It seems I am updating faster than people can review LOL so no review replies for today. Also pls don't be mad if I'm not updating any other story but this one cos this is the only one my brain wants to produce content for, a thousand apologies, I will try my best to update HE soon !

I have to really emphasize the mention of death in this story is cranked to the max. I don't go into gory details but some of it is eyebrow-raising if you are sensitive. So just be warned this story is rated T because of mentions of death, blood and some other war crimes etc. Dw you can still enjoy the story bc I will put trigger warnings over the chapters so you can avoid it.

It's not M bc it's not explicit or high impact (I think idk) maybe later it might be *wink wink* jk I can't write smut to save my life sorry. I thought I could then I read that mirror scene from Bridgerton and if that is what is defined as 'smut' imma go ahead and stand in a Drakari crossfire. *ooooou the cringes*

But alas an enemies to lovers is not complete without the lovers part...or the enemies part ;)

Anyways *TW HEAVY MENTIONS OF DEATH, MURDER AND VIOLENCE*

The blade came without a shred of hesitance and the sound of flesh slicing echoed.

Silence graced the plateau as the raid concluded following a loud wail of the wind. Stella stood panting and rooted to her spot, daggers still in hand and the look of horror marrying her expression.

Mila let out a blood-curdling scream and she scrambled herself up to avoid the severed head that rolled towards her with a trail of blood.

The corpse of the soldier fell to its knees and Noah stood behind it, his blue twin blades reeling back into the hilt as his concern-filled eyes flickered from Mila shaking and crying on the ground to Stella standing a few feet away.

Letting out a choked gasp Stella regained mobility in her own damn body as she took in the scene around her. The Drakari soldiers were all scattered bodies on the lowest plateau as Rebellion members stood over their corpses. A couple of members were helping the prisoners out of the Drakari ships while the majority stood by, their eyes glued to their lieutenant who had been frozen in her trance.

Their lieutenant that had failed to protect a recruit.

The moment the doors to Stella's room split open with a hiss she stormed in. Her boots clattered hard against the metal as she stood in the middle of the room, rage angst and self-loathe filling her being. She was clenching her fists so hard that it was drawing blood from her nails as she glared at the floor.

"God fucking dammit!" She screeched, unable to keep in the spiralling feelings as she threw the daggers from her suit at the closest wall. The yellow energy blade powered down the moment it stuck out of the wall and fell to the floor as Stella let out another frustrated shriek.

She slammed her forearms on her desk, swiping it hard across the wood and making everything on her desk clatter onto the floor. "Dammit! Fucking dammit!" She screamed out, kicking the empty table and making it slam onto the ground with a loud thud.

She cried out in angst, running her hands crazily through her hair at the flashbacks of what had occurred on the battlefield today. She told herself that if she ever saw Brandon fucking Silver ever again she would draw blood from his neck with her dagger, but in the face of a man who merely resembled him, she hesitated.

She fucking hesitated. And it almost cost another person's life because of her own damn weakness. Her rage hit the maximum as she lifted her leg and slammed the back of her foot hard on the table, splitting the wood in two.

The doors to her bedroom hissed open again and her concerned captain stood beyond the threshold. He opened his mouth to announce his presence but was cut off abruptly at the sound of glass cracking as Stella crushed a glass bottle in her bare hand before hurling it across the room.

She stood in the middle of the shambled left of her room, braids undone and hair an unruly mess, panting and heaving. She was clutching her hand in a fist as the blood dripped into a pool by her foot at the cut on her palm.

"Shit Stella!" Noah yelled, walking into the room in haste to grab a cloth for her cut. "You're bleeding!"

But his words fell on deaf ears as Stella grabbed the energy blades that were previously on the dresser she had broken and attempted to throw it with her bleeding hand. Noah immediately stepped in, grabbing her wrist pulling the bloodied blades out of her grip and letting it drop to the floor.

"Enough! What is going on?!" He snapped in concern as Stella stood in front of him, her face bright red and drenched in her own tears.

Tears that she didn't even realise were pouring out of her waterline.

He continued to hold her wrist as Stella slowly met his gaze, "I couldn't do it," She managed to croak out before letting out a choked sob. "I almost got her killed,"

"Mila's fine, a little shaken up but she's fine," Noah tried his best to reason with her, "Things happen Stella, but none of us got hurt, that's what matters,"

"No!" She hissed, "You don't understand, I had it! I could've protected her but I fucking hesitated. That was my job, that you had to step in and do for me!"

Noah's eyes softened, "You're not a killer Stella," He murmured gently, "It's my job as your captain to protect you,"

Stella shook her head, more tears gathering at her chin, "No Noah, I hesitated because that solider looked like him," She cried out, referring to the one man in the world that could break her like this, "When it matters, I can't even avenge my father, I'm fucking pathetic!" Her screams out louder as another flurry of fury contorted through her body, giving her the urge to break something else.

But Noah wasn't letting go of her hand.

