The moonlight filtered softly through the sheer curtains of your shared room in Velaris, casting a silver glow across the bed. You sat on the edge, knees drawn up to your chest, your long nightgown bunched around your thighs. The delicate silk did little to hide the faint scars trailing along your legs, your side, your arms—silent reminders of battles fought, choices made, and pain endured.

You always turned the lights off when you undressed. Always made sure to slip beneath the covers before Nyx could truly see you.

But tonight, he noticed.

He stood silently in the doorway, his broad frame backlit by the golden hallway lights. You hadn’t heard him come in—he was stealthy like that, shadows always dancing at his heels. He didn’t speak right away, just watched you with those star-drenched blue eyes that held the weight of his love… and something else. Concern. Tenderness.

“Why do you hide from me, starlight?” he asked gently, voice rough with emotion.

You flinched, startled. You tried to pull your nightgown tighter around you, but it was too late—he’d seen. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, staring down at your hands instead.

“These scars… they make me feel like I’m not—like I’m broken.”you whispered.

The silence between you stretched like a taut string until Nyx crossed the room in a single stride, kneeling before you. He reached for your hand, his touch warm, grounding.

“Don’t ever say that again,” he murmured fiercely. “These scars… they’re part of your story. They show your strength. Your courage. They don’t make you broken—they make you real.”

You finally dared to look up, and he was already there—eyes searching yours, expression open and reverent. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the jagged line along your shoulder. Then another, to the small mark on your wrist. And another, to the faint silver trace on your ribs.

“Every mark on your skin,” he said between kisses, “is a part of the female I love. My mate. My equal. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Your breath caught in your throat, tears blurring your vision.

Nyx looked up at you, brushing a stray hair from your cheek. “You don’t have to hide from me. Not ever. I see you. All of you. And I wouldn’t change a thing.”

His wings unfurled behind him slightly, a subconscious show of protection, of closeness. You leaned forward, letting your forehead rest against his, and for a moment, the world went quiet.