His expression softened. “Come here.”
I did. Fell into his arms, let him hold me.
The heat stirred again, insistent, but it wasn’t urgent anymore. We had time. We had each other. We had forever, apparently, if the claiming extended my lifespan the way he said.
“Sleep,” Caelan murmured against my hair. “The heat will return, but for now, sleep. You need to recover.”
“Will you stay?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He guided me toward the bed, helped me under the covers, climbed in beside me.
I fell asleep in his arms, complete at last.
26
— • —
Caelan
For the next few days, we didn’t leave my chambers.
We ate, we slept, we had sex, and then we did it all over again.
I was over the clouds. Delirious with happiness. My mate was here, in my bed, in my arms. Every time I woke and saw her face on my pillow, a warmth in my chest expanded with joy. My wolf preened with satisfaction, finally settled after days of restless agitation. He had what he wanted. What he needed. His mate, safe and warm and within reach.
The heat came and went in waves. Sometimes gentle, a low simmer that we could ignore for hours. Sometimes urgent, demanding, driving us together with a desperation that left us both breathless and satisfied. I learned the rhythm of it, learned to read the flush on her skin, the way her breathing changed, the exact moment the heat shifted from manageable to urgent.
But the guilt lingered.
It sat in my stomach, a constant reminder that she almost died because of me. Because I left. Because I didn’t consider what my claiming bite would do to her body. Every time she smiled at me, every time she laughed, every time she arched into my touch, I felt the weight of what I’d almost lost.
We were tangled in my sheets, the fire crackling low, when I finally told her everything.
“I didn’t just leave you unprotected,” I said, my hand resting possessively on her hip. My thumb traced circles on her skin, an unconscious claiming gesture my wolf demanded. “I asked Aedan to keep an eye on you from afar. Check on you from time to time without you knowing.”
“From afar?”
“I also asked the men from the tattoo shop. Dom and the others. They were already protective of you, so I just... encouraged it.”
“You set up a surveillance network around me.”
“I set up a support network.” My voice dropped into command, the alpha tone that I couldn’t suppress when it came to her safety. “You’re my mate. Protecting you is my priority. Even when I can’t be there myself.”
She raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. My wolf rumbled with satisfaction at her acceptance.
Wise woman. She was learning when to pick her battles.
“Riley.” I pulled back enough to look at her face, my expression intense. “When Aedan said you’d been alone for two months... is that true? Was I really gone that long for you?”
“Yes. Two months, give or take a few days.”
The confirmation hit me with physical force. I’d heard Aedan say it, but hearing it from her made it real.
“Two months,” I repeated, and a growl built in my chest. Not at her. At myself. At the situation. At the cruelty of time moving differently between realms.
“Why? How long was it for you?”
“A week and a half.”
