I crossed the street. My boots made no sound against the pavement. When I reached my front porch, I didn’t bother with the key. Instead, I stepped through time and space, letting my form slip between the folds of the world. The shadows weed me, parting silently as I reappeared inside my living room.


    Darkness wrapped around the room like a familiar friend. I didn’t bother turning on the lights. I could see everything perfectly—the simple brown couch with its quilted cushions, the bookshelf lined with old texts and bottles of herbs, the steaming mug of tea I had left yesterday morning while pretending I was moving into the house, was now cold and untouched on the side table.


    I sat down heavily on the couch, leaning forward, elbows braced on my knees as I buried my face in my hands.


    What was I doing?


    My mind felt heavy. Too heavy. Thoughts of Easter pressed down on me like heavy stones strapped to my ribs. Her smile, herugh, the way her eyes widened when she was surprised. The way she looked at Rose with a mother’s fierce love. The way she never looked at herself with the same gentleness.


    How was I supposed to walk away from her forever?


    As I sat there drowning in the silence, a voice pressed gently against my mind. It was Tiger’s.


    <i>"Jacob?"</i>


    I straightened immediately, dropping my hands to myp.


    <i>"Yes, Tiger. What is it?"</i>


    There was a short pause before his quiet voice echoed through the mind link, warm and calm like always.


    <i>"Can Ie over?"</i>


    My brows furrowed. Tiger never asked anything without a reason. My chest tightened with sudden worry, but I forced myself to keep my voice steady.


    <i>"Yes. Of course."</i>


    The link cut immediately. I didn’t need to tell him my location. None of us did. As long as we didn’t intentionally block each other out, we could always find one another. All we had to do was follow the essence, the spiritual pulse, and appear in a blink.


    Sure enough, a ripple stirred the air in front of me, and then he was there—sitting in the twin couch across from me as if he had always been there, the darkness folding around him with reverence. Tiger never minded the dark. Neither did I. His green eyes glowed softly, his brown hair falling over his forehead in quiet disarray.


    He didn’t say anything for a moment. He simply sat there, elbows resting on his knees, his strong hands dangling loosely between them. The scent of earth and moss clung to him, grounding, calming.


    Finally, he spoke in that low rumble that always sounded like it came from deep underground.


    "Jacob... how are you doing?"


    I swallowed, ncing down at my fingers. They were trembling slightly, so I curled them into fists.


    "I’m fine."


    Tiger didn’t reply immediately. He just watched me with those patient eyes, and I knew he saw right through me. He always did. Tiger saw things that others couldn’t—seeds before they sprouted, decay before it became visible. Lies before they were spoken.


    He turned his gaze towards the door, and I didn’t need to follow it to know what he was sensing. Easter’s presence pulsed softly across the street, even in her sleep. Tiger’s jaw tensed, his goldenshes lowering over his eyes.


    I knew.


    I knew that despite everything, despite all the ways he tried to bury it, Tiger was still in love with her. He was fighting it, fighting himself every day not to feel it, not to want her that way anymore. And gods... I respected that. I envied it too. Because I... I couldn’t bring myself to not love her. No matter how hard I tried.


    Tiger looked away from the door with a soft sigh. His voice was quiet when he spoke again.


    "What are you nning to do, Jacob? With Easter."


    Iughed softly, but there was no humour in it. Only pain. I leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling where shadows danced like silent ghosts.


    "What choice do I have, Tiger?" My voice came out hoarse. "I can’t drag her back into this world. I barely pulled her out of it. She deserves peace. Even if it means... even if it means I have to stay away."


    Tiger nodded slowly, thoughtfully, like the roots of an old tree creaking in the wind. He didn’t speak for a while. Just sat there, watching the darkness shift around us. Then he said quietly,


    "I went back home yesterday."


    I blinked, ncing at him with confusion. "Home? You mean the heavenly realm?"


    He nodded. "I saw Mother."


    I didn’t know why he was changing the subject, but I didn’t interrupt him. Tiger never spoke without reason. I waited.


    He continued softly, "While I was there, I went to the Fate Library."


    My brows furrowed. The Fate Library was an ancient archive in our mother’s pce, holding the life paths and fates of all creation. Only the gods and their chosen spirits were allowed to enter. Tiger had always spent more time there than any of us, reading the old prophecies, learning the weaving patterns of destiny.


    "I found something... interesting," Tiger said, his eyes still fixed on the dark space between us. "About Easter."


    My heart stopped. Completely stopped.


    "What... what about her?" I forced the words out past the sudden tightness in my throat.


    Tiger’s green eyes flicked to mine. Calm. Deep. Steady. "Her fate is tied to three men."


    I straightened, every sense in me suddenly alive. "Three men?"


    He nodded. "One was her ex-husband, Ruben. But that bond has been severed permanently. Now, there are only two left."


    My chest constricted painfully. I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears. "Who... who are they, Tiger?" My voice was shaking despite my attempts to keep it calm. "Who are these men? Tell me their names."


    Tiger watched me quietly for a moment. Then he said softly, almost gently,


    "You are one of them, Jacob."


    For a heartbeat, everything just... stopped. The air around me felt too heavy to breathe. My chest tightened until I thought my ribs would snap under the pressure, and my heart mmed so hard it felt like the echo rattled through my bones. Me? Linked to her? My fate tangled up with hers?


    I had never let myself even imagine it. The idea felt too big, too bright, like staring straight into the sun. I never believed—never even dared to hope—that I could be tied to anyone’s destiny, let alone hers. Someone like Easter... so gentle, so radiant, so impossibly good.


    The truth hit me like an avnche out of nowhere, thundering through every part of me. It was terrifying. It was thrilling. And it left me trembling, with my entire world rearranged around the shape of her name.


    "But..." I breathed, staring at Tiger with wide eyes, "Who is the other man?"


    Tiger sighed, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "His name is Brandon. He is her college ssmate. He has... started making his moves."


    A sharp, bitter twist coiled in my stomach. Anxiety spiked through me, sharp and electric, making my fingers dig into the couch cushion beneath me. My heart began to pound hard, fast, desperate.


    Tiger watched me with quiet understanding. "What will you do now, Jacob?" he asked softly. "Now that you know... you’re fated to her? Are you really going to give up on her? On yourself? Will you let Brandon have her?"


    I couldn’t speak. My mouth opened, but no words came out. My thoughts were a roaring storm, a hundred voices screaming all at once. I pressed a trembling hand over my eyes as tears burned hot behind my lids.


    Give up on her...?


    Could I?


    Would I ever be able to?


    Tiger reached out and rested a warm, strong hand on my shoulder. His voice rumbled low, grounding me to the earth again.


    "Jacob... sometimes love is not about protecting someone from your darkness. Sometimes it’s about letting them choose to love you despite it."


    I let out a brokenugh, my voice cracking in the silent room. "I don’t know if I’m that brave, Tiger."


    He squeezed my shoulder gently. "Then be brave for her."


    The darkness wrapped around us like a silent blessing as Tiger sat beside me, saying nothing else. The quiet filled the space between us with something that felt almost like hope—fragile, trembling, but alive.