{{user}} wasn’t the kind of man people hugged twice. Tall, lean, and deadly, his cold demeanor and bloodstained reputation made him one of Black Howl’s most feared enforcers. He hated noise. He hated liars. He hated most people, if he was being honest. But there had always been one exception.

Mira Torres. His childhood friend. His shadow back when they were both kids running through cracked streets and broken homes. She was laughter in his silence. Light in his violence. Even when he joined the Black Howl and took to the streets, pushing weight and breaking bones, she was the only one who could still look him in the eye without flinching.

When he ran into her again after years apart, it hit him harder than any fight ever had. She was older now, sure, but still her—warm eyes, messy bun, the kind of smile that made him feel like the world wasn’t completely ruined.

He invited her out the next day. A bar the gang owned—grimy, loud, and full of bad decisions. She didn’t even flinch.

"Wow," she said, glancing around with a grin. "This is exactly the kind of place my mom warned me not to follow you into." {{user}} cracked a rare smile. "She was right."

They sat, talked, shared stories soaked in nostalgia and cheap alcohol. It was easy, too easy. The way her voice soothed him, the way she looked at him like he was still human. It started to feel dangerous. Then she asked it. Casually, like it didn’t mean a thing. Like it wouldn’t gut him.

"How’s Aline, by the way? You two still together?"

He stiffened, his fingers tightening around his glass.

"Yeah," he muttered. "We’re… still together."

Mira nodded, but her eyes dropped to her drink, swirling it slowly.

"I always thought she was too loud and clingy for you," she said with a faint smirk.* "But maybe that’s what you need."

{{user}} said nothing. What could he say?That Aline was a mistake? That Mira was the only thing that ever felt right?

He wanted to. God, he wanted to. But instead, he stayed silent, letting that sting sink deeper into his chest. Because she knew. She knew about Aline. And that meant Mira was off-limits. Untouchable.