"Let go of me, Noah!" Stella shook her bloodied hand violently, trying to pull out of his grip but Noah simply grabbed her other wrist. Realising there was no escaping his grip, her writhing weakened, and she simply dropped her head, letting out a defeated cry, "I'm not strong enough to kill the one person I need to!"

Noah felt his chest tighten at her words. He didn't know what to say or do that would make this any better. He had never seen Stella like this – she always had a smile on her face and a playful attitude.

The woman in front of him was broken, full of raw untamed emotion.

"This doesn't define you Stella," He stated firmly, taking her shoulders as she continued to sob, "You're the strongest damn person I know,"

"Noah I couldn't do it," her body shook violently as she let out another pained cry. "He killed my father, he took everything away from me, why couldn't I do it?!" She screeched and Noah didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her, pulling her close to keep her from hurting herself again.

She pounded her fists on his chest, desperate to cut loose and possibly grab another thing to throw or hurt herself but his grip was too tight.

"It's okay, it doesn't matter. It wasn't him. You're okay, Stella, I've got you," He whispered in a kind and gentle tone despite her trying to break out of his grip.

His voice was so soft, so comforting that something broke inside of her hardened shell. For the first time in 4 years, Stella felt like a vulnerable little girl as she let out a smothered and dejected sob.

Her knees gave out from underneath her and Noah grabbed her waist as she fell. His body went down with her as he sat on the ground in the middle of the rubble left by her destruction.

Stella curled up between his lap, her bloodied hands clutching his shirt as she cried hard, letting out everything she had held for the last 4 years. Noah wrapped his arm around her, letting her rest her head on his chest as her body shook with her stifled cries echoing in the room.

"You're okay, it's okay," He whispered over and over again comfortingly as he rubbed her back. He let her cry on him, drenching his shirt as he sat with her, letting her take out all of her anger and frustration. After a few minutes, her sobs had quietened, reducing to soft even breaths that signalled her falling asleep.

She must've been exhausted from the lack of sleep.

Noah let out a soft sigh as his eyes gazed around the room, taking in the damage Stella had done to the once well-put-together camp room. The table had been flipped and broken in half, the dresser was on its side with all its content spewing out, everything was smashed into pieces and if the bed wasn't a metal box attached to the floor, she would've broken it too.

She's ridiculously strong for someone who considers herself weak.

He gazed down at Stella's serene expression, a stark contrast from the way she looked terrified moments ago as she slept with her head on his chest. Her wet lashes were resting on her tear-stained cheeks as her soft breathing made her chest rise and fall. Her hands had let go of his bloodied shirt giving him a chance to wrap her cut-up hand with the cloth he had grabbed.

As he gently tied the gauze around her bleeding palm, Noah wondered what had happened earlier in Stella's life to make her this way. She never killed anyone, not even Drakari who deserved nothing but death and yet she was filled with so much raw hate and angst.

She hardly ever spoke of her life before the rebellion. The only thing he knew was that a man she trusted turned out to be a Drakari and ended up killing her father in front of her.

Noah saw himself in her, in the way that the reign of terror the Drakari bought along with them had ruined both their lives.

The day the ex high commander Andreas Silver staged a coup and had the king assassinated, his loyal men, the Drakari took to the kingdom, slaughtering any man, woman, or child under the rule of the late king.

Including his mother.

By some curse of fate, he wasn't home the day Solaria was painted red. He had taken a job in a nearby trading planet to fight in the rink for a quick buck.

He wasn't there they had massacred the castle and raided the town to murder every Solarian they could find who hadn't escaped. His mother didn't know about his fighting habits and thought he had gone out for honest work. She hadn't escaped with the refugee ships that flew out. She had waited for her son to come home.

When he did come home, he had come back to the ruins of what remained in Solaria—to his burned down house and his mother's corpse, still waiting at the front door.

A harrowing memory he would never forget.

Then a couple of months later, he met her like a golden goddess among the sea of greedy men betting on the fight. Her hazel eyes watched his every move in both awe and admiration.

The first thing Stella requested out of their friendship was that Noah taught her how to fight. And to fight like a champion is what she did during their time in the rebellion.

As Noah brushed away the matted hair that clustered over Stella's forehead, he tilted his head to stare at her soft expression while she slept. He knew how she felt, they were one and the same for their hate against the Drakari.

But he knew Stella wouldn't kill anyone even if the man in question took everything from her.

He leaned her head against his bicep and gently brought her bandaged hand up to his face. "I promise Stella when the time comes, I will kill him for you," He whispered, placing a soft kiss over the gauze covering her knuckles.

Raaaaaahhh Noah is so cute. BUT AHHH NOAH IS A BIT MORE THAN A SIDE CHARACTER LOLOL

I thought Helia was a fitting character for the Rebellion recon team, he's so cool calm and collected. Sky being king and secretly helping the rebellion seems so very canon of him idk. Everyone else may be featured in one way shape or form, I haven't really thought that far ahead.

P.s i didn't listen to my editor bc he is mean and I can't have my readers think this is attack on titan lol

Lots of Love,

Star