That is All I Ask For: Chapter 8: Truths and Trials

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The garage was quiet that night, tension bleeding into every shadow. The team sat in a loose circle—Juno fiddling nervously with a wrench, Silas leaning back against a tire rack, and Dante standing near the doorway, arms crossed.

Micah stood at the center, hands clenched at his sides, his breath steady but heavy. He had rehearsed this a thousand times in his mind. Each version ended differently. But none of them prepared him for the real thing.

"I need to tell you something." He said finally, his voice low but firm.

All eyes turned to him. Meredith stood a little off to the side, gaze unreadable.

"My name... it's not Micah Slade."

Juno blinked. Silas raised an eyebrow.

"My real name is Micah Blade. CEO of the Eclipse Group. Our team's sponsor."

Silence.

Micah looked from face to face, waiting for anger. Betrayal. Rejection.

Instead, Juno let out a long, slow exhale. "Holy crap."

Silas looked as though he were still processing. "You mean the M. Blade on all the contracts? That Blade?"

Micah nodded.

"You were our sponsor this whole time?" Juno asked, voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yes. I joined the team under a different name because I wanted to be part of it without changing the dynamic. I didn't want people tiptoeing around me or treating me differently."

Silas frowned. "And the secrecy? The underground races?"

Micah hesitated. "They were never meant to hurt the team. I needed an outlet. A way to remember what I was before the company. Racing kept me sane. And being here, with all of you, gave me something real."

Juno stepped closer. "I get it, honestly. It was weird at first, but... it makes sense now. You never acted like some rich snob."

Silas gave a slow nod. "Still feels like a gut punch, but... I get why you did it."

Micah turned to Dante, who hadn't spoken yet.

Dante held his gaze, then gave a small nod. "We move forward."

A subtle but powerful message. The others relaxed slightly.

But Meredith's eyes were distant.

"Meredith?" Juno asked, concerned.

She turned and looked at them, then to Micah. "It's time."

Without waiting, she walked toward the garage door. Daniel, who had just arrived with two cups of coffee, looked surprised.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Meredith walked straight up to him. "We need to talk. Alone."

Micah watched them leave, the air heavy with emotion.

They stood just outside the garage, the night cool and quiet.

"You're scaring me." Daniel said.

Meredith closed her eyes for a moment. "My name isn't Meredith Flames. It's Meredith Blade. Micah is my cousin. I helped him set up everything with this team."

Daniel was silent. Too silent.

"Daniel?"

"How long were you going to keep this from me?"

"I wanted to tell you. So many times. But Micah asked me to wait."

Daniel stepped back slightly. "You still should have told me."

Meredith's voice cracked. "I didn't want to lose you."

He stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "We'll figure it out. I just... I need time."

She nodded, tears threatening to spill.

But the storm wasn't over.

Three nights later, the garage was hit again.

Astral returned—this time with more men, armed with bats, crowbars, and cruel grins. They stormed the compound just after midnight.

This time, Micah was already watching.

He'd been on edge since the first attack, sleeping light, checking feeds, setting fail safes. When the motion alerts went off, he didn't hesitate.

He had finished a long meeting and was preparing to leave his office when he checked the garage feed one last time. What he saw made his blood run cold.

Astral.

Storming into the garage like he owned the place, flanked by a larger, meaner crew than before.

Without a second thought, Micah texted Meredith.

Take Daniel and get out. Now. Don't argue. Please.

Meredith, seeing the name, didn't hesitate. She grabbed Daniel's arm and dragged him toward the side exit. "We have to go." She said, her voice tight.

Inside, chaos unfolded.

Dante and Silas tried to hold their ground, but they were outnumbered. Juno was cornered, bleeding. The men showed no mercy.

Then the garage door slammed open.

And Blade arrived.

Dressed in black from boots to gloves, eyes burning with cold fury, Micah Blade stepped into the storm like it was made for him.

He didn't waste words.

The fight ended in under two minutes.

Men crumbled before him. Tools flew. Bones cracked. Astral backed into a wall, breathing hard.

Micah didn't even raise his voice.

"Come at this team again, and I'll make sure there's nothing left of you to run with."

Astral fled. For good this time.

A week later, a strange envelope arrived at the garage.

Thick paper. No return address. Just two words in embossed silver:

Ember Trials.

It was a high-stakes, invite-only racing tournament—one of the most dangerous, but prestigious, underground events in the world.

Only one name was on the invitation.

Dante.

But Micah knew Astral. This wasn't just a race—it was a trap.

Micah stood beside Dante as they read the invitation.

"You're not going alone." Micah said.

"They only asked for me."

"They want you isolated. I won't let that happen."

The next night, when Dante arrived at the Ember Trials venue, cameras flashed and engines roared.

But the crowd went still when Blade walked in.

Micah's presence sent a ripple through the pit crews and organizers. He was infamous in the underground circuit. Dangerous. Respected.

He was not expected.

Astral saw him from across the track. His face drained of color. He turned and fled before the race even began.

The Ember Trials passed in a blur of roaring engines, tight corners, and adrenaline. But Dante never once raced alone. Blade shadowed him in every heat, every round, guarding him like a phantom.

And when the finals came, Dante won.

Not just the race—but a piece of clarity.

That night, in the silence of the empty garage, Dante turned to Micah.

"You lied. But you did it to be close to us. To me."

Micah nodded. "I never meant to hurt any of you. I just... I wanted to be someone you could care about. Not a name with a bank account."

Dante stepped closer. "You still should've trusted us."

"I know. And I'm ready now. To be myself."

Dante looked into his eyes, then finally smiled. "Welcome to the team, Micah Blade."

Micah took a deep breath. "I didn't join this team because I wanted to race again. I joined because I wanted to be near you."

Dante blinked.

Micah stepped closer. "You were always the reason I kept watching from the shadows. You were the reason I couldn't stay away. And when I realized I could be a part of this world again, even if I had to lie, I took the chance. Because I couldn't lose it. I couldn't lose you."

"You lied to us. To me."

"I know. And I'll regret it every day. But I never lied about how I felt."

Dante stood, pacing the room. "I believe you. I want to trust you. But I can't yet."

Micah nodded slowly. "I'll earn it. No matter how long it takes."

The lies were over.

The fire had cleared.

It was time to build something real.

Meredith sat with Daniel outside his house in her car. They hadn't spoken since the night of her confession.

"You were always honest with everyone." Daniel said softly. "Except with me."

"I never wanted to lie to you." She whispered.

"I know."

He reached out, laced their fingers together.

"We'll figure it out."

And with that, the team was whole again.

Micah was no longer a shadow.

He was their teammate.

And finally—

Just himself.

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