Not peacefully, she’s far from that, but she isn’t trapped in the nightmare loops she fell into last night.Her breathing is steady now, shallow but calm, her body curled on her side beneath the blanket like she’s trying to take up as little space as possible.
I sit where I always sit.In the chair beside her bed.Watching shadows move outside the window as dawn creeps closer.My dire wolf hates the chair.He wants the bed.He wants her warmth, her scent, her heartbeat pressed against ours.
But Aria isn’t ready for that.Not even close.
So, I sit.And I wait.And I pretend the chair is comfortable when my ass has been numb for hours.
The early morning quiet is shattered by a deep, distant howl, one of the border warriors checking in.My shoulders ease a fraction.The territory is secure.
Aria stirs at the sound, breathing hitching, but she doesn’t wake.Good.She needs the rest.It’s been ...almost twenty-four hours since the rescue?Time’s blurred.I only know she’s slept three times, and I’ve barely slept at all.
The door opens softly behind me.Caine steps inside and closes the door without a sound, glancing once at Aria before turning his attention to me.
“You look like hell,” he murmurs.
I shrug.“She needed me here.”
Caine leans against the dresser, arms crossed.“I figured.Marc said you stayed through the night.”
“She panics when she wakes alone.”
Caine studies my face closely, reading more than I say.He always does.
Then he nods.“I talked to Xavia.She’ll wait another day.”
“Good.”
“She’ll also need to shift eventually,” he adds gently.
My jaw tightens.“Not yet.”
“No,” Caine agrees.“Not yet.”
There’s a long beat of silence.
Then he says, voice lower than before, “Your scent is changing.”
My chest freezes.“What?”
“Not fully,” he continues, “but enough that it’s noticeable to anyone who’s paying attention.”
I swallow hard.“Because the bond is pulling.”
“Yes.”
I rub my palms against my thighs, restless.“It flickers.Sometimes strong.Sometimes gone.”
“That’s not normal,” Caine says softly.
“I know.”The silence between us grows heavy.
He shifts slightly.“Silas ...has she touched you?”
I shake my head.“No.She barely lets me near.”
“Has she let you scent-mark anything?The room?The bed?”
“No.”
