“What?”
“I’ll be your pillow. Here.” She pats her lap again.
My heart clenches in my chest. I lower myself down, resting my head in her lap, and she immediately starts running her fingers through my hair.
This is peace. This is what I’ve been searching for without knowing it.
“Can I ask you something?” she says after a while.
“Anything.”
“What are your childhoods like? Since you reincarnate with your memories, are you ever really a child?”
I close my eyes, letting her fingers soothe my mind. “As soon as I can talk, I share the passcode with a member of Artisem’s family. They make arrangements for me, help me transition back into…well, being me.”
“And your family?”
“Within my own family, it’s open knowledge. When I reincarnate, I’m treated like an adult until I become onephysically.” I pause. “I have always been the alpha. The position becomes mine as soon as I’m ready to take it.”
Her fingers pause in my hair. When I open my eyes, she’s gazing down at me with what looks like sorrow.
“That sounds tiring,” she says softly. She touches my face, tracing the line of my jaw. “When do you get time for yourself?”
I reach up, curl my hand around the nape of her neck, and pull her down toward me. Our lips meet, and I kiss her tenderly, trying to pour everything I feel into it.
“This is my time for myself,” I whisper against her mouth. “My time with you.”
She smiles, stroking my face. But there’s still that sadness in her eyes.
“You always seem to be living for somebody else,” she says. “When do you ever live for yourself?”
“My life is for you.”
She kisses me again, and when she pulls back, she says firmly, “No. That’s no way to live a life.”
The words hit harder than they should. I want to argue, want to tell her that living for her is enough, but she continues before I can say anything.
“What do you want to do?” she asks. “If you had a choice. If there were no responsibilities, no reincarnation, no alpha duties. What would you want?”
I stare up at her, stunned. “Nobody has ever asked me that.”
“I’m asking now.”
I reach up, catching the end of her braid where it falls over her shoulder. I wind it around my fingers, considering the question. Really considering it.
“I’d want a peaceful life,” I finally say. “One where I’m not responsible for anything or anyone. Where I can simply…exist.” I tug gently on her hair. “And I’d want you by my side. That’s it.”
“That’s it?” She raises an eyebrow.
I think harder, letting the fantasy build. “I’d want to wake up next to you every morning. Have boring days planned—nothing exciting, nothing dangerous. Just normal things. Going to the market. Cooking dinner. Reading books.” I pause. “Going to sleep with you next to me. Every single night.”
Daciana laughs, the sound bright and genuine. “Why am I in every scenario?”
“Because I’m only ever happy when you’re with me.”
Her expression softens, and she leans down to kiss me again. “I plan to be with you for a very long time.”
“Promise?”
